Paintball markers
The paintball marker or marker is the main item of equipment or play device in paintball . In the marker a highly compressed gas is used to the actual paintball to speed in one run. The paintball itself is mostly a gelatin ball filled mainly with food coloring and polyethylene glycol and is sometimes referred to by players as "paint".
The term marker is derived from the original use of the marker, namely the marking or "marking" of trees by forest workers and of cattle by cattle herders.
The game-ready markers normally consists of four main components: the actual marker , the loader or hopper reservoir mentioned for the paintballs and the run ( english barrels ). It is supplemented by the gas system , which consists of a pressure tank with a pressure reducer ( English regulator exists).
The muzzle velocity of paintballs when leaving the barrel is around 300 feet per second (ft / s) in international sport, but with many markers it can be increased or decreased without major technical obstacles. On most pitches or by the organizers, however, the muzzle speed is limited to 260 to 300 ft / s (around 79.2 to 91.4 m / s; 285 to 329 km / h) for safety reasons and to reduce the risk of injury. Due to the considerable physical damage that a paintball can cause in the eye, it is therefore always important to observe the relevant safety rules when handling markers when they are ready to play and to wear a protective mask or at least approved protective goggles.
history
origin
After the Nelson Paint Company was hired by the United States Forest Service to create another way of marking trees from a greater distance than with the conventional spray gun, the Crosman company was contracted to produce a gun for firing the new paint capsules develop. In 1965 the Crosman 707 came on the market; it was based on the Crosman 150. After three years, production was discontinued due to sales problems.
The compressed air gun manufacturer Daisy Manufacturing Company was then commissioned by Nelson Paint in 1972 to develop a new marker for the paint capsules. The Daisy Splotchmarker was then developed, which Nelson then marketed under the name Nel-Spot 707 . The first paintball game was held in 1981 with the Nel-Spot 707. The game took place in Henniker, New Hampshire , on June 27, 1981 , and the second - and also first commercial - was held in Alabama in October of that year.
Further development to sport
With the growing success of paintball, other companies came into the market. In 1982 PMI (Pursuit Marketing Inc.) had the PMI-1 developed by the Benjamin Sheridan Air Rifle Company , which was followed by the PG in 1983 . In this year, the first modifications to the markers began, which were improved by handles for faster repeating or by extensions to the magazines. With the Sheridan PGP , the first marker with a standard repeating handle came onto the market in 1984. During this time, the first barrel extensions and simple gravity feeders were also used, which usually only consisted of a simple plastic tube with a connector. Even in the early phase of sport, the focus was on the supply of compressed air, and so small pressurized gas bottles were used early on as a replacement for the 12 g carbon dioxide capsules used until then.
In 1986, Tippmann Pneumatics was founded by Dennis Tippmann, Sr. In the same year they brought the Tippmann SMG-60 (SubMachineGun, caliber 60) onto the market. The SMG-60 was the first fully automatic marker and was later ported as the SMG-68 to what is still the most popular caliber .68 (17.3 mm) today. In the mid-1980s, Tippmann also developed the needle valve for CO 2 and renounced patenting in order not to prevent the further spread of this safety technology and thus to make sport safer than was possible with the previous provisional solutions. In the same year, the barrel plugs for security were introduced. In 1987 Bud Orr developed the first "sniper" marker Sniper , which followed the Sniper II . His company WPG (Worr Game Products) launched Autococker in 1992 .
The IPPA (International Paintball Players Association) was founded in 1988 and was able to enforce the limitation of the muzzle velocity to 300 ft / s through Russ Maynard ; it was later established as a standard by the ASTM .
The first electro-pneumatic marker came onto the market in 1996 with the Shocker from PneuVentures Inc. It was sold exclusively by Smart Parts . After PneuVentures and Smart Parts dissolved their partnership, PneuVentures introduced the Cyber 9000 in 1997, the first marker with a built-in LCD display.
Marker types
According to the basic functional differences of the trigger mechanism, the markers are divided into two categories, mechanical and electro-pneumatic:
- In the case of mechanical markers, the trigger mechanism releases a trigger mechanism that, for example, holds a piston in the rest position. There are a variety of mechanical systems, the most common of which is the "blowback" marker. This uses a spring-loaded piston which opens a pin valve when triggered. The pressurized gas is fed through the valve through the bolt and the shot is triggered, at the same time the gas pushes the piston back and it is caught again by the trigger mechanism.
- Electro-pneumatic markers replace the mechanical trigger with an electronic control to control the shot release. The trigger triggers a switching pulse via a microswitch , magnetic switch or optocoupler , an electronic circuit controls the gas flows via a magnetic valve (solenoid) and thus triggers the shot. The (usually programmable) electronic control means that the solenoid valve opens and closes very quickly (modern markers achieve switching operations in the range of tenths of a millisecond), which enables precise control and metering of the gas flows during activation. With such markers it is also possible to play with very brittle paintballs, as they are used in tournament sports.
Marker
Paintball markers differ greatly from one another, depending on the area of application or the type of game. While “tournament markers” are remotely reminiscent of a spray gun with a long tip, so-called “woodland markers” are more closely related to real weapons.
The most commonly played caliber of paintballs is .68 (0.68 inch = 17.3 mm), but other calibers such as .43 (10.9 mm) and .50 (12.7 mm) are also used. Attempts to enforce the .50 caliber as the new standard have shown little success so far and so the .68 caliber continues to be played almost exclusively on most playing fields and in tournament sports. Another reason is that the muzzle velocity is measured on the playing field when setting ("Chronen"), but the actually relevant muzzle energy is disregarded and this results in a disadvantage for smaller calibers.
Marker housing
In the housing ( English Body ) are the main components of the marker: Included are the trigger mechanism, the majority of the gas guide and the receiving means for the barrel and the hopper. In the case of electro-pneumatic markers, the control solenoid valve and another adjustable pressure reducer are usually located in the housing. For weight reasons, the housing of the markers is usually made of aluminum alloys and anodized in color .
Electro-pneumatic markers can be roughly divided into "rammer" and "spooler" according to their functional principle.
Handle with trigger
The function of the handle is comparable to that of a firearm. It represents the connection to the housing and the marker is guided on the handle during the game. In the case of electro-pneumatic markers, the handle usually contains the battery, the control electronics and light-emitting diodes , which indicate the operating status and are also used for programming. Some markers also have a built-in display, which today mostly consists of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED).
The actual deduction ( English trigger ) is usually very smoothly, partly with ball bearings at Paintballmarkierern and has only a short tripping path and virtually no trigger resistance. In tournaments, the trigger is usually so extended that it can be operated alternately with two fingers in order to achieve a higher firing frequency. With tournament markers, the compressed air bottle is normally screwed onto the handle at the bottom.
Hopper
The reservoir for the paintballs is generally referred to as a hopper . The main types are gravity, driven and so-called force feed hoppers. Pole magazines, such as those used in woodland markers, are not usually referred to as hoppers.
Gravity hopper
Gravity hoppers are the simplest and cheapest types to use in the game. They only consist of a plastic container with a lid and are clamped on top of the marker. Due to the functional principle, the paint balls simply roll into the marker or are shaken downwards by the kinetics of the shot. The conveyor speed is determined by gravity but is typically less than 12 balls per second (bps). Gravity hoppers work less well if the marker tilts and tend to jam the paint balls, which can be remedied by shaking ("shaking hoppers"). Today they are practically only used in rental or with inexpensive markers.
Powered hoppers
Powered hoppers are powered by electric motors or compressed air and actively convey the paintballs into the marker. They usually use a kind of agitator to ensure that the paint balls are conveyed evenly. There are a number of different systems and functional principles. While some systems work with a pressure control ("Forcefeed"), others use acoustic sensors to control the conveying process. Many of these hoppers are able to independently release jammed paintballs, for example by changing the direction of travel of the drive. The conveying speed is up to 45 bps here. The capacity of such hoppers is usually between 150 and 200 paint balls.
Bar and tube magazines
Rod and tube magazines are comparable in function to the magazines of normal semi-automatic firearms. Here the paintballs are promoted with spring pressure. The capacity here is a maximum of 20 paint balls.
Paintballs
The paintballs used are basically differentiated on the basis of several aspects. As mentioned above, the differences include the size, but also the type of filling, the shape and the fragility. These factors, but also other points not listed, in turn determine the purpose, costs and performance of the paintballs on the field.
size
The standard size of paintballs is .68 caliber (0.68 inch = 17.3 mm). As already mentioned in the subsection markers, there are also other calibers within the paintball sport, but they do not have the same popularity.
Assuming the standard size .68 caliber, it should be mentioned that not every paintball that is purchased in .68 caliber is actually 0.680 inches. This is due to the manufacturer and can even depend on the respective batch, although the manufacturer and the product are the same and were only manufactured at a different point in time. These differences, which can usually go from 0.679 inches to 0.690 inches, can improve points such as air efficiency (since if the balls are too small, the air is blown past the balls in the barrel and therefore more air has to be applied for the same muzzle velocity of the paintballs ) or bursts (paintballs that are too large for a barrel diameter that is too small) are critically influenced.
In addition to these size differences caused by the manufacturers, there are also the size differences caused by the environment. Since the paintballs usually consist of a gelatin cover and an organic paint filling, they are also subject to the properties of the substances used, which means that the size of the paintballs increases with increasing temperature and the size of the paintballs decreases with decreasing temperature.
Type of filling
The type of filling of a paintball can be roughly divided into color filling and powder filling. The powder filling has the advantage that, due to the lack of liquid and gelatin, uniform shooting conditions are set even at extreme temperatures, especially in comparison to the environmental fluctuations in size, but also in brittleness, of paintballs with color filling. Basically, paintballs with color filling are more common on the field, as they allow a clear and difficult to disguise hit detection due to the color and are usually cheaper in price due to their wide distribution and use.
shape
Basically paintballs are round, but there are also projectile-like paintballs, which have further advantages, but also disadvantages. The design, which consists of half normal paintballs and the other half guide vanes, which stabilize the projectile in the air, tries to make use of the properties of a modern projectile . According to the manufacturer, higher precision and an increased range can be achieved compared to normal paintballs. The disadvantage here is that the paintball marker must also be designed for this, which is usually due to the specified direction of use of the projectiles (the projectiles can only be used in a certain orientation due to their shape, in contrast to normal paintball, which due to its spherical shape cannot be used incorrectly Direction of use) is usually only withheld from paintball markers with magazines. Furthermore, a very high purchase price compared to normal paintball is a point that can be seen as a disadvantage.
brittleness
In addition to the points mentioned above, paintballs are also distinguished in terms of their fragility. The basic rule here is that paintballs that are used for training purposes or when playing on forest-like playing fields are usually very solid, whereas paintballs that are used in tournaments are more fragile. There are several reasons for this, as well as advantages and disadvantages.
Paintballs that are very brittle have the advantage that they are more likely to hit opponents and can therefore be counted as hits. In some forms of play of paintball, hits in which the paintballs do not open and lose their color are not hits, with paintballs that burst more easily being an advantage. On the negative side, there is the increased risk of paintball balls that burst prematurely in the barrel or inside the marker. This has the consequence that subsequent paintball balls fly less precisely or also burst due to the paint residue in the paintball marker. Whether the brittle paint bursts prematurely depends on various factors, with the paintball marker itself playing a major role, as the paintball balls inside the paintball marker are handled more or less carefully due to the various construction methods.
The benefits of firmer paintball balls include the ability to shoot through bushes and other light vegetation without the paintball balls bursting, which explains why this type of paintball is widely used on the forest-like playing fields mentioned above. On the other hand, one of the disadvantages is that the paintball balls will not burst on the opponent with a higher probability and increasing flight distance (and thus decreasing speed).
Gas system
The gas system consists of the actual pressure vessel and a screwed-on pressure reducer . The pressure vessel - usually just called "bottle" or "tank" - contains the compressed gas that accelerates the paintballs as they run. While in the past almost exclusively compressed and therefore liquid carbon dioxide was used, the gas used today is mostly normal compressed air. Other gases like propane were also used but are meaningless in today's sport.
Since the carbon dioxide in the pressure vessel is in liquid form and there is a strong cooling when the pressure is released in the pressure reducer, the seals used are subject to high thermal loads. Liquid carbon dioxide can also get into the gas system of the marker, which leads to an unstable air flow and thus strong fluctuations in the muzzle velocity and thus in the shot pattern. It can also damage the marker. For this reason, carbon dioxide is now used almost exclusively in the form of 12 g disposable capsules in pistol-like markers.
The pressure vessels used today are normally made of aluminum alloys, fiber composites or combinations of the materials. The capacity is between 0.2 and 1.8 liters at a pressure of 200 to 300 bar, with 0.8 and 1.1 liter bottles being the most commonly used. According to the technical regulations, these pressure vessels are subject to mandatory monitoring and must be checked cyclically by a notified body . In Europe this test interval is five years. Due to the high stress on the pressure vessel, due to the relatively frequent filling with up to 300 bar, the maximum service life is 15 years, but can also be shorter due to the design.
In the regulator, on which a manometer is usually attached to monitor the pressure, the high pressure air is regulated down to the pre-pressure of the marker.
Run
During the run, the color ball is accelerated and the direction given. It is usually screwed into the marker body from the front. Since the threads and their dimensions (for example the pitch or spacing) are not standardized, when replacing the barrel, make sure that the barrel thread corresponds to that of the housing. The threads are usually known by the manufacturer names who originally introduced the threads. For example, the Autococker thread, "Cocker" or "AC" for short, is the most widely used thread, which is used by manufacturers such as Planet Eclipse, Bob Long, Dangerous Power and Dye. In addition, the Impulse , Spyder and Tippmann 98 threads are widely used.
Since the paint balls differ in diameter ("Bore") depending on the manufacturer and the batch, adapting the inner diameter of the barrel to the outer diameter of the paintballs helps to increase precision and optimize air consumption.
When running, a distinction is made between one, two and three-part systems. While one-piece barrels consist of one piece, two-piece barrels can be divided in the middle. Three-part barrels consist of a front part ("front") and a rear part ("back") with insert sleeves (usually just called "sleeves"). The advantage of the multi-part barrels is that the rear part can be adjusted to the diameter of the paintballs by exchanging the back or the sleeves without replacing a complete barrel.
The front of the barrels usually have numerous relief holes (the so-called "portings") in which the gas can escape. The more controlled expansion of the gas via these relief holes significantly reduces the shot noise. The barrels today are usually made of aluminum, fiber composites, carbon fibers or a combination of these materials.
Barrel protection
The term running protection means safety devices that mechanically block the end of the run. They are intended to prevent a paintball from leaving the barrel if other safety systems fail, which can sometimes result in serious injuries. They are mandatory on all playing fields outside the actual playing area or in all areas where a protective mask is not worn. Using a marker in the safety zone without a lifeline usually leads to a warning and, if repeated, to exclusion from the field. For safety reasons, use in the safety zone is compulsory on many playing fields, even if the marker is not operational.
There are generally two types:
- Barrel plug: The barrel plug corresponds to a plug made of plastic or rubber that is inserted into the muzzle of the barrel. When using plastic plugs, there will usually be one or more o-rings on the plug to improve the fit. The operating principle of the barrel plug is based on the friction between the plug and the barrel. The function depends on the fact that the plug is tight enough and has been inserted accordingly. Since the barrel plug is only held in its position by the friction, it can be pushed out of the barrel by the kinetic energy of the paintball, which is particularly risky with electro-pneumatic markers, as they can shoot a large number of bullets in a short time . The barrel plugs are the original locking systems for the barrel.
- Running socks (often also running condoms ): Running socks are the most common protection for running on the playing fields today. They consist of a fabric or silicone bag with an adjustable elastic cord. The fabric bag consists of a plastic fabric with a partially reinforced insert. It is placed over the barrel and attached to the marker housing or the lower part of the hopper with the elastic cord. If a shot is accidentally released, the paintball will be caught in the sock, where it will break. The appropriately fixed elastic band ensures that the running sock continues to cover the muzzle and ensures safety in the event of further shots. Running socks are easier to use and safer than running plugs and have therefore displaced the running plugs almost entirely from the playing fields. Another advantage of running socks compared to running stoppers is the fact that paint accidentally shot off makes the inside of the marker much less dirty.
Fire modes
With the introduction of the semi-automatic marker in the early 1990s, the semi-automatic principle, i.e. pulling the trigger means a released shot, was the standard. With the introduction of the electronic control of the markers in the late 1990s, other fire modes became possible through the installation of microcontrollers. So bursts of fire , fully automatic firing or a wide variety of combinations of fire modes could be programmed.
Pump marker
Pump markers have to be reloaded after each shot , similar to a forearm repeater (“pump gun”).
Semi-automatic mode
In semi-automatic mode, each pull of the trigger triggers a shot. In order to increase the cadence, very short trigger travels are often set and longer triggers ("double triggers") installed. Since this led to very high shot rates with appropriate manual dexterity, the number of shots was limited to 12 to 15 bps in tournament sports.
Burst of fire and fully automatic mode
The fully automatic mode corresponds to the continuous fire of an automatic firearm . When the trigger is pulled, the marker continues to shoot automatically until the trigger is released again. Here cadences of over 30 bps are achieved. In the case of a burst of fire, on the other hand, a specified number of paintballs are shot each time the trigger is pulled.
Ramping
The so-called ramping is a mixture of the semi-automatic mode and the burst of fire. When ramping, the marker switches from semi-automatic operation to burst operation after a predetermined or freely programmed number of trigger actuations. The bursts of fire are usually carried out as long as a certain number of trigger actuations per second is not exceeded. After a programmed period of time after the last release of the trigger, the marker then returns to semi-automatic mode.
Ramping is also used in tournament sports. The programming here is usually precisely specified by the organizer of the tournament, the tournament series or the league (for example PSP, NXL or Millennium ramping).
Legal situation and regulations on playing fields
Legal situation in Germany
Paintball markers can be freely acquired from the age of 18, provided they have a muzzle energy of no more than 7.5 joules. Depending on the weight of the paintball, this results in a muzzle velocity of around 214 fps (around 65.2 m / s or 235 km / h).
The approval of a paintball marker in Germany is granted by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB, Department 1 Mechanics and Acoustics - Division 1.3 Speed - Working Group 1.33 Dynamic Pressure Measurement Speed). The Shelling Act § 9 Paragraph 2 No. 1 applies here . In the context of the approval, the mean kinetic energy is determined here; If the kinetic energy is above 5 joules, five identically constructed markers are required for approval, which are checked in a series of measurements. When the prescribed parameters are reached, approval is granted and a copy of the marker is deposited with the Physikalisch-Technische-Bundesanstalt.
According to the approval, markers require the required identification, which consists of the letter "F" in a pentagon, the caliber specification, model designation and company name or trademark of the domestic manufacturer, importer or dealer. Older markers with approvals prior to 2003 usually only have the F in the pentagon. The marking is to be permanently affixed in accordance with the specifications of the PTB, which is normally done by means of stamps or, today, partly by laser marking .
The possession of fully automatic paintball guns is prohibited in Germany. According to the Weapons Act, markers must be made inoperable for transport, for example by dismantling the gas supply, and transported safely in a locked container. However, the possession and transport of components that enable the marker to increase its performance is not prohibited in Germany as long as the components are not assembled in Germany.
The handling of markers is also not permitted outside of gaming venues before the age of 18. A paintball field is not a shooting range in terms of the Weapons Act.
Legal situation in Austria
Since 1997 you have to be at least 18 years old to purchase a marker in Austria.
Playing in open terrain or in the forest is also prohibited in Austria. The paintball game itself is only allowed on specially set up and approved paintball facilities. The practice of sport is usually possible from the age of 14 in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. From the age of 16, playing is permitted on most of the facilities upon presentation of a written consent from a parent or legal guardian.
Legal situation in Switzerland
Paintball markers fall under the Swiss Weapons Act (WG) according to Article 4 No. 1 f. They are assigned to the category of reportable weapons, sub-category "No firearm". Accordingly, when handling markers (trade, transport, use, etc.), all requirements of the WG as well as the national and cantonal ordinances must be observed; however, the acquisition does not require a “weapons acquisition license”. In the case of a commercial or private sale, the buyer must be at least 18 years old and of age (Art. 8 (2) WG). The WG contains further restrictions at various points which may represent obstacles to an acquisition. A written sales contract must be drawn up which is drawn up in accordance with Art. 11 WG and contains information about the seller, buyer and weapon, which must be kept for 10 years. Since the marker is not a firearm, there is no need to report it to the cantonal weapons office.
According to the WG there are no restrictions on the maximum kinetic energy of the paintballs and the fire mode (for example fully automatic). Most Swiss paintball facilities have their own restrictions and requirements for this.
Rules on playing fields
Some field operators have extended regulations for the handling and use of paintball markers within the scope of the house rules. The use of markers that resemble real weapons - so-called replicas - is often prohibited in Germany. Restrictions on the muzzle energy and thus the speed below the respective legal requirements are also used on some playing fields.
Use of red paint
In general, the use of red paint on the playing fields is prohibited because, on the one hand, the effect of blood in sports is not wanted and, on the other hand, a bleeding injury could not be recognized immediately. If red color is not explicitly prohibited, it is still frowned upon in gaming circles, which is why it is hardly ever produced.
Individual evidence
- ↑ chemical analysis of paintballs. (PDF) Retrieved November 10, 2015 .
- ↑ Paintball history. In: paintball-info.ch. Retrieved December 9, 2012 .
- ^ History of Paintball: Origins and Evolution. www.thepaintballprofessor.com, June 9, 2014, accessed June 18, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Paintball History. QDY.ca, accessed June 18, 2015 .
- ↑ Martin Ludwig: Paintball and its history of origin - Part 1. modssl.de, February 25, 2013, accessed on June 18, 2015 .
- ^ Mary Bellis: Paintball - History - Guns and Markers. about.com, accessed June 18, 2015 .
- ^ Tippmann - about us. Tippmann, accessed on July 7, 2015 (English).
- ↑ Product description First Strike projectile. In: First Strike Paintball. United Tactical Systems, accessed February 21, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c WaffG Annex 2 Section 2 No. 1.1. Retrieved July 7, 2015 .
- ↑ a b PTB Shelling Act. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 6, 2014 ; Retrieved July 7, 2015 .
- ↑ Approval procedure for compressed air weapons. (PDF) Retrieved February 14, 2014 .
- ↑ Appendix 1 to the Weapons Act ; Exceptions to the license requirement for carrying § 12 Paragraph 3 No. 2 WaffG in conjunction with Section 2 No. 12 and No. 13 WaffG
- ↑ Weapons Act, Section 2. Accessed July 7, 2015 .
- ↑ Entire legal regulation for Airsoft Weapons Ordinance 2013. Accessed July 7, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c Swiss Weapons Act. Retrieved July 7, 2015 .
