Word of advice for the uninitiated...

[glaman5266]

Interl0per- Gotcha. I do agree with you in general though. As long as it puts paint down the field that's all you really need. I still use my ProCarb on occasion.

Seajay- Exactly. The Emek, Etha 2, Gtek, eNMey, Mini GS, all of those are good options for midrange stuff w/o all the bells and whistles. They don't break the bank either.

[Seajay]

Today's options are amazing though. For $220 you can get an Emek and enjoy the smoothness and shot quality of a "midrange" marker with the simplicity of a basic starter gun.

[OpusX]

True enough, happened to me last tourney. Totally my fault, I put my foot there.

[Interl0per]

You’re right about midrange electros but as a poor farm boy that started with nothing and still have most of it left they fall outside my budget and thus my experience Good point though

[glaman5266]

Absolutely. This was my problem for many years (darn BST, lol). I recently picked up a Resurrection & that's been getting the bulk of my trigger time lately. I've been more accurate, consistent & overall better performing now that I've been working primarily with one marker. Learn your marker & get comfy with it.

[glaman5266]

After nearly 3 decades of varying frequency of play I've reached the conclusion that ~90% of the uber-guns out there are a 200-500% premium for bells and whistles that add maybe 10% performance for >100% hassles if not just marketing hype. It's died down a lot recently, there's just not the market there used to be for ROF improvements, everyone seems to finally understand all balls of the same mass at the same speed go the same distance etc. but the bling factor still comes into play and if that's your bag, more power to you, but neophytes should remember splash ano and milling and custom valve trains add zero to the ability to hit a target while avoiding being hit and that snazzy pneumatic setups are like jet fighters, they spend more time on the ground being maintained than they do dogfighting (at least for me, Tippmanns are the only semis I've ever picked up and had just work more than 90% of the time)

Yes & no. I agree with most of your post, especially about things like milling, valve stuff, bling, etc. 100% on board with that.
But modern midrange electros should not be overlooked. Many markers in the midrange are excellent shooters and are very reliable & stupid easy to work on when you actually have to. The older Gtek is a good example of this. Simple, reliable, easy to work on and an overall good value IMO if you don't mind buying used. Not many bells & whistles to get in the way either. Now something like the Luxe... Yeah, no.

Sometimes you just want something smoother, more consistent, easier to work on than your old Tippmann. Nothing wrong with that. Midrange electros can be a good choice. Many of them are also pretty much air-up-and-go & can save you a lot of potential headaches. Just be mindful of what actually gives you a performance boost & what does not (in terms of both the marker & your person).

That being said, everyone should learn to work on their markers. I too spend a good chunk of time working on stuff for players 'cuz they just don't take the time to read the darn manual. The worst part is when whatever I say goes in one ear & out the other. Ugh, that REALLY bugs me.

So, newbies: listen to people when they show/teach you stuff. There's lots of good people out there willing to share their knowledge. Also, read the gosh darned manual.

[Cdn_Cuda]

Get used to and familiar with the gun you shoot, whatever it may be. The comfortable you are with it, the easier it is to put a ball where you want it.

[lew]

Lulz you guys.

[Interl0per]

You sonofa...

[cellophane]

Totally! I love shooting people in the foot like that.

[lew]

Go out on off days, set up some targets and snapshoot until it hurts to move. It will pay off. Also- take the time to learn good form. It will help immensely as well..

And keep your feet tucked in behind the bunker, cuz I'm one of those a-holes that likes to shoot people out cuz they left some small part exposed.

[cellophane]

4) Drink water and eat properly before you play,, so you can play as much as possible when you're out there. In order to get better, you need trigger time. You can't play every match all day if you're falling out.

A corollary to this: don't forget to continue to drink lots of water while at the field playing. During the summer I'll go through a gallon or two of water for a day of practice / play and still feel dehydrated afterwards. Summers in KY are Hot and Humid 🤮

2. Field time. The more you play the more you develop fundamental skills.

+1
Go out on off days, set up some targets and snapshoot until it hurts to move. It will pay off. Also- take the time to learn good form. It will help immensely as well.

I would also add: Don't be afraid to ask for help / advice from people with more experience than you. Almost everyone I've talked to is more than willing to give advice & coaching if asked. Things like sticking around after practices to run extra drills and get help with technique go a long way.

[Falcon16]

Interl0per Agreed, Pick up a GOG eNMEy a 50/45 and a revvy and I you're pretty much set. Only thing that needs an upgrade on that gun is the barrel and you can easily tune the trigger to your liking. All said and done you could get easily set up for $400 or less including a good mask like a profiler.

[Interl0per]

Falcon16 couldn't agree more the eNMEy and Emek are the best thing to happen to paintball in a decade or more hard to believe they barely cost more than a stock Spyder back in their heyday (not even counting inflation!)

[Falcon16]

Well said. I used to be into the spaceguns, then discovered pump and guns like phantoms and PPS pumps that are simple but well built. Have options or upgrades that actually increase performance in some way etc. In the end hand a pro player a rental and he'll dominate most of the agglets that are playing with $2000 space gun setups.

I own 3 semis though one is a mag pistol and one is a GOG eNMEy. I haven't pulled out my Impulse in years.

I will say that the advances in technology have allowed very well made markers that years ago would have been $1000+ to get into the hands of just about anyone for a few hundred and I think that's a good thing. It means people are starting out playing with actual decent gear rather than buying the cheap blow backs at their local Walmart etc because that's all they can afford.