What about returning to the sport?

[Cyberpyr8]

Off topic but... I really wonder if 50 cal is helping the industry or hurting it. Sure it helps local fields have 8 year old birthday parties but I wonder if any of those younger kids will transition to 68 cal. From what I see you have half of the kids enjoying it but still scared to death of 68 cal and the other half of the group crying from getting shot with 50 cals. I also don't think you see those kids coming back much. The idea is to hook them on paintball and want to keep progressing. I don't think 50 cal is really doing that. My kids all started playing around 10 with 68 cal and 2 out of the 4 still play whenever they can.

I follow Tennessee Mountain Paintball (and have played there a few times myself) and I am amazed of the amount of adult groups playing 50 cal. Groups with no kids all shooting low impact. Maybe they transition to 68 cal but I don't think it is really reaching kids.

#Randomthoughts

[Jellyghost]

This is news to me. I thought 50 cal had gone away. Thanks for posting about it. I always found it interesting, and I think it should have a positive nitch for occasional players.

[Joshk]

This is news to me. I thought 50 cal had gone away. Thanks for posting about it. I always found it interesting, and I think it should have a positive nitch for occasional players.

At one of the fields I've been to since getting back into paintball (last month), 50 cal seems to be really popular with private groups. All of the walk ons and smaller groups use 68.

[martix_agent]

I feel like the sport is growing again, yet when I play big games... the numbers dwindling. I don't know. Paintball is weird right now.

I think it's because there are so many big games now. It's starting to spread out the player base.

[Riot]

I think it's because there are so many big games now. It's starting to spread out the player base.

A fair point.

[SignOfZeta]

In my opinion any round that deviates from round 86 is fragmenting the industry in a bad way. FSR can jump in a lake...where it will of course sit choking fish for centuries...I also feel that you're never going to make paintball painless enough for everyone and trying is a waste of time. Its not lazer tag. It hurts and it leaves marks. Pretending it doesn't is lying to new players and when they find out you lied to them they will lose interest.

However when it comes to keeping fields around 50 has some advantages people like us don't usually pay attention to. If it keeps fields alive then it helps the industry. Much like corporate events or whatever, theres more to paintball than hardcore lifers and it takes all kinds to keep a game going. Every year a new generation of kids discovers the joy of a tricycle, and ever year some other kids ride their trikes for the last time. They may move to bicycles or they may never ride again but there is always a tricycle industry as long as there are kids that age and that helps the overall bike market.

[russc]

I like the idea of FSR because it breaks through the accuracy by volume stalemate strategy that has formed over time. As long as they cost more than normal paint, they'll see limited use with low ROF. FSR gameplay is basically how I imagined paintball would be, before I ever played.

[brendanl]

I have noticed a shift to more open big games and magfed only events in my area (Toronto). I also finally gave MFOG a try this past season and had a blast. Since I can't find any pump only events in my area anymore the limited paint magfed games are great. Walks on's are still decent but its like rolling a dice with the amount of players I see on a normal weekend.

I think the Planet Eclipse Emek is one of the best things to happen to paintball in years, a few of my friends got back into the game without spending a fortune to be competitive on any given day.

[Meleager7]

Off topic but... I really wonder if 50 cal is helping the industry or hurting it. Sure it helps local fields have 8 year old birthday parties but I wonder if any of those younger kids will transition to 68 cal. From what I see you have half of the kids enjoying it but still scared to death of 68 cal and the other half of the group crying from getting shot with 50 cals. I also don't think you see those kids coming back much. The idea is to hook them on paintball and want to keep progressing. I don't think 50 cal is really doing that. My kids all started playing around 10 with 68 cal and 2 out of the 4 still play whenever they can.

I follow Tennessee Mountain Paintball (and have played there a few times myself) and I am amazed of the amount of adult groups playing 50 cal. Groups with no kids all shooting low impact. Maybe they transition to 68 cal but I don't think it is really reaching kids.

#Randomthoughts

i think 50 cal is still a great idea!

did 50 cal have any chance of replacing 68 cal? Never!

could 50 cal , if it was more popular, compliment regular 68 cal games? This I believe could actually have been a reality , if the cost had stayed substantially cheaper as promised. The first cases were 4000 count cases, which if i am correctly remembering were around $80 US from the vids i saw? 50 cal players who could have accepted the trade off in shorter effective range , for the benefit of being able to to carry massive amounts of cheaper ammo, and hoppers so full they could shoot forever, and tanks that would last forever too. For the up close type player who loves to mix it up and throw a lot of paint, it would have been a good fit. And back then they did start offer a few good guns that could hang with modern 68 cal guns rare of fire

is 50 cal a viable alternative to 68 cal for a specific type of player? Absolutely!

We have a field in greater Toronto area called Flagraiders , where 50 cal is popular enough for it to be offered to walk ons. The other fields near me offer 50 cal but you have to book a group or bday party, which is a challenge, so i took my oldest two summers ago to Flagriaders. That day there was another group who booked 50 cal, and they were comprised of a family ,parents and aunts and uncles with little kids, cousins,etc. There was also a group of about 8 20 something bridesmaids there for their Stagette who walked on. I really think they appreciated having the low impact as a choice. Our entire group played all day with the rental tippmanns , which performed fine, no one got overshot ,and everyone had a fantastic time! I just don’t think we would have seen these players that day if 68 cal, and the ramping superguns that often accompany that format, was the only choice. Even if the experienced players are shooting responsibly, its just super intimidating to younger players, girls, etc. Anyhow, I know i wouldn’t have been there, given my kids age at the time, so i was happy they offered 50 cal !

[Starman]

As somebody who recently started playing casually again after about 15 years, last week I heard somebody's marker talking and I nearly shit myself.

[Magmoormaster]

Hahahah "Welcome to the Luxe Experience." Such a dumb gimmick. It gets old the second time you boot up the gun and realize you can't start shooting until it shuts up.

No one's really addressed the back block thing, so I will. Half blocks are not really a thing anymore. Midblocks, which is a similar design but better in most regards, are still a thing but much less popular. We're in an age where cockers are generally (and rightfully) considered pretty lousy performing guns that make up for it in spades by just being tons of fun to shoot. Mods like eblades and halfblocking that attempt to make cockers more competitive are generally reviled because they take away from the character and soul of the platform. 90% of the fun of cockers is a mech trigger and a back block flying in your face. Many companies like Inception and Nummech make midblock versions of their bodies, and obviously the Empire Resurrection is a thing. Factory midblocks are still really cool, but very very few people are going out of their way to chop up their guns like they were in the early 2000s, thankfully.

[Cyberpyr8]

As somebody who recently started playing casually again after about 15 years, last week I heard somebody's marker talking and I nearly shit myself.

My son turned his to Spanish. That may be the best startup sound package I have ever heard. He had Yoda and a few others but the default spanish is worth a try.

[JCLEW38]

There are a ton of us returning, I am blown away by how many stories are exactly like mine. I love the direction the sport is heading with mech play and OLD SCHOOL guys playing mech tournys at the pro level is pretty cool.

[Interl0per]

I haven't seen the rec scene ever recover from the Great Recession here, though there seems to be a lot of kids birthday parties and 'team-builder' private parties. There's a small group of regulars at one of the older fields that's changed hands in the past decade and it's a decent scene compared to the rental-only places closer to town but still nothing compared to the late 90's early 00's.

I played one tournament in 1994 and never felt the need again so can't speak to that side of things.

The Tippmann name is still out there but they ain't the TIppmanns you remember, a few big companies absorbed just about everyone and mix-matched the brands to suit their marketing, discarding some, but very little in the market is the same as it was 15 years ago.