What about returning to the sport?

[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.

[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.

[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

[shadow191]

I got back in this year after a 20 year hiatus so I missed the entire upswing and crash of the industry. Angels were barely a thing when I was playing in 2000 - recall getting stitched by one during a full sprint and being amazed at the ROF.

Now that I'm back, electros are totally new to me and I personally think they're great. I'm still fascinated by the ROF and smoothness of modern guns. I started off playing in early '90s with a PMI Tracer and then moved to Pro-Lite which could do maybe 3-4 bps with the heavy single trigger. Enjoying the current technology right now. Also enjoying the pricing of things - everything seems cheaper than it was back then. I don't love ramping but don't play tournaments so have no need for it. Every time I test it out, feels like I'm just wasting paint.

And I do think that back blocks are cool again. I picked up an old cocker to try out and that gun gets a ton of attention at the field, everyone wants to see it. And for some reason, people think Halos are cool - last 4 trips to the field someone has asked about it.

.50 cal is called "low impact" at my local field. Think minimum age for regular paintball is 10 and they'll do .50 cal for younger. They have a weekday low impact day during summer and private parties. But nothing .50 cal during weekend open play.

[OpusX]

There is something heartening about it all right now. I hadn't played anything competitive in 15 plus years, and getting back at a mech tourney was actually fun. The amazing part was two teams were kids 12-14 max, both had basically STBBs from craigslist, and one guy ran an Azodan KP3. They seemed to have a great time, and it was fun to play with them.

Walk on games locally have gone to no-batteries, with a separate field for "open" play. It has helped with retaining and converting renters in my opinion.

[Cunha]

I think a lot of people burnt out on big games and for a while they were the main kinda events.

Last year I went to the spring pump event west and bacci's game. These were perfect events that were better than a walk in situation and not a crazy pile of wackadoo like big games can often be.

Really even if you don't like pump, the pump events kinda collect the more experienced recreational type players in one place more consistently. I don't have enough spare weekends in my life to roll the dice on a regular walk on day. If I did, I would.

[russc]

Just speaking for myself, but it took me many years to figure out that I have way more fun at random walk-on days than I do at big events and tournaments. Bonus: you also spend about 1/4 the money.

[Jonnydread]

I love reading about how different everyone's experiences are. I actually play more aggressively now than I did back in the day, I just shoot 1/10 the paint and have 300% more fun.

[Cunha]

The whole industry is more focused on casual recreational play now, and I think we are seeing a resurgence in interest because of it.

Yeah kinda exciting

[Phez]

More of an ambassador now than a competitor.

This right here is so refreshing and I think it’s the crux of what I want to do now that I’m playing again. The sport won’t see any resurgence on ego and bravado, but with humility and inclusion from the OG’s.

[Cyberpyr8]

Honestly, I loved the 30bps days but as I am now much older and slower, I am grateful for the lower speeds. Like RSSC mentioned the whole industry is more for casual players than anything these days. I feel like the outcast a lot of times now when I go to the field with newer equipment and my own gear. I do only play semi regardless who I am playing with and I am now finding myself being the back player letting rental players get to their spots and coaching them if I can to let them get better and enjoy their time on the field. More of an ambassador now than a competitor. But I have always enjoyed the talk between games and getting to know people a a little and now more so than ever. It's different than it was but I am enjoying my time on the field way more than I did years ago.

[Phez]

FIeld limits are now 10.2 or 10.5 at most fields. A big switch from 2005 and unlimited fire rates.

The funny thing is a lot of stuff from the 2005 era is popular still. People still show up with old equipment every weekend at our field. There seems to be a resurgence from that time frame and players that quit playing are looking at coming back.

That will pretty much give you a crash course on Paintball in 2020. Welcome back.

The 10.5 limit is such a cool development, I’m stoked to see if that’s how it is at my local field. Back in the day (I shoot a cocker And play stock class) I admittedly got sort of disgruntled with the unlimited ramping trend. It was sort of telling at the time, but I remember one of my last times out, a lot of the rec ballers and renters were refusing to play with the tourney players because it was just such a mismatch between rental pro carbines and other entry levels vs. the raging electros that were slinging upwards of half a case of paint a round. It wasn’t about fun or skill, it became about who would spend more in paint to win. Anyway enough reminiscing, super pumped to try it again with the new refinements. Thanks for all the info.

[russc]

The whole industry is more focused on casual recreational play now, and I think we are seeing a resurgence in interest because of it.

[Lawn]

Same boat here, stopped playing for pretty much a decade and then started coming back and reading everything over these last months..

Welcome back! :P

[punkncat]

- WGP and Angel are gone, CCI is in limbo?
Angel is gone. WGP is gone, but "custom" overpriced autocockers are everywhere.
CCI is back but ramping back to stock as I understand it. Not my bag.

- NPPL and PSP are no more?
The tournament scene is mostly a smoldering wreckage. There are lots of things going on around the scene, some of it really good and honestly straight forwards and some...not.

- When did .50 come out and is it used frequently at fields?
I am not sure exactly when, but it's been a minute. From what I can tell it's come and gone in this area, if it ever really came at all. I only heard about it in reference to kids parties and such.

- And back blocks on cockers are cool now? I guess turtle cockers are extinct or disliked from what I’ve briefly seen about the Empire Resurrectio
I would not base any modern cocker opinion on the Ressy. They have quirks their own. I try to stick to WGP spec when dealing with autococker but that is getting harder and more expensive to do, as above.