Whether you’re a beginner or want to become competitive at playing paintball, you might want to know the paintball gun range. Knowing it is important for many aspects, including adjusting the gun range concerning the safety limits directed by the paintball field you are going to play in.
The range varies from model to model. A rough estimate of the paintball gun shooting range is 80–100 ft. However, the absolute range might go up to 350 ft. For a safe game, you have to remain in the safe range. If you are not familiar with these three types of ranges, read on to get to know them.
3 Ways to Estimate Paintball Gun Shooting Range
If you want to determine how far a paintball gun can shoot, you must become familiar with these three terms first. You can measure the paintball gun shooting range in these three ways.
Effective Range
Effective range is the range a paintball, when fired, can cover without exploding before reaching the target. But for this, the paintball needs to be in a balanced state; not too soft or too hard. The paintball must be hard enough that it doesn’t break when shot out of the barrel. However, at the same time, it must be soft enough to explode or break upon hitting the target.
So the range a paintball covers when it leaves a barrel without breaking and explodes upon hitting the target is known as its “effective range.” It usually ranges from 80 to 100 ft but can vary in different paintball guns. Also, the distance from the target may affect the paintball gun’s effective range. If your paintball gun shoot at a very long distance from the target, it may lead to a less effective range. Or if you shoot closer, it may not break upon hitting the target.
Safe Range
Safe range is another way to determine the range of a paintball gun. It is way different from the effective range. It is the range a paintball can cover without causing any harm or injury to someone.
High-velocity shots have a risk of hitting someone, so paintball players are advised to not shoot paintball guns at a high velocity. So determining the paintball gun’s shooting range in this way is necessary in order to play safe. Moreover, every field has its own safety limit, and the players must follow it. Usually, most of the fields have set it to 280 feet per second. You have to maintain that specific range to avoid any accidents.
Absolute Range
It is exclusively different from both above-mentioned ranges. Such a range is neither concerned about the explosion of the paintball nor hitting hard on someone. Instead, it is all about the long distance of the paintball. The farthest shooting distance a paintball covers after leaving the barrel is the absolute range.
To get the absolute range, you might have to focus on the velocity of the paintball. The absolute range is greater for the paintball with higher velocity. The same velocity of the paintball and the distance covered depend on its quality. For a paintball to cover a long shooting distance, you just need a paintball that doesn’t break before reaching the target. It can be accomplished by a hard paintball. So try to choose a harder paintball if you want your paintball to shoot farther.
How to Boost the Shooting Range
Although a paintball gun’s shooting range varies from model to model, you can adjust the range by playing some mind games. Here we have compiled some useful tips to increase the paintball gun’s range and accuracy.
Focus on the Shape of the Paintball
The shape of the paintball greatly affects the effective range of a paintball gun. It can either allow the paintball to cover a very long distance or too short. You can use first strike rounds if you want to increase the paintball gun range and accuracy. They modify the aerodynamics of the paintball so that they reach a little more distance than the usual range. Such modified paintballs have an effective range of up to 200 feet.
Add a Backspin
Another way to increase the paintball gun range is by adding a backspin. For this, add some grooves in the barrel. It will give a backspin to the paintball as it leaves the barrel, and ultimately, the paintball will cover more distance than usual.
High Quality Paintballs
The quality of paintballs makes a lot of difference in the paintball range. If you use a high-quality paintball that is harder, it might end up covering more distance than the usual range. The same goes with the quality of the gun as well, so don’t forget to use a high-quality paintball gun as well.
Clean your Paintball Gun Thoroughly
The accuracy of a paintball gun depends on the cleanliness and maintenance of the paintball gun. Most of the time, the inaccurate shots are due to dirty paintball markers, which end up limiting the shooting range. It’s not about dirt alone, but thoroughly checking a paintball gun will detect any hidden issues in it.
Protect the Barrel from Getting Extra Lubricant
Lubricating the parts of the paintball gun is quite effective. However, at the same time, some parts do not need much lube, like the regular paintball barrel. If you apply extra lubricant to the gun, it will go towards the barrel, which is certainly not good for a paintball gun’s long range.
Avoid over overboring or Under underboring
Try to choose the size of paintballs according to the size of the barrel. Using a smaller amount of paintballs than the bore size is known as underboring. It will bounce up and down while leaving the barrel, as it has much space in the bore to bounce. Contrarily, using a larger amount of paintballs than the bore size, known as overboring, will create fragile paintballs. It can break easily due to the friction produced.
Conclusion
No one can find out a precise and exact measurement of paintball gun range. You have to figure it out by three different methods. Keep a balance between a tough and fragile paintball. To cover a longer range, amplify the velocity of the paintball. If you are a beginner, focus on the safe range so that you won’t cause any harm to someone. Wear proper gear, as protecting yourself too is a requisite.