questions

A: The grade of ball you buy is up to you. What is the difference between a $30 case of ball from Walmart verus an $70 case from a sporting store.

Higher grade balls will break easier on a target. Many balls from a cheap box will have hit a person repeatingly before you get a break or will not break from a distance over 100 feet. The outer shell of the ball is thicker on cheaper balls.

Also higher grade balls are more round and will fly straighter. Lower grade balls will have dimples or flat spots causing inaccuracy while shotting long distance.

Another thing to watch out for is the marker you are using. Some autocockers require a higher grade ball to shoot correctly or they will brak the balls in the barrel. The Tippman 98 is a brutal gun on balls and you should get the lower grade (thicker skinned balls) or they will break in the barrel as well.

A: It all depends on how much you wnat to invest in the sport. The more you spend, usally the better the marker you get. This is not to say that you will also inherit more issues and maintence.

If you are a beginner or only play once in a while, I strongly recommend the Tippman 98 model. It has been for sale for almost 10 years with little change. Dicks or Walmart sell it for around $150.00 w/ mast and CO2 tank as a set. The gun is reliable, simple to use, and is a great medium grade marker.

In the 7 years I've been playing, I've noticed a few things. The more you spend, the more delicate ot moving parts you get. I've played with friends to use the Autocockers and they spend more time working on them than actually playing. If you are spending $500 to $1000 on a gun, you should be able to use it. These are the choice guns in professional tournaments, for accuarcy and high volumne of paint; but I don't recommend then to beginners.

On the other hand, if you buy a cheap gun, you will also get poor result. Spending $50 on a marker may get in the the game, but not hitting target. The new A-5 or A-7 Tippmans also have their issues of breaking too many balls and using too much CO2.

Yes and No. In a normal game, getting hit does usually hurt for a brief second. Almost like getting stung by a bee or hit by a ruler on bare skin, but without the lasting pain. Without the "hit" you would never know when you are tagged by the ball.

There are also many times that you never feel the ball hit and break on you. You need to keep looking to see if you are hit. I recommend pants and long sleeves while playing. Body armor and thicker clothing is recommended for younger players.

Another note. If you are playing in a group of people using cheap balls, you are more likely to feel the pain and get bruises because the balls shells are thicker.

Another note. Yes, getting hit by a paintball may leave a quarter size bruise on your body. This all depends on the distance of the hit and what it hit. Bare skin usually leaves a mark. Padded jacket or mask will not. Bad places to get hit...neck, groin, fingers. It's always a good idea to wear protection. Walmart sells throat protection and gloves.

First off, the marker (gun) is classified as a firearm because it can cause fatal injuries. No minor can walk into a store and buy a paintball gun or paintballs. 2nd, if you are under 18, a parent or guardian should always be supervising. The guns should be locked away and not used unless the parent is there.

Second is the maturity level of the person. Can they follw directions and act responsibily? Having players keep their masks on at all time is the major safety voilation. This is not an age thing. I've had to repeatily hound 30-40 year old players as much as 13 year olds.

Also, can your child take brief pain of being hit and the fear of the pain? A small kid around 7 seeing 4-5 older player runing up to shoot them can be scary.

Personally, I've played with kids from 8 to adults close to 60. I don't recommend players under 12 or 13 unless thier parents are playing as well to ad protection. Also some of the masks won't fit younger players. A 9 year old girl kicked my but on a field one day.

Another bad thing about balls is that have a shelf life and are sesitive to heat and moisture. Don't leave them in the sun or they will warp or bleed. Don't get them wet or they will desolve. When buying from department store, balls are often old and may be broken. The older, the harder the ball and less likely to break in game play. Everytime I buy from Walmart, 1 of the 4 bags has a broken ball that has bleed thru the bag. Wet paintballs don't fly straight thru the barrel and may gum up the barrel causing problems. Never use a paintball from the ground. Dirt, sane, etc will scratch your barrel and hurt your accuracy.