Over the years I have heard some pretty fantastic claims on the range of some markers or the range that can be provided by some aftermarket accessories. I think it's time for a reality check. Let's talk about Ideal Range, Effective Range and Maximum Range. Keep in mind that these ranges only apply if your marker is fully charged with whatever gas you use to power it.
This is the range where your chances of hitting your opponent and the ball having enough impact energy to break on that opponent are the best. The Ideal Range in paintball is 75 feet and closer. But not too close, we don't want to hurt anybody.
This is the range where you can hit your opponent, but the velocity has dropped to the point where you are going to have to hit the opponent's marker, loader, mask or other hard surface to get a break. This is also the range where if the opponent can see the shot coming at him, he can dodge the ball. The Effective Range in paintball is from 75 feet out to 100 feet.
This is the range where not only does your opponent have to be looking the other way, AND you have to hit a hard spot, but you ALSO have to elevate the marker considerably to get the balls there. The Maximum Range is from 100 to 125 feet.
Where did I get these figures, you might ask? From playing experience. Not just mine, but from watching other people play paintball. Both started back in 1984. I've played on rec-days, as a walk-on, in tournies and big games. I've played every type of game variation you can think of and have even invented a few of my own.
With this in mind, you can see the reality I am basing my figures on. I'm not going by advertisements in magazines, I'm not going by what store owners say, I'm not basing it on "war" stories told by players. I'm basing my figures on the cold hard facts I have experienced and directly observed since 1984.
As far as I am concerned, no matter what marker you have, no matter what barrel you have, no matter what airsmith worked on the internal systems, you will have to abide by my figures. Any shooting OVER the Ideal Range is a complete waste of time. Sure, you might get lucky, but you'll have to waste paint to increase your odds.
You have to realize that the further the target is away from you, the smaller it's relative size becomes. Let's say that a person standing 75 feet away from you makes a target that appears to be four inches by one inch. That is to say you could cover the target with the index and middle fingers with your arm fully extended. How big is that target at 100 feet? How big is it at 125 feet? The bigger the target, the easier it is to hit.
What do you think the impact velocity is at 100 feet, versus 75 feet? Does the ball have the same energy and velocity? No it doesn't. You've played paintball, you know what I'm talking about.
Let's take some other factors into consideration. You are firing the most ballistically unsound projectile that can be fired through a tube (barrel). The paintball is only semi-spherical, it is not perfectly spherical. It has a seam, that catches the air like a baseball and causes it to curve on regular occasion. The point is, that if the ball is unstable in flight, the longer it is in the air (greater range from shooter to target) the more apt it is to hook and veer off target. In the event a ball DOES spin, it takes time for the spin to affect the ball's path. In other words, the ball curves at longer ranges. Usually at 75 feet and beyond.
All of this, and folks are still saying you can hit a human sized target at 125 feet with accuracy that would give police and military snipers wet dreams.
Let's face it, folks, if you really think that "long-balling" and shooting down the length of the field is doing some good, I'd like you to be on the other team when we play, okay?
All of this and we still haven't addressed the most important issue: Why will players demand non-achievable accuracy from their markers but still insist on hurling more then fifty balls at each opponent they come across? Why does accuracy and range even matter when you can pound out paint like you're tossing it by the bucket-full?
If you are taking your time and choosing your shots, you can start quoting facts and figures (even the wrong ones) when discussing range. If you routinely hose at your targets, any discussion about range and accuracy is absolutely pointless
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