Air
By Anthony Sakakeeny
Since 1981, paintball players have been shooting each other with
marble-sized pellets of paint using a special gun called a marker.
Players launch their paint pellets by pressing a trigger that
releases compressed air or gas to propel the paintball out of the
marker towards the target. New paintball players unfamiliar with
their equipment have always had questions about whether compressed
air offers an advantage over carbon dioxide (CO2). Is compressed air
really better than carbon dioxide? To put it simply, YES!
Inside your paintball tank, carbon dioxide is primarily in liquid
form. As the carbon dioxide expands, the liquid turns into gas. In
its expanded gas state, carbon dioxide can serve as a stable
pressure that will enable your gun to propel paintballs. Liquid
carbon dioxide, however, can have a devastating effect on your gun's
performance. The presence of liquid carbon dioxide inside a
paintball marker can freeze the gun's inner seals and cause cracks
and leaking. Carbon dioxide is unreliable because it's sensitive to
outside temperatures and the velocity with which you shoot. The
faster you shoot, the colder your tank will get, decreasing the
likelihood of carbon dioxide converting from liquid to gas, and thus
increasing the chance of liquid CO2 entering your marker.
Compressed air, on the other hand, is a much more stable propellant
source for a paintball marker. While temperature changes can alter
the pressure inside a carbon dioxide tank and drastically impact the
performance of a marker, external temperatures do not affect
compressed air tanks. The performance of compressed air tanks and
their ability to produce a consistent stable pressure is consistent
in any climate. It's also cleaner than carbon dioxide. Carbon
dioxide can contain dust and dirt that will clog air paths and
valves in your marker. Compressed air is typically very clean.
Most compressors used to fill compressed air tanks are "S.C.U.B.A."
compressors with air filters that produce grade E breathing air. If
it's safe enough to breathe, it's safe enough for your paintball gun!
In addition to its stability, compressed air is cheaper than carbon
dioxide, and the price continues to fall. Many paintball facilities
are moving exclusively to compressed air rental equipment, and
carbon dioxide paintball products will eventually be obsolete.
Given the performance differences between carbon dioxide and
compressed air markers, the industry is clearly heading in the
direction of compressed air. You can no longer afford to use carbon
dioxide equipment—switch to compressed air now!
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About the Author
Anthony Sakakeeny founded Sak World Paintball in 1998. Sak World
provides state of the art paintball products online, featuring guns,
barrels, nitrogen tanks and apparel. Visit Sak World Paintball
today at http://www.sakworldpaintball.com to purchase new and used
paintball equipment and gear at affordable prices.