Paintball Tanks And The Differences

Ever since the paintball was introduced to the world, it quickly became very popular among weekend warriors who want to experience the thrill and excitement of firefights. It is a fun game to play and you will definitely experience adrenaline rush while playing the game.

Basically, the concept of the game is rather simple. All you need to do is shoot your opponent with a ball of paint that is traveling at high speeds. When you hit your opponent, you will "kill" them, which will take them out of the game, and bring your team one step closer to victory.

Gas powered paintball guns are quite popular as it offers quite a lot of firepower. You have to remember that the faster the gun launches the paintball, the better your chances are to hit your opponent. Slow moving paintball are easier to dodge, which can prove to be a huge disadvantage whenever you play the game.

If you are planning to purchase a gas powered paintball gun, you have to remember that there are two types of propellant tanks that are used.

The first type of tank is the carbon dioxide paintball tank. This particular tank uses liquid CO2 to propel the bullets, which are the paintballs. The liquid CO2 will expand into gas that will create the energy that will propel the paintball out of the barrel. The great thing about this is that it is light and compact to carry. However, the downside is that using this kind of tank for long periods of time will produce ice crystals inside the tank which have a major effect on the reliability of the gun in terms of velocity and accuracy.

So, just what causes the ice crystals to form?

Basically, you have to remember that liquid CO2 requires heat energy when it expands. Eventually, this will have a counter effect on the tank, which will grow very cold and for long usages, it will form ice crystals inside.

Another downside is that CO2 tanks have a tendency to leak because of erosion on the O-rings and on the seals. But, with proper maintenance and care, you will be able to prevent it from leaking. You also need to remember that CO2 tanks shouldn't be exposed to sunlight for too long as there is always the risk of gas expanding inside the tank which can be quite unsafe for the people carrying it.

The second type of tank used in paintball guns is the high pressure air and nitrogen paintball tanks. Basically, these tanks function in a different manger than carbon dioxide tanks as it doesn't have to expand from liquid to gas to provide the propellant effect. High pressure air and nitrogen will already be in its gaseous state. Because of this, it will be able to provide a much more reliable gun, more accuracy and velocity. Although these tanks will also grow colder when used, it will not have the icing effect that the CO2 usually has when used in long term.

The only downside is that high pressure air and nitrogen tanks are larger, bulkier and a lot heavier. Although there are smaller tanks that you can carry around, each tank will not last out on a long game.

Nitrogen and high pressure air paintball tanks may be a lot more expensive to purchase, but refilling them is much cheaper than refilling CO2 tanks. Because of this, nitrogen and high pressure air paintball tanks are much more popular than CO2 tanks.