You’re getting into paintball, one of the most exciting sports out there. Nice idea. Paintball is great fun, but you’ll need to buy a lot of gear. To get going, you'll need many things, including clothes, goggles, tanks, and much, much more. For now, let’s just focus on the gun.

It used to be that buying a marker as a beginner was simple If you were a beginner, you got yourself a basic gas blowback gun like a Tippman Model 98 or something. If you were feeling fancy, you might have sprung for something like an WGP Autococker. This is still a good way to go, but things have changed in recent years. High end, high rate of fire electronic guns are now coming down in price. Back in the old days, a fast electronic gun like an Angel would have cost you dearly. These days, there are great, affordable electropnuematic guns that make it easy to get into a high performance marker right away.

However, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Basic blow back style paintball guns are very reliable, and a snap to repair if they happen to break. Not so with the cheaper electro-pnuematics. Also, to really get the most out of an electric marker, you’ll need to get some sort of compressed air system. Air tanks are more expensive than the basic CO2 tanks blowbacks often use.

Of course, this decision really depends on your style of play. If you’re doing a lot of woodsball/scenario type games, symplicity and reliability are paramount. However, if you’re playing speedball games, having a nice, fast marker can be invaluable. You need to understand your playing style so you can make the right decision. No single marker is right for everyone, but with the proper research, you can find something that works for you. Now, stop reading and start playing some paintball!