I'm sure you've heard of the sport of paintball and all of the fun that those that enjoy it, seem to associate it with it. Well, within this great action sport are a number of things that may at first confuse a newcomer to the sport. One of those terms is that of the paintball marker.

Basically, it's as simple as saying paintball gun and that's exactly what a paintball marker is. What you may be wondering is why in the world do they call it a marker rather than a gun?
Ultimately the reason it's called a marker is because of the fact that they were first (as some speculate) used by forest rangers to 'mark' trees and stray cattle. Since it shot a ball of paint, paintball, and was used to mark it became known as a paintball marker.

Pretty simple huh?

Again, if you are new to the sport you may be amazed at first to find out just how much power one of these has. They are known to easily shoot their ammo at a rate of three hundred or more feet per second. That's as fast as a bow and arrow, also as fast as some 'real' guns on the market.

Most consist of noting more than a barrel, a body, a hopper and an air canister. The paintballs stay in the hopper and as one is shot out of the barrel another drops into the hopper. The air canister consists of compressed air that, when the trigger is pulled, releases an explosion of that air which then propels the ball out through the barrel.

That's it. That's the very basics of it all. As with everything that has a passionate following such as this sport, there is a plethora of manufactured equipment available on the market for those that are just getting started or those that are more advanced.

Additionally, there is a large market of custom designed and styles available as well. So, the only thing that really affects what you end up with for a paintball marker is your own personal taste, skill level and how really bad you want one.