Electropneumatic Paintball Guns

A blog post I was reading recently suggests that some of the best paintball guns may be electropneumatic ION guns.

There are many advantages to electropneumatic guns; They don't use the CO2 cartridges that can behave so erratically depending on the weather, and they help reduce the likelihood of 'hotshots'.

These guns can function on lower pressure, and are lighter and faster than mechanical guns.

Another interesting feature of some of the ION guns is that you can change the color scheme to match your mood or preference.

The post says "In some cases, as found on Smart Parts, the paintballer can change the colors of her gun to match an outfit or the mood of the day.  It works a bit like the cover on a cell phone, or the clip-on cases for Ipods."

Another blog post points out that electric gun prices are dropping dramatically!!

"... when the first electropneumatic paintball guns came out, each one cost in excess of $1000. Ten years later, if you've ever thought of trying one but the price kept you away, now is the time to think about it again. Advances in manufacturing and a market that expects quality for less has led many manufacturers to lower the price on their electronic guns. In fact, three manufacturers (WGP, Smart Parts and Proto) have electronic guns that cost less than $200. "

Of course, electric paintball guns, too, have certain disadvantages: they require batteries, don't hold up as well in water, and aren't as durable overall as mechanical guns; Nonetheless, there are ways in which electric markers are indeed among the best paintball guns, and it is probable that the advantages outweigh the minor down sides.

Both the original articles can be found at:
http://paintballsport.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/more-bang-for-the-buck-ion-paintball-guns/
http://paintball.about.com/b/2008/01/15/paintball-gun-prices-are-dropping.htm