Paintball guns are powered in two ways: by CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and by N2/HPA (Nitro/Compressed Air).

Both gases work great but depending on your own personal preference, one will be a better choice for your game. CO2 is stored as a liquid in small cylinders and expands into a gas. Sometimes there are jumps in paintball velocity that are caused by sudden and unexpected liquid expansion due to warmer temperatures in use than the cylinder was stored at. When shooting your paintball gun with CO2, you will notice your tank gets cold. The colder your tank gets, the less air pressure you have.

Only CO2 can fill CO2 tanks, you cannot put N2 or any other gas in them. The capacity of the tanks is measured in ounces and most of the cylinders are made from steel or aluminum. CO2 is convenient and can be obtained in disposable 12G cartridges or up to a refillable 20oz tank and refills are widely available.

Nitro/Compressed Air (N2/HPA) is a little more flexible as both types of cylinders can be used interchangeably. Most of the units are all steel construction with some being made of an aluminum cylinder wrapped in a composite or fiberglass material. No matter what the make up of the cylinder, it needs to be tested every 3 years with a maximum life of 15 years.

N2 tanks are not greatly affected by temperature and these type of cylinders are not a widely available at all playing fields. Finding a good online source, such as Total Paintball Gear to get your cylinders is your best bet for maintaining a good stock of these cartridges.

Now that you know the basics for each type of paintball propellant, make the best choice for your next game!