When you first get into paintball, you probably either borrowed or rented the all important paintball mask. It didn't fit you perfectly and you most likely had to put up with a mask that slid from side to the other on your face. You loved the game anyway and decided to start putting together your own gear. The first thing you want to get is a mask.

The importance of a good paintball mask can't be stated enough. Tippman makes an excellent mask called the Vectra. It is a full-face affair that is a hard yet lightweight plastic shell that conforms to the contours of the human face. It has a good high quality lens and an overhead visor that is removable to cut down on the glare.

The V-Force Morph is a more elaborate mask that will give you great protection and the V-Force Vantage line of paintball masks come in an array of great colors. Another V-Force mask that is popular is the V-Force Shield and it is exactly that. This mask will protect you all the way down your neck.

When you put your mask, make sure it fits your face. Your mask should fit snugly around your face but not too tight. Some masks have straps in the back that allow for further adjustment to conform to your head. Turn your head quickly to the right and left, if you mask moves with your face and your mask did not slip to one side or the other, you have a perfectly fitted paintball mask! Other masks are made with foam inserts much like a motocross or ATV helmet and will help cushion the blow from a paintball smacking you right on the mask, these types of masks fit much more snugly and are great protection.

When you're investing in your safety equipment, get the best you can buy and make sure you know how to properly adjust your mask for the perfect fit.

When you play paintball, after choosing your safety gear, gun and barrel length and adapters, you will want to decide if you want to use CO2 (carbon dioxide) or Nitrogen to propel your paintballs out of your gun.

Both methods work well and will be a matter of personal choice as to which one you use. CO2 works great and comes in tanks as small as the Java 12 ounce tank and the Pure Energy 9 ounce tank or clear up to the 20 ounce tanks. There are also CO2 cylinders that hide inside the butt stock of your gun and to give you an idea of how long they last, a 30g cylinder will give you roughly 80 to 100 rounds before you will need to replace it. If you want the most bangs for your buck and you're the type that when you play paintball you play all day, try the 200g CO2 paintball cylinder. This unit does not fit flush into the butt stock of your gun and will protrude a little but you will get about 400 or so rounds fired from this little powerhouse. The standard on/off switch is located at the end of the cylinder.

Nitrogen tanks also work very well. The Bulldog Air Systems are great tanks to use for your game. They have a variety of sizes and the built-in Bulldog III Regulators are built to increase your flow rate and eliminate annoying drop off. Pure Energy has a star in the line of N2 tanks in the form of their 850 psi tank that will deliver over 1000 shots with extremely consistent velocity of your paintballs so you can count on how far they are going to go with each shot.

There are a lot of choices in tanks for your paintball gun, it's just a matter of whether your prefer CO2 or N2 in your game.

Automatic paintball loaders have come a long way in a very short time. The first models out were better at jamming and halting your game then feeding your gun paintballs.

One loader that has been re-engineered to work better than ever is the VL Revol. II 12 Volt Paintball Loader. This electronic feeder loader will deliver a steady flow of paintballs to your gun now matter how fast you are pulling the trigger. This electronic loader feeds faster than any other loader currently available on the market today. This loader can keep up with your firing rate, up to 17 balls per second.

The Quantum Electronic Agitating Paintball Loader is a diamond clear designed loader that holds 140 paintballs. This loader is made for the experienced paintball player and has an easy to load flip cap lidded holding area for the paintballs, and one touch operation making it very convenient to use during active play.

The VL Revolution is another great choice in the genre of automatic loaders. This model has X-Board technology built in and is the flagship of the ViewLoader line of paintball loaders. This loader holds 200 paintballs and has a self-agitating feeder so no paintballs get stuck. This spring loaded flip top loader is the standard in tournament play. When the sensor indicates the neck is empty, the agitator will automatically go into action and refill the neck and keep this loader ready to feed your gun.

Now that you know a few of the great choices in automatic loaders for your gun, upgrade from your existing loader to one of the newer models and stop worrying about feeding paintballs to your gun and the electronic loader do it for you!

Choosing the right paintball gun is a matter of individual choice. The brands of the different paintball guns and pistols are all high quality and made to last. The deciding factor will be how comfortable you are when you are using various paintball guns. Learn a little about the makers of the various paintball guns and you can make a very informed decision about the right gun for your game.

When you are looking on the playing fields, you will run into Tippman paintball guns most often. They have been in the business of making paintball guns for the past 20 years. The Tippman Company was originally a family-owned small business that manufactured collectible, half-scale replica machine guns. In 1986, the same year that paintball broke wide open as a sport, gun law changes forced the family owned business to cease making the replica machine guns.

The Tippman Company thought that paintball wouldn't last but they knew they had the know-how for making state of the art paintball guns. They had already perfected making replica half-scale machine guns and modifying it to make a gun that that fired paintball pellets wasn't that far of a stretch for them to make. The Tippman Company made a decision to make the very best paintball guns they could make, even if this was just a passing fad of a sport. Tippman introduced the first automatic and semi-automatic paintball guns to the sport.

Tippman now makes a great line of both paintball guns and pistols that are suitable for beginners as well the seasoned professional paintball players. Now that you know a little more about the Tippman Company and the guns they make, check out the great selection and you just might find the gun you need to have a better paintball game.

If you want to improve your paintball game, make sure you're shooting the right barrel for your paintball playing style and there are some great accessories to make sure every game of paintball you play is a great one.

If you are not sure what kind of paintball barrel will be best for your game, a good size to get is between 10-inches and 14-inches. This will allow your paintballs to reach maximum speed before exiting the barrel and the additional length on a barrel is so you can have better aim for each shot you fire.

If you want to use different barrels when you play paintball, a barrel adapter will be your new best friend. Adapter designs like the A-5 barrel adapter are perfect for making the quick switch from a longer barrel for better aim to a shorter barrel for a faster shot.

All American makes a great barrel and they have an exclusively patented design that has spiral porting for a straighter shot with each firing of a paintball. This model comes from 12-inch to the Freak style 18-inch barrel that is great for making a more accurate shot but you won't get the same velocity as a slightly shorter barrel unless you even out the shot by getting closer to your target.

If you happen to have purchased paintballs that are a little smaller than usual, don't fret. If you have a Freak Barrel Insert, you simple put it in your gun barrel and it will take care of the size difference. These inserts come bore sizes .679 to .695 or you can get a complete set and never get caught off guard again.