|50 - The halfway point of a paintball field - regardless of whether
the field is 100 yards long or not.
|12 Gram - A disposable cartridge containing enough CO2 for 20 to 30
|ACE - Anti Chop Eye - "A mechanism or feature of an electronic paintgun
in which an eye is used to detect a paintball in the breech, and prevents
the paintgun from firing before the paintball is fully seated, thereby
avoiding a chopped or pinched ball."
|Agg - "A modern Internet slang term for stylish, particularly in reference
to paintball. Used more commonly among younger forum users."
|Agitated Loader - "Agitated loaders use an electric motor, air pressure
or another source of energy to stir, or agitate paintballs within the loader
to prevent them from jamming, before being fed to the paintgun by the force
|Air - "Generically used to refer to any gas powering a paintball gun.
When being more specific, it refers to compressed air powering a paintball
|AirBall - "Inflatable bunkers, a field set up with inflatable bunkers,
or games played on such a field."
|Airsmith - "A person who is trained and experienced in repairing, adjusting,
building and customizing paintball guns. The term airsmith was coined to
follow the more traditional term of gunsmith."
|Allen Wrench - "A tool - usually L-shaped, with six surfaces, also
called a hex wrench. Hex head screws are commonly used on paintguns."
|Aluminum - "A metal with the atomic number of 13. Alloys of aluminum
(blends of aluminum with other metals to get desired physical characteristics)
are widely used in the construction of paintball guns, especially for bodies,
structural components and barrels. Aluminum can treated with an anodized
finish which is far more durable than a painted finish."
|Amateur - The second to top skill/experience rank in tournament play
- while rare there is no prohibition against amateur players being paid
to play. Amateur also correlates to Division I or semi-pro in some leagues.
Most tournament players allow a certain number of pro players on an amateur
team (i.e. 2 pros on a 10 man roster.)
|Anodizing - "A method of finishing aluminum - Anodizing uses an electrochemical
process to grow crystals of aluminum oxide on the surface of the aluminum.
These crystals can then be dyed in colors and patterns. Anodizing is far
durable than painting, in fact hard anodizing can provide a finish which
is more scratch resistant than that of polished stainless steel. If the
aluminum was well polished before being anodizing, the process creates
a bright metalic undershine. Most paintgun bodies are and barrels are made
of aluminum with an anodized finish. Steel, copper, and brass, can not
|anti-chop - A mechanism or feature designed to keep a paintgun from
chopping a paintball in half by closing the breech on a ball that has only
fed part way into the paintgun.
|Antisiphon - "CO2 is stored as a liquid below a layer of gas, the two
interact similarly to the way soda rests as liquid in a half-filled soda
bottle. A properly installed anti-siphon tube allows the valve of a CO2
tank to draw gaseous CO2 from the top edge of a horizontally mounted tank,
rather than the liquid which is at the level of the tank's neck."
|ASA - "Air Source Adapter - This is the threaded fitting into which
a CO2, or screw-in HPA system connects to a paintgun."
|ASTM - "Originally founded as the American Society of Testing and Materials,
ASTM International is a group which writes voluntary standards for a wide
variety of industries. Members of the paintball industry and community
have joined the ASTM to produce standards that define paintball field operation,
goggle performance requirements and other aspects of the sport. The ASTM
does not test products, nor does it have any means to force manufacturers
or players to comply with the standards it publishes. Some paintball field
insurance programs, field operators, and event promoters require compliance
with ASTM standards. ASTM compliant goggles, for example are required by
almost all field operators, and most goggle manufacturers certify that
their goggles have been tested by an independent lab to confirm that they
meet the ASTM standard for paintball goggles. For more info, see ASTM.org.
|Auto Response - "Auto Response triggers were produced in the early
1990s, and almost immediately banned from both tournament and recreational
play. An autoresponse trigger fires when the trigger is pulled, and again
when it is released. Early Auto Response triggers were rather mechanically
complex. Some modern paintguns feature auto response modes in their onboard
|Auto Trigger - A device which allows a pump-action paintgun to fire
each time the pump is cycled while the trigger is held down. Early pump
action paintguns based on the Nelson valve design could Auto-Trigger without
additional parts. Auto-Triggers were an upgrade that could be built into
the trigger frames of Sheridan valve based pumps.
|Aztec - "An inflatable bunker with four sides and a flat top, narrower
at the top than the bottom - reminiscent of an Aztec pyramid."
|Back Player - "A player who stays at the back end of the field during
a game, usually observing, shouting directions to and laying cover fire
for their team mates who push further up the field. In tournament play
back players usually carry the most paint of any player on the team."
|Ball Detent - "A device which is designed to keep a paintball from
rolling forward in the barrel once it has dropped into the breech. Ball
detents take many forms, from flexible rubber nubbins to springy wires,
or spring or magnet loaded ball bearings."
|Barrel - The tube shaped part of a paintball gun through which an expanding
gas forces the paintball up to its firing velocity.
|Barrel Adapter - "Because barrel threading is not standardized, some
manufacturers produce adapters which allow a barrel manufactured to one
standard to fit on a paintgun which is manufactured to another."
|Barrel Bag - "This one's a two-fer. Barrel Bag either refers to a bag
with narrow pockets designed to store and transport multiple paintgun barrels,
or a bag/sock style Barrel Blocking Device."
|Barrel Blocking Device - "The generic term for an important safety
device. A BBD is designed to trap and or break a paintball, preventing
injury if a paintgun is accidentally triggered. Paintball fields, tournaments
and game rules require a BBD to be used in all areas where goggles are
not in use."
|Barrel Condom - "The brand name of the first nationally popular sock/sleeve
style Barrel Blocking Device, produced by Warrior Sports Gear. The Barrel
Condom brand name is often used to describe other brands of sock/sleeve
|Barrel Plug - "A Barrel Blocking Device which blocks the muzzle of
a paintgun by plugging into it, rather like a cork in a bottle. Invention
of the Barrel Plug is widely credited to Kathy Orr, wife of airsmith Bud
Orr. An industry standard through the 1990s until the popularity of the
bag/sock style Barrel Blocking Device, Barrel Plugs were first made mandatory
at SC Village in Southern California."
|Barrel Sock - "A Barrel Blocking Device which consists of a cloth sleeve
for the end of the muzzle, and a leash or other attachment system which
straps it securely to the paintgun."
|Barrel Thread - "The threading by which a barrel attaches to a paintgun.
While usually this means a screw-in threading, some systems use twist-locks
or clamping, the method of attachment is still referred to as the barrel's
thread. While there is not one standard, types of barrel thread are usually
named for either the first brand of paintgun to use them, or the most common
to use them."
|Beanie - A watch cap or other brimless hat used in paintball - not
a traditional felt beanie.
|Beaver Tail - "An anti-cheating device, the beaver tail is designed
to make it hard for a player to boost their velocity by pressing on the
cocking rod of an Autococker."
|Beer Can - "A cylindrical inflatable bunker standing on one end, usually
taller than a player. Also called a stand-up."
|Big Game - A paintball game consisting of many - usually hundreds or
thousands of players.
|Blind Firing - "Firing without being able to see the target area, such
as holding a paintgun over the top of a bunker and shooting without looking.
For safety reasons, blind firing is prohibited in most recreational, walk-on
and scenario play."
|Blow Forward - "A type of paintgun design in which the gas pressure
which will fire the paintball also pushes the bolt forward, chambering
the paintball and sealing the breech."
|Blowback - "Excess gas which blows up the feedneck of a paintball gun,
often pushing paintballs back into a gravity fed hopper. Also, the gas
expelled out of the back of the valve in some semi-automatic paintguns
(blowback semis) which pushes the hammer back and cocks the paintgun for
the next shot."
|Bolt - "A sliding, cylindrical part on a paintball gun which moves
to open and close the breech."
|Bonus Ball - "Shots fired at a player who has already been eliminated,
a referee, or other person on the field, to annoy them - prohibited under
most tournament and field rules."
|Bore Size - "The inner diameter (ID) measurement of a paintgun barrel.
Because paintballs vary slightly in size both due to manufacturing variances,
and response to environmental variables, many players equip themselves
with barrels of different bore sizes, or barrel kits to provide a good
match between the paint and barrel."
|Bottom Line - "An ASA fitting mounted on the bottom of a paintgun's
grip frame. The Bottom Line was given its name by its inventor, Colin Thompson.
Prior to Bottom Line placement, CO2 tanks were either screwed into an ASA
on the back of a paintgun (often called a donkey) or mounted on a stock,
and connected to the paintgun by a hose (California Style Constant Air.)"
|Bounce - "When a paintball hits a player but does not break, it is
a bounce and does not eliminate the player. Many players will wear soft
or flexible clothing and gear to encourage bounces in tournament play.
Also bounce is used to refer to either physical vibration when a paintgun
fires, or electrical noise when the trigger is activated on an electronic
paintgun, which can cause additional shots to be fired beyond one per trigger
|Breach - A break or opening in a wall. Usually this word is used in
paintball when someone meant to type breech.
|Break - "When a paintgun hits and breaks on a person, or the start
of a game when players break out from their starting position onto the
|Breech - "The rear opening to a barrel, where a paintball enters. The
breech is usually sealed by a bolt that pushes the ball into the barrel
and seals the breech."
|Bunker - An obstacle that can provide a player with cover from opposing
|Burst - A mode of fire in which a paintgun fires multiple times - usually
3 or 5 for each trigger pull.
|BYOP - Bring Your Own Paint - Some commercial paintball fields and
events allow players to bring their own paintballs rather than have to
buy them on site.
|Caliber - "The diameter of a projectile. Paintballs are nominally .68
caliber, or 0.68 inches in diameter."
|Capture The Flag - Probably the most common paintball game played.
Players try to capture a flag. In order to achieve that goal they eliminate
their opponents from the game by marking them with a paintball.
|Carbon Fiber - "Long fibers either wrapped, or woven into a fabric,
and then solidified with a resin, very similar to fiberglass, but with
less weight and more strength. Also parts which are printed with a pattern
resembling the weave of a carbon fiber fabric, but not actually containing
|Case - "The standard quantity by which paintballs are sold is a case.
A case usually consists of 2,000 paintballs, though some paint brands are
sold in 1,500 or 2,500 or other size cases."
|Centerflag - "Capture the flag games where the flag starts in the center
of the field, and must be taken to a flag station at the far end of the
field. Also called football."
|Cheater Mode - "A firing mode which acts in a way that is prohibited
under the rules where it is used but is activated by a secret method, and
or otherwise reverts to or appears to be a legal mode when inspected by
|Chip - "A microprocessor, or circuit board containing a microprocessor
which controls an electromechanical or electropneumatic paintgun."
|chop - When a paintgun's operating mechanism breaks a paintball by
closing the breech before the paintball was fully fed.
|Chronograph - A device used to measure the velocity of a paintball
in flight. Most chronographs use either optical (the ball must fly over
a pair of light sensors) or Doppler radar technology. A chronograph is
a critical piece of safety equipment anywhere paintball is played.
|Closed Bolt - A paintgun design on which the breech is closed while
it is at rest between shots. When rapid firing there is not difference
between open bolt and closed bolt operation.
|CO2 - "Carbon Dioxide. CO2 makes a good propellant for paintball because
it stores as a liquid. As gas is used from the paintgun's tank, the liquid
CO2 boils to replace the consumed gas. On average this keeps the pressure
supplied to the paintgun about the same. The downside is that if the tank
tips in a way that liquid CO2 feeds to the paintgun it can cause velocity
spikes, or damage the seals in low-pressure paintguns. Also, at low temperatures,
or during the chilling caused by boiling of the liquid CO2 during rapid
firing, the pressure supplied to the paintgun, and thus the velocity of
the paintballs can drop off."
|Concept Field - "A paintball field, often designed for tournament paintball
play, with little to no brush or natural vegetation aside from turf, utilizing
man-made bunkers and obstacles."
|Constant Air - "Constant Air is an older term for refillable CO2 bottles.
In the early 1980s, most paintguns were manufactured to be powered by disposable
12gram CO2 cartridges with only enough gas for 20 to 30 shots on a pump
action paintgun. Airsmith Lou ""Gramps"" Grubb developed Constant Air bringing
refillable bottles into the game. Early Constant Air systems used large
knob operated valves on their tanks, and various fittings and hoses to
feed gas to the paintgun. Tippmann Pneumatics introduced the ASA and backbottle
arrangement where a pin-valve equipped bottle screwed directly into the
|Copyright - "A method of legally protecting the expression of an idea
- like a painting, drawing, written work, photograph or video. Any work
is automatically protected by copyright and owned by its creator from the
moment of creation - they have the legal right to control how it is used,
duplicated, modified or distributed. In order to take legal action to protect
a copyright, it must be registered with the patent and trademark office.
Many third parties, such as internet service providers are required by
law to close web sites, or stop copyright infractions if they are given
reasonable proof of infringement - even if a copyright is not registered.
Copyrights can not be used to protect names - names are protected by trademark.
Copyrights can not be used to protect inventions, that is the job of patents,
although plans and blueprints can be copyrighted."
|Cylinder - "Either a pneumatically driven ram, or a tank used to store
a compressed gas."
|Deadbox - "A point on a field where players gather after they have
been eliminated from the game. It may have a physical structure, or may
simply be a gathering point."
|Debounce - "An electronic circuit, such as a capacitor, or software
designed to filter out signal noise from the trigger switch of an electronic
paintgun to prevent trigger bounce. Many of the more advanced chips include
software with adjustable debounce values. These allow the user to adjust
the minimum time a signal lasts before the software will consider it as
a trigger pull rather than signal noise."
|Dorito - "A brand of flavored tortilla chips from Frito-Lay, and also
what tournament players commonly call an inflatable bunker that has three
triangular sides over a triangular base. Some Canadian players call the
same type of bunker a taco."
|DOT - Department Of Transportation - this agency of the US Federal
Government defines the certifications required for manufacturing and testing
compressed gas tanks that will be transported on US highways. CO2 and HPA
tanks used in paintball must be certified to meet DOT standards.
|Drop Forward - "A mounting bracket which moves an ASA or HPA tank mount
from the bottom line to a position that is lower and further forward, changing
the balance of the assembled paintgun."
|Drop-Off - "A decrease in velocity during rapid fire, usually caused
by an inability of a CO2 or compressed air system to deliver consistent
pressure at a rapid pace."
|Dry Firing - "Firing a paintgun with gas, but no paintballs."
|Electromechanical - "A paintgun which relies on electronic circuitry
controlling a solenoid which mechanically actuates the paintgun, usually
by tripping a sear."
|Electronic Bounce - "Electronic noise in the signal generated by the
trigger switch in an electronically controlled paintgun which causes the
paintgun to fire shots in addition to the shot fired by a distinct full
pull of the trigger. It should be noted that electronic trigger bounce
can not cause additional shots unless the software in the paintgun's chip
is written specifically to take advantage of the bounce. In the early 1990s
some players argued that the trigger noise constituted additional trigger
pulls, and thus Turbo Mode software which used the electronic bounce met
the definition of semiautomatic and should be allowed in tournaments. After
about a year of waffling, most major tournaments updated their rules to
define a trigger pull in such a way that neither electronic or mechanical
bouncing was legal in semiauto mode."
|Electropneumatic - A paintgun which relies on electronic circuitry
controlling a solenoid valve which controls low pressure gas to trigger
|Elimination - "In most paintball game formats, when a player is hit
by a paintball that breaks on them, they are eliminated from the game.
Elimination is also a game format in which the goal is to simply eliminate
all of the members of the opposing team(s.)"