Whether .50 caliber paintballs and paintball gear will catch on remains to be seen, but another manufacturer has bought into the idea.  Kingman has announced the Spyder .50 line of equipment.  It appears that they're planning on releasing similar guns to what they already have, just in the .50 caliber format.

I'm still undecided whether I think the .50 caliber format is a good idea for paintball or if its just an attempt by manufacturers to get existing players to spend more money on new equipment.  Either way, I'm very interested to see which other companies announce new .50 caliber gear and how much support is given to the smaller format.

I spent last night reading through old comic strips of The Whiteboard written by Doc Nickel (It received its name since it was originally drawn on a whiteboard and then photographed before turning into a traditional, paneled comic.).  As far as I know its the longest-running paintball comic strip (or webcomic).  While it's based on the life of paintball store owner (who happens to be a polar bear), almost anybody who has ever worked on a paintball gun can relate to some of the comics.  While not every comic is paintball-related, some very accurately describe what anybody who has ever hosted a paintball event already knows.

If you've never read The Whiteboard, check it out.  If you've ever worked at a field, spent time at a store or run a small business, you'll probably catch yourself relating all too well.

Paintball equipment is designed for the sport of paintball, but that doesn't mean that it can't be used for other, useful, things, too. Check out some of the unique ways paintball equipment can be used and feel free to add any more that you know of in the comments.  Keep in mind, this is a list of legitimate, useful things - nothing illegal, cruel or overly-childish.

Tippmann, long known for its durable, mechanical, blowback guns such as the 98, A5 and X7, has entered the electropneumatic arena with today's introduction of the X7 Phenom.  Tippmann claims that the spool-valve Phenom will get 1,400 shots on a 68/45 tank and will run on compressed air or CO2 with basically no recoil.  Since the gun is based on the existing X7 body, existing upgrades (including the flatline barrel) will work on the new Phenom.  I'm very interested to see if Tippmann's claim of the durability and reliability of a Tippmann coupled with the speed and efficiency of an electropneumatic will win over customers.  If nothing else, it's definitely a change of image for paintball's woodsball leader.

I've been following the recent attempt by G.I. Milsim to start the next great change in paintball gear with the introduction of .50 caliber paintballs and paintball guns.  G.I. Milsim is a joint venture between Richmond Italia (inventor of XBall and former owner of Procaps) and the Gardner brothers (owners of Smart Parts), so they definitely have some clout in the industry.  An article at CatShackReports.com reports that the new .50 caliber paintball guns are more accurate and efficient than traditional .68 caliber guns, plus the paint costs less and it hurts less to get hit.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to try out one of these new, smaller guns, but I hope to in the near future.  What do you think about this new gun size?  Are you willing to purchase new equipment to save money on air and paint in the long run?  Do you think .50 caliber will even catch on or will it be a passing fad?

Whether .50 caliber paintballs catch on or not, it will be interesting to see how the industry reacts to such a radical change.

Paintball pistols have become increasingly more popular in recent years.  Some people use them as simple sidearms or backup guns while others use them as their primary gun.  Additionally, they can be used as training devices for law enforcement officers.

With Tippmann's and Kingman's recent entry into the paintball pistol arena, it will be very interesting to see if pistols become a paintball mainstay or a passing interest of the manufacturers.  It will also be interesting if this really does signal the start of the switch from the standard .68 caliber paintball to a smaller size.

If you've never played with a paintball pistol or even didn't know they existed, it's time to see what you've been missing.

I love Carbon Dioxide. I love how it's so cheap to use. I love how there's no need to regulate it. I love to watch it shoot ice out of the barrel on a chilly morning and how it smells when you shoot. I even love how inconsistent it is as it adds some surprise and variability to the game. CO2 is a great. The only (small) issue that I have is when it makes your gun so cold that you can't fire or you freeze and crack your o-rings. Other than that, it's a great, great gas to use to play paintball.

It's been quite a few years since I made the "switch" from CO2 to compressed air as my gas of choice, but now I'm somewhat going back on that decision. While I love the consistency and reliability of compressed air and still use it whenever I shoot an electropneumatic or play in a competitive game, it's almost too good for a simple day in the woods with friends. The more I get back to playing with blowbacks and pumps, the more I find I can leave my compressed air tanks at home and forget about regulators and PSI. While I haven't gone back to using just 12 gram tanks, I would seriously consider it if they weren't so expensive.

There's something so rewarding about heading to the paintball field with just a hopper, a pump gun, a mask and a 9oz CO2 tank and not a single battery, motor or circuit board. Paintball simplicity at its best.

A faux pas is a violation of a social norm as based on the culture you are in.  As paintball has its own culture, there are certain things that you just shouldn't do in paintball.  When people break these basic customs of paintball, whether or not they are official rules of the game, they really wear out their welcome.

Support the faux pas-free version of paintball and play the game the right way.

The PSP World Cup begins today for those of you who are interested in speedball. They also have a live webcast of the event.  It runs through the weekend, so if you are a die-hard speedballer or just want to know more about tournament paintball, check it out.

It's not as cool as the Mythbusters' use of paintballs, but it is a novel approach to painting. A Colombian artist used a team of paintballers to paint a picture of Marilyn Monroe in record time.  Maybe this will bring paintball into the mainstream art world, but I doubt it.  Learn more about the artist at bonyurt.com.