.50 Caliber Paintballs?
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.
Comments
I am in the same boat you are. I am waiting to cast judgment until I am able to see what happens as well as try out one of these markers.
Why do we need to change what works. My son and I play a lot with our .68 caliber guns that did not come cheap. I can see the .50 caliber being used by players who what to be snipers in woods ball or scenario paintball but your going to waste a ton of paint in speedball anyway. There will definitely be a disadvantage with .68 caliber players going up against a .50 caliber. As for the price of paint the fields drive it. I played on the same field and paid $35 for a case and went back for a special event and paid $75 for the same case. Oh and when is something new cheep when it first comes out. Price will be driven by demand and availability and greed. Look at what has happen with Hybrid cars. They cost too much when they first came out and people opt for the lesser expensive choice. I’m not swapping out.
“it hurts less to get hit” Give me a break! Who is driving this change to .50 caliber? Mothers? So much talking about war wounds (welts) with .50 caliber.
50 cal is not new by any means. I know that Nelson Paint has been manufacturing 43 and 50 cal for at least 10 years. But I believe it was only used in training, or in mechanical non-air pb guns. Get the facts straight.
I don’t see what all the fuss is about switching to .50 cal.
For one it will invite more to play this sport, because hits are less painful. I know too many one-timers that had terrible first experiences where some “regular” tool stitched them up point blank. If we can’t get rid of the tools, then we should switch something else.
Secondly its cheaper. Meaning you can play longer and more frequently.
Third… there will be a heck of a lot more room for movement. Sure the round may be a little less accurate at longer distances and not travel as far as the .68 caliber… but who cares? This opens more room for movement, which is EXACTLY what people watching the sport want to see, and what makes the sport fun (in my opinion). No new player wants to get shot right away off the break.
“No new player wants to get shot right away off the break.” Well with .50 cal you will get hit off the “break” because .50 caliber is more accurate.
#2: “Sure the round may be a little less accurate at longer distances and not travel as far as the .68 caliber… but who cares?” I care! currently with .68 I’m able to set myself up at a longer distance and take out opponents. So accuracy is important.
There is no point in switching to .50 cal its hard enough to see the paint from a .68 cal much less a .50.The splatter from a .50 cal is half the size of a .68 If it even breaks at all.Smaller balls are durable, which means more bounces. They are less accurate, trust me I’ve shot them already.And also if your afraid of the pain DON’T PLAY PAINTBALL.Real paintball players don’t care about the pain bruises or welts it’s part of the game.If your going to be a girl about it go play airsoft IT HURTS LESS.
There is no point in switching to .50 cal its hard enough to see the paint from a .68 cal much less a .50.The splatter from a .50 cal is half the size of a .68 If it even breaks at all.Smaller balls are durable, which means more bounces. They are less accurate, trust me I’ve shot them already.Especially at distances of 50 feet or more,lighter ball doesn’t carry on same as a .68 cal.Also if your afraid of the pain DON’T PLAY PAINTBALL.Real paintball players don’t care about the pain bruises or welts it’s part of the game.If your going to be a girl about it go play airsoft IT HURTS LESS.There is no sense in pushing something that doesn’t work in to a sport that works fine the way it is.
Evomatt98, you are kind of a twat for saying, “it hurts less to get hit” Give me a break! Who is driving this change to .50 caliber? Mothers? So much talking about war wounds (welts) with .50 caliber.”
—Don’t you know that the sport is dying? The local field I play on has a 10 year old limit. I’ve seen kids walk on to the field that young who have never played before, get shot once, cry, leave the field and never come back. Don’t say stupid stuff like that. Just because we are accustomed to a .68 sting doesn’t mean that everyone else is. If you really want the sport to grow, you have to embrace the younger players and take them under your wing, help them out, show them some tricks. They are the future of paintball. I’ve heard a lot of players that use this selfish kind of talk. You can’t just say to a 10 year old “Stop being a pussy!!! Take it like a man!!!” Yeah, MOTHERS bring their kids to paintball parks. MOTHERS don’t like seeing “war wounds” on their children. And if MOTHERS don’t want their kids playing paintball, the kid isn’t playing paintball. The sport will die, especially if people listen to you. I’m not saying that .50 cal is God’s gift to paintball, it may all just blow over. We will have to wait and see. If you are going to open up your mouth and try to spout out an opinion, try to bring intelligent thought to the conversation instead of biased hatred toward it because you fear change. Keep an open mind. You haven’t even tried it yet. You probably don’t even know anyone personally whose reputation you trust that has tried it yet.
Hey, if people want to buy it, let them. I’m not rushing out replace all my .68 gear. Who cares?!
If people don’t mind me shooting them with my stuff while they shoot me with theirs, it’s all good.
I’m more concerned about mechanical vs electro markers myself. Say what you will, but my game of choice is a day in the woods with a good ol’ 98c.