Simple Fixes for Common Problems with Paintball Guns

Paintball guns are finicky and unpredictable pieces of equipment. Some guns may be virtually problem-free for years, while another gun might have problems on a daily basis. Or a gun that initially causes no problems at all may suddenly turn into a finicky one.

Many problems with paintball guns are relatively common and can be fixed without too much effort. The following tips are aimed at the common problems with standard blowback-style paintball guns, such as Spyders and Tippmanns.

01
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Leaking Near the ASA (Air Source Adapter)

Paintball gun trigger

Carter Brown/Flickr

When you screw in a paintball gun gas tank and find that there is a significant amount of air leaking around the air source adapter (ASA) fitting, the problem invariably comes from a damaged O-ring.

Fix this problem by removing the existing O-ring (size 015) and replace it with a new one.

02
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Leaking from the Front of the Gun

When air leaks out of the front of the gun below the barrel, the most common reason is that there is a bad O-ring on the front volumizer. This problem is relatively common Spyder-style paintball guns.

Simply unscrew the volumizer and replace the O-ring on the volumizer, put a thin layer of oil or grease on the O-ring, and then replace the volumizer.

03
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Leaking Down the Barrel of the Gun

When air is leaking down the barrel of a paintball gun, the repair is often a little more difficult, though there is a potential short-term fix.

You can try to fix this problem by putting a few drops of oil into the ASA (Air Source Adapter) of the gun and then screw in the tank and check to see if the problem is fixed. Be aware, though, that this fix will typically only last for a short period of time.

If the quick fix fails, the problem most likely is caused by a worn cup seal. If so, you must obtain a replacement cup seal for your specific gun and follow the instructions in your gun’s manual to replace it.

04
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Gun Doesn't Recock

A number of different problems may prevent a paintball gun from recocking. Address this issue by first trying to solve the problem with the simplest solution and building up to more complicated ones.

The simplest explanation is that the air tank is empty, and the obvious solution is to replace it with a filled tank.

If that isn’t the problem, make sure that your gun is clean inside and out. If previous paintballs were broken inside the chamber but were not properly cleaned, then the hammer and bolt may be gummed up and unable to slide correctly. You can fix this by cleaning out the chamber and making sure that all the internals are properly lubricated.

Paintball guns may also fail to recock when there is inadequate pressure on the hammer. You can increase the tension on the hammer. (On Spyder-style guns, the adjustment is on the back; on Tippmans, it is on the side.) If increasing tension doesn't solve the problem, you may need to replace the gun's hammer spring.

05
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Double Firing

Double firing happens when you pull the trigger once, and the gun fires two or more times before recocking. Sometimes this happens when the air tank is low; a newly filled tank will take care of that.

A more serious problem is when the sear or sear spring is worn out. (The sear is a part that holds the hammer in place until the trigger is squeezed.)  You may have to purchase a replacement sear and sear spring and install them by following the instructions in your gun’s manual.

06
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Paintballs Rolling Down the Barrel

Paintballs will roll down the barrel if they are too small for your barrel or if your ball detent is worn out.

If you have a large-diameter barrel and small-diameter paintballs, they may roll down.

More commonly, the ball detent is worn out and must be replaced. It can be done by following the instructions unique to the model of your gun.