Starting to play paintball?

Packet Of Gravy

Hi guys, I've played paintball a couple of times and I really love it. Myself and a friend of mine would like to start playing regularly (we are both from Carlow).
However, going for days out at somewhere like Rapid Fire in Kildare at €40 a day is way too expensive. A lot of other people I know would feel the same way.

So I've looked around the web a bit. There are paintball teams in some of the big cities and they play in events. But my friend and I aren't that experienced and we don't have the equipment. Our parents won't just buy us the equipment unless they know we are going to get good use out of it.

So the big problems are the cost, inexperience and the equipment. Any suggestions as to how to get playing paintball regularly?

KonFusion

Packet Of Gravy wrote: »

So I've looked around the web a bit. There are paintball teams in some of the big cities and they play in events. But my friend and I aren't that experienced and we don't have the equipment. Our parents won't just buy us the equipment unless they know we are going to get good use out of it.

Don't worry about being inexperienced. Everyone starts out like that, and teams are generally gagging for new players. Best thing to do would be find out what the nearest team to you is and head out with them. You might even get someone to loan you a marker or two for the first game. If you really like it, then think about buying the kit, otherwise it's a bit of a waste of money.

Give rapidfire a ring, and ask them to put you in touch with the local teams, so you can arrange to head out the days that they head out. Most, if not all teams, should be more than welcoming.

Are you in college? ITCarlow may have a paintball society. If not you could set one up.

Packet Of Gravy

Ok I'll give Rapid Fire a ring. But what about not having the gear to play with these teams and the cost involved. Will it end up costing the standard rate of paintball there which is €40? I was hoping that if I joined up with some team it would be cheaper.

KonFusion

Packet Of Gravy wrote: »

Ok I'll give Rapid Fire a ring. But what about not having the gear to play with these teams and the cost involved. Will it end up costing the standard rate of paintball there which is €40? I was hoping that if I joined up with some team it would be cheaper.

It depends on where you play, and if the team has a deal with the site owners.

Best way to find out is to ask the team. Any info I give you on the pricing differences would be arbitrary.

ironclaw

KonFusion wrote: »

Best way to find out is to ask the team. Any info I give you on the pricing differences would be arbitrary.

This. No site will give you a cheaper rate if your, in their eyes, the same as any other customer unless you really sweet talk the owner. The only way to really interest a site is to bring a lot of people and talk directly to the owner. Then the price will generally start to go down.

Capital Paintball in Dublin have been hosting training every Sunday I believe. Worth checking them out on facebook and seeing when the next one is. You can drop up and have a look, and the lads there will let you have a look at the kit and give you an idea of pricing.

The most expensive part of paintball is the equipment itself. A decent paintball marker (aka gun) is going to set you back maybe upwards of €200 A top end marker could be in the €800+ range (But few people would spend near that unless they are competing internationally)

The first thing you should buy is a decent mask. If you go to a proper training day, ask the lads can you try them on. There is literally hundreds of masks on the market. When you find one you like, jot down the name and buy it online. Don't buy anything else until you have a mask :cool:

bman1

I'm in the same boat, but my problem is finding a marker. Nothing really comes up on donedeal and I check a few other sites but you just don't see them advertised. Any ideas where to pick up second hand markers?

ironclaw

bman1 wrote: »

I'm in the same boat, but my problem is finding a marker. Nothing really comes up on donedeal and I check a few other sites but you just don't see them advertised. Any ideas where to pick up second hand markers?

Really grey area mate. Paintball markers are firearms under Irish law. Technically you need a license or at the very least authorization from your local Garda Superintendent. Its the exact same process as if you have a shotgun or rifle.

However very few people have licenses (Rightly or wrongly is for another thread as there are people in both camps) The issue really lies with An Garda. They don't want every Tom, Dick & Harry having a paintball gun to go blast the neighbors on Halloween (Rightly so) The downside is then they pretty much never issue a license (or at least it greatly varies from area to area as its up to the local Super.) On the upside, no one has ever been prosecuted for ownership of one. Its generally a case of don't be messing around in the neighborhood and only have it with you when you are going to or from training.

Go to Paintballer.ie and post in the Buy & Sell forum. There are plenty of people selling or moving on from time to time. You'll pick something up fairly quick.

Sensay

I hope one day it will become less expensive and the paint balls don't hurt so much .they really hurt when the hit you in the back of the head,hurts like hell

cacdit2016

I always see those guys selling days out in paintballing for €10 or so. Are they worth it? I get the feeling there's gonna be a lot of hidden costs.

ironclaw

Consumer end paintball, and indeed paintball in general, is expensive. Generally with those deals, you secure your booking rate and get an initial 100 paintballs to start. With a little haggling and a big group, you can get some extras thrown in their as well. The issue a lot of people don't see is the infamous 'drop out' rate. Say you pay €50 for five people to go out on a days paintball. And then, 2 don't show up (From experience, the average is as high as 30% drop out) the site has zero come back and has to pay the staff that turned up on the day. Now, no site will open for 5 people to play, but its a simplistic example.

As a result, the €10 you pay generally secures the rate you will be paying and then you generally pay a further €10 or so per player to secure the booking and perhaps your next 100/200 paintballs. Some again balk at this as they have 'spent' €20 before they even play, but then if you get 300 paintballs for that, you have actually saved €10 (The 'going' rate is anywhere between €8.50 and €10 per 100 paintballs)

Personally, I recommend you ring up your nearest locally run site, explain what you want and most of the site owners will happily arrange a good deal for you.

cacdit2016

Thanks man, a very informative answer.

One more little question, how many paintballs would I actually need for a full days activities? Don't mind buying a few more but don't want to be buying 500 or so

ironclaw

cacdit2016 wrote: »

Thanks man, a very informative answer.

One more little question, how many paintballs would I actually need for a full days activities? Don't mind buying a few more but don't want to be buying 500 or so

Sky is the absolute limit! Depends how trigger happy you are and the type of play you like. I generally say for a full day (So say 5 to 6 games, played each way) you'd want 600 to 800 paintballs at a minimum. Some people make 300 last a day, others demand 3000. It depends!

Most sites offer a bulk buy deal in cases of 2000. I'd recommend doing this first thing when you arrive as it saves you buying €10 pods of 100 after every game etc.

Prezatch

Any recommendations as to what would be a good paintball company to go with in the Dublin/Kildare/Carlow area for 8 newbies? I looked into the place in Bray (delta force frontier) and they want all the cash upfront in order to book.. seems a bit extreme

ironclaw

JoeyD wrote: »

Any recommendations as to what would be a good paintball company to go with in the Dublin/Kildare/Carlow area for 8 newbies? I looked into the place in Bray (delta force frontier) and they want all the cash upfront in order to book.. seems a bit extreme

That is fairly common in the outdoor pursuits industry. Few variables but the chief one is people not turning up. If you have a group of 20 booked in, your guaranteed that about 10 to 15% won't show up. As a result, you might lay on staff for 20 but only have perhaps 10 to take care of (Extreme example but imagine if you had perhaps 200 people per day as Bray can easily cater for) With that in mind, the idea is that if you have a significant amount not show up, you can at least cover your costs and send a few staff home on a half day. But as a customer, you don't lose out either way. Its just the business ensuing they don't close down!

Most sites will ask for at least a nominal figure to secure your booking and initial paint (€10 to €15 per head) They'll always include some free paintballs in this booking anyway. And if someone doesn't show up, they'll either honor you with the paint for that person or honor the place the next time you come up. I believe its fair for all involved. I generally find, the better deal is to be had if you book in advance e.g. A deal for 100 paintballs per person will be more expensive than say a 300 paintballs per person pre-booking

Other options around Dublin include Special Ops in Roundwood (About 15 mins from Bray) and their second home in Carlow (About an hour from Dublin) There is also Capital in Dublin (I've never been but heard good things) and Rapid Fire (In Kilkenny)