How to Decide Between CO2 and Compressed Air for Paintball

There are two very common propellants for paintball, CO2 and compressed air. This article will discuss which is best for you.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Previous paintball experience

1. First, CO2. CO2 provides pressure for paintball as it expands to a gas when it leaves the tank. Inside the tank it is in a liquid form and expands into a gas as it leaves the tank. CO2 does not last very long and is very inefficient. With most high end guns if CO2 is used it can actually damaged some of the fine valves inside the gun. However, at most fields it is the only thing available.

2. Compressed air is a much cleaner and more efficient source of propulsion. It can be used with almost every paintball gun today, and is starting to be a lot more common on fields across the U.S. I would recommend this to any player that is serious about paintball, although it is more expensive, it is definitely worth it in the long run.

3. Many people think that paintball compressed air tanks can be filled with an ordinary air compressor, THEY CAN NOT!!! These paintball tanks use from 3000 p.s.i. to over 4500 p.s.i. They should only be filled by a certified paintball air smith or a scuba shop.

Tips & Warnings

• For just a casual player who doesn't enter into large tournaments, CO2 works just fine, but for a serious player, Compressed air is definitely the way to go.
• Always be careful with CO2 and Compressed air tanks, these tanks are pressurized to over 3000 p.s.i and can be very dangerous!