Reddit mentions: The best paintball loaders & accessories

A paintball caddy.

http://www.ansgear.com/Paintball_Caddy_Pod_Filler_s/453.htm

I spent 12 dollars on one and it is the best money I ever spent. I'd say only 60 percent of players have one. Super duper convenient.

A gun stand

http://www.ansgear.com/Splattrak_Paintball_Gun_Stand_Graphite_p/splattrackgunstandblack.htm

I got a different one (guru paintball gun stand, disassembles to be super small in a gear bag). I spent 20 dollars on mine although I linked to a more expensive/fancier one. Best money I ever spent. I'd say only about 1/3 of players have one.


A pod swab. It's used for cleaning out a pod when you bust a ball ont he field, or for drying them after you're done cleaning them at home.

http://www.ansgear.com/Exalt_Pod_Swab_Green_p/exaltpodswabgreen.htm

17 dollars, and it's the best money I've ever spent. I'd say only 5 percent of players have one.

A paintball chronograph.

http://www.ansgear.com/Paintball_Chronograph_s/200.htm

I have the yellow one, spent 50 dollars on it used, although you can find them for 35-40 these days and it was the best money I've ever spent. Get one used, doesn't hve to be the Sports Sensor one as that's like the oldest one around. I'd say 2% of players have a chronograph of their own.

A paintball tech mat.

http://www.ansgear.com/Paintball_Gun_Mat_Tech_Mat_s/1061.htm

It keeps you from losing screws and keeps stuff from scratching or getting scratched. Spend 15-20 dollars, and it was the best money I ever spent. I'd say 10 percent of players have one.

Buy him a bunch of pods. Everyone needs pods. Get some fancy ones. The virtue ones are great.

https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-PF135-PF165-Locking-Paintball/dp/B00TSWT04I

Get the longer ones. They're like 6-7 dollars a piece and they're the best money I ever spent. They're much better than dye locklids, and I'm really happy with them. I'd say only 30% of players have fancy pods.


You can never have too many hex keys. Try to get him a set of extra long ones. Those balls really aren't necessary, or even good. The ball-end ones are more likely to strip a screw. Even if he just bought himself 2 sets of hexkeys, he'd still be happy to have another set.

Someone else said a goggle case. That's another expensive item that people usually don't buy for themselves.


It's really hard for a player to spend money on these sorts of things, because there are so man other things they can get. But these items are all incredibly convenient, super awesome, and make my life so much easier. I am thankful every time I use one of these products.

oooh I'm a fan of the salvo, my favorite non magfed marker, so I'm going to assume you aren't running the tippmann magfed adapter or the deadcell tippman magfed adapter, which, if you want a magfed salvo, go with the deadcell version, but, assuming you are hopper fed, definitely grab a Proto Primo, they're easily the best gravity fed hopper on the market. Also, everyone is going to tell you this but for good reason, if you don't already, get an anti-fog mask.

Also, if you were looking for some sort of scope, I'll tell you what I tell everyone, a red dot wont do anymore good than iron sights unless you're using first strikes. NCStar makes a cheap red dot that I had on my 98 if you want to dabble in them.

Take good care of that marker, it's essentially a 98c in an arguably tougher, milsim body, take good care of it and it will last forever, I still have my 98 from 8 years ago and it's still shooting like the day it came out of the box.

Any marker is the best marker in the world if you enjoy playing with it, keep on shooting!

EDIT: also, since the salvo has the quad rail, idk how you grip the marker, but I'm a big fan of angled foregrips, only reason I don't have one is because I'm a bigger fan of gripping the magwell, also, should you want to get another marker at some point, anything with picatinny rails will accept a grip.

This is my 'setup' right now. It's balanced well and works just fine, though I do take off the air tank to run it as a secondary with a holster.

I would definitely recommend getting this holster -- the one made by Tippmann is utter garbage. This one is adjustable, so it works with most pistols and can fit the TiPX with some work.

12-gram CO2 cartridges fit in shotgun shell loops like a glove. So do 10-round tubes, the best way to reload your magazines as you go.

I use this vest and it fits five extra magazines: two for each of the bottom-forward large pockets, and one in the pocket directly above that with the four shell loops. Those will fit CO2 cartridges perfectly.

A word of warning, though... while this vest works perfectly fine, it's a bitch to clean and I'm starting to regret that I didn't get a MOLLE vest with mag pouches. You can't hold more than five magazines with this vest.

Also, consider getting the FXR carbine-mod when it becomes available next month. And even if you don't like that, the ZetaMag (which is an extended magazine that gives you 20 shots per magazine) is definitely worth a look.

in case you don't want to go threw the hassle of the used market:

Marker: https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Mini-GS-Paintball-Gun/dp/B00LBJUD4C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521136125&sr=8-4&keywords=empire+mini+gs

hopper/ tank:https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Halo-Paintball-Loader-Combo/dp/B003FVP506/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1521136199&sr=1-4&keywords=halo+too

mask: https://www.amazon.com/Dye-Paintball-Goggles-Thermal-Lens/dp/B016SACUTY/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1521136264&sr=1-4&keywords=dye%2Bi5&th=1

a very respectable first setup if you are looking for something that you can learn the basics on and even play decent speedball with. I would look into a carbon fiber tank and a new hopper as some solid upgrades (these will do the job for a long time, I still run my halo on my axe when I loan it out) if you choose to keep up with it and want to put some more money into quality of life. Empire sells solid markers and personally what I suggest for beginners looking to go the speedball rout. they have really good customer support. The dye I series are simply my favorite masks, easily replaced with another mask that better suits your face or is more aesthetically pleasing to you.

The Ion should still hold up very well, just give it the routine maintainence that it probably needs after not being used in so long. I don't know the exact condition of your tank, but the best bet would probably be taking it to a paintball shop and having the employees assess the reg/leak. If you plan on really getting back into the sport and playing a lot, a new HPA tank might be worth it. As far as the hopper, I HIGHLY recommend the Dye LT-R ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VT4T4JW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_OLaMBbTGHG5HY). For $100, it performs outstandingly. It keeps up with my 15-20BPS (Empire Axe) with zero issues. Dye basically took their Rotor, removed some bells and whistles, and kept the core design for a very good price. Check out the reviews.

I've bought a mask already - I did a bunch of research (a lot on this sub) and quickly realized that should be the first thing I invested money into. Especially since I wear glasses - I won't have any fun if they won't fit under the mask. The first time I went out I bought one with thermal lenses that can be changed out. I don't remember the brand. But it fits my head perfectly and has only fogged up once. The rentals they had were nasty, quite frankly.

I've been poking around amazon and found this hopper. I've read that no matter the marker, an electric hopper is the way to go. This one seems to be a reasonable price and people seem to like it as well.

I suppose I should also add that my boyfriend and I are splitting the cost of that haul since there are two markers. Mostly. He's putting in 50 I'm putting in 75 - I'm taking to the sport more than him so I see myself using everything more. We've already talked about buying new tanks and feeders for it. And the field we go to rents tanks as well - which is great because that is still cheaper than renting all the gear.

Within the next 2-3 paycheck's I'll probably buy the GoG. I think I'm still going to throw down for this haul - I have a few friends that I could maybe drag along if I had the extra gear to help them out. Haha.

I know it's lame but I really like the look of the Tippmanns. I like the more rugged look than the sleek fancy contours of the GoG! But I once I get better I know I'm going to prefer something that performs well.

FoamCon/EndWar was the best place to see all the different kinds of Nemeses (pronounced: nem-e-see's), greek root word with proper greek ending, loading systems.

The 140rd Paintball pods seemed to be the most popular way of storing the HIRs. There was one person who actually attached a paintball hopper onto the loading gate of his Nemesis (there is a youtube video somewhere, I just couldn't find it). Others had different variations of the funnel system or containers in order to increase capacity.

My personal idea is to go with the paintball hopper attached to the loading gate. But mine will have a few variations based on my experience with paintball. First, I will use a top loading hopper instead of the classic 45 degree tilt one. You will notice that with the classic hopper you will have to angle blaster downwards in order to make the pod dump easier. With a top loading hopper, you can easily reload while continuously firing the blaster. Second variation I will do is switch out the pop-top lid with an Exalt speedfeed gate. I have already done the testing between this gate versus other paintball speedfeed gates, and this one seems to be the best option with HIRs (keeping in mind paintballs are smaller and closer to 3g in weight, compared to HIRs which have a max weight of 2g and much larger).

I believe this combination to be the quickest reloading, while maintaining continuous fire, as well as minimizing ball spillage during reload.

The funnel systems are nice, I just personally prefer a hopper system.

not really. the gun is okay, i guess. You can easily do better though. most of the stuff that kit includes are just old/dated items that retailers are trying to unload on people who don't know better.

if youre trying to stay on the cheap side, something like these would be a better option. The most important thing is going to be a good, comfortable mask. i'd prefer a JT proflex over a flex 8, but i couldnt find one on amazon. you could easily find one for the same price on other paintball specific sites. other than that, you have a high quality air tank, a high quality budget marker, and a high quality budget hopper that will actually feed paint. The only thing this doesn't include is a pack and remote which i think you should do without for now. if you need a pack, those can be had for as low as $25.

Ninja 45/3000:
https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Aluminum-Paintball-Tank-BLACK/dp/B001RQRXJW/ref=pd_sim_200_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001RQRXJW&pd_rd_r=P9CKMRW1QYRYHE1WP5VZ&pd_rd_w=J20BE&pd_rd_wg=IXBxt&psc=1&refRID=P9CKMRW1QYRYHE1WP5VZ

Azodin Kaos:
https://www.amazon.com/Azodin-Kaos-Paintball-Gun-Red/dp/B01M04HQ4C/ref=sr_1_11?s=sports-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1483152637&sr=1-11&th=1

Empire Reloader:
https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Paintball-Loader-Matte-Black/dp/B002CLNE1M/ref=sr_1_4?s=paintball&ie=UTF8&qid=1483152761&sr=1-4

JT Flex 8(or proflex from another site):
https://www.amazon.com/JT-Flex-Goggle-Black-Grey/dp/B000VWJL5C/ref=sr_1_10?srs=15604175011&ie=UTF8&qid=1483152884&sr=8-10&keywords=paintball+mask

Some really solid advice. As it turns out, Full Auto isn't allowed on the course I played on last weekend, and I'm not sure if we're going to get to do any woodsball this summer (I live in Alaska, so it's a short season), so I guess I'll focus on Speedball and consider a woodsball marker for next summer if I can find a game.

I prefer to purchase things on Amazon so would you mind looking over this list to make sure I'm getting the right things?

Halo Too loader
http://www.amazon.com/Invert-Halo-Loader-48ci-Combo/dp/B003FVP506/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1

Mask
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005R4O0PU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A32DO2WY2M0IZT


Pack (decided I liked this style vs the vertical ones)
http://www.amazon.com/GenX-Global-Horizontal-Harness-Black/dp/B003MZKTM4/ref=sr_1_24?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1345691239&sr=1-24&keywords=paintball+pack+gen+x

Tank (Do I need a cover? someone said that you should have a cover to protect a carbon fiber tank)
http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Carbon-Fiber-Paintball-Tank/dp/B001UYIDZY/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1345691561&sr=1-3&keywords=hpa+carbon+fiber

Gun
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Eclipse-Etha-Paintball-Gun/dp/B005VQZFQC/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_2



A note about the gun: I am really hesitant to splurge on the Ethas, because while it comes pretty highly recommended, I just can't get over the fact that it looks like a toy. Also, it seems that it's more suited to speedball, and I particularly want to maintain the delusion that I'll be able to find some woodsball games. Am I going to have any issues with trying to woodsball with the Ethas?

Very nice, I absolutely love my phantom!

It's a small upgrade, but I'd recommend looking into some tethered caps for your 10 round tubes. Losing those green caps gets old pretty quick.

Once upon a time I was able to purchase the caps separately, though right now I can only find them for sale with the tubes.

Amazon or [PaintballOnline] (http://www.paintball-online.com/10-Round-Tube-with-Tethered-Speed-Cap-Smoke-TB10RDSWTL-0X.aspx)

this one is good

pods to go with

you're gonna love it :)

https://www.amazon.com/Dye-LT-R-Paintball-Loader-Black/dp/B06VT4T4JW/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1502065153&sr=1-1&keywords=rotor+ltr is much better than the halo.

i also recommend buying the used axe much better marker

I'm working hard on my own design, but some shortcut notes (hopefully this helps, as I've purchased a dozen paintball hoppers, all of which was wasted money for the most part)!

1. Very few paintball hoppers fit HIR's (without expanding the shell or cutting the feedneck). The Tippman cyclone hoppers are larger than HIR, so they can be reduced.
   
   
2. This hopper was featured in an MTB video, but requires cutting of the feedneck:
   https://www.amazon.com/Proto-Primo-Paintball-Loader-Hopper/dp/B0036FHJLE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480181082&sr=8-1&keywords=proto+hopper
   
   
3. wide mouth hopper (requires reducing of the feedneck to feed):
   https://www.amazon.com/Tippmann-Low-Profile-Cyclone-Hopper/dp/B000X04RJM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1480181136&sr=8-5&keywords=tippmann+hopper
   
   
4. Atlas is a really good blaster for gravity feed (with air feed, etc to feed). You have to shake the blaster so much when priming to begin with, that it helps a lot with gravity feeding.
   
   
5. Here's my current build (photo). It's airfed, with a switch on the prime to automatically activate the fan for each feeding prime cycle.
   https://www.instagram.com/p/BNM7oA8DBP6/?taken-by=outofdarts

You'd be much happier with the APP Sight Feeder. The Tac50 is more form over function whereas the Sight Feeder is a more tried & true design.

Do you think the tank in the link is good? I was thinking of getting it but I don't know if it's good or not?
http://www.amazon.com/Invert-Halo-Loader-48ci-Combo/dp/B003FVP506/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373733330&sr=8-2&keywords=halo+too+hopper

Personally I would go for this hopper in the link below. It’s pretty much the go to pump hopper. A 45/4500 tank is usually the tank of choice. You can get away with a tiny little 13ci if you want but I prefer the 45 so I don’t have to fill up between every game and if I’m at a big scenario game I know I won’t run out of air. The 45ci also fits my shoulder much better.

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Paintball-Products-Feeder-Hopper/dp/B00BM8FMHU/ref=sr_1_92?keywords=Gravity+hopper&qid=1568597998&s=gateway&sr=8-92

Looks great!!! I'm assuming this is the Speed Loader that you used for it?

I went with this

I went ahead and purchased the stuff below. I think this will be good for casual play.

Gun https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2NH25O/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Red Dot
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HPWATOC/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hopper
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036FHJLE/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's a great deal on a tank and hopper; http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003FVP506?cache=61b7619bac973d9162859a37f1c86151#ref=s9_simh_gw_d4_g200_i1&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-1&pf_rd_r=0ZS2A0ZZ28KQM5DS8Z9S&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1634797062&pf_rd_i=507846

If you're worried about having a hopper in a mag-fed only game, but you don't want to spend a bunch of money on a mag-fed marker or conversion kit, you can do what I've done for under $20: make your own "magazines".

1. buy some 10 round tubes
   
2. Get some foam or something squishy. (I had some laying around from old packaging)
   
3. Cut a piece of foam and put it around the hole of a tube.
   
4. Duct tape all the way around the foam.
   
5. Layer with duct tape until it fits snugly in the feedneck
   
6. Repeat 3-5 for all tubes
   
7. Fill tubes with paintballs
   
   I've used these in my 98's a few times and it really is a lot of fun. It takes a bit longer to reload than actual magazines, and it is on the top of your gun, but it does make it easy to see how many rounds you have left.
   

I went with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075VJ8P4P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#customerReviews

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NTRRHQN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Good?

Looks like a Tippmann cyclone feed. They make a bunch of paintball guns that share some similarities to AR style guns.

I assume the 2017 Halo Too is the current version? (https://www.amazon.com/2017-Empire-Halo-Paintball-Loader/dp/B071J59F4K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1502062447&sr=8-5&keywords=Halo+Too+hopper)

As for the tank, what do you mean one with clear coating? Would you mind tossing me a link?

Nice!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009G63VQO/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_inwAub0Q0YEZJ


Did it come with the table clamps?

<<This is a repost as for some reason the Imgur link earlier failed.>>

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The feeder gate is from a 3rd party paintball manufacturer. So in theory it should be able to fit any paintball hopper gate?

​

Outdoor Guy Green Speed Feed 1pcs Universal Paintball Speed Feed Gate Lid Hopper Cover Tippmann X7/98

​

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D5W2N3G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_cxWotImtj7ny6

​

(I’m sorry that as paintball painter is illegal to own in my country, so I do not know too much about paintball stuff. I’m assuming they are universal.)

​

Design to just snap on. So Glue is optional.

​

Will release the design to thingiverse shortly.

​

I managed to stuff 195 3rd party rival balls.

https://smile.amazon.com/Global-Round-Paintball-Loader-Hopper/dp/B00CF6J1O8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509690783&sr=8-2&keywords=clear+paintball+hopper&dpID=2199noSimvL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

These are as clear as you're gonna get em, and cheap too.

https://www.amazon.com/GOG-eNMEy-Paintball-Guns-Racer/dp/B00N328OBY

https://www.amazon.com/Proto-Primo-Paintball-Hopper-Loader/dp/B01F1H1OCE

http://www.ansgear.com/Ninja_Compressed_Air_Tank_w_Adjustable_Regulator_p/ninjatank-48.htm

Then try an assortment of masks and see whar you like

Can you give me a recommendation on which one of those 4 are the best to avoid chopping?

As for the adapter, a search on google showed me this on amazon and it says it's a replacement part not an aftermarket part. There's also this one but it says it's for the T8 and T9, not the T15.

A Empire Halo Too is only $65 on amazon!

https://smile.amazon.com/Empire-Paintball-Loader-Matte-Black/dp/B002CLNE1M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504280205&sr=8-3&keywords=empire+halo+toopf_rd_p=1cf9d009-399c-49e1-901a-7b8786e59436&pf_rd_i=desktop

I'm using this combo with my new eNVy. Will be upgrading the tank though after I get a new mask and a barrel. It feels a bit heavier than I'd like it to be.

Not that one. This one!

Allen Paintball Products Sight Feeder Hopper - Black - 50 Round https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BM8FMHU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BZXyybBPNF4PY

azodin blitz 3 http://www.amazon.com/Azodin-Blitz-Paintball-Purple-Silver/dp/B0184MLAVS/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1456864428&sr=1-2&keywords=azodin+blitz+3

empire halo 2 loader http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CLNE1M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

guerrilla tank http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BOD3F4A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

valken pod harness http://www.amazon.com/Valken-1951-Harness--Harness-Fate/dp/B003LMCBLU/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1456864464&sr=1-1&keywords=pod+pack

what i started with in 2011 (i had the blitz 2 though)

Buy Both. I picked this set up a few weeks ago and used it last weekend. Thinking about getting it again for my 2nd gun.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FVP506/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've had a quantity error from Amazon before too. Paintball pistols have these little tubes that hold 8 or 10 paintballs for you to quickly reload during a session. These things.

Anyway, I was buying a pistol so I bought 2 or 3 of those reload tubes. Upon delivery, I found myself opening a box of 2 or 3 hundred.

They're just cheap plastic though, so not really as neat as box of SD cards.

just a broke man trying to pick up a hobby. I recently bought a used matte red invert mini. Now that i have your attention, what do you think about this buy?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FVP506/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3MOEA5B1IA06N

So you've got 250ish for a package for your son? Instead of buying that one I'll make one for you!

GoG Enmey Gun $125

Proto Primo Hopper $14

Ninja 48/3000 HPA Tank $50

JT Proflex $63

For the around $250 mark you will not get a better deal.