Mastering Trigger Control and Rate of Fire

Mastering Trigger Control and Rate of Fire

How a trigger works.

The trigger is a mechanism that releases the striker, causes the bullet or paintball to be fired and shot through the barrel. The trigger mechanism actuates the striking device through a spring under tension which causes the firing pin to strike and ignite the projectile into motion. 

Keep the safety on your gun at all times until you are in a game ready to shoot.  For real guns, the method taught by law enforcement, military, and the NRA, is to keep your finger extended resting on the cylinder and off of the trigger. This will prohibit accidents by not having your finger close to the trigger. https://www.paintballusa.org/about/paintball-facts

Paintball gun trigger designs come in three types, rake, blade, and deuce. When comparing paintball guns for purchase, be sure and visit your local supply shop so you can get a feel for which trigger fits you best. Rather than buy online, choosing a paintball gun by feel saves a lot of time rather than receiving it in the mail, not like it, and having to ship it back for a return. 

Of course, it is possible to purchase a paintball gun and upgrade to a better trigger later on. Triggers are pretty simple to install by yourself.

The response trigger increases the speed to which you shoot by resetting itself using excess compressed air while firing. The compressed air pressure operates the cylinder located behind the trigger by resetting after firing. Your finger pressure on the trigger resets to fire the next shot. 

When you pull the trigger, it releases the regulator which allows the air chamber to fill with compressed air. The air flows into the chamber at significant speed that forces the piston and pushes the paintball out through the barrel. 

Paintball guns shoot about 5 – 8 balls per second. The gun velocity or speed of paintballs leaving the gun through the barrel can go up to 300 feet per second, however, most paintball parks have restrictions on speed at about 280 fps for custom guns and 250-260 fps for players using rental guns.

Setting the velocity on custom guns is for safety. All custom guns must have a velocity adjuster. When a player shoots “hot”, meaning the velocity is set to high, it can cause welts on other players. Paintball USA implements many safety standards in order to keep our first time and beginner players safe. https://www.paintballusa.org/ 

The referees at Paintball USA keep the advanced players using custom guns in separate games from the players using rental markers. Kids attending paintball birthday parties here should have a first-time positive paintball experience and not go home crying from bruises and welts. 

Fully automatic paintball guns fire balls continually while your finger is on the trigger. Limited ramp paintball guns have settings that you can program to shoot a limited number of paintballs per second. This will conserve your paintballs and reduce wasting on shots that aren’t hitting your intended target. 

If you want to be an expert marksman at paintball and save money on paintballs, practice using a rental marker for about a year before buying your own gun. https://www.paintballusa.org/pricing