The Difference of Electronic & Gravity Fed Hoppers

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The Difference of Electronic & Gravity Fed Hoppers

A hopper or loader that is connected to the top of a paintball semi-automatic marker by the feed neck drops the paintballs into the breech, then into the barrel. Loaders are made of a hard plastic material that are either gravity fed or electronic, battery operated.

Paintball parks equip their rental markers with gravity fed hoppers. Beginners and novice players visit paintball fields for recreational reasons, mainly for paintball birthday parties, team building activities and outdoor family entertainment. https://paintballusa.org/about/rules-of-play-for-valued-patrons

Gravity fed loaders hold about 160 - 200 paintballs and shoot about 10-12 paintballs per second. Players that are conservative about the number of paintballs they fire can go through 200 – 300 paintballs in about 2 hours of games. Naturally, players that are overly excited and zealous can shoot twice that amount in the same period.

Electronic hoppers use battery powered motorized components that feed paintballs into the marker at a faster rate of speed than gravity fed ones. Players can shoot up to 15 -20 paintballs per second. High end electronic hoppers can now shoot up to 30 paintballs per second.

The electronic hopper works well with electronic markers. Advanced and tournament players are more apt to use electronic paintball equipment.  Aggressive players out to win at all costs will want a high precision marker that shoots the most paintballs at the fastest rate.

Companies that hold corporate team building events and hosts of paintball birthday parties are concerned with getting the most paintball fun for the least cost, therefore, rental markers with gravity fed hoppers will save a lot of money on paintball purchases. https://paintballusa.org/reservations

Besides limiting costs on huge amounts of paintballs, novice players tend to be cautious and play defensively when learning the sport. When it comes to children out on the gaming fields for their first-time playing paintball, standardized rental makers and hoppers serve their purpose adequately.

Some good reasons to use gravity hoppers.

  • The gravity helps distribute the weight of the paintball which prevents jamming when flowing into the breech.
  • Gravity loaders are lighter in weight.
  • Cheaper than electronic loaders.
  • Fires paintballs at a slower speed.
  • Saves you money in purchasing more paintballs.

Self-equipped players that prefer to shoot slower, not use as many paintballs, and like to get that one shot accuracy, usually own pump markers and auto cockers. Gravity fed loaders work better on these kinds of guns.

The downfall to using a gravity loader is, the paintballs can sometimes jam in the breech, especially when kids pick up paintballs from the dirt and place them in the hopper. You need to constantly shake your gun to keep the paintballs flowing smoothly from the loader to the breech into the barrel. This will take extra time while you are in a game.

The major difference between electronic and gravity loaders is the speed in which the balls are fed to the breech. Advanced and tournament players value speed. The electronic loader gives players the advantage of speed due to the tiny paddles powered by the batteries moving the paintballs along. The player will shoot straighter and faster. The paddles prevent dry firing and paintball jamming.

Electronic loaders are somewhat heavier than gravity hoppers. The lid is tighter and doesn’t open as quickly as gravities.

Some of the best brands of battery powered electronic loaders currently are.

  • Virtue Spire IV designed with a rail for go pros & accessories.
  • Dye Rotor R2.
  • HK Army Pinokio.
  • Valken V-Max.
  • Tippmann Cyclone.

Paintball USA sells gravity loaders that are clear with a flip top lid. The clear hoppers allow the player to see how many paintballs they have left in the game and if any of the balls have broken. If there is a broken paintball in your loader, you will need to dump your paintballs onto a clean, dry surface, remove the broken pieces, rub the paintballs between two rags to remove paint residue to prevent excess oil getting into the barrel. Wipe your loader clean with a damp cloth.

If you have any paintball related questions, what to wear, making a reservation, equipment concerns, etc., give us a call. Paintball USA’s phone lines are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Leave us a message if you get our voicemail. We will return your call the same day. (661) 255-5332. https://paintballusa.org/