You may have recently been shot by a paintball gun and are wondering how fast do paintball guns shoot, well we are here to answer that! You may have noted that the paintballs seem to be moving at the speed of a bullet when playing. As a result, I was intrigued to learn the exact pace at which a paintball moves. And if you’re here, you do as well.
FPS stands for feet per second, and it is used to calculate the speed of a paintball marker. 0.3 meters is the equivalent of one foot. for those metric folks!
Now we know Paintballs seem to be moving at the same speed as bullets when they buzz by. But how fast are they going in reality? The average paintball travels at about 280 feet per second (190 miles per hour), which is much slower than a normal gun.
How Fast does a Paintball Gun Shoot?
A regular paintball gun can fire between 240 and 280 FPS this has been purposely limited by many gun manufacturers to prevent players from being seriously injured when playing. This corresponds to 160 to 190 miles per hour.
Since the ball is traveling at such a high speed, it is more likely to split when it collides with a player. The majority of the impact is scattered at this stage (when it breaks), and you won’t feel the maximum FPS. As the paintball splatters on your body, it disperses the force which makes it a bit less painful. Regardless, getting hit still can hurt, especially if you’re hit in the wrong place!
Because paintballs don’t fire over long distances the speed is estimated in feet per second (fps).
People aren’t used to thinking in feet per second, but when converted to miles per hour or kilometers per hour, paintball speed becomes very real. However, to put this into perspective with a real gun, the average velocity of a .22 long rifle is 1,260 fps, which equates to 856.8 mph or 1382.6 kph. Although it may sometimes feel like paintballs are shot this fast they thankfully aren’t!
The standard paintball velocity is set to 280 fps for safety reasons. It ensures that the paintball explodes when it hits the target while also protecting the person who was shot.
A paintball can hit its target in about one-third of a second, with an effective range of 80 to 100 feet for the typical 280-fps marker. The speed of a paintball gun is measured using a chronograph test, which is a simple procedure.
Prior to a game, a field owner typically request that you “chrono” your personal marker to ensure that you are not shooting outside of their safety range.
To chronograph your gun you place it on the chrono machine typically with the barrel aimed into a tube of sorts (to collect the paint) and then you shoot. It will pop up with your gun’s velocity and then you can really see exactly how fast your paintball gun is shooting!
How Hard Is A Paintball Hit?
The simplest response to this question is that it depends entirely on where you were shot and how far away you were from the gunman. It won’t hurt you much if the ball splits right away when it hits you (because most of the impact will be dispersed).
If the ball hits you and bounces away, you can absorb the majority of the effect. In that case, you’ll feel like you’ve been hit with a strong and focused blow similar to a rubber ball.
You won’t feel much pain at first, but as with every blow, the pain will gradually build up. It’s nothing too serious; if you’ve ever been punched hard enough to leave a bruise, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Also, you can often get some good welts if the paintball doesn’t break when you’re shot. Just ice them, and take some painkillers and you will be a-okay!
How To Protect Yourself From A Bad Paintball Hit?
Since prevention is often better than treatment, the safest way to play a paintball game is to protect yourself. To stop any direct hits to your body, you should wear a protective vest (a hard vest makes sure the balls will explode upon impact).
In addition, you should wear a decent paintball, if you get a quality one, they come with great protection for your entire face. Eyes, nose, teeth, the whole deal so definitely get one of those prior to getting out on the field.
In the same way, never take off your protective gear under any conditions. If you find yourself in a position where you need to remove your equipment, always leave the field first.
Final thoughts:
To sum everything up a typical paintball gun can fire at speeds ranging from 240 to 280 FPS, or 163 to 190 mph. Some paintball guns can reach speeds of 300 to 400FPS (200 to 270mph), but won’t see those on the field as they are too dangerous! Enjoy your games and have fun out there!
Oliver has been a paintball enthusiast since he first stepped on the field at just 11. He quickly joined clubs and teams all throughout New Hampshire! He started Paintball Hive to share his passion and knowledge with other paintball heads out there!