Let's try something else?

MoneyMaker17 · 04-27-2012, 06:22 PM

So it's apparent that 50 caliber rounds aren't exactly ideal for tournament gameplay, or any gameplay that's not room-to-room for that matter.

But, since 50 caliber has been tested along with 68 caliber, and both have been graphed side-by-side, shouldn't it be relatively easy to find a better/comparable round than them both? It seems to me that there could be a better round than .68 (obviously bigger than .50 so it can have the proper mass to effectively compete with .68) that will lower paint costs once made in mass quantities.

Isn't there a .62 round that's around for blowguns? Does/did anyone have the means to compare them to .68 and see how they fair?

The bottom line I'm trying to say is that SOMETHING needs to change to get paint prices down. 50 caliber wasn't the change we needed, so why not try another round?

And some disclaimers:
•I'm not trying to argue the universal aspect of .68, it'll stay in superior use compared to a new round introduced on the market for a couple of years, even if the new round is better. I'm just trying to find an alternative to lower prices and still have a fair chance competitively.
•I also understand paintball is a luxury sport, but it would be nice if the $1500 I spent every Summer I played came down a little. Most players I know are kids that don't make much, including myself. Honestly, I always have money in my bank account now that I'm taking a break from paintball, and it's a little tempting not to come back.

vijil · 05-03-2012, 10:02 PM

The best option on the horizon you've missed is hydrotec. Assuming they ever actually get started.

**Pump Scout** · 05-04-2012, 10:13 AM

Other calibers have been tried. 55 was something PMI attempted several years ago, and there are 62 caliber markers out there - old ones. 68 may have been a mostly accidental size choice, but it wound up being just about perfect.

I'm a little unclear on how much further the paint prices really need to come down. Paint can be had just about anywhere at $40 a case. That's a very far cry from paint back in the day that was $125 a case for 2500 balls. That's the equivelant of a $100 case today, and adjusting for inflation, $163.50 per case pricing. So, paint has basically become a quarter of the price it used to be from 1992's prices.

MoneyMaker17 · 05-04-2012, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vijil

The best option on the horizon you've missed is hydrotec. Assuming they ever actually get started.

As much as I'm hoping for Hydrotec, I'm losing some faith in them getting off of the ground. I'm looking for alternatives in case that happens.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pump Scout

Other calibers have been tried. 55 was something PMI attempted several years ago, and there are 62 caliber markers out there - old ones. 68 may have been a mostly accidental size choice, but it wound up being just about perfect.

I'm a little unclear on how much further the paint prices really need to come down. Paint can be had just about anywhere at $40 a case. That's a very far cry from paint back in the day that was $125 a case for 2500 balls. That's the equivelant of a $100 case today, and adjusting for inflation, $163.50 per case pricing. So, paint has basically become a quarter of the price it used to be from 1992's prices.

If I remember right, 50 caliber could reach the same statistics as .68 if it had the right amount of mass. The problem was that there isn't anything with the proper mass that could be used that isn't toxic in some way or form. If that's truly the case, a larger caliber should be able to be able to achieve the proper mass to have the same or similar performance of .68.

The main selling points of 50 caliber are the ability to carry much more paint and have much higher air efficiency, the lower cost is simply an added benefit. I don't count it as a main factor by any means, though after reading my original post I can see how it seemed like I do. I haven't played paintball when the price of paint was half as high as it was in the 90's, but I am grateful for the lower prices.

I don't have much of an issue with .68, but if there is a better option out there, I think it's worth pursuing.

CreesquePaintball · 05-07-2012, 10:17 PM

There are always going to be those people that complain about the paint they shoot, whether it's about how much they pay for it, how it actually shoots, whatever. 50 sounded like a good idea, but it never caught on. When something new comes along and the community adapts to it, there will be some that want something different. To me, paint is just paint.

vijil · 05-09-2012, 07:02 AM

.50 would have been fine if we could crank the velocity up to about 450 - that would deal with all the performance issues and have about the same energy on target (= no more dangerous or painful).

Biggest problem would have been the acceleration in the barrel. Not sure how the balls would stand up to consistent 450fps shots. Then again the small size and corresponding physics (lower energy etc.) might have cancelled that out so it'd be the same as a regular round.

The problem wasn't so much whether a .50 cal round could work at 450, it was the insurance. Insurance companies don't care about physics or common sense, for them 300 fps is the max they'll insure because that's what they've always done. Probably because they CBF with the paperwork.