[cye604]

So, I've played .68 caliber paintball for quite some time now, but I've been hearing a lot about .50 caliber. Can someone explain the pros/cons of .50 to me, it seems interesting and I might get into it.

[Snodpops]

In my opinion it is kind of a gimmick.

But it can change the perception of the players to allow them to have more fun playing and less worried about the pain when getting shot at.


Heres the idea behind it:

F= MA

Or force of impact equals mass times velocity

Force of impact is less given a smaller mass .50cal paintball at the same velocity as a .68 paintball.

"Low Impact"

But low impact doesnt always mean it hurts less, ive found the .50 paintballs pretty thick shelled and tough to break, besides the lesser force of impact to break them open, which as you know hurts a lot more than if it would break open and the paint inside impacts you.

Like an airsoft BB stings like hell, but a brittle paintball just kind of breaks apart on you on impact and doesn't hurt much at all.

Now .68 cal paintballs are also subject to bad quality that don't break; that hurts even more than a .50 cal that doesnt, so there is definite merit to the idea that .50 cal doesn't hurt or leave the same kind of bruising that .68 paintballs can.

I think this is pretty much their focus, if you're looking for a low impact option for younger players, this is it.

If not, .68 caliber has it beaten for just about everything else. It carries farther, more people own .68 caliber guns, and the .68 caliber guns are more numerous and more high end technology.

[aarospoon13]

It would be interesting if fields began to issue .50 cal rental units in conjunction with their Splatmaster rentals. I can see it bringing in a different crowd but a new crowd nontheless of people who don't want to be welted up but want to enjoy running around and shooting at one another.

Unfortunately, seems like .50 cal never really caught on and while there are conversion kits and all sorts of stuff out there, I don't even think my FPO field carries .50cal paint for purchase! It could be loads of fun, with a TON of paint flying back and forth given the size difference and how much more could fit in a hopper and pod but it may not ever sell or grow that much since the market is .68cal owned.

[GatSplat]

Originally Posted by aarospoon13

..but it may not ever sell or grow that much since the market is .68cal owned.

Depends on the field. We go through a pallet of 50 cal a week.

[Fubarius]

The "demand" of .50 cal is a bit of a paradox to players. And a good demonstration of how regular players and field owners don't see the game the same.

A player doesn't see a dozen different guns available in the caliber, or see tournament or scenario games embracing the caliber, so obviously it hasn't "caught on" and will be gone shortly.

A field owner sees a new format where he can guarantee that all the players on the field that day will have the exact same gear, so teams will be easier to divide, no one will be complaining about the one or two players who had an unfair advantage, and of course every one will be paying for rentals. Plus the impact will be considerably less, so easier to market, and to a larger demographic. "Low Impact Paintball" could be considered an entirely different game than what us regular players are playing.

To a field owner, the lack of guns on the open market is a GOOD thing, since ideally the guns will be sold only to the fields.

[Horizon]

I think we'll see the Milsim gun manufacturers getting more and more into the 50 cal market. With more and more rental fields carrying 50 cal paintballs it will be easier for players to use their own 50 cal gear at FPO fields. There are players that use 43 cal markers by choice, but 43 cal paintballs aren't readily available. As 50 cal paintballs are becoming more and more accessible for gear owners, it will be a natural for Milsim manufacturers to build markers able to carry more paintballs in the same size, or the same number of paintballs in a smaller magazine/hopper.

[Logggss]

Personally I would had to have to switch all of my gear over to be able to shoot .50. Although, I do see how you could hold more paint in your hopper though.

[aarospoon13]

Originally Posted by Horizon

I think we'll see the Milsim gun manufacturers getting more and more into the 50 cal market. With more and more rental fields carrying 50 cal paintballs it will be easier for players to use their own 50 cal gear at FPO fields. There are players that use 43 cal markers by choice, but 43 cal paintballs aren't readily available. As 50 cal paintballs are becoming more and more accessible for gear owners, it will be a natural for Milsim manufacturers to build markers able to carry more paintballs in the same size, or the same number of paintballs in a smaller magazine/hopper.

Didn't think of the milsim market but it would be a neat idea and would also split the markets up a bit more. Adds some diversity.

[cye604]

Originally Posted by aarospoon13

Didn't think of the milsim market but it would be a neat idea and would also split the markets up a bit more. Adds some diversity.

It would be cool to get some .50 in the milsim market. That would allow for true copies (of every detail) of a normal, real .50 caliber gun. A lot of milsim products claim to be "exact," but that's hard to do when you are shooting a .68 caliber in a model of a gun that normally shoots something way smaller.

[vijil]

Still think the key here is velocity. For rentals, .50 at 300 or less is great and hopefully taking off as much as I think it is. For the rest of us, that pesky 300fps limit is holding it all back.

Most countries have no such issues, we can shoot .68 at 400 if we like and it's not even an insurance issue. Unfortunately the rest of the world follows the US when it comes to paintball, so until you guys can make ATSM see some sense then it's unlikely .50 will take off among high end ballers.

[Horizon]

Originally Posted by vijil

Still think the key here is velocity. For rentals, .50 at 300 or less is great and hopefully taking off as much as I think it is. For the rest of us, that pesky 300fps limit is holding it all back.

Most countries have no such issues, we can shoot .68 at 400 if we like and it's not even an insurance issue. Unfortunately the rest of the world follows the US when it comes to paintball, so until you guys can make ATSM see some sense then it's unlikely .50 will take off among high end ballers.

At say 60', how much longer does it take a 50 caliber paintball to get there compared to a 68 caliber paintball? Is it worth talking about?

[vijil]

As I say, for rentals this is a zero problem. I'm a big fan of rental 50 cal and always have been.

I'm referring rather to higher end ballers for whom small increases in capability or even just *perceived* increases in capability (see: sweep bolt, hammerhead) are enough to make a big difference. .50 needs enough selling points to offset its known disadvantages such as splat size, breakabilty, wind etc, and create advantages of its own.

If you can shoot .50 at a higher velocity you can start marketing based on that. Milsim ballers for example will find a flatter trajectory and shorter travel time = greater realism. Combined with the cost, almost equivalent (doesn't have to be equal, just closer) breaks and range, magfed friendliness and storage advantages it starts to become a genuinely appealing prospect. Supplement that with a .50 FS equivalent to really kick things off.

For speedball it's harder to make the case for .50 to be honest besides bringing costs down. That would have to naturally filter up from the recball scene.

Again though, a velocity increase would make things so much easier but seems to have been placed in the "too hard" basket completely offhand.

[aafneto]

Nice explanation

[Cyk101]

Chrono'd at the same speed, .50 cal has less range and takes longer to get there. It also has less mass so it's more likely to bounce rather than break. People, especially who are used to hits from .68 call might not notice or recognize hits from .50.

It also doesn't seem to be any cheaper....which I thought was a big selling point?

[Horizon]

Originally Posted by Cyk101

Chrono'd at the same speed, .50 cal has less range and takes longer to get there. It also has less mass so it's more likely to bounce rather than break. People, especially who are used to hits from .68 call might not notice or recognize hits from .50.

It also doesn't seem to be any cheaper....which I thought was a big selling point?

All those points are true except the more likely to break part. With the thinner shells of the 50 caliber paintball, breakage seems to be about equivalent. Both 50 cal and 68 cal paint have high and low end options. The low end options are less likely to break on target, while the high end options are more likely to break.

All the other stuff is only relevant if 50 cal is going against 68 call. Therefore I don't believe many gear owners will be switching to 50 cal except for those who want smaller equipment or higher ammo capacity. A select few may go for the 50 caliber, just like a select few go for 43 caliber. But those people know the drawbacks and are willing to deal with them in trade for the advantages they see.

[VictorWTF]

i'm curious why the seemingly most common point brought up with .50 cal vs .68 cal is pain. Has the average pain tolerance made it to such a low that the sting of a paintball is turning people, who otherwise find the sport fun, away? I woulld feel bad for these people should they ever experience any real pain. :/

Seems people have much more relevant and interesting reasoning outside of pain levels but I can't wrap my head around the pain part, though with how we raise kids these days....

[Horizon]

Originally Posted by VictorWTF

i'm curious why the seemingly most common point brought up with .50 cal vs .68 cal is pain. Has the average pain tolerance made it to such a low that the sting of a paintball is turning people, who otherwise find the sport fun, away? I woulld feel bad for these people should they ever experience any real pain. :/

Seems people have much more relevant and interesting reasoning outside of pain levels but I can't wrap my head around the pain part, though with how we raise kids these days....

It must be an instinctive thing. Most homo sapiens avoid pain. The higher the level of pain, the more they try to avoid it. That's one of the reasons we have nerves, to let us know something is happening that we should be aware of and stop doing it.

So when it comes to paintball, the higher the level of discomfort, the smaller the percentage of people that doesn't avoid it. Less discomfort, the percentage grows.

[VictorWTF]

Originally Posted by Horizon

It must be an instinctive thing. Most homo sapiens avoid pain. The higher the level of pain, the more they try to avoid it. That's one of the reasons we have nerves, to let us know something is happening that we should be aware of and stop doing it.

So when it comes to paintball, the higher the level of discomfort, the smaller the percentage of people that doesn't avoid it. Less discomfort, the percentage grows.

Yeah but we are civilized now are't we? we can actually ***** a situation and realize that that pain isn't killing us, right?

The idea that the pain turns people off due to instinctive nature to avoid pain is silly. We avoid most things that hurt not due to them hurting alone but the fact that we now know what happens as a result of that pain if we ignore it.

Getting hit by a paintball may sting but we all know it isn't going to kill us so we keep playing. Instincts really have nothing to do with this we aren't foraging in the woods, we are an educated people now.

Sure instincts play a factor in life but this isn't one of them imo. If people decided what they do simply off pain levels this world would be doing a whole lot less stuff.

Out of curiosity do you think that boxing gyms who have potential regulars quit after the first 2-3 weeks after running drills with a partner, are losing most of them due to pain? Sure it's a different kind of pain, head aches and muscle soreness but still pain. What about other sports, do you think pain is up there as a deterrent for them as well?

Note: I'm not attacking you, just chatting don't take offence.

[Horizon]

Originally Posted by VictorWTF

Yeah but we are civilized now are't we? we can actually ***** a situation and realize that that pain isn't killing us, right?

The idea that the pain turns people off due to instinctive nature to avoid pain is silly. We avoid most things that hurt not due to them hurting alone but the fact that we now know what happens as a result of that pain if we ignore it.

Getting hit by a paintball may sting but we all know it isn't going to kill us so we keep playing. Instincts really have nothing to do with this we aren't foraging in the woods, we are an educated people now.

Sure instincts play a factor in life but this isn't one of them imo. If people decided what they do simply off pain levels this world would be doing a whole lot less stuff.

Out of curiosity do you think that boxing gyms who have potential regulars quit after the first 2-3 weeks after running drills with a partner, are losing most of them due to pain? Sure it's a different kind of pain, head aches and muscle soreness but still pain. What about other sports, do you think pain is up there as a deterrent for them as well?

Note: I'm not attacking you, just chatting don't take offence.

MOST people avoid as much pain and discomfort as they can. For the most part, it's only teenage and young adult males that will seek out activities that purposely involve pain. An activity (any activity) that involves less pain will attract a wider demographic. That phenomenon isn't paintball specific.

I love paintball and have been playing many years, but to be honest, I wouldn't mind at all if it hurt less.

[VictorWTF]

Originally Posted by Horizon

MOST people avoid as much pain and discomfort as they can. For the most part, it's only teenage and young adult males that will seek out activities that purposely involve pain. An activity (any activity) that involves less pain will attract a wider demographic. That phenomenon isn't paintball specific.

I love paintball and have been playing many years, but to be honest, I wouldn't mind at all if it hurt less.

To be fair I doubt anyone is on point to "see out activities that purposely involve pain", and more likely that a lot of activities just have pain as a side affect. Which is why I wonder if it perhaps has to do with the type of pain rather than pain in general since many other sports have pain associated with them yet that isn't often the cause of lost interest, if that makes sense though I still find it odd as in all honesty it's not even close to stubbing your pinky toe :/.

Oh no doubt, it would be neat if it didn't hurt at all and you just felt a poke lol

[Cyk101]

Originally Posted by VictorWTF

To be fair I doubt anyone is on point to "see out activities that purposely involve pain", and more likely that a lot of activities just have pain as a side affect. Which is why I wonder if it perhaps has to do with the type of pain rather than pain in general since many other sports have pain associated with them yet that isn't often the cause of lost interest, if that makes sense though I still find it odd as in all honesty it's not even close to stubbing your pinky toe :/.

Oh no doubt, it would be neat if it didn't hurt at all and you just felt a poke lol

Uh, if you ask a lot of people why they don't want to play paintball, they say ' cause it hurts'. A lot of parents don't want their kids getting hurt playing paintball, in particular when they get shot up by some ramping idiot.
The same thing happens when I ask people to play rugby, they don't want to get hit. And when you ask people why they don't exercise, they don't want to sweaty, dirty, be sore or get hurt. It's why a lot of people watch sports, and don't play sports.
I will agree that it's the type of pain, there are sports that might hurt incidentally if something happens, for example getting pegged in the back on a wild pitch in recreational softball, or talking a football to the face trying to block a shot on goal. But there are other sports where pain is an intrinsic part of the sport. And those are the ones that it's harder to recruit for. And yes getting shot by a paintball isn't that bad, but how do you demonstrate that to a sane person who doesn't know, or convince them they should let themselves get hurt, to prove that the pain isn't so bad.