by madmatt

Created on: February 07, 2007

Stock Class Paintball

Paintball players tend to think in terms of rate of fire (how fast one can shoot his/her gun), and although there is a place in the sport for throwing massive amounts of paint downrange, there is another side of the sport that is more attuned to the roots of the game. There is another style of paintball play that has found its niche as the underground rebellion of mainstream paintball. It is becoming more and more popular as players realize the benefits of shooting an "outdated" gun.

The beginnings of paintball found players using paintball guns ("markers" being the politically correct term) that required the shooter to recock the firing mechanism after each and every shot, in addition to carrying only about 10 paintballs in the gun. The early 1990's saw the birth of semi-automatic paintball guns and loaders that could hold 200 rounds. And now, after the turn of the century, we are struggling to overcome gravity by force-feeding paintball guns that are capable of firing at 30 paintballs per second. Modern, mainstream paintball has become something of an arms race, where the faster guns are seen as superior at least to most.

What is "Stock Class" Paintball?

"Stock class" paintball in the strictest sense of the term requires a gun that holds no more that 15 paintballs in a horizontal feed tube, must be manually cocked after each and every shot, and is powered by 12 gram CO2 powerlets. Today stock class paintball has taken a more liberal definition to incorporate almost any pump paintball gun. Most player choose to use either a 10 to 15 round feed tube or a 40 to 50 round hopper, and a 4 oz. or larger tank or either CO2 or compressed air.

Why Bother With a Pump Gun?

There is nothing wrong with firing 14 paintballs per second. Certainly there is a place for a high rate of fire in the game of paintball, but often more is not better, and is much more than sufficient. Stock class and pump players play for a variety of reasons:
1. Accuracy is not volume. In addition, one paint splatter on an opponent renders them just as eliminated at 6 or 7. "Outgunning" another player is not firing at a faster rate than they can, it is using your skills as a player to eliminate them by outthinking them.
2. The lack of a hopper or the extreme small size of most stock class or pump paintball guns leave a much smaller silhouette and thus a smaller target for opponents. Additionally, the small size of the guns and equipment makes for quicker, easier movements and reaction

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