Whim Internet Magazine

My name is Andrew "Nemesis" Kinback, and I am a baller. No, not some pansy basketball player. I am a different breed of ball player. I am more extreme, more loyal, and more dedicated to my sport more than most of those multi-million dollar meatheads who cry when someone rubs up against them while trying to steal the ball. Paintball is my sport of preference, as it is for thousands of others around the world. Everyone knows of the sport of Paintball. Teams try to capture the flag or eliminate each other by "tagging" each other with a "marker." In common terms, if you get shot with a paintball gun, you're out. I won't get into too much of the basics. There are plenty of online articles to help the most novice player get introduced to the sport. I even have taken the liberty to provide some links below so you can read up on the sport. I am using this corner of the Whim web mag to introduce you the amazing products, tactics, strategies, and news from the world of paintball. I hope to write an article on paintball just about every other week so keep checking back. Letąs get started shall we? This week's article asks one of the most common questions about paintball: What is the best gun for my money?

Paintball involves a lot more than going out into the field and spraying down your competitors with paint. The sport of paintball involves strategy, teamwork, stamina, strength, and proper preparation. By proper preparation I mean you must go in with the right tools, enough paint, and safety equipment. To survive in the sport of paintball you of course rely on your paintball gun, or "marker" as they are called. Your marker is your baby. In the sport of paintball, your marker is your life. Care for it and it will care for you. However, the paintball market is chock full of paintball markers for sale to the general public. Each one, like a baby, has its own look, different characteristics, attributes, and uses. In fact, there are so many it is sometimes hard to determine which marker is right for you in performance and price. Many newbies (paintball rookies) go out on the market and try to buy the most expensive or the cheapest marker they can find. This is not proper preparation. The price of the gun does not reflect how the marker will perform in the field. There are always exceptions, but sometimes the most expensive guns will not perform as the buyer would like and the cheaper guns are, a lot of times, pieces of crap. Misfires, balls curving, balls exploding in the barrel, and breaking apart if dropped or roughly handled are only some of the problems. So which marker is the best out there on the market? I guarantee it is different for every player and in no way am I saying that what I say is law in the paintball world. I am merely a common player speaking from my own experience.

If you are still with me and would like to know my opinion on which marker is the best on the market, then you are in for a treat. I would like to present to you the Tippmann 98 Custom Paintball Marker. In my opinion it is the most level and balanced paintball marker out there today. Forget looks. Forget all those fancy electronic semi-automatics and automatics. The 98 C is a superb choice for anyone looking to seriously invest in a good paintball marker.

By the look of it, the 98 C is dull. No fancy designs or engravings and no flashy colors that many paintball markers have. No, the 98 C makes up for its dull looks with a punch that will knock your teeth out in the field. When the 98 C is tested out in the field you will find it to be very accurate, easy to handle, and powerful. The standard 98 C has a range of 150 feet. That is pretty good for a standard marker. Anything within 55 yards is a prime target for the 98 C. For yardage over 55 yards you might find balls curving off to the left or right a bit. This problem is easily fixed by upgrading the 98 C barrel. This is another reason that the 98 C is user-friendly. It is the one marker that has the most upgrades available of any other paintgun. From standard to sniper, the 98 C can be customized to become them all.

Now for the beautiful part of the marker. Shooting paintballs and how it works. "Paintball Magazine" took the 98 C out for a test run. Out of 200 paintball shots, none of the balls broke or exploded in the barrel. They found their mark perfectly. There is nothing worse than having a ball explode in your marker. The standard 98 C has a range of 150 yards, as I said before. However, there is an upgrade system available from Tippmann that can make your 98 nearly invincible. In the field it is perhaps the most feared system upgrade you can get. It is called the "Flatline Barrel System." Though pricey at $150, the Flatline system is worth every penny to your game. The system gives you a new range that you wouldn't believe. Your range is increased from 150 yards to 300 yards. Your prime target zone also moves from 55 yards to anywhere between a safe 90 to 180 yards! How is this possible? The Flatline does something rare. As the paint goes through the barrel it creates a backspin on the ball. The spinning ball gives the shot much more velocity. It is astounding to watch. It is great for you and very bad for your competition. A 98 C with the Flatline system is nearly unbeatable. The only way any player would be able to touch you is to have a sniper go against you, and even then the 98 C can give 'em hell.

The 98 Custom sells for about $199 through Tippmann. However, with some smart shopping around online you can get it much cheaper. The cheapest place I could find for you good people is $119 at www.expresspaintball.com. The Flatline System is $150. By no means is this cheap but if you are going to get into paintball and want something strong and reliable, you can't get any better than the Tippmann 98 Custom.

I will be back in a week or two with a whole new article on the sport of paintball. The next article will be on the types of jerseys available for players and which ones score high and low on the ole' Boogieman's charts. See ya soon and happy ballin!

Andrew "Nemesis" Kinback is a local paintballer who has played friendly games with groups of friends. He is looking to start a team called "Romero's Trilogy" to take to tournament play. He is looking for 3 to 5 rookie players. If seriously interested, you can e-mail Nemesis at akinback@radford.edu.

Comments:
I really like your article it is very well structured. I am not a big paintball fan, infact I have only played once. But after reading this article I would definatly like to try it again. I have herad they are starting an extreme sports park in southern California with a massive, multi functional paintball arena! Does anyone know if this is true?