Jaremy Rykker
06-29-2004, 05:04 PM
So how do you know what you have and how do you test it? That is the subject of this tech tip. It is actually a tried and true process called a Bounce Test. We have used it for ten years to determine what type of paint we have and how it will work in the guns. In order for this test to have significance you must do the same thing every time and don't cut it short. Start with 10 paintballs, take one paintball and drop it from about 6 feet and let it hit a hard concrete surface. Catch it on the first bounce, do not let it bounce twice in one drop. Now with the same paintball drop it again from six feet, catch it and repeat until it breaks. Mark down how many bounces it took to break that paintball and then repeat with the other 9 balls. Throw out the high and the low numbers and average the other 8. This gives you the "bounce number" for the paint. Simple but effective. Make sure you use a hard surface not a wood floor etc.
So what does this bounce number tell you? 1-2 bounce paint is super fragile and will break down the barrel in most guns just from the air blast. It will also break in your tubes if you don't pack them tight. 1-2 bounce is pretty worthless paint, you can get it at Wall Mart. 2-3 bounce is considered fragile tourney paint, breaks on people and in the guns too. We are now seeing some field paint at this level. 4-6 bounce paint is good all around and considered fresh. It goes through most guns very reliably but will bounce more often on long shots. 6 and higher used to be considered the best tourney paint in the early 90's because it would go through the guns and never break. Nelson paint was very notable at 8-9 bounces. This paint is hard to find these days but still fun to shoot. Great for big games and when you just want to shoot a lot and not worry about anything. The best thing about high bounce paint is that as it gets older it still works pretty good. 2-3 bounce paint goes to unusable 1-2 bounce pretty fast.
My Draxxus Rec-Sport paint is almost unworkable with this test, and I was wondering if I was doing something wrong. I am about 6'1", and I drop these from about the height of my head. However, even after about 12-15 attempts with multiple balls the paint has yet to break. If I gently toss it at the ground, it will almost always bounce, but a hard throw will break it.
Can I ask if I'm doing something wrong, or if something is just wrong with my gun. When I play paintball I have no trouble with breaks, but it seems that the paint test just isn't working for my paint as it won't break on a normal drop. Does this have anything to do with the shell being more a plastic substance than some, because it doesn't even seem dimpled from most of the drops, although a couple have put soft spots on the paintball.
So what does this bounce number tell you? 1-2 bounce paint is super fragile and will break down the barrel in most guns just from the air blast. It will also break in your tubes if you don't pack them tight. 1-2 bounce is pretty worthless paint, you can get it at Wall Mart. 2-3 bounce is considered fragile tourney paint, breaks on people and in the guns too. We are now seeing some field paint at this level. 4-6 bounce paint is good all around and considered fresh. It goes through most guns very reliably but will bounce more often on long shots. 6 and higher used to be considered the best tourney paint in the early 90's because it would go through the guns and never break. Nelson paint was very notable at 8-9 bounces. This paint is hard to find these days but still fun to shoot. Great for big games and when you just want to shoot a lot and not worry about anything. The best thing about high bounce paint is that as it gets older it still works pretty good. 2-3 bounce paint goes to unusable 1-2 bounce pretty fast.
My Draxxus Rec-Sport paint is almost unworkable with this test, and I was wondering if I was doing something wrong. I am about 6'1", and I drop these from about the height of my head. However, even after about 12-15 attempts with multiple balls the paint has yet to break. If I gently toss it at the ground, it will almost always bounce, but a hard throw will break it.
Can I ask if I'm doing something wrong, or if something is just wrong with my gun. When I play paintball I have no trouble with breaks, but it seems that the paint test just isn't working for my paint as it won't break on a normal drop. Does this have anything to do with the shell being more a plastic substance than some, because it doesn't even seem dimpled from most of the drops, although a couple have put soft spots on the paintball.