When paintball was originally played back in the early 1980’s, the only objective was to only control each member of the opposition. The game has evolved over the last two decades to the point that teams are now changing plays and making adjustments to games plans in order to secure victory at the pro levels. Dye paintball markers represents some of the development in the manner the game is now played and the way roles are defined. A number of dye markers exist as a result of years of research and development.

Mechanical Dye Paintball Markers

Dye paintball markers have a blowback design along with a pin valve or poppet. These dye paintball markers types consist of stacked tube designs in which the hammer and the valve are located in the lower section. Meanwhile, the upper portion has the remaining bolt. Though, some companies have found ways to keep them in a single tube.

The back position of dye paintball markers is where you can find the hammer, in which the spring propels it forward leading right inside the valve as a result of the trigger being pulled. The compressed air is discharged if the hammer has already entered the valve, and enters upward to the bolt, and therefore the paintball is fired. The hammer goes back to its original location in the back, which is why this dye paintball marker type is referred to as a blowback.

Electropneumatic Dye Paintball Markers

To fire paintballs, compressed air is used in the valve of mechanical dye paintball markers. However, electropneumatic paintball markers use a different approach. The process of firing paintballs includes directing air to various spots inside the marker’s body. Spool valves and poppet valves are the two kinds of electro markers, with the latter being similar in mechanism to the mechanical blowback markers.

The air is held in multiple chambers located in the front and back parts of the paintball marker in spool valves. This is the same air that is used to fire paintballs when the trigger is pulled. Stacked valves are not needed for spool valve design, meaning it is more compact.

One of the downfalls to this kind of valve are its lack of durability and lack of gas efficiency as a result of the possible shears that can happen after each shot. However, in order to fire, spool valved dye paintball markers don’t need as much pressure. Therefore, little recoil is experienced by the player and less noise is made when fired.