Most people ask if it hurts to be shot by a paintball. The short answer is that they can hurt, however, there are a lot of factors that go into the pain level. The velocity, how far you are from the person who shot you, how many times you’re shot, grade (that is the quality of the paint) and caliber of the marker (gun) are all factors that determine the amount of pain you will feel.
The velocity that a marker is shooting paintballs at is a major component of the pain factor. Most of the time in a recreational setting, markers a set to shoot 285 feet per second (FPS). That’s just under 200 MPH! The FPS that a marker is shooting at is monitored by a machine called a chronograph.
When talking about how many times you are hit it, is important to understand that in tournament paintball, we shoot over 10 balls a second. This results in several hits per elimination! However, in recreational play, players are usually only shot one time before they are eliminated, so you won’t have to worry about getting hit more than once!
Check out our article on paint grade to gain a better understanding of paint grade and caliber, so go check it out!
Here at Cypress Paintball, we offer low-impact play (all of our rental markers are .50 cal, which means our paintballs are smaller than the standard), as well as protective equipment to ensure a near painless experience! We’re located off of US-290 in Cypress, TX, just outside of Houston. Come check us out with the whole family!
