Saturday Paintball Reruns...

From October 25, 2005

It's hunting season...

Imagine that big buck, your rifle drawn, a perfect site picture looking down fixed sites or a close up, cross-haired view through a high powered scope. Breath control...squeeze, don't yank the trigger, careful...

"HEY! Who the heck shot me in the back?"

Another lesson in why experienced paintballers do NOT use sites or scopes.

You have time to use sites or scopes when hunting. Deer and squirrel and ducks don't shoot back. If they did they would send a buddy around your flank and take you out while all your attention and time was focused in one spot.

Experienced rec ball players keep their head moving, their eyes moving - they pay attention to the big picture and direct their paintballs rather than aim them. (Tournament players play in a similar fashion only they direct cases of paint, grenade style, in little 24 ball per second bursts!)

Experienced paintballers know that sites and scopes are for aiming bullets. Bullets are shaped like bullets so they will fly straight. Paintballs are shaped round (coincidentally the same shape a curve ball starts out life as) because it is to expensive to make them bullet shaped. Trying to aim a paintball is like trying to aim a water balloon. All you can hope for, and realistically all you should hope for, is to get your target wet!

I don't hunt animals, by the way. I would consider it if we could equip them all with paintball markers and the ability to use them. Rambo Rabbit armed with a Tippmann. Now that would be a challenge!