A paintball gun is powered by either cylinders of C02 (Carbon dioxide) or nitrogen / HPA. These are commonly refered too as paintball tanks. Both of these types of tanks are similar in function but have a few differences in how they work and nuances in their use.
When it comes to paintballs guns the size of the tank does matter. A larger tank will hold more air and therefore offer more rounds of paintballs but a smaller tank is more portable and can be concealed easier. A good tactic is to keep a spare tank with you in case your air runs out so that you can easily switch it out for a fresh paintball tank
The tank is generally attached to the gun directly, or carried on your back or side and is connected by a “remote” Hose.
CO2 Paintball Tanks
C02 is relatively cheap, however it has its own set of issues. C02 becomes liquid when condensed, it expands to a gas before it enters the gun, and otherwise the liquid will damage the rubber parts and the O-rings, which snows out of the barrel. This growth is the reason why the cistern has to cool as the fluid CO2 becomes a gas, as well as sooner or later in continuous fire, and in particular in cold weather, the liquid CO2 will not turn into gas. It will solidify in your gun, as well as it will not shoot again until it becomes somewhat warmer. This can be anywhere up to more than fifteen seconds. That is an adequate amount of time for you to get shot.
Liquid C02 can be a source of dissimilarity in the momentum of the paintball, causing shots to fire differently and fire different distances. Once the Paintball Tank warms up, its force drops, as well as lesser pressure indicates that less space will be passed through the gun.
CO2 is good for some players as it lowers the price of entry to the sport but it also works fine for players who take fewer shots becuase most of the negative things about CO2 are caused by rapid firing the paintball marker.
Nitrogen and HPA Paintball Tanks
Nitrogen when compacted turns to gas. The air we breath is mostly nitrogen, 78% in fact, and as such there is very little difference between pure nitrogen filled paintball tanks and high pressure air fills. In fact pure nitrogen is rarely used in filling paintball guns anymore. As soon as it expands, it warms the tank pretty quickly and unlike CO2 it does not condense in to liquid and therefore does not get cold. For this reason it is thought to be as a greater foundation for propulsion. On the other hand, since HPA (High Pressure Air) is kept at up to 4,500 lb/in² at the same time as liquid CO2 is kept at 1,200 lb/in², reservoirs for HPA are extra costly. Nitrogen tanks are capable of either being crammed with compressed air or pure N2.
High Pressure Air systems are fairly pricey, but are still chosen over CO2. These air sources are usually used by individuals that participate habitually in paintball along with having tournament-grade markers.
Fiber wrapped tanks are less in weight and handle more PSI than a Steel HPA tank. They are also pricier a little more expensive however steel tanks merely have 3,000 PSI versions.
