What’s The Difference Between Mechanical and Electronic Paintball Guns?

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We have seen many teams struggle a lot while trying to get the right type of marker for themselves. And we admit that choosing the right kind of marker can get a little tricky.

But do you know that the choosing process can be easier? Well, it surely can, but only when you do your research.

Now, when it comes to choosing a suitable marker, the first and most important thing that one should know is the types.

Most importantly, the player should know what’s the difference between mechanical and electronic paintball guns. And getting the correct information regarding that is not that easy.

However, you will not have to worry any longer because we have a good amount of experience regarding both types.

Since we have been operating both types of markers for an extended amount of time, we know the ins and outs of the mechanisms. And we are here to spill it all out in this article.

Difference Between Mechanical and Electronic Paintball Guns. Image Credit: Ric De La Cruz

The Basics of Paintball Guns

Before we go ahead and describe the electronic and mechanical guns, we would like to ensure that you know the basics of the paintball gun. And you probably know by now that no matter what type of marker it is, it will rely on pressurized air or gas.

Usually, most of the markers are going to utilize CO2. And this pressurized gas is what is going to shoot the paintballs at high speed and velocity. However, this is not the only component that does its magic when you pull the trigger. The gun has a barrel, and a hopper needs to be attached to the top.

Here, the hopper will act as a magazine. It will carry all of the paintballs, while the feeding mechanisms will feed the balls into the barrel. And after the valve of the tank activates, the air is going to push out the balls with extremely high velocity.

Mechanical Markers

Let us get into the main topic at hand. And to describe that, we would like to start with mechanical guns first. Most of the players refer to this as blowback guns. These will only fire when you pull the trigger. And with the pull of the trigger, the bolt will be propelled forward. A spring will push the paintball into the barrel here.

Now, once the ball is inside the barrel, the bolt is going to strike a pin. And that would release the valve, which will allow the air to go through the barrel. With the passage of air, the bolt will return to its original position. This is where the gun receives the blowback name.

Types of Mechanical Markers

There are plenty of different types of mechanical markers. And each of the options is going to have a varying price tag on them. The main thing that will separate these is the overall construction of the blowback mechanism. Some will rely on the basic plastic pump, while some will have precision-milled.

  • The Maintenance

From experience, mechanical markers can be quite reliable if you do regular maintenance and take proper care of them. We have one that has been roaring for two years now. And it is capable of offering that level of performance for the care we took of it.

And the maintenance process is not that difficult to carry out either. All you need to do is clean and oil the parts properly after a couple of uses. However, for the best results, we would recommend carrying out the maintenance process after each use.

  • Advantages

The first good thing about these is the price. Most of the well-performing ones will not break your bank. Also, these are readily available. Furthermore, as most of these run on CO2 air, you will not have to worry about getting tank replacements because CO2 cartridges are pretty easy to find.

  • Drawbacks

Firstly, these are not that praiseworthy when it comes to FPS ratings. Also, the consistency and the accuracy are not that high for these markers. Also, the operational sound is reasonably louder than the electronic guns.

  • Electronic Markers

As the name suggests, these are going to rely on circuit boards. And the circuits are going to be powered by using batteries. The trigger pull will turn the boards on, which will sequentially turn on the firing mechanism.

On that note, these are going to rely on a regulator to ensure a consistent overall firing rate. And thanks to the variable air pressure mechanism, it will be possible to tune the fire rate and the FPS rate.

Types of Electronic Markers

Like mechanical guns, there are plenty of different types of electro markers available in the market. And the types will depend on the valves, regulators, and bolts. The variation of these will highly affect the overall performance of the marker.

  • The Maintenance

For the electro markers, the maintenance process is the same. You need to clean and lube the moving parts regularly. However, these are not that easy to disassemble. So, when you are trying to strip it, try to refer to the manual. Also, while reassembling, do make sure that you are putting the parts together correctly.

  • Advantages

Due to being battery-powered, these hold the ability to offer different fire modes. Most of them will offer automatic, manual, and burst options. Also, the fire FPS of these markers is going to reasonably high too. For that reason, it will be pretty easy to get a bullet to reach significant distances faster.

  • The Drawbacks

First of all, these cost a bit higher than the mechanical versions. Also, if one of these stops working, it will be pretty difficult to get life back at it. The boards are generally proprietary, which can make the repair cost climb excessively high as well.

Final Words

Now that you know what’s the difference between mechanical and electronic paintball guns, hopefully, it will be easy for you to make a decision. No matter which one you pick, make sure that you consider the essential factors before making the purchase.

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