When it comes to really getting into playing paintball, there is a lot to consider in terms of guns. In woodsball specifically, your strategy can change from game to game, depending on who you are playing with and whether it is a mil-sim game. One of the possibilities of gun choice is with long range guns.
Best long range paintball guns allow players to have a more accurate shot at a greater distance. Sometimes referred to as sniper paintball rifles, the long range guns ensure that you are not only going to conserve your ammo, but that you are going to get the shot the first time while not giving up your location.
On a paintball team, the sniper is an integral piece, taking out opponents from a distance while allowing other teammates to move forward in the game, ensuring they reach their target safely.
Because snipers are important, it is important that they have the longest range paintball gun possible, giving them not just a great shot, but also the reliability they need to stay in the game. So how can you know what the longest range gun is? What is the normal range? Let’s go over everything you need to know.
How Far Can The Longest Range Paintball Gun Shoot
Before we delve into the shooting distance of long range paintball guns, let’s take a look at what the average paintball gun can shoot. Most paintball guns operate using either compressed CO2 or HPA, which are released upon firing, launching the paintball out.
A paintball gun’s shooting distance is affected by several factors, including the type of gun being used as well as the weather conditions that could result in some drag of the paintballs themselves. The typical approved speed for shooting is about 280 feet per second. The speed can help reduce the influence of weather and drag on the ball, allowing it to travel further.
The caliber of the paintballs are typically the standard .68, but some are harder than others and require a little more power to break on contact, which can affect your shooting range.
Effective Range
The effective range is not the distance the ball travels, but how far it can go and still break against its target. If you are too far away, a paintball might bump your opponent, but not have enough force to actually break on your target, resulting in a miss. The average effective range for a paintball gun is between 80 and 100 feet.
Safe Range
In addition to having enough power to break on contact, the guns also need to be calibrated so that they are still safe. Shooting a paintball at too high of a velocity can hurt players, causing injury. The cap velocity is about 280 feet per second on average, resulting in a maximum range of about 100 yards.
Absolute Range
Since it is impossible for the players themselves to constantly figure out if they are shooting too fast or not fast enough, that is when you look at the absolute range. The absolute range is a combination of the durability of the paintball combined with the velocity. The furthest a gun can shoot with these factors is 150 yards.
6 Best Long Range Paintball Guns (2019)
Brand | Type | Play Style | Weight | Rating | Check Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Tippmann A-5 Sniper Editor's Choice | Semi-Auto | Woodsball/ | 5.2 lbs | 100% | |
2. Wrek Project Salvo High Performance | Semi-Auto | Woodsball/ | 6 lbs | 99% | |
3. Tippmann US Army Budget Friendly | Semi-Auto | Woodsball/ | 5.5 lbs | 94% | |
4. Tippmann TMC Mag Fed | MagFed | Woodsball/ | 4.6 lbs | 97% | |
5. Tippmann Cronus | Semi-Auto | Woodsball/ | 4.2 lbs | 92% | |
6. First Strike T15 Most Powerful | Semi-Auto | Woodsball/ | 4.41 lbs | 96% |
1. Tippmann A-5 Sniper Paintball Gun with Red Dot
Best Long Range Paintball Gun Overall (Editor's Choice)
Design
The A-5 comes with a hopper, allowing you to fire with speed if that is the type of game that you prefer to play. The gun comes with a 16 inch barrel, the red dot, and an adjustable stock. The gun is all-aluminum die-cast, resulting in a sturdy gun that is not going to break on you. The A-5 was also designed with a shock-absorbing end cap to reduce the wear and recoil as well as a front-cocking knob to let you fully enclose the receiver.
Fire Power & Distance
The A-5 comes with a red dot to help you hone in on your target with ease. The red dot does take two batteries, which are included. If you would rather use a scope during battle, however, the red dot is removable and can be replaced with the sight that you would prefer. The gun operates as a semi-automatic, firing as fast as you pull the trigger.
The hopper is the standard 200-round loader and works with CO2, HPA, or nitrogen, depending on the user’s preference. The hopper could get in the way of using the red dot correctly, so you might want a hopper offset if your aim is impaired. Adding on an etrigger will also up your firing speed and could be a game changer.
2. Wrek Paintball Project Salvo Sniper
High Performance Long Range Paintball Gun
Design
The first runner-up for the best long range paintball gun Is the Wrek Project Salvo. Designed to be high-performance, the Project Salvo has a J&J Performance 16 inch Ceramic Barrel. The interior is ultra-slick, meaning it is designed to be efficient with its air while improving accuracy and reducing the sound. The Salvo also has a durable all-metal riser rail to ensure that your mask does not get in the way of your game.
The Salvo also uses a standard hopper which can hold up to 200 paintballs. It is powered with air as well, including CO2 and HPA. The design is meant to mimic and AR-15 styled rifle as well. Because of its easy-to-use design, the Project Salvo is a good choice for beginners and more advanced shooters alike.
Fire Power & Distance
Like other sniper rifles, the Salvo comes with a red dot, but this red dot is larger than the average to make it easier to see your target when wearing your paintball mask. The red dot is also adjustable, allowing you to zoom in on your target at a greater distance. The gun also comes with an all-metal bipod, so you will not need to get one separately. The bipods legs are extendable as well which should allow you to get your target in sight in any situation. The Salvo has an effective range of 200 feet and the velocity can reach up to 300 feet per second.
3. Tippmann U.S. Army Alpha Black Elite
Budget Friendly
Design
Our choice for the best long range paintball gun is the Tippmann US Army Alpha. The Tippmann U.S. Army Alpha Elite is a tactile long range paintball gun. The rifle comes with a removable front sight, a removable shroud with a lower picatinny rail, a removable carry handle, a magazine with built-in tool storage, and a six position collapsible stock. The Elite comes with a Proto Primo paintball hopper as well. It has an all-aluminum die cast receiver, stainless steel gas line, an in-line bolt system, and a quick release feeder elbow.
This Tippmann also has the Tippmann 98 threaded barrel, which is 12 inches long. The gun is completely durable, allowing it to take a beating during battle and still come out in one piece on the other end. While the hopper does sit on the top of the fun, it is well-designed and does not get in the way of the sights. The Alpha Elite is designed to give you more of a tactical military feel and it will not disappoint.
Fire Power & Distance
The Tippmann Alpha Elite uses a hopper, which allows you to use several modes of shooting: tap fire, semi auto, three round burst, and two full auto modes. The effective range of the Elite is 150 feet, meaning it is not quite as far as other long range paintball guns that we have reviewed. The velocity can reach up to 325 feet per second, but this velocity is not usually approved on most paintball fields. The stock of the gun is also adjustable, allowing it to fit the shooter well and get a better shot.
4. Tippmann TMC Magfed Paintball Marker
Design
The Tippmann TMC Magfed marker uses a magazine fed system rather than a hopper, but does have a dual feed option to allow for traditional loaders. The design is more authentic as a result, giving you a more genuine AR feel.
The TMC has four sided picatinny rails to allow for customization as well as a high performance in-line bolt system. It is a full pneumatic marker made of carbine. Included with the TC are two 20-round spring driven magazines. The grip is over molded rubber, ensuring that the gun will not slip from your hands. The barrel is 12 inches, making it shorter than other long range markers.
Fire Power & Distance
The Tippmann TMC has an easy-pull trigger to allow for quick firing. The TMC has an effective range of 150 feet, much like the Tippmann Alpha Elite. Having a magazine fed system rather than a hopper changes how you play the game as far as your fire power goes, but you can also use a hopper if you choose.
The TMC is customizable so with added optics, you could have an effective range well over 300 feet. The front and rear sights that come with it are excellent at close quarter, but you might want to change them out if you are hoping to longer distances. Reloading the TMC is also simple with the knob on the side of the magazine and the spring compresses.
5. Tippmann Cronus Tactical Paintball Gun
Design
The Tippmann Cronus is another successful paintball gun creation by Tippmann. Designed to be tactical, the gun is meant to provide you a more military feel for your woodsball mil-sim battles. The Cronus uses a standard 200 round hopper. Designed with a high-impact composite body with soft over molded grips, the Cronus is meant to hold up for many battles.
The Cronus also as an in-line bolt system that will prevent you from chopping paintballs when firing, keeping you in the battle. Maintenance is simple, however, and requires only simple oiling. The picatinny rails allow you to customize the rifle as you would like to. The stock that comes with it is also collapsible. The Cronus is known to be one of the most-rented paintball markers out there which is due to its user friendliness as well as its incredible durability, making it a great choice for beginning paintball players.
Fire Power & Distance
The Tippmann Cronus is capable of the standard 280 to 300 feet per second shooting speed. Using either CO2 or HPA, you should get the fire power that you are hoping to from the Cronus. The effective range of the Cronus is 150 feet, which is not as high as other long range rifles, but still pretty good. The Cronus also has a mechanical, single finger trigger and does allow for semi auto firing.
6. First Strike T15 Paintball Marker
Most Powerful
Design
The T15 is designed to look like a real AR-15, including the weight of the paintball gun. The build of the T15 is solid as well, so you will feel like you are in a live ammo battle when you use this marker in a paintball battle.
Another great design feature of the T15 is that it is customizable. You can fit airsoft or real-steel parts on the marker to allow you to make the marker truly your own and as functional as possible.
Looking at capacity, the T15’s magazine can hold 19 rounds, which is enough if you only shoot when you truly mean to. It also comes with a hopper attachment that you can easily switch to if your game strategy changes, including during a battle.
Fire Power & Distance
One of the best fire power features that the T15 has is that it has a dual feed system, so you can choose to use magazines or a hopper. It is easy to switch between magazines and hoppers as well, allowing you to alter how you are playing to fit the current situation in battle. It does use HPA that gives it its power behind the shots.
The distance on this marker should be incredibly fast, up to 360 fps without having to adjust or modify the marker. This velocity will increase as well with more adjustments to it. You will find that part of the fire power from this marker comes from the realness of the weapon itself. It might take a little trial and error to get the speeds and controls down.
Upgrade Your Paintball Barrel For Better Distance
While you might be able to play well with the stock barrel that comes with your paintball marker, even the long range paintball markers can get better range with an upgraded barrel. A longer barrel can give you better aim and make it easier to hit your target, but that does not mean the paintball will be any straighter or go further. The ideal length for distance is between 12 and 16 inches. The first six inches of the barrel are what affects your accuracy the most.
Too long of a barrel gives too much contact, decreasing your effective range.
How Fast Does A Paintball Marker Shoot
The speed of a paintball marker varies from marker to marker. Most commonly, paintball guns can shoot about 280 feet per second or 200 miles per hour. If a paintball is shot at too high of a velocity, they can do damage to the opponent they hit, injuring another player or doing damage to his or her gear. Most battlefields set the velocity limit to 280 fps to prevent injury.
With a long range paintball gun’s effective range of about 150 to 200 feet, combined with the 280 fps velocity, the paintball should meet its target in just over a third of a second. You also do not want your velocity lower than the standard, because with too low of a speed, the paintball might not burst when it hits its target, forcing you to lose your shot. While your accuracy and distance can be improved with customizations, the speed that your marker fires at should not be tinkered with for safety purposes.
Final Verdict
Ultimately when it comes to deciding what long range paintball gun is best for you, you need to consider several factors. How much do you enjoy playing paintball and how often are you doing it? If you are really just a casual player who only goes out once or twice a year, you do not need to get an incredibly powerful sniper rifle because chances are, you will not be playing as a sniper on your team.
For enthusiasts who do hope to stay in the role of the sniper on the battlefield, having the ability to shoot at a long range will not only leave you undetected to your opponents, but you can help your teammates out by keeping opponents away from the area your team is heading too. This makes you an integral piece in your paintball team and as a result, you need to have a reliable longest range paintball gun. For this reason, the Tippmann A-5 is the ideal sniper rifle in paintball, ensuring reliability with the long range options to ensure that you are going to get the perfect shot.