How are you to eliminate your target if your weapon is not in order? And, in paintball, the situation gets tricky when you are in needle’s width close to victory, but some hindrance in your paintball gun denies you the joy to taste triumph.
It happens primarily because of uncleaned paintball guns, and you do not want to lose just because of that. However, your skills and prowess are all in vain if you join the battleground with an unclean gun.
Keeping your paintball gun unclean also compromises its durability. The paintballs are prone to bursting inside the paintball gun if it is not taken care of properly.
Well, worry no more! Here are some ways to clean your paintball gun properly before a vicious battle in the field.
Tools to Use:
You can buy a paintball cleaning kit, and it will help you make your paintball gun brand new again. It has all the tools that are required to clean your gun. As a rule of thumb, you need a paintball gun cleaning kit and some paintball gun oil mostly.
- Paintball Gun Squeegee: It is a rubber tool used to clean the unwanted debris in your gun that might block your paintball barrel.
- Paintball Barrel Swab: They serve the same purpose as Squeegee. In addition, they can also clean the excess paint stuck in your paintball barrel.
- Paintball Gun Oil: One of the essential supplies you need because proper lubrication will enhance your game by making your gunfire properly.
- You might also need Q-tips and a toothbrush for cleaning the smaller parts of your paintball gun.
Details of How to Clean Your Magazine Fed Paintball:
Remove the Air Tank or Degassing:
You do not want to be caught in an accidental fire, do you?! So, degassing or removing the air tank before cleaning your paintball gun is by far the most crucial step in this process. Most guns have a user-friendly degassing function, which should help you remove the air tank properly.
Dismantle Your Gun:
After you have degassed the paintball gun properly, now you need to dismantle your paintball gun efficiently. What I have learned while cleaning my paintball gun is that you remove the significant pieces of your paintball gun to put them back quickly. Dismantling helps you in cleaning your gun thoroughly. You can clean each piece with the help of a toothbrush, Q-tips, water, and towels.
One major thing that you need to keep in your mind is that you must have a user manual while dismantling your gun because all paintball guns are made differently, and a user manual will come in handy at this moment.
While dismantling your gun, you will come across many small pieces that you must not lose. Therefore, make a place where you can put all those pieces so you can put them together correctly when the time comes, and keep those pieces next to each other that go together, so you don’t lose track of what goes where.
Clean Different Parts of Your Paintball Gun:
Now, this is everybody’s favorite part. Make sure you have the paintball gun cleaning kit, a Q-tip, a toothbrush, a towel, and some water with you before starting to clean your gun.
Following are different parts of a paintball gun that must be cleaned. Let’s have a look.
-The Barrel:
This barrel is considered the most vital part of your ammunition because you can shoot your opponent paintball balls with it, and it also makes you a more efficient player.
Now, hold your barrel and clean the debris by rinsing it out. You will find a swab in your paintball cleaning kit. Use it by inserting it in the barrel as far as it can go, and it will get rid of all the debris and dirt stuck in the barrel.
You can use the Squeegee too because it serves the same purpose. You can insert the Squeegee in your paintball barrel, and it is straightforward and handy to use. It will clean all the paint, dirt, and debris that is stuck in the paintball barrel.
Make sure to double-check for any unwanted material in your barrel before you place it sidewise.
The Body:
Cleaning the body of your paintball gun is relatively easier than cleaning the barrel. First, use the user’s manual to know whether you can clean it using water or not. If yes, you can use a wet towel to clean the paint off your gun before heading towards the next battle. Make sure you do not use soap and use water if you are in a hurry. Otherwise, it is recommended to use a damp cloth or rag. You can always learn more about best magazine fed paintball guns
You can use Q-tips to reach the areas that are otherwise impossible to reach. But, first, clean them and remove the debris and dirt from those clogs. Then, use a toothbrush to get rid of those stubborn paint marks on your gun.
Be gentle while cleaning the body, and make sure you do not damage your gun while taking care of it.
The Hammer or Bolt:
Another essential part of your paintball gun helps you in cocking your gun when you are trying to dye your opponent with paintballs. A clean hammer or bolt guarantees a solid performance on the battlefield. It can make or break your day. So, make sure you clean this part of your gun correctly.
Use a wet rag to clean the unwanted dust and debris off of your hammer or bolt. Clean it thoroughly. They use a damp cloth or rag to dry those pieces because under no circumstances are they allowed to be assembled while wet. Therefore, you need to be extra sure before assembling the hammer or bolt back in the gun that they are dry.
The O-rings:
It is a soft material you will find alongside the hammer or bolt in your paintball gun that is mated between two surfaces, and as a result, it prevents any loss of pressurized gas inside your paintball gun. It is attached to the nozzle of the air tank, and for air and CO2 to not leak from the paintball gun, this ring needs to be appropriately attached and intact.
Use Q-tips to clean the dust and debris from your O-rings. They usually last long, but you need to replace them as soon as possible to play at the highest level in case of severe wear and tear. Be wary of separating the trigger assembly as it may be tricky to reassemble it all.
As long as your gun is unbroken, its function will not be affected.
The Batteries:
This is something that is too often overlooked while cleaning and maintaining your paintball gun. Let’s think for a second that you are in the middle of a fierce battle on the field; an opponent approaches you to shoot, you want to shoot back, but you cannot because your batteries are dead, and that makes you dead.
So, make sure you check and replace the batteries before a game to stay on top of it.
Now that we have looked at different paintball guns let’s move forward towards the next step.
Look for any Damaged Part:
When you play paintball frequently, as I do, you will often discover pieces that need a little extra care or have to be replaced entirely. Those damaged pieces will cause hindrance in your road towards victory if they are not replaced.
Inspect the inside of the part and look for strings and screws. If needed, they can be substituted. Make sure that your gun does not malfunction right at the peak of the game.
So, that is why proper and regular maintenance of your paintball gun is necessary, especially before a game, so you might come out on top of it.
Lubricating the Paintball Gun:
After cleaning and dusting the parts of your gun, now comes an important step which is to lubricate your paintball gun. Now, this is the time when you need to pick up the user’s manual again because it will guide you towards the best oil to lubricate your gun with.
Make sure you use the recommended lubricant; otherwise, it will just hinder your performance on the battlefield, and your gun will be prone to damage.
Use a damp cloth or rag to dry all the pieces of your gun correctly. First, they need to be completely dry. Then use the recommended oil to lubricate the pieces, as per the manual.
If you have lost the manual, you can look upon the internet for the right choice of oil to lubricate the pieces of your gun with.
Using the right amount of oil is an art, and you should be an artist in this case because too much and too little oil will cause problems. So, you need to apply the right amount of oil.
The proper lubrication of O-Rings can make your whole game, and ignoring this factor can break your game too. So, make sure that they are rightfully lubricated.
Reassembling the Paintball Gun:
After all the cleaning and lubricating of the different parts of your paintball gun, it is time to reassemble those pieces to form the gun. Again, use the user’s manual to help you in putting the pieces back together.
Try looking for any part that can cause a problem and make sure the pieces work as they are supposed to do.
Sustaining Your Gun:
I know regular maintenance sounds boring and a lot of work, so I recommend you maintain it at least before and after the game. It would help the gun in working correctly and save you some amount that you could be spending if you were not taking care of it properly.
As there are metal pieces in your gun, they are prone to rust, so make sure that you store your gun in a cool or damp place.
Conclusion:
You can prevent severe damage to your paintball gun by staying up-to-date with maintenance when it comes to your gun. It will only increase your performance and make you a more efficient player on the field. It is high time we remember what Abraham Lincoln once said,
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Make sure you have all the tools and accessories required to clean the paintball gun so that you can take care of it properly.
Thank you for letting me help you in your paintball journey!
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