Thread: Outlaw Paintball Safety Rules (2009)

Outlaw Paintball Safety Rules
by Thumper Jan 12, 2009 -- Revised 1.16.2009 -- Revised 1.23.2009

Outlaw paintball (or backyard paintball) generally has a bad reputation in the public eye. Some of this stems from the statistics that include the following : Since 1995, 82% of all eye injuries in paintball occur in noncommercial fields. "These injuries are seen predominantly in boys, a growing proportion of whom are playing informally in unsupervised settings and not wearing eye protection. The cases previously reported include large numbers of hyphemas, retinal detachments, cataracts, corneal abrasions, vitreous hemorrhages, and commotio retina." Also - if you get hit in the eye by a paintball, there is a 50% chance you will loose all vision in that eye.

While there is no excuse for stupid, there are a few things the outlaw ballers can to to play safe - including some common sense safety rules.

Goggles: The biggest safety rule in paintball has to be goggles. Goggles must be worn at all times. Do not take them off until after the games when ALL guns are plugged, and on the ground. This includes when you chronograph your gun. If you fog up while playing, leave your goggles on. You can normally clear fog up by moving around.

Barrel Plugs / Barrel Sleeves: Your barrel plug is used for two things. First it acts as a safety to prevent your gun from shooting in safe areas, and second it serves as a dead-mans banner. When you get shot, quickly call out, hold you gun up, dig for your plug while you run to get out of the way, and plug your gun so others on the field don't keep shooting at you. Your plug/sleeve should be a bright color. (No black). If you don't have a barrel plug, borrow one from a friend. The only time your gun should be unplugged is while you are playing.

If any players are missing barrels plugs/sleeves and are insistent on playing anyway here are a few tips to minimize the stupidity:

NOTE : These are NOT SAFE SUBSTITUTES for standard Barrel Plugs and Barrel Sleeves.

* Athletic Sock: Using an athletic sock as a barrel sleeve is NOT GOOD, and certainly wont pass inspection at any commercial field that respects their insurance carrier - but is likely a little better than doing nothing in my opinion.
* Removing the barrel: not a good substitute - but is a fairly common practice at commercial fields w/ customers who loose their plugs during the game. If you use this technique, be careful - depending on the marker the muzzle velocity can be pretty impressive on a marker with no barrel.
* Masks on and GUNS down: Another technique is to require everyone to keep their masks on after the game until all markers are on the ground. Then remove masks. No one touches a marker until everyone is masked up. Again, not a safe technique - but is likely a little better than doing nothing in my opinion.
* Squeegees and Barrel swabs: are not good substitutes at all - they actually shoot pretty well, like an arrow.

Integrity : Paintball is a game that only works if the players that play are honest about when they get hit. The age old rules say that a bounces and splatter don't count. The ball must hit your and break on you (or your equipment). If you feel it hit, or hear it hit : stop shooting immediately and check yourself. Put your hand where you felt the hit. If your hand comes back with paint on it, you are out. Plug it, and get off the field.

Paint Checks : If you can't tell, ask a friend to check you. Checking yourself (or a teammate) does not necessarily make you neutral. The custom is to quit shooting while an opponent checks himself. This custom also includes not advancing on a player while he checks himself. Again, Paintball is a game of honesty and integrity : play it that way.

Dead men don't talk : The custom is, once you are out, you dont talk or signal to any live player.

Close Range : If you get with in 10 feet of an opponent, ask for a surrender. If they don't surrender, blast'um.

Overshooting : Never keep shooting at someone who is already hit. It is unsportmanslike conduct. One break is enough. Two is ok. Three is too many.

Hand Tags and Bunker Tags: These rules vary greatly ; but the oldschool players generally view a hand tag as an automatic elimination. This can be extended to include "bunker tags" - which says if an opponent hand tags the bunker you are in (or behind), then you are out. Customarily hand tags to not include buildings.

Field Hazards : Look out for barbed wire, old junk piles (with broken glass), wooden pallets (with old rust nails), stump holes, dead trees (that are still standing). Try and make sure everyone knows where any barbed wire is in particular. I recommend marking off field hazards with some flagging tape and makeing sure everyone knows what to look for. Schedule a work day to remove the main safety hazards.

Treat all guns as gassed and loaded : Never aim your gun at yourself or someone else unless everyone is masked, on the field and during a game. Many regulators hold pressurized air the tank is removed - A cocker w/o a bolt can fire backwards - and guns can fire all by themselves. IT HAPPENS - I've seen it all happen, a lot. Im very safety conscious, and I've had several near misses. Never look down the barrel of a marker without eye protection. Treat these guns with disrespect, and it is just a matter of time before stupid catches up with you and your friends.

Keep them cased up while in public : Keep you gun in a case or bag when not at the playing field. There is nothing cool about getting your head blow off by some druggie or cop who sees your fancy GAT at the gas station and decides to shoot first. A Tippmann X7 laying in the back seat or hatch back at the zippy mart looks to you like an X7, but to the passerby or cop, it spells out BIG TROUBLE - first for them, and then for you. And it sings of STUPID. The more Mil-SIM your marker is, the more this applies - but everyone should follow this guideline.

Don't shoot the neighbor's house, cars, animals, signs : First of all, if you are going to do something stupid, it is best to not leave evidence. A big orange splat on the sign (etc) is evidence of stupid. It also screams to the general public that paintballers in general are inconsiderate stupid jerks. THAT IS bad for the sport, and THAT really does make the shooter a stupid jerk. Don't be a jerk. Don't be stupid. And don't compound jerk and stupid.

Chronograph that marker: Make SURE some one brings a chronograph and every one checks their markers at least a few times each day. 280fps is a good maximum field speed.

FUN TIP1 : Check out this code of conduct - if everyone follows this code, I guarantee you will have more fun. http://www.teamsection8.com/code-of-conduct.htm

FUN TIP2 : The best way to keep outlaw games fun and safe is to do the following: If you have a player who can't seem to follow at least these basic safety rules, simply don't play with them. If you are the one organizing the group, don't invite them back. Over time, the quality of your group will improve - both safety wise and sportsmanship wise.

SAFETY TIP : Parents : You should consider supervising kids playing paintball and make sure they follow these rules - especially the goggles rules. (especially for the 10 to 14 ages) Buy them a Handheld Paintball Chronograph. They run around $75 to $100 for a hand held version. Make sure they all have paintball goggles and know how to use them. If the kids seem to think these are optional, and won't listen to you, then you NEED to remove your kids from the setting and contact the parents of the other children before someone gets really hurt. (Google search "PMI hand-held Chronograph")

***There is no excuse for stupid***

original article:
http://www.teamsection8.com/art-outlaw-ball-rules.htm

I would have to add for parents out there do not allow your child to play unsupervised. I know, I know your child is responsible : but that does not mean the child he is playing with is also a responsible child :. There are some things that are great fun for your children but need some "adult" supervision. Would you let your 10 year old go white water rafting without you? How about rock climbing? No you wouldn't but many parents buy "Johnnie" some cheap paintball gun set up and then just let them loose on the world and expect them to make the right decisions. Not a smart move in my book.

When should you allow them to play unsupervised? IMO, never, as long as you are responsible for them. Do not use paintball as a babysitter someone is going to get hurt and it's not necessarily your child.

Great post on the safety notes! I hope the right audience reads them.

I wanted to add that battle swabs & sqeegees are not appropriate substitutes for a barrel plug, either. A good barrel plug *will not* eject with one ball hit if it has a good, clean grip with the right o-rings. Battle swabs & sqeegees are usually spooged up and that makes them slippery - thus, they fly out of the barrel with the least little bit of pressure.

Also, there's a myth that removing the barrel makes the pb gun "safe". Try this next time you're out at a place with a chrono - chrono as usual, then unscrew the barrel and chrono again. You'll find that the paintball flies out at nearly the same speed as it did with the barrel on. It probably won't fly as far, but it has *the same* kinetic energy. Since most pb injuries happen at less than 5 feet away, the distance issue really doesn't matter, does it? The ball flying at you (or your buddy) with the barrel off is just as hazardous as one with the barrel on.

Happy New Year, y'all!
PB Event Air

Originally Posted by pbeventair

Great post on the safety notes! I hope the right audience reads them.

I wanted to add that battle swabs & sqeegees are not appropriate substitutes for a barrel plug, either. A good barrel plug *will not* eject with one ball hit if it has a good, clean grip with the right o-rings. Battle swabs & sqeegees are usually spooged up and that makes them slippery - thus, they fly out of the barrel with the least little bit of pressure.

Also, there's a myth that removing the barrel makes the pb gun "safe". Try this next time you're out at a place with a chrono - chrono as usual, then unscrew the barrel and chrono again. You'll find that the paintball flies out at nearly the same speed as it did with the barrel on. It probably won't fly as far, but it has *the same* kinetic energy. Since most pb injuries happen at less than 5 feet away, the distance issue really doesn't matter, does it? The ball flying at you (or your buddy) with the barrel off is just as hazardous as one with the barrel on.

Happy New Year, y'all!
PB Event Air

I agree with you 100% about swabs & squeegees... Not a good substitute.

I also agree that just taking your barrel out is not a good long-term option, but can/may be done OCCASSIONALLY, when the plug/sock has been lost or misplaced. Remember, this is backyard ball we are talking about, and even Safety Certified fields will allow that move from time to time.

I 100% disagree that two paintballs (same mass), traveling at significantly different speeds have the same kinetic energy. Mass x Velocity is the formula. Yes, the paintball will usually travel some distance (about 20-30 feet, per our estimation), but never as far as with the barrel (200+ feet, easily). This would indicate that velocity is reduced which indicates

As an experiment (10 minutes ago)... We fired 10 shots from a M'98. All chrono'ed between 284 and 295 (9 were between 284 and 288, with 1 spike at 295). We tried to chrono the same exact marker without a barrel, and it was shooting so slow that the chronos (pocket OR radar) wouldn't register. IIRC, the lower limit of sensitivity for a radar chrono is about 50 fps... This is only data from an M'98, but it would seem that your myth of "It probably won't fly as far, but it has *the same* kinetic energy" is quite busted.

Historically: I have chrono’ed both ways (many times in the past) and I have never seen an equal velocity between a marker with a barrel, and then that same marker without a barrel. IIRC, you should see a velocity of about 0-100 fps without a barrel. Sometimes almost 0 fps (ie, Mags). I am unsure what the lower limit is for a barrel-les marker, since we have not found a chrono that will register that low.

The risk is still there, but the potential danger is significantly reduced. I still agree that you should never use *barrel removal* as a formal safety measure, but it IS better than the alternative of “no” safety measure. PEA, your intentions are noble, but your physics are bass - ackwards.

top post upped -- thanks for the contributions guys.