Is Dry Firing a Paintball Gun Bad? Read to Find Out!!

Paintball guns are extremely fun to play with especially when you’re competing with your friends. Taking care of your marker is very important if you want to continue having fun on the playing field. And no matter how effective or intricate your paintball gun is, the question of whether or not you should dry fire your paintball gun as been surfacing a lot these days.

Despite many paintball players are confused when it comes to dry firing, is it not bad to dry fire a paintball gun. Doing so will not immediately affect your paintball gun or ever completely damage it.

However, there are lots of reasons why the dry fire myth has been circulating. The good news is dry firing can give the paintballers the opportunity to practice their rhythm and targets. Even though it is safe to dry fire a paintball gun every now and then, there are some downsides to it as well.

Dry Firing a Paintball Gun Disadvantages

One of the most common reasons people are concerned when it comes to dry firing is the effect it may have on their paintball gun. Though dry firing a few rounds will not affect your paintball gun, if you practice to do it regularly, over a period of time it can cause damage to the internal mechanisms of the paintball gun.

As you can see, if you decided to dry fire a few times you don’t have to worry about having any problems. You should know that paintball gun operates by pushing the air through the internal chambers when the trigger has been pulled. The trigger itself will release the sear which is known to be a small piece which holds everything in place against the pressure from the canister and causes the firing assembly to move forward as the gas it released.

Once this happens the ball will be pushed out at a speed and what happens after will depend on the type of paintball gun you are using at the moment. Also each time you dry fire, the air pushes through the internal valves without any interference from the pallets.

Dry firing is something you can practice for your paintball marker because the release air doesn’t have enough force to cause any difficulties or serious damage to the chamber of the paintball gun. It’s also said even after dry firing the gun continuously, it can be difficult, if not impossible to tell if there is any serious damage to the paintball gun. What this means is that even if you dry fire the gun repeatedly, it is unlikely that you will notice any huge changes to your marker.

With that said, because of the mechanical processes of the gun, you’ll certainly experience a few wear and tear over a period of time. Since there is no paintballs to act as a mild buffer, the air tends to hit inner valves at a slightly greater force.

There are few online forums where professional paintball players suggest that Solenoid O-Rings may take the hit for dry firing your paintball gun. Eventually, over a period of time these will also wear down from unnecessary dry firing, the reason being is because the air tends to force through the chambers without the buffer of a paintball pallet relentlessly.

Though it may take a lot of dry firing to actually wear these valves down, Solenoid O-Rings are not easily repairable. Another thing is that you normally have to replace these when they wear down in order for your paintball gun to function at its full capacity.

As mentioned earlier, wear and tear usually happens over a long period of time with a high rate of dry firing. If you rarely dry fire your paintball gun yet you start to see excessive wear and tear or malfunction, there’s a high chance that the problem is attributed to another cause, as dry firing in a sense isn’t that bad for your gun.

You may not know this but dry firing repeatedly can also use up the gas in the paintball chambers. It’s exactly the same as firing with paintballs in the chambers, gas is utilized each time you pull the trigger. So if you fire a few times with or without firing paintball pallets, you will still use the gas in the chamber. While dry firing will use up the gas in the chamber, it will do the same as if you were firing pallets. If your goal is to conserve as much gas as possible, you should consider firing less, whether you dry fire or fry with pallets.

Base on research, the best time to ever dry fire your gun is when it has been recently oiled. What this does is lubricate the flow of air through the valves allowing the force of compressed nitrogen or carbon dioxide to be push through a lot easier when you pull the trigger.

The Myth of Dry Firing a Paintball Gun

One thing you should definitely ask yourself, where does the myth of dry firing really come from? As mentioned above, dry firing is not necessarily bad for your paintball gun, though if you practice to do it on a regular basis it could cause some damage to the internal chamber over a period of time.

Many people around the world strongly believe that dry firing is bad for the paintball gun because they have read online forums of paintball players who have excessively dry fired their guns. If you are always using gun around the house without paintballs for play, target, or rhythm practice, this could eventually lead to vandalism to the paintball gun.

The myth of dry firing also rise from paintball gun vendors. As you know sellers will do everything in their power to sell new parts, guns and paintball pallets which is why they tend to spread these rumours. In order to increase their sales, they may indicate that a part of a gun is worn down even when the gun is fully functional and without defects just so they can cash out.

Despite the rumors of the paintball gun myth, the question persists because dry firing can be very useful especially for beginners who want to practice their aim or rhythm without firing paintballs. It may be convenient to dry fire in the comfort of your home, on the shooting range, or in an arena.

This is the main reason why lots of paintball guns come equipped with a special training mode. This mode gives paintballers the opportunity to use their paintball guns without ejecting paintballs. Unlike the dry firing process, in training mode, the paintball gun does not push compressed air through the internal valves.

Conclusion

As you can see dry firing isn’t that bad, even though it may cause a few wear and tear over a period of time. If you want you can invest in a paintball gun that comes equipped with a “special training mode. This mode features a small beep, blinking light or a similar signal when the trigger is pulled. By simply investing in a marker with this amazing technology, you may save your gun an incremental amount of wear and tear over time.

Related Guide:

• Can You Play Paintball With Glasses