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The truth about paintball competitions, combat games, and other forms of play is you can never have too many buckets of ball refills.
Therefore, if the game becomes intense or there is a need for overtime or a tiebreaker, there will be enough balls present at the game to fill the hopes of all combatants.To answer the question, take account of the participants and purchase ammunition accordingly.
If this becomes a burden, another avenue a person could take would be to go to a local paintball field and have experts set you and your party up for the event.
When it comes to kids, buy as many paintballs as you are willing to supervise.
How Much Do Adults Need per hour?
Let us take a moment to consider what sort of face-off, combat situation, or shootout the group is getting into and the required amounts needed for strategies such as suppressing fire.
Adults are usually more conservative with their ammo than trigger-happy amateurs or younger players. When designing the field, consider using an ammo cache for teams to battle over.
This will create movement in the area and create a less stagnate shoutout or combat experience. According to multiple sources, a paintball-playing adult will go through two hundred rounds per hour, give or take a hundred, depending on the game style.
How Much Do Juniors/Teenagers Need per hour?
Younger children and teenagers are a whole different story; they have energy levels rivaling the energizer bunny. Of course, some intense younger people have happy trigger fingers, but there are also more strategic-minded youngsters.
According to other parents who have held paintball-themed birthday parties, four hundred rounds kept the game exciting but also had a time limit. But, of course, as with any party, there must be limits, plus there needs to be time for cake and presents.
Keep in mind the more players there are, and the more paintballs are needed to keep the game going. So take estimates with a grain of salt.
What is the Minimum you Need?
Single-shot games can be played with less than one hundred paintballs for each, so players will not need much ammunition. However, you will need to have a giant bucket of balls to have a height shot count match or higher numbers of players.
Most hoppers can be halfway between two hundred to three hundred paintballs at one time; some professionals recall having two “clips” or reloading two hundred rounds.
Another source states that at least two hundred bands are required for a two-hour match, plus one hundred for combat games requiring suppressing fire.
Is Five Hundred Enough to Begin with?
To begin, five hundred paintballs should be enough for one person to have a full day of play; if you have a large group of beginners, you may need to consider the number of players when purchasing the day’s bucket.
Think two hundred and fifty per player; for instance, a five v five match will require a minimum of one thousand to around two thousand rounds for two hours of continuous play.
Therefore, with more significant numbers of people, no five hundred is not enough to begin with. Simple math or a BYOB, bring your own balls; the policy will make sure there are enough paintballs.
How Many Cases are Needed for Five Hundred Balls?
Cases in various sizes, also called packs, buckets, and bags of balls, come in generic numbers of five hundred, one thousand, and two thousand rounds.
Simple as purchasing a bucket of five hundred for each individual player should cover them in most combat matches; as a note for the reader, most standard cases come with four bags or five hundred rounds.
From one paintball combat expert, there are three primary forms of matches when players face off. Here is a simple list of the three levels of competition:
- Milsim
- Competitive
- Casual
Final Thoughts on How many Paintballs Should You Buy
On average, paintball combat games need up to two hundred rounds per player per hour of competition. Most standard packages of two thousand rounds have a breakdown of four bags of five hundred rounds, which covers four to five players.
Preparing for younger players at a local field is as simple as getting them there and working with the local pros to provide the equipment needed for play.
When holding an event at home or a separate location, keep in mind the amount of time planned for and keep track of the amount of ammo available for play.
