Is it possible get a great quality gun without spending a fortune? What is the best paintball gun for people on a tight budget?
Before we look at the best cheap paintball guns lets take a look at a few gun and marker related factors that play into the decision of which gun you should choose.
First, if you are looking for a cheap gun, it is possible to still get a decent gun, but many folks looking for a gun in this budget range are new to the sport, so to take care of first things first….
The FIRST thing you need is a mask.
If you have a mask, great, skip this section. This is the MUST have, never skip out on, save your eyeballs, code red, required equipment. Get a double pane mask that won’t fog up. Fogging is bad, not only because you can’t see, but worse, because you have to take it off to remove the fog, which puts your eyes at risk.
Your eyes are worth the investment; a poor gun will affect your play, being blind will affect your entire life.
Speaking of important body parts
Guys, wear a cup or paintball pants with sufficient groin padding. While it’s not extremely common to get hit in the groin, why take the risk?
Barrel bag and Swab
You will need a barrel bag to cover your barrel if you want to enter the staging zone. A barrel swab is necessary to clear any mess created by a broken paintball from the barrel.
While you are at it, grab a soft microfiber cloth to store in your pocket to wipe paint from your mask and goggles.
Play style
Speedball is a fast paced paintball game played on a closed field. You will need a gun with an electronic hopper and ideally a compressed air talk, because most fields today used compressed air vs CO2.
For a tournament you might want a gun that had separate modes designed to tournament specifications. Modes can only be set using electro guns, as the modes are programmed into the gun.
Woodsball is generally a slower pasted strategic game and here a pump gun or mechanical gun would work well.
A mechanical gun has the advantage of having no electrical parts which can be ruined by the elements, and no batteries that need to be replaced. A pump gun also has these advantages, and because you need to pump before each shot, you end up using less paintballs during a days worth of play.
Having said that, speedball guns also have their place in woodsball too.
You need more than just the gun
Yes, you can buy a decent gun for under 300 dollars, but remember, many guns do NOT come with the following equipment, unless they are sold as sets or kits.
- Hopper: Holds the paintballs and feeds them into the gun.
- Tank: Electro and mechanical guns run on Co2 or HPA (High Pressure Air aka, compressed air)
- Rotor: Some hoppers use rotors to feed balls into the gun.
- Package: There are complete packages under 300 dollars, we reviewed a few. These are generally entry level markers.
Best Cheap Paintball Guns for Tight Budgets with Reviews
Best cheap paintball guns – Electro
DYE Proto Rize Paintball Marker
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Review
The Dye Proto Rize is one of the best entry level markers on a budget. It is an electro marker with 4 modes, making it great for tourney play.
It features smooth and quiet spool valve technology, a clamping feed neck, a sticky ergonomic grip, and a low psi smooth bolt system.
The gun shoots straight, fast and is easy to maintain.
List of Pros
- Includes 4 mode changes for tourney play, fast enough for speed ball and affordable.
List of Cons
- The feed neck is plastic. Boo!
Conclusion
An affordable gun with performance speed, quality components and smooth spool valve firing.
Empire Mini GS Paintball Marker
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Review
The Empire Mini GS is an electro gun and includes a ported 12” barrel. The GS is 1 lb 14 oz with the barrel. The GS has a venting ASA on/off relay lever to de-gas. The gun runs at 200 psi.
The feed neck is a clamp style. This marker is a poppet valve gun. The GS has a redesigned battery connection that uses sturdy metal tabs instead of a wire harness.
The gun has multiple firing modes, good for tourney play. The GS has integrated break beak anti-chop eyes, and since the air tube is threaded through the grip handle, there are no external hoses.
The trigger uses a manual button that clicks when the trigger is pulled so you can hear via the click when the trigger has been tripped.
List of Pros
- No external hoses. Redesigned battery compartment.
- Light weight 1 lb 14 oz.
- Clamping feed neck.
- Minimal kick and pleasant, deep thud sound vs. the pop! Pop! Pop! sound poppet valve guns usually make.
List of Cons
- This is a smaller marker
Conclusion
The Empire mini GS marker has a lot of features and is well built for the budget. It is relatively light and as a smaller gun, lives up to the ‘Mini’ title.
Empire Paintball Slice G36 Elite Paintball Marker
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Review
The Empire Slice G36 is a milsim style electro gun. The gun comes with a hopper, gun, barrel and tools. The gun has a hinge open, a folding stock so it can be used in close quarters and as a shoulder stock.
The gun comes with a n Apex 2 barrel system that causes the ball to spin, and the barrel has an adjustment level to control spin amount so you can make curved shots.
This gun is long and has an integrated fore-grip that folds down. The top rail is an add-on part that slides into the top of the gun. This gun does not use eyes to load the balls, it instead relies on audio queues to know when to load balls.
List of Pros
- Rip Clip fits in the rail groove and makes the hopper very easy to remove.
- Three firing modes accesses by a switch on the inside the e-grip.
List of Cons
- Can be hard to assemble.
Conclusion
Throw the competition a curve ball with the included Apex barrel that allows you to put a spin on the ball all while turning heads due to its unique milsim look and feel.
Best cheap paintball guns – Mechanical
Tippmann US Army Project Salvo Paintball Gun Player Package
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Review
The Tippmann US Army Project Salvo Tactical edition Paintball Gun comes with the gun, shoulder stock, tank, mask, hopper, squeegee harness and lubrication.
The magazine acts as storage for an extra battery and hex keys. The barrel is a thick 12” threaded barrel (slightly wider than aftermarket barrels). Front and back sires, top rail for accessories
Feed tube has clamp lock. The stock moves out to 6 positions AND it fold up to make it a compact gun. Runs on CO2 and air. This Tippmann is a mechanical style gun.
List of Pros
- Electro gun, in milsim style.
- Customizable.
- For CO2 and air.
List of Cons
- Not as accurate and higher end guns.
Conclusion
Great entry level gun for woodsball and rec ball, with a milsim style.
GOG eNMEy Paintball Marker Gun 3Skull Mega Set
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Review
The GOG eNMEy is designed differently than other guns. It is not an electric gun, but a mechanical gun. It runs at about 190 psi and can use both co2 and air pressure. It is a manual pneumatic gun.
The gun has a low force bolt. The gun is fast, fires quickly, is far lighter than rental guns and is easy to clean.
The gun has a track record of very few breaks. It has a smooth spool valve design and is constructed with composite materials and aluminum. This GOG eNMEy is a mechanical style gun.
List of Pros
- The 3 Skull Mega set includes a hopper, tank, mask lube, harness and squeegee, making it a great value.
List of Cons
- Electronic, no mode selection.
- The barrel could use an upgrade, it is large/wide, and is a gas hog.
Conclusion
One of the best mechanical guns you can own, a great entry level gun.
Best cheap paintball guns – Pump Style
Azodin KP3 Kaos Pump 3 Paintball Marker
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Review
The Azodin KP3 Kaos Pump 3 marker is a Pump style gun with fast and east pump action.
The gun has a low profile anodized aluminum cam lever feed neck. The gun has dual pump/cocking rods that keep the pump stable and give it a secure smooth feeling pump stroke.
The pump has a carbon fiber wrap over an aluminum body.
List of Pros
- Includes on off ASA switch under the grip panel.
- Easy to use and maintain.
List of Cons
- NOT for CO2. Air only. Long pull trigger.
Conclusion
If you are thinking of trying a pump gun, this is a great entry level pump gun. It is sturdy and easy to pump.
That concludes our reviews of the best paintball guns under 300 dollars. Now pick one out and get out there and play!
Last update on 2024-10-15 at 00:55 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API