Can you mark a player out of a paintball game with a paint grenade? That is the burning question! Of course as the manufacturer we are bound to say yes, but what proof do we have and has anyone ever actually been taken out of a game with one of these grenades?
Let’s weight up the facts first of all…
Each paintball contains 2.267 ml of liquid paint compared to our current generation of paint grenade which holds 100ml of liquid paint; so that’s approximately 40 paintballs per grenade! Surely you can’t miss with that!?!
Shooting players out…. ‘the benefits’
The benefits to taking players out with paintballs are obvious; of course you can take aim with a paintball gun, and when you manage to get a ball on your intended foe they tend to yelp giving proof that you have scored a hit! But on the negative, paintballs do bounce and they cannot fire round corners!
Blasting players out…. ‘the benefits’
Paint Grenades on the other hand have the advantage that you can throw them over barricades; a successful hit can easily be scored provided your intended victim doesn’t run off! But if he does run off, there is a likelihood that he will expose himself (not like that!) allowing you to shoot him; that’s a score for the paint grenade then? If your intended victim doesn’t hear the grenade land and if he is within about 3 meters the chances are very high he will be eliminated! The downside here is, he will not actually feel the impact of the paint hitting him, but he will certainly be stunned by the noise rendering him useless for few seconds. Any decent paintball field with well-trained marshals will eliminate players whatever the amount of paint splattered on them.
So far so good, the paint grenade is the winner here; but this is only one scenario. Let’s be honest, no one goes into battle with just grenades (do they?) and any decent woodsball player carries grenades as part of their paintball kit. Lets take the UWL champions ‘Operation Sandbaggers’ for example, those guys rocked the UWL (ultimate Woodsball League) with grenades and were the 2013 champions……the proof is in the pudding!
The future for grenades in paintball?
There is no doubt that paintball grenades are becoming much more popular in woodsball paintball, especially when you see how far paintball technology has come since the 80’s. You can now buy paintball guns that shoot around corners… yes around corners; however this is not ideal as you have to mess about adjusting your barrel. There is a much easier solution, chuck a grenade!
Does your local paintball field count pyro kills? Paintball sites have been quite slow on the uptake to this relatively new game rule, but paintball grenades should count as eliminations within a certain area of effect. Next time you are at your local paintball field, pose this question to them.
This ruling is used in Airsoft and by the top paintball game organisers; if you take any of Tim Barnett’s games that his company Shoreline Paintball organises you will be guaranteed that pyro counts when it comes to elimination. This ruling is also used at National Paintball Field’s Birmingham, probably one of the best paintball fields in the world.
Tips on how to best deliver a Paint Grenade
– Make sure that your throw has a clear route.
You will not believe that amount of times we have seen paint grenades hit a branch and bounce back onto the lap of the player throwing the grenade…. hilarious! Also you don’t want the grenade to get stuck in branches; from aloft the paint grenade will shower everyone!
– Always shout ‘grenade incoming!’
This way you give your intended foe the chance to break from their cover allowing you to ‘light them up like a Christmas tree’, it also gives your team mates the heads up of the impending paint explosion. At Enola Gaye we encourage the ‘grenade shout’ as it gives the opposition a fair chance to prepare themselves or make good an escape.
– Don’t milk the grenade.
‘Milking’ is a genuine military expression where users allow the ignition (spoon) to lift slightly in preparation. Actual milking of an Enola Gaye paint grenade isn’t really possible as it doesn’t have a spoon; but we’ve heard of many people striking the fuse and then waiting 3+ seconds so that it goes off in the air! And yes there are cases where players have milked it a little too long……again hilarious.
– Try to keep your grenades dry.
Paint Grenades have a pyrotechnic charge which makes them explode; whilst it is only small 0.5 grams, moisture will render the grenade useless or make the charge very slow. Only prolonged exposure to moisture will do this, as they are built to withstand abuse from paintball players and the elements.
– Don’t throw the cap.
Believe it or not this is actually quite a common grenade mistake. It’s called staying ‘Cool Under Fire’. When paintballs are reigning in, cracking and smacking the tree bark above your head remember to ‘stay cool’. 1. Pull out your paint grenade 2. Remove the cap 3. Strike the fuse 4.Throw the grenade!
It has been noted on many occasions that this course of action has been taken, but number 4. has resulted in the player throwing the cap at the opposition (scary!). You now only have about 2 seconds left to get to grips with the error of your ways.
