In the sport of paintball shooting, the players need to know that they have a reliable mechanism that feeds the balls into their guns, or they are sure to loose. Spending money on various paintball hoppers come as part of the equipment setup needed for success. By definition a hopper is the chamber that sits on top of the gun and holds the ammunition before feeding it into the firing area of the gun. Basic hoppers work in different ways.
Players at a pro level focus on using force-feed hoppers that give them constant firing power with almost no failures. The force-feed hopper pushes the paintball using a spring loaded system into the barrel from which it is fired. A counter on the hopper keeps you informed of haw many shots are left, a great advantage to prevent running out of ammo at the wrong time.
Hoppers that boast a small propeller as part of their system, is called agitating ball hoppers. The propeller stops the balls from clogging up the feeding tube of the gun, thus ensuring a constant feed at a fast rate. You should keep your agitating hopper dry as moisture tends to influence the working thereof negatively.
Gravity-feed hoppers come standard with cheaper guns and use gravity to line up balls for firing. Not known for their reliability as balls tend to pile up in the feeding tube, causing your gun to stop firing. Gravity-feed hoppers can handle up to eight balls per second during firing.
Guns that work with a pump action use stick-feed hoppers that hold twenty four paintballs. The feeder attaches under the gun and balls are loaded by dipping the gun before the next shot is fired.
The competition between manufacturers is fierce and new models of hoppers appear regularly as the game of paintball war gets more professional. Typical holds of 300 paintballs per hopper keep these pros happy whilst during a day of fun shooting, 40 balls is just enough.
Before buying a paintball hoppers, be sure you know you are getting the right one. See various hoppers and loaders – see the Tacamo Hopper