What Does a Rip Drive Do?

Many paintball markers and upgrades focus on being able to fire paintballs as quickly as possible. One possible upgrade to a marker is an electric hopper. Some electric hoppers can then be further upgraded by a rip drive.

  1. Function

    • A rip drive is a small knob or handle located on the outside of the hopper, usually on the underside. The rip drive is used to help prevent jamming. If a jam has occurred, a few quick turns on the rip drive should clear the jam. Some hoppers can also use a rip drive to pre-load balls into the feed before turning it on.

    Backup

    • The rip drive also works as an emergency backup if the hopper dies. Normally if a hopper fails, a player will be unable to load balls into the paintball marker. If a hopper equipped with a rip drive loses power for any reason, such as the battery dying, the player will still be able to load and fire balls by using the rip drive.

    Warning

    • Rip drives are each designed to be installed in a specific hopper. Only attempt to install a rip drive in the hopper it is designed for.