Homemade Paintball Sniper Rifle

The sniper is an important tactical component for identifying and eliminating hostile threats that are too far away for a standard paintball gun. Sniper rifles typically have barrels that are 16 to 22 inches in length and semi-automatic rates of fire. Sniper rifles on the paintball field are also larger and longer than their pistol counterparts. These rifles have a distinct advantage over regular paintball guns because you can accurately engage your target before they can engage you.

  1. Frame Selection

    • Any paintball gun can be turned into a makeshift sniper rifle. Select a frame that is comfortable and the profile that you would like to use. The trigger housing is not as important as the barrel system on the rifle so choose your frame based on three factors: Price, comfort and the amount of possible upgrades. Because sniping is a specialty, you will probably have to modify the gun with aftermarket upgrades, so having a lot of choices is important.

    Barrel slection

    • The most important part of a sniper rifle is a good barrel. The sniper barrel guides the rounds downrange by providing more stability than a standard-length barrel. This longer length results in more accuracy at greater distances. Standard length for a sniping barrel is between 14 and 22 inches. This is significantly longer than the eight- to 10-inch barrel of most paintball pistols. Another option to consider when selecting a barrel is called rifling. Rifling is a series of small holes that are cut into the barrel to dissipate noise and reduce the overall weight of the gun.

    Rifle usage

    • A sniper rifle is an extremely effective weapon at long range, however they are difficult to use at close range due to their overall length and weight. Sniper rifles utilize sights which magnify objects when looking at them through what's known as the scope. Scopes are designed solely for usage at long distances and are useless at short distances. If you plan on engaging in both long-range and close-up battles, select sights that will allow you do both activities. Ring sights, or open sights, are a good option for this type of strategies but they do not provide magnification like a scope would.