Paintball what is hpa

But once you get past the fact that they are both pressure sources that make a paintball gun cycle and fire a round out the barrel, they have very little in common. The most basic and fundamental difference between CO2 and HPA is that they are in different physical states while inside the tank. HPA is a gas air while CO2 is actually a liquid in the tank. Think back to your high school chemistry classes? Do liquids and gases behave similarly?

They each react very differently to temperature, pressure and the volume of the container they are in. The fact that HPA is a gas and CO2 is a liquid in the tank is the fundamental reason that leads to them behaving so differently during the firing process.

As we just discussed, CO2 is a liquid when it is still in the tank. It's not until the trigger is pulled and a small burst of liquid is released from the tank does it transition from a liquid in the tank to a gas in the marker.

When the trigger is pulled and CO2 is released from the confined tank and into the marker, it simultaneously expands from a liquid to a gas. It is not uncommon to see this condensation appear in the form of frost coming out of the end of the barrel when a round is fired.

How did that frost even get from your tank to the end of the barrel? By going through all of the internals of your marker! Sometimes you will see frost on the side of the actual paintball gun and this can lead to complications. HPA on the other hand is much more stable and never changes physical states throughout the entire firing process.

It is loaded into the tank in a gas state and never changes properties. No thick clouds or snow from the barrel, no more layers of frost on the marker body and your accuracy improves due to better velocity consistency. HPA has three drawbacks. In some remote areas getting tanks filled can be a problem tire pumps and shop compressors do not work, they rarely go over psi. The tanks tend to be a bit larger and bulky compared to CO2.

Lastly, they do cost more than CO2 tanks. HPA is the better investment in the long run. The benefits over CO2 in all-weather performance are well worth the additional cost.

Besides, an HPA tank is a piece of equipment that can transfer to any marker you upgrade to. An unregulated air source is one in which the pressure of the gas is not regulated using mechanical means.

The pressure in your CO2 tank in determined by the amount of CO2 that is in the tank and the temperature of the tank and its contents. W hen your tank is full, there is ample pressure to fire your paintball gun, and when you shoot your gun from a full tank, you will notice your shots travel further.

As you play, you will likely notice that your paintballs aren't flying quite as far as your first shots. This is due to the way CO2 expands from its liquid form to its gas form in an unregulated environment. Essentially, all other things being equal, the less CO2 in your tank, the less pressure you have to fire your paintball gun.

When choosing a tank, it is also important to keep in mind the cost of re-filling your tank. The majority of paintball fields will always charge you for CO2 fills, since they have to purchase CO2 from an outside company. Many paintball fields have a powerful compressor on hand, allowing them to compress their own air. This often translates into free HPA fills for anyone who is playing at the field.

Which is the best for you? Badlands always recommends HPA to our customers. Empire Paintball Basics 48ci psi Air Tippmann Empire Basics 48ci 3K Paintball Aluminum CO2 Paintball Tank. Buy on Amazon. Co2 or Compressed Air youtu. Submit Type above and press Enter to search.

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