Here are some steps you may want to consider before buying a paintball marker:

-Determine the budget you are willing to spend on the gun alone, while keeping in mind that you may also need to buy other gear. Paintball markers can range from $50 to more than $1000. Also realize that some paintball markers shoot more balls and use more C02 than others. This can quickly increase the cost of each game you play.

-Try to play with as many markers that you can borrow and rent as you possibly can.

-Ask paintball players at local fields what they like and dislike about their guns and see if they will let you hold their gun or even play with it a little so that you can get a feel for the gun too.

-Decide whether you want C02 or compressed air. C02 tanks are much cheaper than compressed air tanks but generally cost much more money to fill than compressed air tanks. Also compressed air is a much cleaner air to run through your marker and compressed air tanks can be filled with a scuba tank if you have the proper equipment.

-Decide if you want to barrage your opponent with a hailstorm of paintballs to keep him pinned down and hope for a hit or whether you want a single, accurate, sniper-like shot. If you want the first option, then you may want to consider an electric triggered gun for rapid fire but if you want the latter choice, then you may want to consider a slow, semi-automatic, pump gun.

-Also choose the type of barrel you want. Longer generally means more acurate but for front players, a long barrel can be too long to tuck tightly into a bunker.

-Visit paintball stores and websites. Find guns that match your criteria and then rule out the ones that are out of your price range.

-Purchase a gun that you have physically held or played with because marketing and advertising can be decieving!!! You then probably are going to want to read the manual about taking the gun apart and try it (unless you are still too uncomfortable, even after reading the manual, to put it back together). This will help you become very familiar with your gun so that if it ever acts up and gives you trouble, you are able to take it apart and hopefully find what is wrong with it. I must stress to you, ONLY TAKE IT APART IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT THAT YOU CAN PUT IT BACK TOGETHER!!! IF YOU ARE NOT, THEN DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!!!

Also, if it is going to be mailed to you, you are going to want to take into consideration the shipping time. You arent going to like it if you order a gun hoping it will arrive before the weekend you had planned to go and play with your friends and then it arrives the week after. Paintball guns are fragile and take a little while to ship out to you.  Hope this helps and if you need any more help or have questions, feel free to drop me a message and I'll respond as soon as I can. Later, Nick