The following article was published on www.news24.com

Paintball sends thieves packing

2009-11-26 09:53

Buks Viljoen

Mbombela – A security guard who shot at ATM bombers with his paintball gun, probably contributed to the fact that the criminals were forced to flee empty-handed.

Leon Hurter of Sun Security was woken at about 02:30 on Wednesday morning by a tremor caused by an explosion at the Spar-o-Rama building in Voortrekker Street, Lydenburg.

He lives right next to this double storey building. When he heard the explosion, he ran towards the sound and opened fire on the bombers with his paintball gun.

Shootout

Meanwhile some of his colleagues also arrived. A shootout ensued until the robbers fled.

Willem Mostert, who also lives near the building, woke up with a fright from the noise, at first thinking it might have been caused by an accident.

“But the next moment, you could smell the distinctive smell of explosives hanging in the air. You know, that army smell when the bombs were exploding all around you during the Border war.”

The explosion caused damage to the building, but the safe of the Absa ATM wasn’t opened by the blast. No-one was injured by the explosion or the shootout. Apparently the robbers’ getaway cars were later found in Sabie, about 60km away.

Shortly after the Lydenburg incident, bombs were also planted at ATMs in Delmas, Tweefontein near Witbank, and Bethal. According to police spokesperson Leonard Hlathi unknown amounts were stolen from these three ATMs.

- Beeld

Paintball is an extreme sport that can either be played as a team sport or an individual sport. The level success achieved by the players in both forms of the sport is very dependent on the quality of their strategy and planning in terms of the different objectives of the game.

The aim of a game of paintball is to:

- Avoid being shot while either completing an individual task or participating in a group task.
- Attempt to prevent the other players / team from completing their individual or group task by shooting them.

Paintball is played on a designated Paintball Range or Field. There are many types of fields or ranges that are used by various venues. There are outdoor ranges where players hide behind a combination of natural and manmade obstacles and shelters. There are also indoor shelters where players play inside a building and make use of objects inside the building as shelters.

Paintball is played with designated Referees called Marshals, who are present on the field at all times, in order to enforce the rule of the particular game that the players elected to play.

There are various types of games or scenarios that the players can choose to play. The regular players at the Desert Force Paintball Range have their own list of favourites that include Capture the Flag, Snipper and Hostage.

Although paintball is an extreme sport it is fairly safe, apart from the odd bruises as a result of the actual paintballs or markers hitting the players. One of the main function of the marshals are also to ensure the safety of the players.

In order to play a game of paintball you will need the following equipment:

Mask
The function of the mask is mainly to protect the eyes of the players. At the Desert Force Paintball Range, players are not allowed to enter the field without properly fitted masks.

There are different types of masks. Some Masks merely protect the eyes of the players, while other masks protect the majority of the players’ faces. At Desert Force we use masks that offer full facial protection.

Gun
A paintball gun is a specialised weapon that uses either compressed air or CO2 from a gas cylinder in order to proper the actual paintball through the air. There are any different types of guns in different price ranges.

There is also a wide variety of accessories available, from extended barrels to sites etc. The speed at which the paintball is propelled can also be adjusted. There are set rules as standards for maximum speeds, each relevant to the type of field and the scenario that is being played.

Gas Cylinder
A gas cylinder generally filled with CO2 gas is fitted to the paintball gun. This gas is used to propel the markers. These gas cylinders are available in various sizes and can be reused.

Hopper
The hopper is generally a detachable contained for the paintball markers, that is fitted to the paintball gun. Once again hoppers are available in many different shapes and sizes, all depending on the basic design of the paintball gun and the type of game you wish to play.

Markers (Paintballs)
Markers are soft plastic capsules that are filled with a water soluble dye. The outer shell is very soft and also water soluble. For this reason it is not possible to freeze these balls, as explained in our article called Paintball Myths – Busted Part 1

There are other variants of these markers available, some are solid plastic or rubber balls and others are filled with pepper gas. Shooting either one of these types of projectiles at a human being or an animal could be potentially disastrous and could lead to serious injuries, and therefore the use of these projectiles are not permitted on a paintball range.

It is also for this reason that most paintball ranges require that the players only use markers purchased from the range. In this manner the range marshals can ensure that the players do not include these dangerous projectiles in their marker selection.

All of this equipment together can be rented from the Paintball Range, and therefore it is not necessary to purchase your own equipment before you go and play paintball for the first time. Very often Paintball Ranges such as Desert Force also includes an overall and an optional protective breastplate with the above mentioned equipment.

For more information please contact Desert Force on info@desertforce.co.za, http://www.desertforce.co.za or 076 382 4892.

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We also joined

When : Friday 13 November – Saturday, 14 November

(remember to bring your war equipment, tent, sleeping bag, chair & cooler – there will be ceasefire between 24H00 and 06H00) Cash bar will be available during mealtimes – no one under the influence will be allowed to participate!

 Fee of  R350 per person includes the following :

                           •  Braai  before the event starts

                           • 500 paintballs

                           • Breakfast on the 14^th

Wanneer : Vrydag, 13 November – Saterdag, 14 November

(onthou om jou oorlog-uitrusting te bring, tent, slaapsak, stoel & drinkgoed – daar sal ‘n skietstilstand wees tussen 24H00 en 06H00)  Kontantkroeg sal beskikbaar wees gedurende maaltye – geen persoon onder die invloed sal toegelaat word om deel te neem nie!

 Fooi van  R350 per persoon sluit die volgende in :

                           •  Braai  voordat die verrigtinge begin

                               •  500 verfballetjies

                               •  Ontbyt op die 14^de

Ekstra verfballetjies sal beskikbaar wees teen goeie pryse!

Gewere (Merkers) kan gehuur word teen ‘n ekstra fooi. 

Skakel ons gerus   op 076 382 4892 vir enige verdere navrae/inligting!!

Freezing Paintballs

Question: Some of my friends freeze their paintballs. does this mess them up if you freeze more than you use? does it give more accuracy? distance? pain?

Answer:

• Actually, the effect of freezing paintballs is to make them distort, meaning they don’t fly straight or get stuck in your barrel.  
• The paint tends to get dimples, which are a negative for accuracy.   
• Some paintball shells will get brittle from freezing.  
• The moisture involved can have a negative effect on the paint. It’s a waste of good paint to freeze it.

A simple experiment will show what happens to them from the effect of water and temperature changes.  Put one into a glass of water and watch what will happen; watch for a day or two.  

Put one on the table and watch it over a day or two.  Put one into the freezer and watch what happens, and when it is taken out and left at room temperature, watch what happens.

There are temperature and humidity ranges that give the best  storage for paintballs. Too hot, too cold, too humid, and the paintball quality lessens.

Therefore the myth that frozen paintballs can be used and result in greater accuracy and the inflication of greater pain is a complete myth!