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Tips for playing magfed paintball in winter For us in Finland not playing paintball during cold the cold season would mean 4-5 month break, so that is not acceptable :). Overall best winter game experiences I have had, have been sunny winter days... More

Tips for playing magfed paintball in winter For us in Finland not playing paintball during cold the cold season would mean 4-5 month break, so that is not acceptable :). Overall best winter game experiences I have had, have been sunny winter days with a few degrees negative Celcius. One might think having temperature above 0 degrees Celcius would always be better, but it brings the melting snow and humidity, that will eventually fog mask lenses. So if you can plan/choose your game days according to weather, all the better. Here are some tips for playing in the winter. Markers Some paintball markers suffer more from cold, so choosing a good one can make your day. Totally mechical markers tend to be better for winter games, anything with batteries will eventually go out, if you are playing for several hours. Personally Planet Eclipse’s EMF100s and the Etek platform that it is based on, has been a blessing for our round-the-year playing group. The Gamma Core inside the EMFs and Eteks works very well if you can be bothered to grease it. It can develop small leaks in extreme cold, but even in those situations you can usually play with it. Winter paintballs Having good winter paint is essential. If you  get paintballs breaking in barrels, the game day turns pretty miserable fast. If you can’t test the paint before the game day, it can be a good idea to get some boxes of different types, so a bad batch from one manufacturer doesn’t turn the games bad for the whole group. With first snow/cold games look for the player who just “needs” to use the leftover paint from summer games. Lot’s of barrel cleaning usually ensues :). Magazines and snow If there is just a few centimeters of snow in the ground, you can usually keep the magazines working by just keeping them of the ground, avoid dropping them even in tight situations. If you drop some, inspect carefully and avoid using them for the rest of the day if there is snow inside, if you have spares. If there is a lot of snow in the ground and/or snow in tree branches and bushes, avoiding it gets more complicated. A good way to keep magazines working in this situation is to re-index empty mags to your chest rig or plate carrier with the feed port down where snow can’t get in. With lots of snow even using a dump pouch can be risky, as they tend to collect snow inside them from bushes and then it transfers to magazines. Different magazine types can be vulnerable to snow in different ways, but for example with Planet Eclipse’s CF20 mags I have been using a lot, just an unlucky bit of snow inside can jam it, if it gets to suitable place and/or melts. Using magazine pouches with flaps helps against snow and water. Also having the feed port down inside the pouch is good, but that is not necessarily possible with some magazine types when they are loaded, as they can open the mechanism and you lose some balls. Empty mags can then go in feed port first. If your magazines have the sliding cover for the feedgate (“garage door” style), it is a good idea to always close it after reloading and especially so for snow games. Masks Today’s paintball masks with thermal lenses are pretty good for winter play. However, with cold/humidity all lenses tend to fog up eventually or actually start to ice up, so having extra masks is a good idea. If the game field has possibility to keep those extra ones in warm room or car, even better. If you have glasses, contact lenses are your friend for winter play. Glasses tend to fog up before the masks lenses and unfortunately can make playing pretty impossible. If contacts can’t be used, some players have had success with Exfog Antifog systems, that are connected to mask strap and blow air inside the lens. Clothing and boots If you are a bit cold before the games start in your playing clothes, that is usually a good sign. During play having too much on brings sweat when the adrenaline is running. Then having some extra big jacket to just throw over the playing gear keeps you warm during breaks. Layered clothing is the way to go. Merino wool for base layer is good to transfer sweat away from body, then a layer for warmth and then top layer for insulation. Add or take out layers during the day depending on the temperature. Different sorts of winter camo are fun to play with, although they usually don’t actually work that well in the relatively short distances we play paintball in, but they can bring the advantage if you can stay very still sometimes :). During the game day special care should be taken to keep your feet, fingers and throat warm and dry. Any of those getting wet/cold makes for miserable playing experience fast and unfortunately I have seen some players never came back to winter games after that sort of awful experience. Winter boots and gloves that keep the snow and water outside are good choices. A change of clothes and extra sets of gloves and socks to change even between games are good ideas. A dry and warm shirt is a good morale booster too :). Big no-nos for snow games are low shoes and summer type gloves. Snow gets in and melts from body heat, which makes you wet and cold and miserable. Playing in winter with snow can be challenging, but still fun if you prepare a bit beforehand. New promo code, use MAGFEDFI10 to get -10% off from products in Styrian Custom Paintballs webshop, they have Tac 9 and lots of other 3D printed products for magfed players: styriancustompaintball.at (affiliate link) If you got feedback, questions or ideas for blog posts/videos or business enquiries, please comment here or in social platform of your choice (where this blog was shared) or use email info@magfed.fi Links are affiliate, if available/possible.   Less

What is magfed paintball? You probably now what paintball is, but magfed paintball puts it’s own spin on things. Magfed paintball, short for magazine fed paintball, is a tactical variant of the traditional paintball game. Magfed emphasizes... More

What is magfed paintball? You probably now what paintball is, but magfed paintball puts it’s own spin on things. Magfed paintball, short for magazine fed paintball, is a tactical variant of the traditional paintball game. Magfed emphasizes realism, strategy and precision over rapid-fire chaos. Unlike standard paintball markers, which use hoppers to feed hundreds of paintballs per game, magfed players load ammunition through detachable magazines, typically holding about twenty rounds each.  A magfed player might go to the field with about five or six magazines, so about 100-120 rounds total. In ”normal” or traditional style paintball player has typically a 200-250 round hopper and can have several 140 rounds pods in their podback, so the total might be for a single game be anywhere from 200 to 1000 paintballs.  This limitation on the amount of ammo forces players to think more, conserve shots and plan movements carefully, emphasizing more teamwork. The result is a more immersive experience that bridges the gap between recreational paintball and military simulation (milsim) style games, attracting enthusiasts who tend to crave more authenticity without the dangers of real firearms. At its core, magfed paintball transforms the sport side of the game into something more akin to airsoft in terms of tactical depth, but with the very satisfying splatter of paint to mark eliminations. It is not necessary, but players often use gear resembling military uniforms, complete with vests for carrying extra magazines and markers designed to mimic real-world rifles.  The appeal of magfed paintball lies in the challenge: every shot counts and running out of ammo mid-firefight means you need to quickly reload under pressure. That adds adrenaline and skill to the mix. It's not just about spraying paint; it's about marksmanship, teamwork and outmaneuvering opponents in wooded or urban fields or bigger scenario-based arenas. First magazine fed paintball marker might have been the Tippmann full-auto SMG62 already in the 1980s and pistols certainly have had magazines for a long time, but magfed paintball finally surged forward in the 2010s when properly working twenty round magazines for rifle sized markers started appearing.  Rounds with fins Practical working magazines were a necessity, with them there was also room for First Strike Rounds. Talking about magfed paintball would not be complete without mentioning them. FSRs are a fin stabilized half ball instead of the traditional spherical, round paintballs. Fins give FSRs more range and accuracy and they are very much sought after advantage. Fins also cause a whistling sound when they fly past opposing player, that causes instant recognition of the danger of the additional accuracy and range.  Due to fins, FSRs can be fed to markers only via magazines, so they are kinda synonymous with magfed paintball, can’t have them in traditional paintball markers that feed from hoppers above the barrel.  Unique flavor Magfed’s unique flavor comes up by comparing it to speedball tournament paintball. In tournaments you have a very regulated field, you win by eliminating opponents and make points by touching their start bunker, games are 5 vs 5, both sides have identical bunkers, the field is always the same size, markers shoot with maximum regulated rate of fire, games are fast and the time is very limited. Each player might shoot 500+ paintballs per a two minute round, using lots of paint to deny opponents movements. These are not bad things in any way, but it is a very different flavor of the game compared to magfed paintball.  In magfed paintball team sizes can very greatly from just a few players per side to hundreds of players. Game time can be from few minutes to whole day. Equipment is much more varied. Winning games depends on game format, that there are endless options that imaginative game organizers come up with. Games often incorporate different kinds of objectives, like rescuing a pilot or finding lost equipment in the field. That makes the games more varied and narrative-driven compared to very formal way speedball is played. Make no mistake, shooting opponents is what makes the game interesting and is the main idea of magfed paintball too, but it is not always the necessary and smartest thing to do. Compared to strictly regulated tournaments, magfed has so much variety that the possibilities are endless. The limited ammo in magazines promotes communication, teamwork and stealth. Reloading becomes a tactical element; players must cover each other while swapping mags, simulating real combat reloads. Also regognizing opportunities when opponents are reloading or low on ammo is an important part of the game. While speedball rewards aggressive, run-and-gun styles, magfed encourages aiming and punishes wasteful shooting. A common mantra is "one shot, one kill," encouraging players to aim carefully or move to better position to shoot rather than hose down areas.  With magfed paintball, learning curve builds skills like patience and teamwork, transferable to other paintball styles. In conclusion, magfed paintball redefines the sport by prioritizing brains over brawn, realism over recklessness. It's a gateway to deeper engagement, whether you're a casual player seeking fun or a tactician craving simulation. With its growing popularity, now's the time to load up a magazine and dive in—paintball has never felt so real. Less