Paintball is a hobby and a sport that has been popular for a number of years. A paintball game may involve multiple users, each of whom is equipped with a paintball gun. The paintball gun is generally designed to eject or shoot paintballs onto a target when the operator aims the paintball gun at the target and squeezes the trigger. Scores are then kept for the number of hits, the location of hits, the number of times a player is shot at, etc. In addition to its recreational role, paintball guns may also be used to mark trees, cattle, and the like.
FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic of a prior art paintball gun 102, including a barrel 104 and a body 106. A hopper 108 is disposed atop of body 106 and is designed to hold a number of paintballs. The operator typically pre-loads a hopper 108 through a lid 110. Gravity-fed or force-fed paintballs then enter the breech. When the operator pulls trigger 112, a predetermined volume of compressed gas from a compressed gas bottle 114 pushes the paintball out of the breech and along barrel 104 on its way to the target.
While the prior art paintball gun of FIG. 1 serves its purpose, there are disadvantages. For example, the presence of a large hopper of paintballs atop gun body 106 presents a larger target area for other players to shoot at. Under certain competition rules, a paintball striking any part of an opponent's paintball gun, including hopper 108, represents a hit. Accordingly, a player may suffer a larger number of “hits” if his paintball gun presents a larger target area. Further, the position of hopper 108 relative to gun body 106 introduces center of gravity concerns. This is particularly true when hopper 108 is filled with paintballs. Since hopper 108 is disposed on top of body 106, the high center of gravity makes the paintball gun less stable, leading to fatigue and inaccurate shooting. As another example, the forward position of hopper 108 relative to the gun handle means that the paintball gun of FIG. 1 tends to be nose-heavy, requiring the operator to compensate using his wrist. Over time, this forward position too leads to earlier fatigue and/or inaccurate shooting.
In view of the foregoing, there are desired improved apparatuses and methods for shooting paintballs.