Last updated on October 15th, 2023
Top 6 Best Paintball Pistols 2022
Beginner to Pro Buyer’s Guide
Whether you’re a paintball rookie or a Pro, you know the importance of keeping a paintball pistol as a side arm. On battlefield, there are various heart pounding situations where taking an aim with your primary marker might not be possible, hence, that’s where a compact light-weight best paintball pistol comes into play.
Like many players on the field, for us, pistol play has been really fun. During all that adrenaline rush, that experience of not having anything sticking up from the gun with paint in it has been great. Having a small profile that barely stick out at all and the fun of popping someone with a 7 round mags is amazing. We always prefer keeping one of the best paintball pistol in our left hand while we have a primary paintball marker in our right hand.
Choosing the best paintball pistol for the battlefield is extremely important. So For you, We have summed up some of our favourite paintball pistols that we came across, with all the pros and cons of each pistol in detail. Hence, it could be easier for you to choose the best and more rewarding pistol for you. We have choosen 5 paintball pistols out of 10 pistols that we tried. Our choices are based on some key factors like Maintenance, precision and durability.
Let’s start!
Quick Summary
• Highly compact paintball pistol. – Tippmann TiPX Mag Fed
“It has a Comfortable hand grip because the magazine is under the barrel. Metal trigger is highly durable that punctures CO2 on first pull, hence saving the cartridge. Favorite among many players because it perfectly works as a primary weapon too just after few modifications.“
• Smallest paintball pistol – First Strike Compact Pistol (FSC)
“One of the highly customizable pistols in market as it is compatible with various T8.1/T9.1 accessories. It has 20 % Smaller Grip making it the smallest and compact pistol. It uses 8g CO2 and shot first strike serving as a perfect side arm.“
• Highly accurate pistol – T4E Walther PPQ M2 (GEN2)
“A perfect replica that feels like a real gun. The 3-dot sight alignment makes it superb accurate. It has a superior grip which is a specialty of Walther guns. The block back system is a reason for a first choice among military training and for paintball playing as well”
• Best mag-fed pistol. – Umarex T4E TR50
“Features like 350 fps velocity and range of 30-35 feet makes it a good option for mag fed games. 2 rails are present for customization and a red dot sight is our recommendation to indicate where your ball will hit”
• Best seller – Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0
“It is the Best .43 caliber pistol that have a perfect size and feel of real pistol. Changeable back strap is the best feature in this pistol so player can change this according to their hand size for a comfortable handling.”
6 Best Paintball Pistols
Top Pick #1
Tippmann TiPX Mag Fed
Playing with a paintball pistol is a completely different experience and TiPX was our first paintball pistol and we got hooked on it from the very first day.
It’s perfect for a sidearm but after a few modifications you can use this as a main gun. Feature that we found quite impressive as a pistol is its accuracy. In addition to that, it is highly compact, upgradeable, lightweight (approx 3 Ibs), and very quiet. It has bottom picatinny rails so you can add fore grips, flashlights into it and also it is easy to switch hands with this pistol.
Being the first magazine fed pistol is one of many reasons why TiPX is a favourite among many serious players and a great option for scenario events.
Personally, We played with a tank after a remote line adapter upgrade for better performance because, We’re using this as a primary gun so changing the cartridges affects our game. Hence, there are other customizations that you can also do to make it a perfect paintball gun according to your needs.
More upgrade options are following:
Best in TiPX:
Compact and solid marker, giving you the feel of a real gun. Perfect for non lethal home defense and side arm. Highly upgradable options so you can play it as a first strike as well.
Set back:
Doesn’t not hold the pressure in Co2 cartridges and may leak slowly. There should be rail covers because it’s uncomfortable without a cover.
- The Co2 cartridge is quite easy to load, punctures after first pulling the trigger and with one cartridge it shots 22-25 rounds
- The two Self-Locking 8-Ball Magazine Clips are the greatest addition to the marker as they can easily be fixed and ejected just by pushing a button.
- Very smooth aluminium trigger
- Clear holes give you an idea of the paint left.
- Can shoot pepper balls
- Effective range of 150+ feet
- External Velocity Adjuster
- Internal Regulator
- Removable Barrel with X7 Threads
Top Pick #2
First Strike Compact Pistol(FSC)
FSC, The smallest paintball pistol having a compact body and shorter length which doesn’t feel bulky in your hands. However, a shorter body doesn’t mean its performance is compromised as performance wise it can compete with many other high-end guns.
The main attraction for us was its compact body and lightweight i.e, 12 grams. Moreover, after trying long barrelled and pump action paintball markers We just wanted to have a small pistol and like TiPX. We use this after customizing according to our preferred style.
FSC Pistol shoots amazingly well just like TiPX but unlike that it uses 8g CO2 cartridges. Therefore, if someone wants a sidearm but also one that shoots first strike and 0.68 caliber balls then this would be an ideal choice.
With an 8-gram CO2 it gives approx 12 great shots with 2 magazine changes. If you wish to use 12-gram cartridges then you can use a bigger magazine. We recommend using a remote line instead of loading 8-gram CO2 in each magazine.
For making it a highly accurate and perfect non lethal self defence weapon, You just need to install following few gadgets with it:
- Compact .68 Caliber
- 12 grams weight
- Ambidextrous Safety
- Customizable like Tipx
- 20% Smaller Grip than standard 8.1 paintball Pistols
- Two 6 round magazines included
- Standard 8.1/9.1 magazine compatible
- Shoot first strikes
Key Features:
Best in FSC:
Compact small body design with accuracy the same as TiPX and feature of shooting a first strike round without any upgradation. That makes it a perfect side arm and a first choice for most serious paintballers.
Set back:
It breaks pepper balls so you need hard balls like Grimburg and the accessories are a little expensive.
Top Pick #3
T4E Walther PPQ M2 (GEN2)
T4E paintball pistol will surprisingly give you a feel of a real pistolI. From size to weight everything will make you feel you are holding a real weapon. Additionally, the Walther stamp on the case makes it feel like you bought a real Walther hence, we can say it’s a perfect replica of a Walther pistol. It’s one of the high-end training paintball pistols and has been used as a self defence tool by many law enforcement sectors because of its reliability and accuracy is undeniable.
Magazine has a weight so it drops like a real magazine. Ejecting and reloading the magazine is super fast and it will shoot 8 rounds per magazine. Also it has the ability to hold in the spring
Features like a Little detent system won’t let the paintballs shoot all out when you slide it back and safety mechanism on trigger makes it more reliable.
Accuracy is amazingly good as the horizontal 3 dot sight alignment gives it superb accuracy and if you install a laser on it then this will be marvellously accurate.
It weighs around 1.13 pounds which is a good weight for a pistol that’s why it doesn’t feel like a toy but a real gun. After unboxing you can use this without any assembling and settings. It comes with springs that are required for rubber balls to shoot a little hard.
- Caliber .43cal (11.1 mm)
- Paintball/Rubber Ball/System
- Customizable
- Co2 Magazine Capacity
- 8 shots
- Energy: 4-5joules
- Length: 7 inches/180mm
- Weight: 1.2lbs/532g
- Function: Safe/Semi
- Metal Slide and Barrel
- Package Includes: Gun, 1x Magazines and Hard Case
Best in T4E:
Highly accurate pistol with a power and feel like a real pistol makes it a first choice for many military and training institutes and also a personal self defense weapon.
Set back:
No major set back except that if you have small hands you may feel it a little heavy as a pistol. Secondly, if you want to shoot powder balls then you may experience a little blow back into your eyes.
Top Pick #4
Umarex T4E TR50
Looking for a fun shooting, lightweight yet powerful paintball pistol ? Then surely this is the right choice to ace your opponents.
It’s a .50 caliber paintball revolver, uses a 12 g CO2 and shoots really well. It’s a good option for mag-fed games and a perfect side arm.
Apart from paintballs, We experienced shooting different balls from metal to nylon to rubber and all of them shot very well, barely missing any. It shoots straight without any wagging.
Apart from paintballing we used this as a non-lethal self-defence weapon. Its efficiency proved to be phenomenal as velocity of 350 fps and range of 30-35 feet is enough to chase your target. The best thing as a PDW is the CO2 cartridge doesn’t activate until you are ready to use it, because nobody wants to waste a charged C02 left in the pistol. Moreover, at the rear side it has an indicator which will indicate if the C02 is punctured or not.
We recommend loading the magazine from front of the rotatory clips for ideal performance. The revolver also has 2 rails so you can add accessories to maximise your performance as per your needs. The most recommended one is a red dot sight that will indicate where your ball will hit.
Be aware of FPS Limit in your Paintball parks:
As the FPS is set to 360 and it’s unchangeable so always get an idea of the allowable limit before buying this. However, with a little customisation, if you can sand down or machine down the front of the chambers almost a 1/4 inch, it will shoot 235 fps.
Best in TR50 Revolver:
A revolver that not only look like real but also perform like real. A beautiful loud sound, high velocity with perfect range and accuracy that will give you performance like a pro. Although the accuracy varies according to paintballs you are using. From what we experienced, it gives a perfect performance with predator balls.
Set back:
You can’t adjust fps also the screw of CO2 cartridge is tight that you may find a bit hard to open with your fingers.
Top Pick #5
Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0
If you’re in the market for a .43 caliber training pistol, the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 is a great option to consider. Kudos to Umarex for making such a good replica of Smith & Wesson M&P. It resembles both in weight and functionality. Another good option for self defence.
It has a 6-inch barrel and an overall length of 9.5 inches, making it a good size for training purposes. It also has a Picatinny rail on the top of the gun, so you can add accessories like lasers or sights if you want. The gun comes with two 10-round magazines, and it has a velocity of up to 320 feet per second. It gives 30 shots per CO2 cartridge.
Feature that attracts the user most is the changeable back straps so anyone can change the strap according to hand size to get a comfortable grip.
Perfect for riot balls!
- Caliber: 0.43
- Weight: 1.69 pounds
- Rounds: 8
- Changeable back straps
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 1 x 1 x 1
- Barrel material: metal
- Frame: metal
Best in M&P M2.0:
Very efficient side arm and perfect for home defence as its accuracy is amazing. Moreover, it gives a real shooting experience making it a perfect choice for enthusiastic players.
Set back:
- Trigger is little heavy
- Louder
- Magazines are expensive, Not something you would want to drop
- Low clip quality.
Top Pick #6
Umarex T4E HDR (68 Cal Revolver)
After owning T4E HDR 50 and having a wonderful experience I though about upgrading to its .68 caliber version back in Feb 2022.
If you want something bigger and also more in power then HDR.68 is actually the big brother of HDR 50.
This marker has a 12 gram CO2 cartridge housed in the grip function with a quick puncturing system.it is very well made and all the controls work very well. Three rotary magazine disks ensures the fast and easy reloading. It comes with 2 cylinders both hold 5 shots they have detents to stop ball from falling out
I got 36 shots from 1 CO2 cartridge. Best feature I found in this pistol is the power and customizability of this pistol as it has 2 sections of picatinny rails both above and below the pistol.
- Optical and tactile pressure indicators to show that you’re ready to fire
- Trigger blade safety prevents accidental firing
- Textured frame for secure gripping.
T4E HDR 50 vs HDR 68
- UMAREX HDR 68 is bigger in size but it doesn’t make any difference in weight, weight is almost the same as HDR50.
- As obvious from the name its .68 caliber while the predecessor was 50 caliber revolver.
- HDR 68 is more powerful than 50.
- Sights are white in HDR68 while hdr 50 have black which are hard to see
- HDR 68 have 5 round drums and have a detent system to hold balls while 50 have six rounds with ribs.
- Trigger is little heavy
- Louder
- Magazines are expensive, Not something you would want to drop
- Low clip quality.
Paintball Pistols – Ultimate Buyers Guide
If you’re purchasing a paintball pistol and don’t know how to choose the best one to win the tournaments then here We have a detailed buying guide for purchasing paintball pistol for you. We will share some important tested aspects to look into before making your final choice about a paintball Pistol.
Let’s jump into the nitty gritty and explore these key features to best match your needs.
Right Caliber
There are three different types of Calibers available to shoot the paintball. The size ranges are 68-Caliber, 50-Caliber and 43-Caliber. Lets look at the purpose of each caliber size to choose the best fit for you
68 Caliber:
The most common size for a paintball round that you can see on any paintball field is 68 Caliber paintball. The reason is that the paintball field doesn’t allow people to bring their own paintballs. As they sell the paintballs by themselves. In most cases, the paintball field will allow playing with 68 Caliber paintball pistols.
50 Caliber:
50 Caliber paintballs, also known as low impact paintballs, are mostly used by young children. So, These balls are almost half in size as compared to the 68 Caliber paintballs. They are low-impact, small paintballs that will not hurt the kids at high velocities.
43 Caliber:
The smallest size paintball available on the market is 43 Caliber paintball. The paintball pistols compatible with 43 Caliber paintballs are used for military or police training and target practice.
You should try to find out the paintball field that has a flexible approach towards its rules and won’t bother regarding paintball sizes.
Types of Pistols
On the quest of finding the best paintball pistol for your upcoming tournament, you must look for the right type of gun for you. As the paintball pistol manufacturing brands are hitting the market with improved, light and realistic pistols models every now and then. Let’s explore these types in detail
Pump Paintball Pistol:
One of the basic types of pistol you can find on the market. As the name indicates, it has a pump-action that requires reloading the gun. It has a simple design approach and easy to use pistols. Many users prefer this model over other advanced paintball pistols.
Semi-automatic paintball pistol:
Similar to the pump-action pistol, it will require you to operate it via a trigger. These guns are simple in design and continuously improved by the latest technology. Semi-automatic paintball pistols are best for beginner players.
Ramping Pistol:
If you find these conventional models quite outdated then purchase the ramping paintball pistol which shoots faster than others. These pistols deliver high-end performance in the field. The reason for their popularity is their incredible speed of 20 shots in a second.
Three Shot Burst Pistol:
These pistols are used by professional players. The player pulls the trigger and the gun fires three times in a go. However, you can find paintball pistols with multiple modes as well
Fully automated:
One of the most demanding and popular choices among the players. These pistols have gained popularity due to their continuous firing using the trigger system. You don’t need to pull the trigger for every shot. The gun stops as you release the trigger. This type of paintball pistol is not recommended for beginners.
Mechanical v/s Electronic Marker Type
Paintball pistols come in two types in terms of markers; Mechanical and Electronic Marker. The mechanical markers are a little bit noisy, easy to use and slow to fire. These pistols are specially designed for beginners. The guns require little maintenance and are durable.
On the other hand, electronic guns are battery operated. Fully automated, ramping and three-shot burst pistols are electronic marker guns. They are super-fast, automated and fire accurate shots. These pistols are designed for intermediate and professional players.
Reassemble / Disassemble
Some paintball pistols are easy to make and break while others are complex and require effort. You must choose the paintball pistols that have twist and turn parts so the thorough cleaning could be easier.
The pistol must not take too much time to disassemble. The player must be able to fix the problem in the playground if by chance the pistol gets jammed. Also, like us, if you’re someone who likes to clean their marker by the end of the practice, then easy disassembly is what you should be looking for.
Weight
It is advisable to buy a paintball pistol that weighs two or three pounds. According to the customer’s feedback reports, it is fun to play, control and use lightweight guns as compared to heavy pistols.
The manufacturing material of the paintball pistol directly impacts its weight. Aluminum made paintball pistols are lightweight but not sturdy. On the other hand, stainless steel pistols are durable but heavy. The best option to avail is carbon fiber paintballs pistols. These are lightweight, sturdy and easy to maintain. The carbon fiber paintball pistols are a little bit expensive but value your money in terms of performance and durability.
Maintenance
From our experience on the field, electronic device requires extra care and maintenance to exceed its lifespan. Similar is the case with paintball pistols. While buying the paintball pistol you must have a look at its maintenance charges.
Some professional paintball pistol models can only be maintained by experts at high prices. Therefore, you must look for a budget-friendly maintenance option to ensure the performance of your paintball pistol for years.
Additional Accessories
You must budget your paintball pistol correctly. For beginners, it is important to look into what will you need to perform like a pro in the field?
Compressed Air Tank:
Almost every paintball pistol requires an additional compressed air tank. Either you can choose the HPA or Co2 cartridges. You need to purchase this tank separately. Most paintball pistols models are functional on 12-gram Co2 you can buy in a bundle offering 12 to 15 at a time.
Sidearm Holster & Belt:
You will need to purchase a sidearm holster to place your pistol safely, The best place to attach it is with your belt or leg. You can attach it to your chest as well. But it may get in your way while playing.
If you want to hook your sidearm holster to the chest or wait then you need an additional belt or Molle Belt. Most people prefer the Molle Vest as you can hang all types of pouches, walkie-talkies, keys, maps and others.
Paintballs:
This is an obvious accessory you need to purchase for the paintball tournament. Buy the right type of paintball 43, 50, and 68 Caliber that is compatible with your paintball pistol.
