HPA and CO2 are basically used to provide pressure to the paintballs when fired from the gun. The number of paintballs popping from the paintball gun is decided by the pressure given by these gases. In other words, HPA and CO2 are the power source for paintball guns and all the thrill depends upon the thrust these gases provide.
Different types of bottles are used in different types of paintball guns but only two types of material are used;
1. HPA (high-pressure air)
2. CO2
Both gases have different issues and benefits.
Working principles of HPA and CO2
CO2 gets cold when it comes out of the container at room temperature. It could be the drawback of the CO2 but on the other hand, it helps the shooter to fire more shots but by doing this the velocity of the paintballs that comes one after another will disturbs and the Player can also find it encumber some while playing as the expansion of CO2 makes frost which may look cool but causes difficulties. When we talk about the price CO2 is half of the price than that of HPA. If you for price CO2 is preferable and it will provide more thrill.
Contrary to that HPA works on a different principle although both play the same role HPA is just Nitrogen dioxide or nitrogen gas only which provides a gun to maintain the uniform pressure on the fire of each paintball. But the disadvantage is that the HPA tank is bigger in size and sometimes such bottles are very difficult to fill (up to hardly 180 psi air was filled in them)
according to my point of view, both HPA and CO2 are equally good according to your experience. If you want to have a good velocity of the paintball and thrill then CO2 tank is best if you want to go for the long-lasing impact of paintballs then you must go for High pressure Air.
When we discuss the working of the CO2 gas. The little portion of gas will come out when the player pushes the trigger. As we all know that CO2 will converts into gas when the shot was fired from the gun because CO2 was filled in the form of dry ice.
When the player pushed the trigger, the temperature falls because of the conversion of liquid into gas. The sudden decrease in temperature will lead to the phenomenon of condensation. This phenomenon will cause bad effects as it may seem cool at first site
Let’s take a step back and think about this for a second. When the CO2 was about the end in the tank then the accuracy of the marker became inaccurate and inconsistent, and the problem was not just ended here. But it will lead to other enormous problems especially when a player was playing on the battlefield.
The problem of using CO2 was not limited to the barrels only The frost will come out of the gun the shot of paintball fired from the gun.
HPA is basically high pressure nitrogen gas that is completely inert and doesn’t create any kind of frost like CO2 but it also has more pressure than CO2 because it did not change its properties.
But what exactly is HPA?
Basically, HPA is high pressure air that we breathe, Its chemical formula is NO2 and it is present in a very excess amount in our environment.
Size and shape of the tank:
CO2 and HPA tanks are made in different patterns as one is carried in the form of liquid and the other one is carried in the form of high-pressure gas. So, the tank of CO2 was made a bit round oval shape are better to use and can easily carry a large amount of CO2 while the tank of HPA was flat and carried less pressurized air.
Gases tanks are valued according to the gas they contain and their unit of measurement is per square inch, and the best tanks are 3000 per square inch pressure containers are always considered to be preferable. Moreover, CO2 was preferable over HPA due to pressure holding and consistency while shooting the paintballs from the paintball gin.
The number of shots per gun depends upon the external weather conditions. For example in the cold weather number of shots per ounce increases as the CO2 gets cold when the is taken from the gun.
Advantages and disadvantages of paintball tanks
Advantages:
- Lightweight Tanks:
Usually, fiber and aluminum tanks are used these days. These tanks are light and easy to carry as compared to the tanks that were used 10 years before.
Durability:
Fiber tanks can contain more air as compared to aluminum and provide more shots per fill.
- Pressure Adjustments:
Shim regulators are used to adjusting pressure. These regulators increase the durability of the device
- Improved Quality Tanks:
Fiber tanks have better regulators as compared to aluminum and they have replaceable regulators as well. Which makes them more durable than aluminum tanks.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive Tanks :
All the above mentioned advantages make the device more durable and expensive as well. It increases the price of the device from 50$ to 250$.
Increased Life span:
Due to increased durability, their life span increases up to 15 years and some tanks even mentioned more than 38 years that is why these tanks need to be hydro-tested every now and then.
As opposed to CO2, compressed air is only slightly impacted by temperature, making it an excellent choice for use in cold environments and electronic weapons. Compressed air fills for the day are often available for an additional fee at most paintball fields. After paying a one-time flat cost, which ranges from $5 to $10, at the beginning of the day, you are free to refuel your vehicle as frequently as you desire. Although it will set you back more money at the beginning, using compressed air could end up saving you cash in the long term.