Do you want to play the sport of speedball, but aren’t sure which paintball gun to purchase?
Don’t worry, I can help you there.
Out of the twenty-five companies that currently manufacture paintball guns, only eight produce speedball markers (marker = paintball gun) that I would actually recommend. However, from those eight companies, only four of them make the best paintball guns that money can buy.
Who are those four companies?
Let’s find out below.
Best Speedball Guns for the Money
The best paintball brands that manufacture speedball guns are SP, Dye, Empire, and Planet Eclipse.
Now, I already know what you’re about to say. What about Bob Long, Field One, HK Army, DLX Luxe, MacDev, or Dangerous Power? These companies create great speedball guns too right?
Yes, a paintball gun from any of those companies will almost certainly perform well on the paintball field, but I wouldn’t recommend them as the best of the best. Maybe that’s just my personal opinion.
Here are the best paintball guns for speedball.
Kingman Spyder Fenix: Best Entry-Level Speedball Gun
Empire Mini GS: Best Speedball Gun for Beginners
Empire Axe 2.0: Best Mid-Range Speedball Gun
SP Shocker AMP: Best High-End Speedball Gun
Planet Eclipse CS2 Pro: Best Speedball Gun for Professionals
Continue reading if you want to find out what makes these markers the best speedball guns that money can buy!
Speedball Gun Reviews (Top 5)
Here below is my opinion on each of the top 5 speedball guns currently available today. Now, I wouldn’t say these are the best paintball guns ever made, but I will say they’re each one of the best speedball guns for their price range.
And no matter what your budget or skill level, you’ll be sure to find a paintball gun on this list that fits what you’re looking for.
Let’s begin.
Kingman Spyder Fenix
I know what you’re thinking…
A paintball gun from Spyder is one of the best speedball guns that money can buy? Has this person lost their mind?
Nope! The reason the Spyder Fenix made my list of top speedball guns is that it performs exceptionally well for its low cost. With a price tag of under $200, the Kingman Spyder Fenix has everything a beginner speedball player can ask for.
It shoots at a high rate of fire (25 BPS), comes with three firing modes (Semi-Auto, Millennium, and PSP), and has a Break Beam Eye (anti-chop system) to prevent ball chops (when a paintball breaks from being chopped). Some other cool features that come included with the Spyder Fenix are a 3-point adjustable Sabre trigger, a quick-release bolt, and a Leap II Circuit Board with Rear Facing Color Access Mode Display (CAMD).
Whew, that’s a mouthful!
Here are some of the pros and cons of the Kingman Spyder Fenix:
Because the Spyder Fenix is an electronic paintball marker it’ll require a 9-volt battery to function. You can purchase the Spyder 9.6 NiMH rechargeable battery if you want to avoid having to buy a new battery every time the old one dies.
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Empire Mini GS
The Mini GS is the most affordable speedball gun from Empire Paintball.
Don’t get it twisted though, the Empire Mini GS is one of the best paintball guns for the money. At a price tag right under $400, the Mini GS can easily keep up with the (much more expensive) high-end tournament markers on the field. And at only a fraction of the price!
That’s why I recommend the Empire Mini GS as the best speedball gun for beginners. Even though it’s not as affordable as some of the entry-level paintball guns on the market, its performance it’s certainly worth the small increase in price. Dollar for dollar, it’s hard to compete with the speed, reliability, and overall design of the Empire Mini GS.
Built with the tried-and-true Inline Poppet bolt system from Empire Paintball, the Mini GS delivers both great performance and great durability in a small, compact aircraft-grade frame. Not that cheap aluminum stuff either. We’re talking about some real high-quality aircraft-grade material here.
When you combine the quality of the aluminum frame (and every other aspect of the Mini GS) with the functionality of the new rubber foregrips and re-designed trigger grip frame, you get a paintball gun that’s not only highly durable and built to last, but also functions more like a high-end professional marker.
Some of the other great features that come included with the Mini GS are a low-profile regulator with a lever On/Off ASA, a virtually weatherproof board and housing, a microswitch trigger activation (allows you to adjust the amount of trigger pull), a strong clamping feedneck, and a Shockwave electronic board.
Buyer’s Beware: The Mini GS is one of the smallest, compact paintball guns currently available. If you have large hands you may want to consider choosing something else.
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Empire Axe 2.0
If you want something a little bigger (and more advanced) than the Empire Mini GS then you may want to consider the Empire Axe 2.0.
The Empire Axe 2.0 comes with many of the great features on the Mini GS such as the pressure-controlled poppet system, break beam anti-chop eyes, Shockwave board, wrap-around foregrip with microtexture, and low-profile regulator with a lever On/Off ASA.
However, the Axe 2.0 also comes with a few other cool features that aren’t included with the Mini GS. The two biggest features would have to be the removable eye cover plate (for easy cleaning of eyes and breach) and push-button bolt removal system (for tool-less maintenance).
Another great feature is the removal of the gauge on the ASA. While some players like the gauge on the ASA as it allows them to tinker with their incoming velocity, I’ve always found that it made it jammed into my wrist when I shot the marker left-handed. And a good speedball player should always be able to shoot with both hands.
Here are some more pros and cons of the Empire Axe 2.0.
Before you go out and purchase the Axe 2.0 I must first warn you that this paintball marker is only slightly larger than the Mini GS. If you have larger-sized hands then you may want to take a look at the Axe Pro as it’s slightly larger in size.
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SP Shocker AMP
If you want to be able to keep up with the high-end speedball guns on the field then you’ll need a high-end speedball gun of your own. And you’ll have a hard time finding a better speedball gun for the money than the SP Shocker AMP.
Priced well under $1000, the Shocker AMP is a true high-end speedball gun with all the fancy bells and whistles you could ask for. Sure, it may not come packed with as many features as the paintball guns priced well over $1000, but it can certainly compete with them — no questions asked.
So what makes the SP Shocker AMP such a great paintball gun?
Let’s see…
Best Features of the SP Shocker AMP
- Slimline regulator cover
- Improved water resistance
- Hourglass shape grip-frame
- Twist-lock bolt (easy to remove)
- Improved regulator design for easy maintenance
- Ultra gentle bolt (105-110 PSI operating pressure)
- Improved valve and bolt design for better efficiency
- Weathersealed frame (improved weather resistance)
- Compact QEV Module (improves overall consistency)
- Faster frame removal (no wires holding frame together)
- Aluminum feedneck with locking lever and adjustable thumbwheel
- Easy to replace two-peice board (can be converted to mechanical)
My favorite feature of the Shocker Amp is the new and improved bolt design. The advantage of the new bolt design is that it’s considerably shorter than the bolt that comes with the XLS. Having a shorter bolt results in less mass moving around in the marker which reduces the overall recoil and provides a quicker, snappier shot. When you combine the shorter bolt with the lower operating pressure (105-110 PSI) you can really tell the difference when firing the AMP compared to the XLS.
Now, I have to admit that the Dye DSR+ and Planet Eclipse 170R are just as good (if not better) than the SP Shocker AMP. I just wanted to give some love to SP as they really did surprise me with the improved quality of the AMP over the XLS.
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Planet Eclipse CS2 Pro
Now it’s time to review the best speedball gun of all time — the Planet Eclipse CS2 Pro.
If you want to compete with professional speedball players then you’re going to need every advantage you can get. And there’s no bigger advantage than having a CS2 Pro in your gear bag. Just kidding, you’ll never place such a beautiful paintball gun in a gear bag.
All jokes aside, Planet Eclipse has created some of the best paintball guns ever made and the CS2 Pro is no exception. At the heart of this top-of-the-line speedball gun lies the Gamma Core Drivetrain. This high-performing drivetrain is the sole reason that so many players are attracted to the paintball guns from Planet Eclipse.
The GP Core functions at a low operating pressure of 105psi and has a 3-stage bolt acceleration profile to ensure that the perfect burst of air comes in contact with the paintball every single time. This extremely low operating pressure combined with the 3rd Gen Soft Touch bolt means you can shoot the most fragile tournament-grade paint possible. What’s even more impressive is that it can function flawlessly in both forms of extreme weather conditions. Hot and cold.
Some of the best features that come included with the CS2 Pro are the quick release bolt mechanism, streamlined custom milled body (easy to clean), quick release eye covers, tool-less battery replacement (2-AA’s), POPS assembly, low-profile feedneck with locking sprocket wheel, tool-less wrap-around interlocking grips, and integrated push-button console and display lens.
Whew, that’s a mouthful!
The CS2 Pro also comes with 2 interchangeable trigger options (Scythe and Blade) and a Shaft FL aluminum barrel system with 3 barrel backs (0.681, 0.685, 0.689) to give the ability to customize the CS2 Pro just the way you like it.
What’s the Best Speedball Gun for You?
Choosing the best speedball gun to purchase depends mostly on three things: your budget, skill level, and how seriously you take the sport. Let’s talk about all three.
Budget
This one should be pretty simple. You can only purchase a paintball gun that you have the money to afford.
If you’re new to paintball, I wouldn’t recommend spending too much money on your first paintball gun. I’ve seen too many players join the sport and on the first day buy a $1000+ dollar paintball gun, only to quit the sport a month later after all the fun and adrenaline wore off.
Take your time and I would recommend starting off with an entry or beginner level paintball marker such as the Spyder Fenix or Mini GS.
Skill Level
As said before, if you’re a beginner paintball player then you should start off with a beginner-level marker. However, if you’re more of an intermediate-level player, a paintball marker such as the Empire Axe 2.0 or AXE SYX 1.5 may be more suited for your level of experience.
Now, if you’re striving to be a professional speedball player, or you simply have the budget to buy any paintball gun you desire, then you may want to take a look at the Planet Eclipse CS2 Pro or Dye M3+.
Interest In the Sport
There’s no point in buying the best speedball gun that money can buy if you only plan on playing paintball once a year. I also wouldn’t recommend using an entry-level marker if you plan on playing every weekend.
Instead, get yourself a paintball gun that matches the amount of effort you put into the game. If you put in a professional level effort, get yourself a professional level marker. If you put in a beginner-level effort, get yourself a beginner-level marker. Simple as that!
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API