So what is the actual difference between CO2 and HPA? (CO2 filled paintball tanks vs. HPA nitro paintball tanks). There are a number of differences, read on for the basics. Here we go:
CO2:
What is CO2? Well, if you can remember all the way back to high school chemistry, CO2 is a handy little compound made up of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. Useful information right? Moving forward now. Carbon dioxide tanks are the most common types of paintball tanks out there. You will almost always see beginners with them because of their convenience. There are tons of cheap CO2 refill stations just about anywhere (you can definitely find places to get more CO2 and HPA at any reputable paintball shop or paintball field) and it’s a pretty universal process. However, a common misconception about these paintball tanks is the fact that the CO2 is actually stored within the tank as a liquid. High pressure conditions in the tank allow this to occur.
Now, how does this liquid translate into taking shots? Well, every time you shoot with a CO2 powered paintball gun, liquid comes out of the nozzle, evaporates, which is what provides the force to shoot the marker. Unfortunately, the amount of energy behind this shot will always vary, as the pressure in the paintball tank will depend on the temperature around it. This could make your next shot much stronger or much weaker. Also, if you’re unlucky, liquid CO2 can get into your marker, which destroys everything, or it can cause your paintball gun to go fully automatic, which (although potentially fun) is dangerous and bad.
HPA
So first of all HPA stands for High Pressure Air (Self explanatory huh?) Some people also refer to them as “paintball nitro tanks” or “N2”. (N2 just stands for nitrogen gas) Compared to CO2, HPA paintball tanks are much more stable because nitrogen gas never turns into a liquid, so pressure changes aren’t as drastic. Because paintball air tanks have regulators, which is what controls the amount of airflow between the nitro paintball tank and your marker, the gun pressure is much lower and therefore constant .
So why isn’t everyone using HPA from the start? Cost. When looking at CO2 and HPA paintball tanks, you’ll immediately notice that HPA tanks are a bit more expensive than their CO2 brethren. In my experience, playing paintball on a local field, (Blitz) CO2 is actually more expensive in the long run. Sure, the HPA tank is more for starters, but you can get better deals on HPA and it lasts longer. There are a variety of container types for HPA paintball tanks, but I won’t go into that just yet. I hope you have learned something!