C/A
The accepted abbreviation for constant air. Reserved for carbon dioxide.
Calibre
The measurement of the inner diameter of the barrel, usually
expressed in inches, but only to "one hundredths". I.E. .68 caliber is sixty-
eight one hundredths of an inch. This is a general indication of the barrel
inner diameter. Sixty-eight caliber barrels can range in inner diameters
from .6850 to .6900, or more. In case you care, .68 calibre is 17.5 millimeters.
California Style
This is a term for the practice of mounting a C/A tank under the
shoulder stock of a marker and connecting the tank to the paintmarker's
power system via a high pressure hose and fittings. The idea of this
originated in California, during the early days of paintball, when constant
air was just emerging. Hence the name.
Capture the Flag
The basic game all paintballers play.
For more detailed information on different types of games see S.P.L.A.T. Games in Durty Dan's Paintball Information Services.
Carbon Dioxide
An inert (non-flammable) gas, used to power most paintmarkers. It is
slowly being replaced by nitrogen and high pressure air systems. Few
tournament teams (and fewer and fewer recreational players) still use CO2.
Carry-on paint
This can be best defined as the paint the player brings to the field
with them. (As opposed to the paint being sold at the field.)
Case
The term to describe a case of paint. Cases are either 2000 or 2500 balls in capacity.
Various brands of paint in cases
Chamber
It is the area of the barrel closest to the bolt, when it is in its fully
forward position. It is essentially the beginning of the barrel. The
chamber is where the paintball is initially fired from, when the bolt is in
the fully forward position.
Chrome
A shiny silver plating usually reserved for brass or steel, but can be
electroplated onto aluminum.
Chronograph
A device that measures the muzzle velocity of a paintmarker.
(L)Shooting chrony (C)Radar chronograph (R) Professional/scientific chronograph
Closed Bolt
This refers to a semi-automatic action which fires the paintball and
then moves the bolt (the exact opposite of the open bolt or blow back
action).
This operating system can best be described as a "pneumatic robot". As, unlike normal semi automatic actions, the gas used to actually propel the ball is not used to also operate the system. The system bleeds off small amounts to power the ram and switch. The system also uses a regulator to bring the gas pressure down in order to prevent high pressures from damaging the low pressure components of the system.
The closed bolt design is inherently more accurate as the breech is fully sealed by the bolt and the bolt is not travelling at the moment of firing. Also, range is increased, as all the gas is used to propel the ball and none is vented away to work the action. However, closed bolt designs must have perfectly tuned valves because they rely on an EXACT amount of gas to be released for every shot.
CO2
The chemical abbreviation for carbon-dioxide.
Cocking Handle
The knob or rod used to pull the bolt back on a semi automatic marker
of the blow-back design. This is necessary to cock the action to fire the
first shot. If the action is not cocked, the marker will not fire.
Cocking Knob
Cocking Handle (qv)
Constant Air
The colloquial term used for any bulk gas power source. With the
advent of nitrogen and high pressure air, it is becoming the term for CO2
powered systems, solely. The patenting of constant air, by California
airsmiths Gramps 'N' Grizzly revolutionized paintball. It is this author's
opinion that the perfection of constant air was the single most important
technological advance in paintball. Without C/A, a viable semi-automatic
would have been long in coming.
Constant Air Adaptor
An adaptor that allows a paintmarker, that does not have an ASA, to
be powered by a C/A source. This is usually the case in markers designed
to be powered by 12 gram cartridges. The adaptor, in some way, replaces
the 12 gram and allows a constant air source to be attached. Also known as a "dummy 12 gram".
Cup Seal
The part of the valve system that seals the valve, under spring
pressure. It is momentarily moved away from the hole it covers at the
instant of firing to allow the gas to escape the valve chamber and fire the
paintball out of the marker. Most systems employ some type of cup seal.
(L)Positon of cup seals (R)Cup seal, the end toward you is lined with a gasket to seal the valve
Cyclic Rate
Also known as rate of fire, it is the number of shots a marker can fire in a second. THe term was borrowed from firearms terminology where it it usually reserved for fully automatic weapons.
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All of the articles in the "virtual book" Durty Dan's Paintball Information Services are free to use for webpages, school projects, reference and to promote paintball to players and the non-playing public. Credit for the source of the information should be included in the bibliography or references page.
© Durty Dan Enterprises 2000. All rights reserved. All works contained herein are under copyright of the author Durty Dan. While the Terms of Use are broad they do not include the right to republish this work in any publication (hardcopy or electronic) for the purposes of personal financial gain.
