The Tippman Pro-Lite Paintball Gun

Almost every paintballer has one truly important complaint: the guys with the most money always have the best guns. While the rich kids lay down fully-automatic fire or snipe their target from three hundred yards away, those with a lower budget have to rely on stealth and tactics to win the game.

But this rule is, every once in a while, broken when a great gun comes out for an even greater price. The Tippman Pro-Lite was one such gun, before it left the assembly line (replaced by the more expensive Pro-Carbine). The gun is currently floating around a number of older web-sites as well as auction sites such as eBay. The Pro-Lite can be purchased for less than a hundred dollars, and functions – whether used as a sniper’s weapon or more in the style of Rambo – as effectively as a $300 retail weapon.

The Pro-Lite looks great, and is built with functionality in mind. The tank, which can be adapted from one size to the next (9 oz, 20 oz, etc.), serves as the weapon’s stalk, and provides a steady force against the user’s shoulder. The gas is carried through the trigger-guard and channeled into the chamber, where it launches paintballs with great speed and devastating accuracy over long distances.

The forward stock of the gun can be shifted forward easily to check for a clean chamber and to solve issues if the ball breaks in the barrel (which happens sometimes, with any gun). The hand-grip is built to resemble and feel like the grip of a .45 pistol, and fits perfectly in most hands.

The hopper sits just to the right of the iron sights, allowing for full accuracy with or without the use of a scope. A very high rate of fire and a high (and adjustable) muzzle velocity sweeten the deal. The ability to face those rich guys with only a modest budget is invaluable, and makes this gun a heaven-sent.

The one complaint that is commonly heard regarding the Pro-Lite is that the stock barrel (or, the barrel shipped with the gun) is too short to be accurate. The truth is that most of the barrel is simply hidden within the rest of the gun. Still, it’s a wise choice to upgrade the barrel to a 16 or 18 inch barrel, especially if the user wishes to snipe his or her opponents from a distance. The CO₂ cartridge should also be upgraded to a 20 oz. container, to most effectively accommodate the idea of the gas chamber becoming the gun’s stock.

The Tipman Pro-Lite rivals any other gun out there, and is offered online at absolutely unbeatable prices.