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What Is Chopping on a Paintball Gun?

Paintballing is a sport in which players hunt their opponents and shoot them with paintballs, which leave a stain, but not serious injury. During the game, a number of technical errors can occur, including chopping. As chopping is a common issue with paintball guns, players must know how to identify and correct it.

The Definition of Chopping
- Chopping is when a paintball is not completely released from the chamber while firing, causing the chamber to close and "chop" the paintball in half. This ruins the shot, because half of the paintball is still trapped in the gun, and it can cause an explosion of paint inside the gun.
The Cause of Chopping
- Chopping is caused when the gun's shooting speed is too high for the paintball to have time to escape the barrel. It can also be caused when the paintball is not completely in the breech before firing. Because half of the paintball is trapped in the feeder tube, one experience with chopping can lead to another.
How to Remedy Chopping
- To stop chopping, decrease the rate of fire of the gun to below 300 feet per second. By decreasing the velocity, the paintball is able to escape the chamber before it closes, meaning the ball does not break until impact, as intended. Changing the hopper to one that feeds into the barrel, rather than one that depends on gravity, can help move the paintball fast enough to avoid chopping.
The Effects of Chopping
- Due to the breaking of the paintball inside the chamber, paint can lodge inside the gun, damaging it. This paint can also expel into the shooter's face, temporarily blinding him or causing injury. The gun must be cleaned out immediately after chopping in order to prevent clogging, and to ensure the paint does not completely dry inside the gun.

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