Charles Gaines, a writer and avid outdoorsman, and Hayes Noel, a Wall Street broker and city-dweller, had many drunken arguments as best friends do. A frequent argument that occurred was could a city person survive in the woods when facing a seasoned hunter? After the argument came up enough times, Charles, Hayes, and a few friends decided to settle the argument by having the first paintball game in the woods of New Hampshire in 1981.

The First Paintball Marker

Before paintball markers were present at paintball fields in NJ and all over the internet, paintball markers were a failed invention by Charles Nelson of the Nelson Paint Company. The idea for the invention came about by coming up with a way to mark trees that needed to be cut down more effectively. Nelson designed many iterations of the first paintball marker in the early 1960s through to the 1970s. After failed manufacturing partnerships and a lack of belief in the invention, the first paintball marker produced at scale was the Nel-Spot 007 by Nelson and Daisy, a BB gun company.

The Nel-Spot 007 was primitive for its time. The marker had to be recocked every time and could only fire up to 12 paintballs before needing more air. However, the style is still popular today with pump action paintball markers.

The First Paintball Company

Bob Gurnsey, a person in Nelson’s friend group, wrote the rules for the first organized paintball game, which was very similar to capture the flag… with paintball markers of course. After his friend group settled the debate and had the first organized paintball game, Guernsey went on to start the first paintball company. He titled the company the National Survival Game Company. He partnered up with Nelson and started making a profit by setting up paintball fields around the country and selling gear.

Over time, new technology and rival companies appeared very quickly. Air cartridges on markers were replaced with air tanks that could hold much more air. Paintballs themselves were evolving as well. Paintballs switched from an oil base to vegetable oil and gelatin in the 80s that is still used today. Markers continue to evolve throughout the years. Today, paintball markers incorporate all kinds of technology that allow for different firing speeds, trigger sensitivity, and much more. Due to the rate of fire increasing, magazines were largely swapped out for hoppers that could hold a way higher amount of paintballs.

However, many players still prefer the old style of markers and can be seen used commonly today. Pump action paintball markers are still very popular and offer up a new challenge for players. Magfed & mil-sim paintball communities sprang up across fields all over the country that still utilize the magazine system to emulate a more realistic experience.

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