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Do Paintballs Expire?

35K views 19 replies 18 participants last post by  digerstrike 
#1 ·
I went into a sporting goods store and I asked a guy for some diablo paintballs after he got them for me he said it was probly to coold to go put and play and I told him I was just getting them Incase I needed them. The He told me I should use them within the next tree months because that was the shelf life on all paintballs. I had never heard of paintballs having a three month shelf life so I was wondering if it was true.
 
#6 ·
Ya, if you have them cleaned either by yourself, or by a pro shop(they do it free), they will last longer. If you keep them in decent conditions they last longer.

If it gets too hot or cold, they sweat, and dimples come out.
 
#7 ·
Well the problem w/ keeping paintballs over a long time is...

The fill itself starts to seperate.

The shell starts to absorb ANY moisture

the paintballs swell

they are prone to getting crushed easier, and bounce like crazy

and they don't shoot good ne more



i don't like storing paintballs for a long time, if i do use old paint, it's just shooting at the tree's in the backyard.
 
#9 ·
like when im done playing for a day, i might have a bag with like 100 balls left, or a pod of paint i never shot, and ill just keep all these untill i get a decent amount, and then go play with all that crap paint

it usually shoots pretty decently, i just get lots of bounces
 
#11 ·
i had a box of 2,000 zap paintballs, got em last christmas as a present...i just used them yesterday and they worked fine.
 
#14 ·
I usually try to shoot my extra paint off within a month or 2 but its all up to you wether you want to use old paintballs or fresh ones....
 
#15 ·
i can never keep paint for too long, cause i end up shooting it in my backyard... i need a video camera...


But, the best place to keep paint is in a cooler... on hot days or cold days, i stick my paint in a cooler, on cold days, i usual have a heating pad on the bottom, then a towel, then my paint,
 
#17 ·
IF you have an open bag of balls, buy some bef jerkey, eat the jerkey adn take teh silica gel packet (or get it from payless.. Just open the boxes and tkae it out) and put it in teh bag.

The gel will absorb moisture. Put it in another airtight bag, and theres no more moisture. yay.
 
#18 ·
Do Paintballs expire

First, paintballs are water based paint. The shell of the ball is a water based gelatin-like plastic. The paint washes out of your clothing with water and soap, though some colors may stain some fabric.

Silica-gel packs absorb moisture and among other uses keep thing like foods and pills from getting sticky/soggy from moisture in the air that may get into the packaging. Silica-gel does not help preserve paintballs. It causes them to lose moisture and the shells get hard to the point that they no longer break on impact in normal use.

Over time even in their plastic bags or jars they dry-out and become much less likely to break properly. Paintballs kept in their original sealed packaging and refrigerated will last for a year, in my experience. Refrigerated paintballs also tend not to dimple. Test for proper breaking by shooting at a cardboard box. If all paint you shoot doesn't break, toss the rest in the trash.

Paintballs that become slightly wet in storage are losing moisture. They are likely becoming smaller in size. Wipe clean and test them. If they break dependably, use 'em. Note, as some shells dry some brands I have used pass through a stage where they become more fragile and tend to break more easily in the feed or in the barrel.
 
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