Most paintball enthusiasts would agree that Smart Parts is one of the top companies in the world that manufacture high quality of paintball markers. They are famous for their reliable and durable low priced products.

The Ion paintball gun is an electropneumatic marker introduced and manufactured by Smart Parts. At the time of its release, most electropneumatic markers are too expensive for common players to afford. This model became suddenly popular not only of its low price but because of its high rate of fire.

If you will look at the gun, one would notice that it is quite simple. What makes it different and unique is that you can modify its body shell. This is one feature that was introduced by this model – the interchangeable body. A player has the option to choose from the 4 available colors and color combinations. These are red and black, yellow and black, blue and black and just plain black. The marker is initially made from aluminum. The interchangeable bodies are made from high quality composite material which gives the gun a plastic look. It essentially protects the marker’s body from unwanted scratches and fading.

The Ion is quite light weighing only 2 lbs and 2 oz making it easier to control. Without the barrel, it has a length of 8.5 inches. Also, it comes with a 12-inch barrel, .45 grip, a two finger trigger, vertical feed and a low pressure regulator. You can choose from one of the four firing modes to suit your game play. These are the semiautomatic and rebound mode, which give a maximum firing rate of 17 bps, and the full automatic and three shot burst with 10 bps firing rate.

Features. This paintball gun has a low operating pressure of 140 to 200 psi using HPA or CO2 allowing the gun to perform 1000-1400 shots with 68 cubic inch, 4500 psi tank. The Ion also uses a break-beam vision trigger pivot that almost eliminates chopping.

The Smart Parts Ion uses a 9 volt battery which is almost always available in the market. The package does not have its own battery charger so you can either buy one or buy several extra batteries. With this voltage, it enables the marker to shot of about 15,000.

What makes Ion paintball gun good? First, it is easy to control and maneuver because of its light weight. It is easy to handle and control which of course can enhance your performance in the battle field. Another good thing with the Ion is its stock barrel. It can be considered as one of the best stock barrels ever released. If you are planning to upgrade your Ion, this will be the last thing you need to change. Its break-beam is also good, as well as its regulator. Customizing your trigger is one of the best features introduced by the Ion. Most paintball gun triggers needs an experienced and skilled player to adjust it. In Ion, it is just a matter or turning a few screws. A low cost gun with an outstanding performance – that what makes this marker popular and worth investing.

Disadvantages. As the first model, there are also some downsides. The on/off button is quite difficult to push that sometimes you cannot even tell whether you have it on or not. Second, using CO2 is not recommended at all as it tends to freeze the gun that can damage its internals and electronics. For this gun, it is better to use compressed air. This gun also uses the o-rings rather than the clamping feed neck to secure the hopper, which is not versatile or effective at all. This model was introduced in the market in 2005. The Ion XE was later introduced on 2007, an improved version of the Ion to give paintball players more satisfaction.

You love to play paintball and want to target your opponents with wonderful equipments that make you effective and efficient as you play the game. You have ion paintball gun for this purpose. Or you may want to try ion xe.