These are the questions that you need to ask yourself before you dive in and buy your own gun. Researching and talking to people about what guns have a good reputation is a great way to gain insight in a world that is new to you.
If you are a person that loves the game and can see yourself partaking in it often than you might spend a lot of money to customize and upgrade your gun. However, if you are semi serious and are not going to have this hobby take over your life than you should be looking to spend under $200 on a quality gun that will last and give you little issues on the playing field.
If you are going to play consistently you do not want to go real cheap because as with everything you get what you pay for. Dropping a hundred dollars on a gun will give you the opportunity to play but you might need to replace or repair it soon after you buy it so then it does not remain a cheap venture.
It does not matter what sport or hobby you participate in they are all going to cost money at some point. So getting a durable paintball gun that is going to hold up will be the most cost effective strategy you can think of. $200 dollars is kind of a lot of money but if you play paintball and use the gun frequently you will certainly get your money's worth.
Spyder is a very well known referred paintball gun and if you have played before there was most likely someone on the field carrying a gun made by this manufacturer. Spyder is known for making quality paintball guns at a reasonable price and should be considered if you are not clear on what kind of paintball gun to buy.
Tippmann is another well know brand that delivers great results on the game field and has proven to be a quality product for paintballers everywhere. Choosing a name brand gun with great history and customer feedback will be the best course of action to take if there are any doubts in your head as to which gun to spend your money on.
When you are buying anything there needs to be some knowledge on the subject before you drop any considerable amounts of money. A paintball gun can get expensive real fast if you are suckered by a salesman who sees you as a pigeon and you should take extreme caution when in the market. If you know a little bit or even quite a bit you can avert upgrades and options that are not necessary for someone playing paintball as a hobby and nothing more.