Paintball Handles

Custom pump handles for paintball markers was the first product designed for Beantown Paintball. It came to me one day after playing paintball. The handle on my marker was not made for me and it was causing issues. It was far too small for my hand and caused me to hold it at an uncomfortable angle while playing.

After researching alternative options, I noticed a trend in all pump paintball markers. Every marker came with its own handle, but the handles on every marker were different in their design and ergonomics. On top of that, the chances of the mounting mechanisms for each marker being different was very high. In conclusion you couldn’t swap handles between markers, which would determine the player’s marker preference.

Around the same time I had bought my first 3D printer, so it seemed like a no brainer to explore design opportunities with the pump markers. With 3D printing I could quickly and cost effectively produce products with slight variations, but I had to keep the limitations of 3D printing in mind as well. Limitations such as overhangs and complex angles that would make the print complex, weak and increase production time.

I saw a product opportunity in designing various pump handles that are supported by multiple brands of paintball markers. the first step was to sketch and ideate. I took inspiration from other popular handles and from similar markets such as firearms.

After coming up with a few designs came the hard part, making these sketches manufacturable. 3D printed parts can be strong but they don’t hold up well when you need to insert screws into it. All paintball markers I researched used some sort of threading to secure the handle. To solve this issue I designed the handles to take threaded brass heat inserts. Anywhere a screw is needed, there will be metal threads melted into the part.

The next challenge was to make one design fit multiple markers. The most common method was to screw the handle onto a plate that is connected to the rest of the marker. Some markers like the Bob Long MVP have a unique method of mounting one bar across the top of the handle. Left photo being the more common mounting plate. Right being the MVP mounting bar.

The final product is currently two different style handles that can be purchased for four different paintball markers. These numbers are constantly increasing as I get access to more and more markers to dimension.