S

Safety: 1. n. The number one priority on a paintball field! No one should be getting hurt! 2. n. A switch or lever which prevents the trigger from engaging the firing mechanism. A safety is not a substitute for a barrel sock.

Scenario game: n. A paintball game based upon a story backdrop. Points are often awarded for not only flag capture, but also for eliminations of key figures. More important players, such as generals or other officers, are typically worth more points when eliminated. Some games include treasure that can be both accumulated and stolen by the other team. Some games include free lance players who do not work for either team. Games are typically non-stop and last for 6 to 24 hours straight. Participants are re-inserted (or re-spawned) after elimination based upon certain conditions.

Sear: n. The lip or piece of metal located on or near the bolt that catches and holds the bolt in the ready position. Upon pulling of the trigger, the sear is lowered and either the bolt moves forward and fires in an open bolt gun or the bolt fires then moves back in a closed bolt gun, after which it returns back into its former locked position.

Semi-automatic: 1. adj. Describes a paintgun that will fire one and only one paintball each time the trigger is pulled, without manually recocking the gun between trigger pulls. 2. n. A paintgun capable of semi-automatic fire.

Shootdown: n. When propellant gas is not flowing into a paintgun fast enough and the gun experiences progressively deteriorating muzzle velocity with each successive shot. This is primarily a problem afflicting CO2, but can happen to HPA systems as well.

Short stroke: 1. v. When the bolt does not return fully rearward and a paintball only partially enters the breech before the bolt moves forward again. This results in the paintball being pinched and breaking in the breech- see chopping. This most typically occurs in closed bolt markers when the trigger is not pulled completely. This can also occur in a marker when there is insufficient air pressure to fully move the bolt back to an open position, such as an air pressure drop resulting from rapid fire or an almost empty air tank. It is also possible to short stroke so badly that the paintball doesn’t even have time to fall far enough to chop, and all that happens is that propellant is expended and the gun cycles and makes noise. 2. n. A single functional cycle of a paintgun that results in short stroking.

Slide check: n. A device on some remote lines that allows a player to disconnect the remote line from the paintgun without depressurizing it. This allows for easy maintenance in the field.

Sight: 1. n. Anything on a paintball gun that enhances or assists aiming. 2. v. To utilize a sight.

Snap shot: n. A shot made by snap shooting. Can also be used to describe any shot that is made swiftly, without aiming.

Snap shoot: v. Term for when a player pops out of a bunker, quickly fires a few rounds and returns to behind the safety of the bunker, hopefully before he is hit by return fire.

Snow: n. When a CO2 powered paintgun accidentally feeds liquid CO2 instead of gas sometimes a white cloud composed of flakes of CO2 and frozen water will be ejected from the barrel. This is snow.

solenoid- A current-carrying coil of wire that acts like a magnet when a current passes through it. Electronic markers use a magnet to actuate the firing mechanism. Using a solenoid allows for rates of fire much higher than possible with simple mechanics.

Speedball: n. Essentially, a game played on a smaller field with a shorter time limit than a woodsball game. Typically, speedball fields have little or no vegetation and little or no opportunity to hide, though they are covered with obvious bunkers. Speedball games are characterized by very fast and aggressive play, and players typically wear colorful uniforms.

Splatter: 1. v. Said of a paintball, to fragment and fly into a spray after hitting an object. 2. v. To hit a target with such a spray of paint. This happens, for instance, when the paintball strikes a twig or bunker before striking the target. 3. n. The resultant diffuse small droplets marking a player after he has been splattered. Splatter does not eliminate a player, as opposed to a splotch, which does.

Splotch: n. A large paint mark left on a player after being struck by a paintball that breaks, thus eliminating the player. As a rule of thumb, and mark larger than a quarter is considered a splotch, not splatter.

Spotter: n. A paintball player who's role is to act as the eyes and ears for other paintball players, rather than to engage opponents.

Spray and pray: v. (slang.) Trying to eliminate an opponent by firing a large volume of paint without really aiming.

Squad: A small group of players, usually a team or subgroup of a team, working together towards a common goal.

Squeegee: n. Any of a number of devices designed to clean out paint residue from the inside of barrel. A squeegee is crucial when a ball breaks in your barrel.

Staging: Where players go when not in play (either between games or because they’ve been eliminated). Typically, only place where players can take off their masks during play.

Steel-braided hose: n. A hose made of fine steel wire braided around a smaller plastic hose. Its flexibility makes it less susceptible to impact and puncture damage than hard-lines, and yet is more durable than plastic hoses.. It is heavy and bulky relative to other options. Steel-braid hose is usually classified based on its diameter and pressure rating.

Striker: n. See hammer.

Stock: 1. n. A shoulder brace attached to the gun allowing better accuracy and stability for the shooter. See also gas-through stock. 2. adj. Paintgun referred to as in factory configuration. 3. adj. A class of pump paintguns using 12 gram CO2 cartridges and with limited paint capacity. 4. adj. A style of play using stock class pump paintguns.

Sup'air: n. A type of speedball played using inflatable bunkers. Most Sup’air fields are symmetrical so that neither team has an advantage. The inflatable bunkers are also easy to move around for different configurations between game days. Since tournament rules now require symmetrical fields and that the field configuration be different than normal to prevent a local team advantage, Sup’air fields are now the number one choice for tournaments.

Suppress: v. To keep an opponent from acting effectively by firing at him (or his bunker) constantly. The idea is to make the other player afraid to come out from behind cover to fire for fear that he will be immediately eliminated. This can be harder than it sounds when your opponent is an experienced player.

Surrender: v. To eliminate yourself from the game without being marked with paint. Many fields require that you call for an opponent’s surrender if you are very close (the exact distance varies by between fields) in an attempt to prevent painful close-range hits. Of course, your opponent may choose not to surrender and instead fight it out. Some fields actually require a player to surrender in some circumstances- for instance if challenged to surrender within the specified distance, or if an opposing player touches the bunker you are hiding behind. Generally, there is no surrender rule at tournaments.

Sweet-spot: 1. v. The action of finding a certain amount of pressure on a response trigger to "bounce" the trigger off your finger and simulate full-auto fire. 2. n. A very small path or opening through a bunker or other cover through which a player can be eliminated.

Sweet Spotting: Shooting from the moment of breakout to eliminate people immediately.