In the $100-$300 range I'd suggest either a Tippman or a Spyder. I hear a lot of people complaining about Spyders, as you've already seen. If you do plan on getting a Spyder, or any new gun for that matter, read up on the type you're getting on paintball.com forums, etc. It's better to spend an extra $30 to get a better upgradable gun.
Gun maintenance:
If you want your gun to live a long time you should take care of it right? Would you drive your car 30,000 miles without oil? Doubt it. You should treat your gun the same way. You should buy a bottle of paintball oil from
paintballgear.com,
paintballgateway.com, etc. and read up on how to clean and oil it @
ottersccustoms.com.
General Upgrades:
CO2 used for paintballguns is in a liquid state in the tank. So when you fire your gun the liquid has to turn into a gas while entering the gun and this could cause fluctuations in pressure. This is why it's good to get a bottom line and expansion chamber if the gun doesn't already have one. A bottom line is basically a steel-braided hose that runs from your gun to the handle and you screw your tank in under the handle instead of directly into the gun.
An expansion chamber is exactly what it says. It is a chamber that lets the CO2 expand into a gas if it hasn't already before it enters the gun. Expansion chambers connect to the bottom line right before it connect to the gun. This creates a "foregrip" for the user to hold.
Also: a pressure regulator can help prevent spikes in your guns operating pressure. An Anti-siphon tank helps as well, as it prevents liquid CO2 from exiting the bottle. The regulator and anti-siphon tank really won't show much difference unless you play in a hot ass region so save your money.
Barrels:
One of the best upgrades you can get for your marker is a new barrel. Most of the stock barrels are loud, tend to break balls, and generally aren't very accurate compared to aftermarket ones. Some of the better barrels you can buy are Smart Parts, Lapco, Dye, and the Flatline barrels for Tippmans.
Mask:
This is by far THE BEST thing you can replace. Most newbie masks are single lenses, flemsy rubber, and don't circulate air well. Thermal lenses are double paned, like the windows in your house. This prevents them from fogging up as easily. Thus you won't have to be stupid and remove your goggles during a game to clean them resulting in any unnecessary injuries. Some of the favorite goggle brands among paintballers are Dye and V-Force.
I hope that covers most of the general stuff you need to might want to know about paintball crap. If there's anything I left out, PM me or email me @
[email protected] :-p
Toodles Poodles