The Complete Handbook of Paintball Gun Drop Forwards

Chapter 1: Understanding Paintball Gun Drop Forwards

The Problem a Drop Forward Solves

Hold a typical paintball marker without a drop forward. The air tank screws directly into the bottom of the grip frame, in line with the trigger and the bolt. The center of the tank's length is well below the center line of the barrel. This arrangement has a significant consequence: the combined center of gravity of the marker and tank sits low and relatively far forward. To bring the marker up to your shoulder and keep it level, your support hand and your trigger-hand wrist must constantly apply an upward and backward force. On a long walk between game fields or during a match that lasts more than a few minutes, that constant correction translates directly into muscle fatigue in the forearms, shoulders, and back. A fatigued player is a slower player, and a slower player is an easier target.

A paintball gun drop forward, often called just a "drop" or "drop forward," is a component that repositions the tank mounting point. It is a machined block of aluminum (or occasionally another material) that bolts to the bottom of the marker's grip frame and provides a new female threaded hole to receive the tank's male regulator. The critical feature is that this new hole is not in the same position as the original one. It is moved back, down, or a combination of both, relative to the grip frame. This relocation is the entire point of the