Yeah, the tippmann 98 custom is the way to go. I used to work at a paintball field, and we had these as rentals. I think they actually work better once you run over them with a truck and drop them in the mud. In other words, he won't be able to break it without trying hard. Tough guns. Not good for competing by any means, but an excellent starter gun.

Don't forget a mask too. That is the single most important piece of equipment a paintball player could own. What good is paintball without any eyes? My reccomendation would be the JT Flex 7. Good and fairly cheap, lightweight and breathes easy. Go with the thermal lens if you don't want it to fog up.

If you're getting him a paintball gun, here is my reccomendation of what to get for a first timer setup:

1 tippmann 98 custom
1 hopper (gun may come with it, they usually sell tippmann 98 custom beginner packages)
1 20oz co2 tank
1 JT flex 7 mask

That should be more than enough to get your son set up and ready to play for awhile. If he gets serious into this sport, it could cost a lot of money, but hey, isn't that what dads are for :rasta:

I need to get back into paintball, its been years. My last gun I owned was a 2k2 Impulse with the cricket board with an eye, a halo b, and a 68c/3k tank, with lots of little upgrades and shit to the gun. I loved it. I could hammer away at a nice 14-16 bps all day long. Played a few 3 man tournaments, never got 1st though. Man I miss that shit, got too broke to play lol.

Oh yeah, maybe some gloves too, getting shot in the fingers, especially in the winter, hurts like a bitch. Tell him to wear loose clothing too, you'll get more bounces (non-breaking hits) than if you're wearing something that fits well.