What is the best paintball shotgun? The best paintball shotgun is the Umarex T4E TX 68. The TX 68 is a pump-action .68 caliber marker with a 16-round internal magazine, and it runs on two 12-gram CO2 cartridges stored in the stock. It shoots standard .68 caliber paintballs, so field paint fits.
Paintball Shotguns Compared
| Shotgun | Action | Capacity | Power Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umarex T4E TX 68 | Pump | 16 rounds | Two 12-gram CO2 cartridges |
| Umarex T4E TS 68 Gen 2 | Double barrel | 2 rounds | 12-gram CO2 |
| Umarex T4E TB 68 | Magazine fed, single barrel | 16 rounds | One 12-gram CO2 cartridge |
A paintball shotgun does not fire a spread of pellets. Each trigger pull fires one .68 caliber paintball per barrel. The appeal is the format: a pump stroke or a break-open reload instead of a hopper and a tank.
1. Umarex T4E TX 68
The TX 68 is the most practical shotgun-style marker for actual games. The internal magazine holds 16 paintballs, and each pump stroke loads the next round. Two 12-gram CO2 cartridges sit inside the stock, so there is no tank or remote line to manage.
Pros
- 16 rounds before a reload, the most of any shotgun-style marker here
- Pump action forces shot discipline and conserves paint
- No hopper, so the profile stays low behind cover
- Fires .68 caliber paint, rubber, and powder balls
Cons
- Reloading the internal magazine takes longer than swapping a pod into a hopper
- 12-gram cartridges cost more per shot than a refillable HPA tank
- Rate of fire is limited by the pump
Buy the TX 68 if you want a self-contained marker for scenario games, backyard play, or pump-only rounds. Players who enjoy it often move on to the dedicated markers in our best pump paintball guns guide.
2. Umarex T4E TS 68 Gen 2
The TS 68 Gen 2 is a double-barrel marker. It holds two .68 caliber rounds, one per barrel, and lets you fire either barrel on its own or both at the same time. Two shots is a hard limit, so the TS 68 is a novelty and close-range marker.
Pros
- Fires one barrel or both together
- Short and light, easy to carry as a secondary
- Simple mechanism with very little to maintain
Cons
- Two rounds per load
- Slow reload compared with any magazine or hopper marker
- Not competitive as a primary marker
Buy the TS 68 as a backup for close-quarters scenario play or for the fun of the format. Do not buy it as your only marker. A magazine-fed sidearm from our best paintball pistols guide holds more paint in a smaller package.
3. Umarex T4E TB 68
The TB 68 is a compact single-barrel marker with a 16-round internal magazine and one 12-gram CO2 cartridge in the grip. It is sold as a shotgun-style marker, and it trades the TX 68’s pump stroke for a smaller package.
Pros
- 16-round capacity in a compact body
- One CO2 cartridge keeps weight down
- Fires .68 caliber paint, rubber, and powder balls
Cons
- A single 12-gram cartridge gives fewer shots than the TX 68’s two
- Lower velocity than a full-size marker shortens effective range
- Few aftermarket parts
Are Paintball Shotguns Allowed at Fields?
Field rules decide this, not the marker. Ask the field these three questions before you bring one:
- Do you allow outside markers that use 12-gram CO2? Most do.
- What is the velocity limit? Most fields cap velocity at 280 to 300 feet per second. Every marker must pass the chronograph. See how to chrono a paintball gun.
- Is the field paint .68 caliber? All three markers here need .68 caliber paint.
Umarex sells higher-energy “home defense” versions of these markers under HD model names. Those versions are not built for player-versus-player games and will fail a field chronograph. Buy the T4E training versions listed here for paintball.
Shotgun vs Pump Marker
| Paintball Shotgun | Pump Marker | |
|---|---|---|
| Feed | Internal magazine or barrels | Hopper or stick feed |
| Air | 12-gram CO2 | Refillable HPA or CO2 tank |
| Capacity | 2 to 16 rounds | 10 to 200 rounds |
| Accuracy | Short barrels, short range | Longer barrels, better consistency |
| Best use | Scenario, backyard, novelty | Field play, pump tournaments |
A pump marker is the better choice for regular field play because a tank and a hopper give more shots at a lower cost per shot. A shotgun-style marker is the better choice when you want one self-contained piece of equipment.
What Else You Need
- A rated mask. No marker is safe without one. See the best paintball masks.
- 12-gram CO2 cartridges. Buy them in bulk. You will use several per session.
- A barrel cover. Fields require one in every safe zone.
- Paint that fits. Fresh .68 caliber paintballs feed more reliably in internal magazines. See the best paintballs.
Paintball Shotgun FAQ
Do paintball shotguns shoot multiple paintballs at once?
Most do not. A pump-action paintball shotgun fires one paintball per trigger pull. A double-barrel model like the T4E TS 68 Gen 2 fires two paintballs at once when both barrels are fired together.
What caliber is a paintball shotgun?
The Umarex T4E shotgun-style markers are .68 caliber, which is the standard paintball size sold at most fields.
Are paintball shotguns good for beginners?
A paintball shotgun is a poor first marker for field play because of its low capacity and CO2 cost. Beginners get more value from the markers in our best paintball guns for beginners guide.
