Which paintball rifle is best? (T15 vs EMF100 vs Scout)
Do you want to snipe from the back? Check out our First Strike Scout video review.
Do you want to rush to the front? Check out our Planet Eclipse EMF100 video review.
Do you want an all-rounder? Check out our First Strike T15 video review.
Choosing the best paintball rifle is not an easy task, there are a lot of great options out there. Today we are comparing these three great rifles - First Strike T15 versus Planet Eclipse EMF100 versus First Strike Scout. Which one is the best one? It all comes down to what style of paintball you prefer playing. Each paintball marker suits a different scenario, so hopefully at the end of this blog post you will have a better idea which rifle is right for you.
Starting off with weight and build quality, the T15 is the heaviest while the EMF100 is the lightest because it's made of glass reinforced nylon. Overall, all 3 rifles are well made and durable so it either gun should last you a long time.
First Strike T15 Paintball Rifle
We were impressed with the First Strike T15 and how consistent it was. We used First Strike rounds which are half paintball, half shuttlecock projectiles. They tend to fly further and straighter compared to paintball rounds.
The T15 can take a lot of real steel AR accessories such as hand guards, scopes and etc. The rifle takes the updated T15 V2 magazines, similarly to the Scout. Despite the rifles sharing mags, they have completely different technology inside.
The stock barrel of the First Strike T15 is surprisingly good. Often stock barrels are mediocre so if you want to upgrade a rifle, usually getting a high quality barrel is one of the best things you can buy.
In the box you get a decent amount of accessories including two magazines and a First Strike 13ci air tank which comes with a top-notch regulator. If you were in the market for a 13ci tank then this is the one to go for. It’s great to see that First Strike have included a high quality air tank as standard with the T15.
Planet Eclipse EMF100 Paintball Rifle
Going onto the EMF100 now, it doesn’t come with a lot of accessories so we added a PWR buttstock and the 13ci Cadet air tank (the one that comes as standard on the T15!) We like the PWR stock because it can be quickly adjusted and it allows you to sight down the marker, aiding your aiming.
Planet Eclipse’s EMF100 feel light in the hands so you won’t get tired holding the rifles for long periods of time, especially if you have to cover a long distance whilst playing a paintball game.
The EMF100 takes the Dye Dam style magazine. By standard it is a dual stack mag holding 2 sets of 10 rounds which means after 10 shots you have to take the mag out and flip it. This style feels a bit outdated in our opinion.
Fortunately both Planet Eclipse and FID have developed 20 round continuous mags - the CF20 mag and the FID EMF100 mag. We recommend getting a couple of continuous mags because it will save you faffing around flipping magazines.
The EMF100 comes with a big baggy barrel which is designed to shoot everything. On one hand this is good, but on the other shooting First Strike rounds is inconsistent, especially compared to the T15.
If consistency and accuracy are important for you then definitely get a First Strike barrel for the EMF like the Lapco Bigshot .683 barrel. It shot lasers beams, we were quite impressed with its consistency.
If you want to shoot round projectiles then it is worth investing in a DeadlyWind Fibur barrel like the Fibur X8 that takes Freak inserts.
Planet Eclipse have designed a fantastic ASA system that comes with most of their paintball markers. You push it in the on position, that fills the system with air and you ready to shoot. Then if you press the side of the ASA system, that purges the air out of the rifle and the valve indicator pops out. This way the gun is definitely not going to fire which from a safety point is a great feature.
Talking about Air Source Adapters, if you want to drop down the air tanks of either the T15 or the Scout, then you can use the Universal Drop Down ASA. Having the tank slightly lowered allows you to sight down the marker and helps with aiming.
First Strike Scout Bolt-Action Paintball Rifle
Last but not least, let’s have a look at the First Strike Scout rifle. This is sit at the back bolt action rifle. If you like to run at the front then this is not the gun for you. The Scout is advertised as a sniper paintball rifle and we noticed that the close bolt system provided solid consistency.
The stock barrel of the First Strike Scout was good, similar to the T15 but slightly better. You can improve the accuracy with a Lapco .686 barrel if you wanted to upgrade your paintball rifle. That barrel fits the T15 as well and. Even though the Scout and T15 have different internals, you can use the same barrels interchangeably.
Another great feature of the Scout is that it comes with the 13ci Cadet tank, just like the T15. That’s great because as we mentioned earlier, the First Strike’s air tank is superb, oner of the best on the market.
Conclusion:
Now the hard part of this comparison… which rifle to should you choose? It’s like asking someone to pick their favourite child. It depends a lot on your situation and style of play.
If you like hanging in the back, sniping people or targets then the First Strike Scout is the better option. You have more accuracy but the bolt action system will slow you down between shots, but if you’re after a sniper rifle then get the Scout.
If you want to be a front runner and you aren’t concerned that your paintball marker doesn’t look like an actual gun replica, then the EMF100 is the better option. If you are fit and enjoy running into the action then this rifle from Planet Eclipse will do a brilliant job.
If you want an all-rounder that comes with everything in the box then the First Strike T15 is the better option. It resembles the AR15 gun and you can fit real steel accessories. The T15 is one of the better looking paintball rifles on the market but at the same time is an accurate and consistent marker.
If budget is not an issue then all three rifles are worth buying but if you can afford only 1 then have a think about your paintball play style. Once you know that, then it will be easier to choose the right rifle to compliment your play style!
