H - Paintball Terms & Definitions

• Hammer - In most markers the hammer is the part that hits the valve to release the gas that fires the ball. The hammer is part of the marker's action. When released from the cocked position, it strikes the valve assembly, forcing it open and allowing Co2 to pass through from the gas source to the barrel. The hammer is also called "lower bolt" or "striker".
  
  
• Hammer Down - Refers to pulling the trigger. Hammer down can also mean putting paint on a target in an intense manner. Hammer down can also refer to the peppering of a single target with multiple paintballs.
  
  
  
  
• Hammer Sear - is the part of a marker's action holding the hammer in a fixed position, usually under main spring pressure. The trigger pushes against the Hammer Sear when a player compresses it. This releases the Hammer and allows it to strike the valve assembly.
• Harness - is the combination of straps, pouches, and other parts forming the working gear worn by a paintball player to carry paintball pods, Co2, cartridges, tanks, squeegee and anything else he/she requires to play the game of paintball.
  
  
• High Pressure Air (HPA) - High Pressure compressed air (3000 to 4500 psi) is usually used instead of Co2 in tournament paintball. HPA requires specialized high-pressure tanks and regulators, which lower the output pressure that the markers can handle.
  
  
• Hit - is when a paintball takes direct hit from a fired paintball. A hit does not necessarily mean that a player is eliminated from the game, as the ball does not always break.
  
  
  
• Hopper - A container, usually on top of the marker, used to hold paintballs before they are fed into the chamber. A hopper is usually connected to the paintball gun via a feed neck or elbow. Paintballs are placed into the bottle where they are fed via gravity through a hole in the bottom. Some hoppers are motorized to improve feeding, see agitator.
  
  
• Hose - A tube (usually made of plastic or steel) running propellant gas from any one part of the paintball gun to another, or from a propellant tank to the paintgun.
  
  
• Hosing - Repeated rapid firing, typically to pin down an opposing player.
  
  
• Hone - is a tool that is mechanically rotated and has abrasive tip (s) for polishing or enlarging holes to precise dimensions.
• Hard-line - is a solid metal tube, as opposed to plastic or woven, used to transport gas from point to point. Steel, aluminum, copper, and brass are common materials in the manufacture of these hoses. Hard-line hoses are usually classified based on diameter and pressure rating.
  
  
• Honor System - is a code of honor to conform to the rules of paintball, whether the referee is watching or not. Some of the most important rules in the honor system concern player eliminations. When a player knows that he is hit, he is supposed to either call himself out or call for a paint check. In American tournament games a player is expected to call himself out when he is hit by a paintball that breaks on him.
  
  
• Hot Gun - a slang term for a paintball gun shooting over the field's FPS limit, usually over 300 fps.
  
  
• Hydrostatic Test - is a test to a container's wall thickness by measuring its "elastic expansion".