Anti-Jam Mechanisms

Feed jams occur when paintballs or fragments obstruct the path between the loader body and the breech, preventing further movement in the stack. Common contributors include irregular shell dimensions, partially broken paintballs, and local packing arrangements that create wedged or bridged structures inside the feedneck or outlet region. Once a jam is present, continued drive force without relief can intensify deformation and impede flow.

To address this, many loaders incorporate anti jam mechanisms that adjust how the drive components move under resistance. Some systems use reversible motors that momentarily rotate the drive cone or belt backward when a torque threshold is reached, allowing paintballs to reposition. Others employ oscillating pulsed motion rather than continuous rotation to avoid locking balls into static contact patterns.

Mechanical design also supports anti jam behavior through flexible paddles, tapered outlets, and internal surfaces that minimize sharp transitions or constrictions. Together, these features are described as anti jam mechanisms because they operate to reduce the likelihood of a persistent obstruction and to restore a functional feed stack when disruptions occur.