by Joshua D. Silverman
Exclusively for ScenarioSource.com

If trees are your best friends when paintballs are shot in your direction, it's more than likely that you're familiar with the Tippmann A5. For years the flagship of the Tippmann product line and only recently dethroned by the X7, the A5 has proven itself a successful, reliable, versatile and effective paint shooting machine in games from Carolina to California, and shows no signs of age. Used by weekend enthusiasts and serious scenario and tactical players alike, the Tippmann A5 is an excellent paintgun offering solid all-around performance at an affordable price.

Available in basic black and, originally a Realtree camo that has recently given way to an attractive digital camouflage, the A5 is constructed of durable and lightweight aluminum and composite put together in a package that strongly resembles a real firearm, the H&K MP5 submachine gun. In fact, the A5 was one of the original production-line manufactured, realistic-looking paintball guns, a design choice that has been very successful for both Tippmann and its envious emulators.



Standard with a comfortable euro-grip pistol grip with a smooth single trigger and standard bottom line air adapter, the A5 uses barrel threads leftover from one of its predecessors, the Pro-Lite. Most recognized for its unique, high-performance Cyclone feed system, a high speed, air-driven feeder that slings each ball into the breech for firing using blowback air, the A5 can shoot fast without skipping a beat, and saves the owner the added expense of a motorized hopper as their skill and rate of fire progress. Another great feature of the A5 is the ease with which it is dismantled, requiring only the removal of a few push-pins, rather than the arduous tearing down of two clamshell halves held together with screws as is the process with its brother, the 98 Custom.

An absolute myriad of A5 upgrades and accessories are available from Tippmann and numerous other manufacturers that do everything from help the gun shoot faster to look absolutely mean. Aftermarket barrels, both standard and Flatline (for added range), are plentiful, as are shoulder stocks of all types. Reactive and electronic trigger kits are made, as are low-pressure kits and faux magazine kits that help add to the military look and feel of the A5. However, the standard A5 is a competent machine, requiring little more than a decent-sized CO2 tank and some paintballs to get the user off and running.



Out of the box users will find the stock A5 reasonably light and able to deliver around 750 shots or more per 20 ounce CO2 tank. Thanks to Tippmann's extensive experience, operation in even hot and cold extreme weather is solid. The Cyclone feed easily keeps up with even the fastest shooters, so much so that Tippmann has offered it for sale as an upgrade for their 98 and offer it stanard on the X7. Comfortable in the hand and extremely reliable, only needing a few drops of oil and a wiping down to remain functional for years on-end, the A5 will support both recreational gamers and serious scenario competitors with equal ability. The most urgently needed upgrade for any A5 is an aftermarket barrel, as the stock model is short, loud and not expertly honed.

Yet another in a long line of Tippmann success stories, the A5 is an excellent all-around paintgun, with a plethora of upgrades available, a long-standing company supporting it and paintball stores and fields everywhere stocking it.