The Tippmann 98 Custom Pro
Is this the Best Tippmann Ever?

When legendary manufacturer Tippmann Pneumatics (now Tippmann Sports) brought the Model 98 paintball gun to market in the late nineties, there were many in the industry who worried it might be folly. After all, from the SL-68 and SMG-60 to the Pro-Am and Pro-Lite, Tippmann had always made their paintball guns in a similar, rifle-like configuration with a grip frame mounted to a receiver. The Model 98, with its “clamshell” two-piece body design and unique, Tommy-gun look thanks to its vertical fore grip, was in the eyes of many industrialists a complete departure from what had brought Tippmann to the forefront of the game. However, Tippmann’s commitment to reliability and solid all-around performance won out and the Model 98 has since become one of the most successful paintball guns in the history of paintball. The latest incarnation of the Model 98, the Custom Pro, adds form and improved function to what was already an unqualified success.

The Tippmann Custom Pro builds on the already wildly successful Tippmann platform, the 98 Custom, which is one of the most popular paintball guns in the world. Used around the globe as the backbone of rental fleets at top fields and as the weapon of choice for untold thousands of players including competitive team Tippmann Effect, the 98 Custom has a proven track record. A sturdy, clamshell design practically impervious to damage or dirt, the 98 Custom is the most reliable paintball gun in current manufacture. Add to this the versatility and consistency of Tippmann’s valve system, a light, efficient trigger pull and ease-of-maintenance and you have an impressive package, all available at barely over one hundred dollars. The Custom Pro only adds to this impressive list of performance.

Adding a longer, improved barrel to the Custom, along with a standard double trigger system and drop forward, the Custom Pro is available in numerous models, including a standard semiautomatic, a model standard with the top-selling Reactive Trigger system that makes any Tippman a formidable machine gun and an electronic trigger model with various firing modes that is as fast as it is reliable. Colors available include a heavy, subdued black and a gorgeous Realtree camouflage. Tippmann-manufactured accessories for the Custom Pro and 98 Custom line include longer, better barrels, the aforementioned RT and electronic kits, Flatline barrels for increased range, expansion chamber and regulator kits, Cyclone feed systems, shoulder stocks and more.



On the field the Tippmann Custom Pro is an excellent paintgun in its stock form. Adding a large CO2 tank to provide plenty of shots (approaching 1,000 with a full twenty-ounce) and motorized hopper, the Custom Pro is able to shoot fast thanks to its double trigger and deliver shots with acceptable accuracy at all ranges thanks to its longer, muzzle ported barrel. The new drop forward, though adding height to the paintgun, helps younger or shorter-armed players handle the lengthy Custom, and improves its balance. Even with the added longer barrel and drop forward, the Custom Pro still manages to remain relatively light, though it is one of the longer paintball guns on the market. None of the additions to the Custom Pro diminish its reliability.

In hot and cold weather, with CO2, the Custom Pro, like the rest of the Tippmann line, performed well. Adding upgrades like an RT kit or electronic kit vastly increase rate of fire to the double digits per second and either a motorize hopper or Tippmann Cyclone feed drastically reduce ball breaks, chops and misfeeds. Accessories like shoulder stocks, M-16 or AK-47 barrels and other pieces create an aggressive-looking, high performance package that will turn heads on the scenario field as well.

For the price, the Custom Pro may be the best value for the dollar in paintball. The combination of reliability, upgradeability, durability and performance create a package for which Tippmann should be commended, and of which buyers should carefully consider.