The World of Tippmann Upgrades
What they Are, What they Do,
How to Decide What’s Right for You!
By Joshua D. Silverman

For twenty years, practically the entire timeline of the sport of paintball, Tippmann has been there, manufacturing some of the best and most reliable paintball guns and other equipment. Innovative to the core, Tippmann has brought paintball forward with many new concepts and products that, though once alien, are industry standards today. From the first fully automatic and semiautomatic paintball guns to Flatline barrels, cyclone feed systems, the new propane-powered C3 and the reliability and durability that have been the cornerstone of the company since its entry into the sport, Tippmann has never been afraid to make the sacrifices necessary to create a quality product, right here in the United States. While their current paintgun lines, including the 98 Custom, Custom Pro, A5 and C3 are excellent out of the box, half the fun of owning a Tippmann paintball gun is the ability to customize, modernize and upgrade it to fit the individual specifications of every owner, no matter their skill level or style of play.

Tippmann’s vast line of accessories available for their 98 and A5 has earned those paintguns monikers as “the most upgradeable paintball guns in the world.” This is a true statement, hundreds of players could all start with stock Tippmann paintball guns and upgrade them, with no two looking or acting the same after only a few parts and pieces. As Tippmann produces a large number of popular upgrades for their own paintball guns, Tippmann’s legendary customer service extends not just to them, but to their accessories as well. But with so many accessories and upgrades available for the Tippmann paintgun line, how can a player decide which are the right ones for them? While there is no wrong way to upgrade a Tippmann short of making it shoot faster than 300 feet per second or in some other way cause it to become dangerous to its user or other players, players who wish to start down the long road towards a truly custom Tippmann should have a clear idea of where they wish to go before they leave.

Players who may decide to step into more competitive and aggressive forms of paintball such as speedball or tournaments should endeavor to create as light, fast, consistent and accurate a Tippmann as possible. Conversely, recreational or scenario players who have no plans to compete in tournaments can take their Tippmann in any direction, limited only by their imagination. Whether these players wish to upgrade for performance, accessorize for looks, or both, is entirely up to them.

Tippmann Performance Upgrades
Barrels: While Tippmann’s barrels are by no means poor, aftermarket barrels from Tippmann or one of the many custom manufacturers in the sport will improve performance in many ways. Besides the obvious increase in accuracy a slightly longer, better honed barrel will provide, users will find somewhat increased air efficiency and velocity consistency when making the move to even a forty or fifty dollar barrel from companies like J&J, Powerlyte, Dye, Smart Parts, Lapco or even Tippmann’s own line. Optimum length for all-around performance is between twelve and fourteen inches, though some players opt for longer barrels to decrease the sound of their paintball gun or allow them to poke their barrel through brush or other obtrusions. A barrel is generally the first, and most recommended, upgrade for any Tippmann.

Upgraded Hopper: The five dollar plastic hopper delivered standard with every Tippmann but the C3 is a decent thing for beginners, but those who have played for more than a few days will immediately notice the need to “shake and bake” their hoppers in order to maintain a steady stream of paintballs and prevent ball breaks and chops in the breech. The A5, of course, is equipped with the outstanding Cyclone Feed System that slings paintballs into the breech for firing through the use of the same air that powers the paintgun, so no upgrades are necessary there. Luckily for the rest of us, 98 Custom and Custom Pro users can now also enjoy the improved performance of the Cyclone Feed, as a kit to retrofit this feed system to those models is now available and a great buy. If the user chooses not to pick the Cyclone, a motorized feeder from Viewloader or Empire is an excellent upgrade that can transition back and forth to and from various paintgun makes and models.

Larger CO2 Tanks: While the little nine and twelve ounce tanks that most players begin with are sufficient, Tippmanns will be better able to maintain consistency and stay on the field for longer periods between fills when used with sixteen or twenty ounce CO2 tanks.

Compressed Air: While not entirely necessary for Tippmann paintball guns thanks to the robust design of their valves, compressed air will eliminate cold weather freeze-downs and large clouds of CO2 at the end of barrels during cold weather play or during rapid-fire. Somewhat expensive up-front, in the long run compressed air systems like those available from Crossfire are worth the investment.

Double Trigger: Perhaps the least expensive upgrade available for the Tippmann line (other than the Custom Pro, on which they are standard equipment), a double trigger increases rate of fire by providing the shooter with increased leverage and the ability to shoot with two fingers instead of one. A simple, drop-in upgrade that improves performance immediately, this is a highly recommended piece for any Tippmann.

Reactive Trigger: In modern paintball, the ability to shoot fast is of great importance, both for winning games and impressive friends in the back yard. The RT trigger is a great choice for recreational players looking to shoot the maximum amount of paint, thanks to the air-powered piston behind the trigger that pushes the trigger back into the “ready” position after each shot, before the shooter can even let go of it. A skilled user will quickly learn to “bounce” the trigger off their finger, finding their RT’s “sweet spot” enabling them to shoot in a practically fully automatic, machine-gun mode. A fun and impressive upgrade, the RT trigger isn’t cheap, but once a player shoots one they will never be satisfied with less.

Electronic Trigger: For tournament play, where Reactive Triggers may not be entirely legal, electronic triggers, offering fire modes and short trigger pulls, are a crowd pleaser. Tippmann’s electronic triggers offer the user various firing modes including multi-shot bursts and rate of fire adjustments, and operate off a single battery. Again, not an inexpensive upgrade, but for those looking to pull every ounce of performance from their Tippmann, an electronic trigger is tough to beat.

Flatline Barrel: A Tippmann innovation, this bent-barrel system provides Tippmann shooters with the ability to shoot dozens of feet further than any other paintball guns by back-spinning every ball as it is fired for increased range. While not the most accurate barrel for long-range work, the Flatline does perform as advertised, and the ability to stand back and pick off opponents at ranges at which they cannot even shoot back is always fun.

Tippmann Appearance Upgrades
M-16 / AK-47 / MP-5 Barrel Kits: While these kits will improve accuracy somewhat over stock barrels, the point is more to make a Tippmann appear more like a world-renown firearm. M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles are known the world over, and by simply threading in a barrel Tippmann owners can make their paintball guns emulate their aggressive and legendary looks. Some manufacturers also make faux “silencer” kits that can be added to the A5, which already looks similar to the popular H&K MP5K submachine gun, that add an aggressive “SWAT” or “Navy Seal” appearance. Looking good and shooting slightly better than the stock offerings, these will add more weight to any Tippmann than a basic upgraded barrel might.

Shoulder Stocks: Again designed to help Tippmann owners dress their paintguns to resemble the M-16, M-4 or SAW assault rifle, carbine or squad light machine gun, these shoulder stocks replace the rear plug on either the A5 or 98 and help the user steady the paintgun against their shoulder. Problem is, that’s what the bottom-line CO2 tank already does, and this can lead to increased weight and confusion as to how to pull the paintgun into the shoulder. Many users who add these stocks choose to move their bottle to their back via a remote line, or move their bottle forward with a vertical bottle or drop forward. This accessory looks great but will not noticeably improve performance, but will once again add weight.

Bipods: Paintball guns aren’t accurate enough at any range to make a bipod, generally used to stabilize sniper rifles or sharpshooter’s weapons, of much use in paintball. However, many who add custom M-16 or other upgraded barrel kits to their Tippmanns choose to add a bipod to add to the aggressive, military look of their paintball gun.

Building a custom Tippmann to satisfy the desires of its owner can be as enjoyable and time-consuming as the rest of paintball, and can become a hobby all its own. As long as players consider which parts they desire for added performance and which they want just for looks, disappointment is unlikely and the looks earned in the staging area by a player with a mean-looking, fast-shooting Tippmann make it all worth-while.