Tippmann 98 overview

[Avery]

This was posted earlier on the newbie list, but I thought it might help out people poking around the Tippmann list looking for ideas.

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Tippmann has long been a pioneer in paintball. The company has a long and well-deserved reputation for some of the best customer service in the world, as well as for producing reliable and long-lasting paintball guns. Their latest marker, the Tippmann 98 Custom (98c), is an updated version of their semi-automatic Tippmann Model 98 (M98). Both guns are in-line blowback style semi-automatics, which in layman's terms means that they have a long, narrow body and their internal components fire from an open bolt as do almost all other markers for less than $350 US.

The 98c retails for between $125 US and $200 US in the States, and for $275 to $350 in Canada, which puts it in the same general price range as other semiautomatics such as Spyders, Piranhas, and other similar markers. The low-end semiautomatic blowback market is very competitive and there are many companies trying to produce various guns in this price range. Most of them share a lot of similarities, but what makes the 98c stand out is that it is very different from most of the other markers in this market.

The 98's are undoubtedly some of the toughest, most rugged, practical and durable markers out there. They have relatively few moving components, and are almost entirely made out of metal. The mechanism inside is extremely simple and literally straightforward. They can be dropped, kicked, soaked, frozen, abused and mistreated only to come back for more after a little oil. It is for these reasons that the 98's are very common rental markers at fields. Part of this toughness comes from the "CVX Valve" that it comes with. This valve works really well in cold weather compared to other guns, and it also works with CO2 gas very well compared to most other valves. The valve will still work better with compressed air than CO2.

Now don't let that fool you, if you've used one at a rental field you might think they are poor because your rental one was crap. Well, to be honest, if they rented out $1000 Autocockers you'd think those were crap because these 'Cockers simply would not work at all given the sheer amount of abuse rentals take. Combine that with the fact that the staff have only minutes to tune, check and repair any given marker, and you'll find that rental field markers don't perform up to their full potential, even 98's!

[Avery]

Okay, so what else about the 98's is appealing? For $125 they are a very good deal, and will outshoot many other markers in that price range right off the bat. There are literally hundreds of upgrades available for the 98's, more than any other marker in the price range. You can buy a 98 for $125 then upgrade it with literally $1000 worth of upgrades over the next decade if you want to, and it'll be one of the only 10-year-old guns that works like it was brand new (gotta' love that old Tippmann reliability!)

If you recall, the 98's are sold for very little cash. In fact, Tippmann makes only a very small portion of their profits on 98 sales. They sell the 98's super-cheap, knowing that many people will then turn around and upgrade their marker 3 or 4 times, and that's where Tippmann makes the cash. They know that by selling 98's at a good price, they can get more 98's out there which 1) increases their long-term sales by providing a market for upgrades and 2) with so many 98's in the hands of players there is a huge market of people driving a chunk of the paintball industry. It's very much like Nintendos or Playstations, which are sold at a loss to the manufacturer for the first few years! These companies know that when their product is all over the market and in millions of hands their short-term losses will be overcome by long-term profits from other products (games, controllers, magazines, etc). What this means is - as we've already established - 98's are dirt frigging cheap! There are cheaper markers out there, but few perform like a 98, and none offer the long-term upgradeability that is available with a 98.

This also leads to another strength of the 98's. They are everywhere. Every shop knows how to fix them, and every shop carries parts and accessories for them. They are arguably the single most ubiquitous (common) markers in the world. Of course, that means that having a 98 does not make you special, and most other people have seen them before. This is the same as owning a very popular and common car or owning an exotic and rare one. You can always find parts for a common old Ford and plenty of mechanics that have spent years learning everything about them, or you can have a rare and exotic car that needs parts special ordered from Europe and mechanics have no idea how to fix it. Of course, exotic cars get the "oohs" and "aahs" - it's a trade-off between reliability and exoticism. 98's are as practical and reliable as it gets.

When it comes to upgradeability is where the differences show between the "Model 98" and the newer "98 Custom". Stock, out of the box, they perform almost exactly the same. You can put almost all of the same upgrades into each. The difference is that the body of the 98c is pre-designed to make adding upgrades easier. They already have the channels and holes drilled and ready for most of the major upgrade kits you can buy. Sure, you can drill into your Model 98 easily enough, but with a 98 Custom the work is already done for you. Basically, a 98c is the same as the M98, but a bit easier to upgrade at home without taking it into a pro-shop. The easiest ways to tell them apart is that a M98 says "Model 98" on the side and has some diagonal gills milled into the body near the barrel, while the 98c says "98 Custom" on the side and has no gills.

So, let's characterise the 98's. We know they are reliable and tough, cheap, upgradeable, and very common. The 98's are often said to look more like real guns than most other markers. They are solid and either black or silver in colour. You cannot buy a regular 98 with flashy colours, racy styling, or catchy graphics (although some other companies will sell you painted ones if you like). They are seen by many as a rejection of the flashy "space-shooter" style ray gun markers that are dominating the market right now. Many 98 owners wear camo and play in the woods instead of wearing neon colours and playing on brightly coloured inflatable fields. This is not to say that everyone is like that, it simply means that the apparent philosophy behind the 98's is one of practicality, durability while many others seem to also be about style. The 98 simply looks more like a real gun than many other markers.

The 98 has a foregrip, but if compare closely, you will find that the foregrip is out further from the trigger hand than on most other markers. Most markers are designed to be shot with a very tight shooting posture, often with the middle finger instead of the index finger. No, this is nothing like shooting a real gun, but most tournament players aren't trying to recreate war games with realistic guns, they are trying to hit the opponent and not get hit. Although the 98 does have a foregrip, it is more like a Thompson Rifle (Tommy Gun) than the more cramped style on Spyders and Piranhas.

Okay, so the 98 is not meant to be like other tournament-style guns. It is more popular with scenario game players and casual players. It comes with a single finger trigger (like a real gun) instead of a double trigger (like most tournament paintball markers). It does have some tournament features however. The trigger is very light (around 4lbs) and has no lateral wiggle. This means that you can actually pull the trigger fairly fast. With many upgrade kits the 98 can compete with lower end tourney guns at a very low price. Basically what I'm getting at is that if you want a "realistic" paintball gun for under $200 this is the one to get. If you want a tournament style gun, this may not be the one, but then again it might. There are features of the 98's that no other marker has. But first, I'll write a little about the rest of the disadvantages of the 98.

First, it's heavier than many other guns. Because of the inline valve it is longer by an inch or two than most guns, although it's about 2 inches shorter than they are. It only comes in black or silver, and the black paint scratches off easily. It comes with very few of the bells and whistles that many other markers do, they all have to be bought separately if you want them. The gun is not tournament styled, nor is it flashy (if that's what you're looking for). The barrel that it comes with is very poor unless you polish it yourself. It is louder than many other guns. They are very common, so you wouldn't be special just for having one. It needs to be taken nearly completely apart to clean it, whereas many other markers simple need a few pieces pulled out.

Just so the pros and cons are together, here's the pro's again quickly? Good in cold weather, simple and reliable design, very common, very upgradeable, styled more like a real gun (if that's what you like), you can get at every part inside it whereas most markers are a pain to completely disassemble, comes with a built-in elbow, the elbow can come completely off with a push of a button, the threading on the barrel is large so it doesn't take long to unscrew, will work for years, you can repair most anything on it yourself, and the things you can't repair Tippmann will fix for very cheap with great service.

[Avery]

What about the upgrades, you ask? Well, other people have done better jobs of listing them than I can, but I'll pass along the basics. For about $25 you can replace the single trigger with a double trigger (I recommend the Tippmann double trigger over one made by anyone else). You can add an expansion chamber to further improve performance with CO2. You can add a regulator to do the same thing with CO2 only a little better, and it's good to have it you switch to compressed air. You can put in a Low Pressure Kit to make the marker more efficient and gentle on balls when shooting (although still at 300 fps) if you decide to use compressed air. You can add a Reactive Trigger Kit to make your rate of fire faster or even give the gun rapid-fire, burst fire, or full-auto fire (after a fashion) if you choose to, just like an Automag RT gun has. You can add a true full-auto kit, or you can add one of at least three electronic kits that make your gun have computer controlled full auto and burst fire as well as improved semi-auto shooting. You can add stocks, including one that looks just like one off of an assault rifle. You can add different side-cocking or rear-cocking devices, drop-forwards, and remotes. You can add a bloody grenade launcher from Tippmann. You can add new barrels, including the curved Flatline barrel.

Wait a second? what's that Flatline barrel you ask? Well, it's shaped like a limp banana, and fires paintballs further than any other barrel in the world. By a lot. It makes it so the paintballs don't arc by putting a backspin on the balls that counteracts the force of gravity on their trajectory. The Flatline is picky on paint, not pinpoint-accurate, and very large, but if you're into having superior range it wins every time. It also happens to make your marker look even more like a real rifle when you put the plastic shroud on it. The only other gun in the entire world that has a similar range is the Flatline Autococker that has a Flatline barrel stuck to the top of it. These 'Cockers look awful in my opinion, and they cost triple the price of a 98. The list of upgrades goes on and on, but you're getting the picture. Basically, the 98 is a really solid bare-bones gun with a lot of potential. You can add whatever you want, or you can choose to add nothing.

Now, to deal with the inevitable comparison, I'll discuss the 98 versus the Spyder (sigh). I'll compare it to the Kingman Spyder TL which has the same MSRP. First off, you either like the 98 or you don't. Pick one up and you'll know. If you still can't decide remember that a 98 is made for reliability and upgradeability. Spyder TL's are pretty common, so you won't have trouble getting parts or labour. The TL comes with some features the stock 98 does not: "Power Feed / Filter System / One Piece Deluxe Sight Rail with Beaver Tail / Rear Cocking 2nd Generation Venturi Bolt / Low Pressure Chamber / Vertical Adapter / Quick Disconnect Pin / Tournament Level Velocity Adjuster". The 98 can be upgraded to have every one of these parts except the Quick Disconnect Pin for additional money, at which point the 98 will most likely be a better performing gun, but by that point it cost an additional $180 or so. Basically, Spyders come with most features already built-into a fairly cheap basic gun. They look really flashy, and are more like the tournament markers that are popular today. Your best bet is to pick both a Spyder and a 98 up and see which makes you go "This feels good" more.

[AK47]

It took me 5 minutes just to scrool all the way to the bottom of the page.
Note: don't get attached to a Tippman, they'll turn on you.

[Johnstarrwalkon]

And how, praytell, do they turn on you?
I own a tippy, and I'll swear by it anyday. I could run over the thing with a F****** truck and it'd be alright still. Try that with a spyder. Oh by the way, how are the prices for scrap metal these days?

[AK47]

Your brain capacity is to small so I won't bother explaining it to you.

[Johnstarrwalkon]

Hey man, i'm just trying to understand here.

[Raycefrk]

Your brain capacity is to small so I won't bother explaining it to you.

Hey Ak this sounds like a typical anti Tippmann answer!!! Talk about brain capacity. LOL

[Crime Dog]

"Too small", not "to small".

Was there a need for that little dig? Keep the flaming outta here.

[Raycefrk]

Sorry Crime Dog, I guess I did stoop to low. I just don't understand why people dog Tippmann so bad!!:confused:

[AK47]

I got nothing against tippys. What I said was out of respect. I would have a very small brain capacity if I said there not relaible or something else. I haven't had any problems with them yet... Now because of that insult, I'll flame up this whole forum if a tippy ever stops working on me. ;)

[AK47]

Right now I don't own a tippy or use one. So don't flame me for the "they'll turn on you". If a tippy pisses me off, then you'll hear about it.