Tippmann A-5

[truongboi]

How is the A-5 compare to other tippmann? is it ok if you use it as stock? im sorta of low on money and can only afford the marker but im not sure if its good just using it stock. But when i get enough funds what upgrades are really good?

or would a 98c w/ act with some upgrades be better? (and if i do get it what upgrades are good)

[mpfootball]

The are practically the same gun, but the a5 has the cyclone feed giving it an advantage over the 98c stock

both guns are good stock, a5 is better because of the feed. I never played w/ an a5 (just a custom pro act) but i don't think they chop balls alot, mine has never chopped.

a barrel, e-grip, HPA are probably the best upgrades you can get for either 98c or a5.

[bvdave]

the a5 will work fantastic stock even if you never buy another upgrade in your life! if you do have a few bucks for some ups id actually get a a/s for c02 and a good barrel ($50 for both together is average) and will give you very nice performance.

[F-N-U]

The are practically the same gun, but the a5 has the cyclone feed giving it an advantage over the 98c stock

both guns are good stock, a5 is better because of the feed. I never played w/ an a5 (just a custom pro act) but i don't think they chop balls alot, mine has never chopped.

a barrel, e-grip, HPA are probably the best upgrades you can get for either 98c or a5.
here is my problem with that thinking... yes the A5 is a better gun cause of the cyclone BUT if you buy a 98c or even a custom pro you can get a cyclone feed & have it still end up being cheaper than a new A5 but with almost identical performance

[ICU117]

Only real upgrade the A5 needs is a new barrel, but what tippmann doesn't. Ased co2 is questionable. Id really only get it if you are going to be playing in winter conditions, or if you get an egrip. Smart parts has some decent barrels for not too much. ($30-50) So does J&J, and Custom Products. I've had good results with the j&j's myself.

[MisterMister]

THE TIPPMANN A-5!

The A-5 is the best Tippmann on the market. I even think its better then the X-7 performance wise. The A-5 has WAY more mods available for it (vs. the X-7) for one thing. Also the X-7 is basically the same thing as an A-5 but with a lot of useless visual mil-sim, crap tacked onto it, adding to the weight and its overall bulk. The A-5 = the winnAr here, IMO.

As for mods for the A-5 there are a few things you will want to replace/modify.

First is the barrel. The stock barrel sucks. As anyone on the site here will tell you, I think the very BERST barrel (outside of a complete and very expansive barrel KIT) is the PPS (Palmer Pursuit Shop) Brass Barrel. Brass offers the least amount of friction against paintball then any other material, and its elliptically honed meaning it will accurately shoot any size paintball (just like having a barrel kit but without needing to change out barrel backs or inserts). Plus they are very cost effective. The PPS Brass barrel starts at 45 dollars, and for A-5 owners the only cost adding "option" which is worth anything is getting the black powder coat finish since it matches the A-5's black finish PERFECTLY. With that option the total cost is only $55.00

that’s at least 50 dollars LESS then any comparable barrel... and you still will be able to shoot many more sizes of paint then with that more expensive barrel.

Next is the cyclone internals. The Cyclone ratchet is the first thing to break EVERY TIME! It’s made of a crappy plastic and rubber. Upgrade to the JCS Jet-Click. This replaces the internals with aluminum and brass. It will never wear out and break AND it will increase the max BPS fire rate of the cyclone/A-5 from 15BPS to over 22BPS! And this is without any chops or skipped balls.

You also should increase your firepower. Do this by upgrading to an electric grip. The BEST e-grip board is the A.P.E. board (vs. the only other e-grip available, that being the "W.A.S. board"). The APE board is water resistant (unlike the WAS), its battery gives you 2 to 3 times more shots before needing to be replaced (vs. the WAS), the A.P.E. offers 7 different fire modes (VS the W.A.S.' 5 modes), and the A.P.E. grip turns off when not firing and back on when you pull the trigger. The W.A.S. stays on till you don’t pull the trigger for 15 minutes. After then you need to stick a small stick or something into a hole in the grip to press a button. If you are in a game, this can be a BIG PITA. Imagine you started a game and you hadn’t shot the gun since the last game which was 15 minutes ago. You get a target and pull the trigger. Nothing happens. So you need to scramble around to find a stick to jam in that little hole! Yea... the A.P.E. wins BIG TIME there.

Then, once you get the e-grip you won’t want to run unregulated C02. If you fire at a high rate of speed you will freeze up your marker and destroy your o-rings. You can solve this one of two ways. Either get an HPA (high pressure air) tank.

-OR- if you want to stick with C02 you can match the performance of HPA *IF* you get the following mods:

Quality C02 tank
Anti-Siphon tube (goes in the C02 tank)
Palmer Stabilizer

*These 3 things will get you the same performance benefits as a high quality HPA tank will. It might actually help you a bit more too since the Palmer Stabilizer will allow you to fine tune the operating pressure down to the very last PSI. This allows you to adjust the velocity with the up most accuracy, and it will allow you to run the gun at its lowest properly operating pressure. That, in and of it self will allow you to get a decent increase in the amount of shots you get out of each fill of your C02 tank.

You will also probably want to ditch the crappy stock trigger. For an e-grip equipped A-5 there are really only 2 triggers which I would consider getting. Both are 10000 times better then the stock trigger and both are the best on the market. Also keep in mind that both only work with the e-grip.

One is the JCS Duel Trigger. The other is the A.P.E. magnetic e-trigger. The JCS uses springs and the A.P.E. uses magnets which gives it a smoother operation (it also costs more). Both will give you super smooth operation and mouse click trigger pull lengths. You will be able to walk the trigger like with the most expensive electric markers on the market. It will be like shooting a completely new (and much more expensive) marker.

Once all of this is added, you will basically have a fully modded A-5. It will literally be in a new league. You will be able to shoot and keep up with markers which are 3 to 4 times the cost of the A-5, and you will absolutely love your "new" marker.

Here are some quick links to the mods I mentioned:

Palmer Stabilizer:
(male: attaches to the tombstone):
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/ecom/product_info.php/cPath/56_53/products_id/44?osCsid=8f93b6bc07b8ee51b025a47d9ab1456c

Palmer Stabilizer:
(female: Attaches under the grip. Replaces the ASA):
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/ecom/product_info.php/cPath/56_53/products_id/402?osCsid=8f93b6bc07b8ee51b025a47d9ab1456c

Palmer Pursuit Shop Brass Barrel (black, Tippmann A-5 threads):
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/ecom/product_info.php/cPath/56_53/products_id/284?osCsid=9a5280ad1e5ce07750642f4549797a14

A.P.E. Rampage E-Grip (Complete plug & play kit. EVERYTHING you need to upgrade to an e-grip!):
http://www.tippmannpros.com/APE-Rampage-Board-Package-For-Tippmann-A-5-P283C45.aspx

Anti-Aiphon tube kit for C02 tanks:
http://www.xtremez.com/paintball/product_information.asp?number=TKCST&dept=177

JCS Duel Trigger:
http://www.specialopspaintball.com/shop/product_detail.asp?SKU=201+0021&BRAND=JCS

A.P.E. Pro-E Magnetic Trigger:
http://www.goapeonline.com/store/product.php?productid=16163&cat=250&page=1

JCS Jet-Click Cyclone Modification:
http://www.pbreview.com/products/reviews/5012/

[trolleyman98]

The a5 is a great gun stock and I used it that way for a long time. When you have the money, I'd make the switch to HPA and maybe a new barrel as well.

[No_Name]

The A-5 is the best Tippmann on the market. I even think its better then the X-7 performance wise. The A-5 has WAY more mods available for it (vs. the X-7) for one thing. Also the X-7 is basically the same thing as an A-5 but with a lot of useless visual mil-si, crap tacked onto it, adding to the weight and its overall bulk. The A-5 = the winnAr here, IMO.

The A5 has more upgrades because its been out longer. You could probably expect the X7 to drop in price and get more upgrades later on. The mil-sim crap might be useless to you, but if someone else wants to play scenario then it wouldn't be useless at all. You really have to realize you're speaking from a perspective to an audience with different views than that of which you see.

A5 is a very good choice. I love mine, the only upgrade you would want later on is a decent barrel. If you need an R/T, let me know, I'll hook you up with a cheap one.

[MisterMister]

The A5 has more upgrades because its been out longer. You could probably expect the X7 to drop in price and get more upgrades later on. The mil-sim crap might be useless to you, but if someone else wants to play scenario then it wouldn't be useless at all. You really have to realize you're speaking from a perspective to an audience with different views than that of which you see.

A5 is a very good choice. I love mine, the only upgrade you would want later on is a decent barrel. If you need an R/T, let me know, I'll hook you up with a cheap one.

It doesnt change the fact that it has more mods. IMO, He is talking about getting the marker NOW (or in the near future)... not 2 to 3 years from now.

Also, the mil-sim "crap" might not be useless to someone else. Fince. the A-5 has every mody kit and mil-sim mod known to man. You can upgrade and mod and make it look like any military/LE firearm under the sun. The A-5 still wins, hands down.