Mods for A-5

[darkecho]

Ok since i have not had much luck with kingman and i am more of a woodsball guy i came up with this. I am switching over to tippmann and i have come up with a gun i want to mod. I am going to mod an A-5 with these.

Mod list
1. Tippmann A-5
2. Flatline Barrel A-5
3. PCS A-5 car stock
4. Kingman java coil remote

this all come to a total of $355 and that is just around my budget.

If you think i should do something else or have ideas please post on what else to add and more.. It should look something like this... http://www.paintballerz.com/products/GNTA5T_big.jpg

[-Viper-]

Save up for some increase in bps, r/y or e-grip. You will want it unless your the kinda person whos old school and stays competely mech.

[mpfootball]

I'd rather go w/

A5
flatline
e-grip
vortex/qev
everything else

[darkecho]

yea i know im going to upgrade to egrip and stuff like that once i get more money but im thinking of buying that and upgrading from there.

[JChan819]

Apex > Flatline (Anyday, IMO)

Yes, get the Vortex or JCS mod (I think they're the same :-D). The stock ratchet broke in my cousin's gun in like 2 months.

As for the stock, meh. I'd really just get a sling instead of the stock. To bulky, IMO.

Remote's not a bad idea, either.

[MisterMister]

So you have an A-5 and ~350 bucks to mod it with. YES. I CAN help you!
I owned 2 A-5s over the past 3 years and I have bought almost every mod known to man for them. I spend nearly 700 dollars on my last A-5 and that’s not counting the mods I took off and replaced with the final iterations with. Total would probably be close to a number I don’t want to think about.

If I had someone to help me out and point me in the right direction like this, I would have spend half that. So here I am, hoping to save you a LOT of time and money.

First we start with the basics. Reliability.

The first thing to go on any A-5 is the cyclone ratchet. This goes really fast and even faster if you have an RT or E-Grip. TO prevent premature death (which always happens in a game) get a JCS Jet-Click. This does the same thing as a Tech-T Vortex, BUT it’s 1000 times easier to install, costs less, and works better. You can pick one of these up for $22.00...

Also, the other part to die rather quickly is the drive spring. This is easily remedied though. Just get a Trinity Spring Kit. This has 4 different drive springs, all of varying stiffness. Even the weakest is stronger then the stock spring. It’s a perfect replacement and it only costs $10.00

Next up is consistency. Consistency (consistent feet per second/FPS) is THE way to get ACCURACY (which is what everyone wants, right?). Now the question is, do you want to stick with C02 or do you want to step up to HPA (High Pressure Air)?

If you stick with C02 you will want to get a Palmer Stabilizer and an anti-siphon tube. These items will make it so you NEVER run liquid C02 through your marker. Doing this will RUIN your o-rings and put you out of the game. Plus an unregulated C02 bottle will get you inconsistent shot to shot performance (e.g. NOT accurate). Getting a Palmer Stabilizer will solve this issue and then some. It will also allow you to use the last free Ozs in the bottle, which you can’t use with an unregulated C02 tank plus you can regulate the C02 pressure down to 650 PSI which is the minimum operating pressure for an A-5. An unregulated C02 tank runs at over 900PSI when full and well under 600 when near empty. One end will waste a LOT of gas the other end won’t allow you to shoot a ball further then you can throw it. With the Palmer Stabilizer you will run at whatever PSI you set it to till the very last shot.

A Palmer Stabilizer is ~$100 and an anti-siphon tube is ~$8.

HPA, on the other hand, does EVERYTHING I mentioned above. It can also cost more or less then the PPS Stabilizer. I wouldn’t get anything smaller then a 3000PSI/68CUI HPA tank. That size/pressure =s the same shots per fill as a 20oz C02 tank. Of course if you get a 4500PSI tank, you can get 2-3 times as many shots, but that would eat up most of your budget. So let’s stick with a 68CUI/3K PSI tank.

Those can be bought for ~$70.00

Next, you want a good barrel. Now to get an accurate barrel, you NEED a good paint to barrel match. This means that the size of the paintball matches the bore of the barrel. You want the paintball to not roll out of the barrel but to come out easily when you blow on it. If it’s hard to blow out the bore is too small for the paintball. You can solve this by getting a good barrel KIT which offers different size backs or inserts. Problem is that this is a PITA to use (you need to constantly switch backs or inserts if you change the type of ball. Also balls change size when it gets hotter or colder when you play). Plus kits are usually expensive.

The good news is that there is an inexpensive option.

The Palmer Pursuit Shop (PPS, the same place which makes the stabilizer I talked about) Brass Barrel. Brass offers the least amount of friction against paintball casings. Also they have elliptical honing. This means the bore of the barrel gets smaller and larger. SO, at some point there will be a perfect paint to barrel match no matter what size paintball you use. It’s like having a whole paintball kit in ONE barrel. No need to ever switch anything out or size match paintballs. Just shoot and never worry.

The PPS Brass barrel starts at $45.00. That means it doesn’t have any porting or powder coating. Those are the only options BTW. Porting ONLY reduces noise when you shoot. It doesn’t effect performance. And since the A-5 is a loud gun by nature getting porting would be USELESS. So this is good for you, since porting is an expensive option. The Powder Coating is only for looks. Uncoated the PPS Brass barrel is well... brass. If you want to match the A-5's black finish perfectly, get the black powder coat finish. It looks VERY nice with the black A-5 finish. That’s only an extra 10 bucks so the total is only $55.00

Now, we need to concentrate on FIREPOWER (the good stuff!) The best way to up that is by getting an e-grip, and the best e-grip is the A.P.E. Rampage Board/PowerShot solenoid combo! This is THE BEST e-grip available for the A-5. Its the only one which is water resistant for one, it offers the MOST fire modes, is the only to offer a REAL full auto mode (vs. 4 semi auto shots then full auto on the 4th pull... but it ALSO offers that mode if you want it). PLUS the A.P.E. board is easy on the battery, which lasts 3 times as long as the other competing WAS e-grip board! Tippmann Pros makes a complete drop-in kit for you. All you need to do is install it and add a 9v battery. Its plug & play baby! Nothing else is needed. It comes with everything you need and nothing you don’t.

Cost of that bad boy is $120.00

After adding that guy, you want to ditch the crappy stock trigger and get a REAL trigger. A.P.E. also happens to make the best trigger for the A-5 w/ e-grip. That would be the A.P.E. Pro-E Magnetic Trigger. It is 100% adjustable, its 100% CNCd aluminum and it has MAGNETS instead of springs. It’s as smooth as you can get and SUPER fast. It’s faster then the trigger on my 400 dollar PMR marker! You will be able to walk that guy up to 15bps IN SEMI-AUTO MODE LIKE NOTHING! It also offers MOUSE CLICK trigger pull distance. That means the length of the trigger's pull is the same as the length of space it takes to click the button on your mouse. And that’s no joke. The A.P.E. trigger costs $50.00.

The last thing you want to upgrade is your hopper. The stock A-5 hopper SUCKS. It’s a big, ball breaking, target. The answer? The Tippmann X-7 Hopper! It’s made by Tippmann so it’s high quality. It’s offset so you get an unobstructed view down the top of your marker so you can use the stock sights. It’s designed to DEFLECT glancing paintball hits, so they DONT BREAK, its 1/2 the height of the A-5 hopper which = a lower profile and makes you less of a target AND it holds 50 more paintballs!

PLUS this hopper costs only 10 dollars!

SO, let’s add it all up! I am going to go with the CHEAPEST route. It’s also the best option for you IMO.

JCS Jet-Click: $22.00

Trinity Spring Kit: $10.00

68CUI/3000PSI HPA tank: $70.00

PPS Brass Barrel (black finish): $55.00

A.P.E. Rampage E-Grip Kit: $120.00

A.P.E. Pro-E Magnetic Trigger: $50.00

Tippmann (GTA) X-7 LP (low profile) Hopper: $10.00

TOTAL COST: $337.00

That leaves you with more then enough to pay for shipping and install (if you need it). All of these parts will have you slinging balls (consistently, accurately and without breaking or skipping paint) at 20+ BPS! You will never break a part for the life of your A-5 and you WILL be the envy of your Tippmann shooting buddies. You will also be able to keep up with the guys using 600+ dollar electronic markers on the speedball fields.

In other words, you WILL have the ULTIMATE A-5!

For the love of god, take my advice. You WONT regret it, and you won’t need to re-purchase any mods because it’s not working the way you want or because it broke on you. Remember that 700 bucks I put into my Marker? I ended up with all of the parts I just listed for you.

[darkecho]

how many bps does the vortex add? and what else?

[darkecho]

yea well i only have $420 to spend so i will only be able to get some of those mods.

[MisterMister]

The Vortex and the JCS Jet-Click will allow you to fire @ about 22-23BPS without breaking or skipping rounds. The thing is that the JCS Jet-Click costs less and is about a BILLION times eaiser to install. Plus it will allow your Cyclone's internals to last longer.

And, I didnt know you needed to buy the A-5 it self. Sorry about that. Let me revise the list for your new budget ($420.00)...

TIPPMANN A-5 (NEW): $170.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/AWESOME-NEW-TIPPMANN-A-5-WITH-TANK-TOOLS-NEW-PACKAGE_W0QQitemZ180120528876QQihZ008QQcategoryZ47 247QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/AWESOME-NEW-TIPPMANN-A-5-WITH-TANK-TOOLS-NEW-PACKAGE_W0QQitemZ180120528876QQihZ008QQcategoryZ47 247QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

JCS Duel Trigger (this is almost as good as the A.P.E. Trigger. Its 1000xs better then the stock trigger, and gives you that mouse click pull. Its also VERY fast. As fast as the A.P.E. trigger, and is 100% aluminum. Its also cheaper): $28.95
http://www.specialopspaintball.com/shop/product_detail.asp?SKU=201+0021&BRAND=JCS (http://www.specialopspaintball.com/shop/product_detail.asp?SKU=201+0021&BRAND=JCS)

JCS Jet-Click: $21.99
http://cgi.ebay.com/JCS-JET-CLICK-Cyclone-Feed-Mod-Tippmann-A-5-A5-NEW-X7_W0QQitemZ180118459918QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/JCS-JET-CLICK-Cyclone-Feed-Mod-Tippmann-A-5-A5-NEW-X7_W0QQitemZ180118459918QQcmdZViewItem)

PMI 72CUI/3000PSI HPA tank (new): $68.95
http://cgi.ebay.com/PMI-Pure-Energy-72-ci-3000-NITRO-TANK-COMPRESSED-AIR_W0QQitemZ180120944745QQihZ008QQcategoryZ36287Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/PMI-Pure-Energy-72-ci-3000-NITRO-TANK-COMPRESSED-AIR_W0QQitemZ180120944745QQihZ008QQcategoryZ36287Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

A.P.E./Power-Shot/Grip "Plug & Play" Drop In combo package: $119.99
http://www.tippmannpros.com/APE-Rampage-Board-Package-For-Tippmann-A-5-P283C45.aspx (http://www.tippmannpros.com/APE-Rampage-Board-Package-For-Tippmann-A-5-P283C45.aspx)

GTA X-7 Hopper: $9.99
https://www.getintosports.com/product.php?productid=16248&cat=255&bestseller (https://www.getintosports.com/product.php?productid=16248&cat=255&bestseller)

TOTAL COST: $419.87

You can add the rest of those mods later. They arent SUPER important (except the barrel). All the ones I listed above will get you to about 90% of where you would have been with the rest of that stuff I mentioned the very first time. Of course the very next thing to buy, if I were you, is that PPS Brass Barrel!

[TheSpy11]

A-5 = $200
E-grip w/ JCS ($130-150) or RT ($60)
Apex ($80).

All of these prices can be dropped if you shop around on eBay.

Total = $340-430

Just those three is a good start. After this the air system can be upgraded. I suggest not upping the Cyclone for a while, or even not at all. 17bps is fast enough, and messing with it greatly increases the chances of Cyclone malfunction.

[BloodLustDE]

wow, mistermister, that's an impressive response. Seeing as how i'm looking to get a A-5 pretty soon that will really help, thanks!

[5Fingerdiscount]

holy crap! stop writing novels! hahah try keepin it short and sweet ;)

[LD17]

nice review mister. Do you know how the palmer barrel performes with paint breaks and shoot throughs.

[jstevenj]

1. A-5
2. e-grip - set on turbo mode
3. 12"-14" ceramic barrel - the flatline will require you to find a paint that matches the barrel for good performance. The paint you are using might work or you may have to go with the more expensive paint that is more round and true.

The sight, stock and sling are all for looks in my opinion.

[MisterMister]

nice review mister. Do you know how the palmer barrel performes with paint breaks and shoot throughs.

They shoot through just as well as any other barrel. The brass really helps because it has such a low friction coefficent but because of the elliptical honing it gets a little hung up (the broken paint) so it averages out to be as good as the Dye Ultra-Lite & similar barrels.

wow, mistermister, that's an impressive response. Seeing as how i'm looking to get a A-5 pretty soon that will really help, thanks!

Im glad it helped SOMEONE! ;)

[-Viper-]

Mistermister talks too much, I just skip over his posts unless I posted th thread....that's good he helped someone though.....

I would do:
$170 A-5 (refurbished are just as good and cheaper)
$90 E-grip A.P.E. board - new board $80, and you can find a used e-grip grip frame for the e-grip with nothing in it for around $10 or so...
$60 Freak (jr.) Barrel kit and buy inserts as you find your favorite type of paint.
$60 Stock (used or not)

=$380
-------HPA tank-------
Do not get one right away and make the mistake of getting a cheap steel one, they don't last very long and are heavy. If you are going to go to HPA eventually then go for the real deal 45/4500 or bigger. They bigger and better ones have great recharge rates for higher rates of consistant fire.

[MisterMister]

If you want a new barrel 9and you should) get the Palmer Brass Barrel (PPS Brass). It will shoot as well as almost any barrel kit at a fraction of the cost. Plus you never have to worry about size matching paint, or switching barrel parts (backs, inserts, etc.) Just fire and forget!

THIS one is perfect for you. It will match the A-5's finish PERFECTLY:
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/ecom/product_info.php/cPath/56_53/products_id/284?osCsid=1b78e2862dae5dc6b56745132a8699bd

plus its only 55 bucks, and comes with a lifetime warranty!

PPS Brass Barrel info:
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/online-catalog/barrels.htm

" Achieve extreme accuracy with these custom made solid brass barrels. Brass provides the least friction against gelatin and the best opportunity to get it shaped and finished properly. The texture and shape of the bore are both important to consistency and effectiveness. The way that we set up barrels here depends on the gun and its use. However, the basic concept is based on a shape that is slightly elliptical. A little tighter at the breech and muzzle than in the center section of the tube. The ball changes shape when propelled down the barrel. Elliptical honing accommodates for the shape change. The specific dimensioning will vary with the type and setup of the gun. We have had good results with shaping to meet the basic need of guns by brand but will usually achieve better results when we have THE specific gun to work with. Wedgits can be use with pumps and closed bolt paintball guns. Nickel plating and or powder coating is only on the outside of the barrel with polished raw brass on the inside."

http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/images/misc/barrels-misc.jpg
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/images/misc/barrels-spyder.jpg
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/images/misc/barrels-misc-tips.jpg

[LD17]

thanks mister. I will probably go with the palmer barrel. I hope it's as good as you say.

[MisterMister]

Ive owned 3. I wouldnt keep buying them if they didnt work.