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pbReview.com / Paintball Products / Markers / Low-End Mechanical Markers / JT Tac-5 Recon
JT Tac-5 Recon Reviews
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Number of Reviews: |
139 |
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Average Rating: |
6.9 / 10 |
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Manufacturer Website: |
Click here |
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Suggested Retail Price: |
$80 |
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| JT USA introduces the all-new Tactical Tac-5 Recon Semi Automatic paintball marker for 2005. The Tac-5 Recon features include a multiple position feed port with two Sniper off set positions either left or right and an Assault vertical position, a Gorilla Grip self sizing loader adaptor designed to automatically size and grip your loader to the marker for a secure and reliable fit, quick and easy field strip design to allow you to quickly maintain your marker on and off the field, a bonus removable tactical handle accessory, adjustable and removable foregrip for custom positioning based on your preference, multiple accessory mounting rails to allow you to quickly and easily attached a wide variety of accessories, precision barrel system for increased accuracy and a blade style double finger trigger for increased rate of fire. |
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| Product Availability | |
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| The JT Tac-5 Recon is newer, so it should be commonly available, both new and used. |
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| Places to Buy | |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 6 months | 120 of 135 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Mokal Mirage
Tippmann A-5
Tippmann 98 custom |
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| Marker Setup: |
J&J 16" ceramic barrel. |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
New barrel, e-hopper, remote, stock, expansion chamber, compressed air. |
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| Strengths: |
Sturdy construction, acurate. |
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| Weaknesses: |
Feed neck setup/field strip not as easy as advertised. |
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| Review: |
I put a lot of effort into researching this marker before I passed up the 98 custom for it. Here is the text of an article I wrote concerning this marker for my website:
"JT USA has gone tactical. They have released a new woods ball/scenario marker aptly titled the TAC-5. Now, I've been playing on and off for over a year and my last marker was an old Mokal Mirage. I like to call it the M-1 Garande of paintball markers. I have definitely been looking into getting a new marker as the season approaches. I was going to just go with the Tippmann 98 Custom. The base price for the Tippmann is around $139 US. With all of my other hobbies I don't have the $200-300 to get the Tippmann with all of the upgrades I would want on it.Then I found the JT TAC-5. Priced as low as $67.99 US this looks like the next marker for me.
Right now it looks like JT is showing off heavily upgraded scenario markers, but aren't releasing the upgrades until 2006. For now this still looks like a good starter or even second marker for the average 2old2kwit woodsballer. I would suggest adding a few upgrades like a new (possibly electronic) hopper, a new barrel and a 20 oz. CO2 tank with remote line. Some reviews are also suggesting a new ASA or macroline to replace the one that comes with this gun.
I guess like anything this marker is going to have some ups and downs. From what I can see it will come stock with some cool features. It has a rear cocking bolt that is all internal so no bolt blow-back. It has multiple rails for attaching upgrades and the "gorilla grip" feed neck has 3 adjustable positions. From the pictures it looks like this works by pulling a couple of pins from the front of the upper receiver where the barrel screws in and twisting that whole section of the marker. It has three rails on the front at the same angles as the neck so you can then just adjust your forward grip back to the bottom. JT USA has a ton of photos and some interesting reading, but no specs.
If you are just starting out and have nothing, you can get the TAC-5 Recon Warrior's Kit - Camouflaged at any (edited for content) for $144.82US. It comes with a mask, tank, hopper and sundry other accessories. You can order just the marker from (edited for contact) or (edited for content), but both only have the all black marker ($67.99 US) left, they have sold out of the camouflaged marker($74.99 US) .
I guess we will be seeing tons of these on the paintball fields of America this fall. For the price I would definitely suggest it as a first or second marker. I am sure with some work and upgrades it will be a fine marker. It looks and sounds sturdy from what I have seen and read and if worse comes to worse you can always throw it up on e-bay and get your money back, right?
UPDATE
After ordering my JT TAC-5 from (edited for content) I must say that I am quite impressed with them. I ordered my marker at about 10am EST yesterday and received the marker by UPS ground today at around noon. If you plan on buying this marker I would suggest you go through them.
As far as the marker is concerned I am quite impressed. It is a very sturdy piece. It is quite weighty and comparable to a Tippmann as far as construction. The easy four step field strip that they offer is not so easy and probably wouldn't be field friendly as it requires removing a hex bolt and that ASA connector from the upper receiver. Also the variable hopper placement requires the removal of 2 hex bolts as well as the rail system from the front section of the marker, so I would say once it is set to where you want it leave it. It also didn't come with a hopper, so my next purchase will probably be an electric hopper. It did come with a standard barrel plug, the hopper elbow and a mail in offer for a "free" JT goggle system ($59.99 US value, for $9.99 shipping & handling). So far it seems well worth the $68. I will have a full review of how the gun fires and other features about what upgrades are available now soon."
if you would like the URL for the original article unedited, you can PM specnic in the pbreview forums.
After receiving my marker I have also found that the feed neck requires the removal of 2 allen screws to adjust to the 3 positions. The "easy 4 step field strip" JT is advertising, is neither easy nor 4 steps. It requires the removal of the ASA line and a set screw to remove the bolt.
On the positive side it does look like most 98 or A-5 mods will be compatible with this marker with a little work.
I am going to be doing a lot of upgrading to mine before i play with it. I am mid rebuild and upgrade on an old mokal mirage that i would like to finish and play with first, but i will keep my review up to date with all of the info that I find regarding what upgrades are possible and what exactly i do to mine.
UPDATE 8/15/05
I had the chance to play with the TAC-5 this weekend. I used it 100% out of the box stock. It took me a while to turn the feed neck to the left position as the hex screws are a beast to get out. Also the forward grip was kind of a pain to move as the hex screws that hold it on are not a standard size, luckily the pro-shop at On Target Paintball had one that worked. I also found that the elbow for the feed neck was threaded slightly off and i could not get it twisted on to a completely vertical position. As far as adjusting the speed, it was quite easy, just the turn of a hex screw. The stock barrel gave me a slight right hand hook, so i will be picking up a new barrel this week, although there was no drop off and the balls were getting to the target quite nicely once i adjusted to the hook. I found the blade trigger is more window dressing than anything. The trigger pull is very mechanical and walking the trigger with the blade that is on there is impossible. I did have the same issue as others described of the gun not re-cocking, but it only happened once. I did find though that the charging handle will blow back. I'm not sure if I was cocking it wrong or if that is how the gun functions. I will have to pay better attention next time. Also found the safety to be kind of sticky.
I am going to leave my general review at a 7 out of 10. Although it has it's issues, for the price there is nothing that can't be fixed with a few upgrades and adjustments.
UPDATE 8/22/05
The TAC-5 uses Spyder barrels. I just picked up a 16" J&J ceramic over the weekend. I will be play testing it on sunday 8/28. I will update the review and let you know how it worked on 8/29. I am also looking at what upgrade to buy next. It will probably be a revolution loader or a 20oz tank and remote. We shall see.
UPDATE 8/23/05
I just called JT USA and spoke to one of their reps. more info about the release of the field accessories they advertise on the site will be available in about a month.
UPDATE 8/29/05
Had a great time testing this marker out more fully this weekend and here's what we've got. First and foremost ball selection is KEY. I started the day with draxxus recsport that had some mild heat damage from the previous time I played and it shot like garbage(insert your own "what a jack @$$!" comment her). I broke a couple of balls in the J&J barrel and that completely screwed the pooch. The gun wouldn't even chrono correctly. I squeegeed and swabbed the barrel and was able to chrono fine with the J&J. I will say that at the zeroing range the J&J was pretty much dead on up to 150 ft with a very slight curve at about 90-110 ft. nothing that would take you too far off target. After I cleaned the J&J and re-chrono'd I switched back to the stock barrel to play my last few games (i wanted a bit more of a run and gun style so the shorter barrel seemed to fit better). The stock gun played quite amazingly. At 75-100 ft I was within a 2'x2' shot grouping.
My wife played a couple of games with it also and her #1 complaint was the weight. The general comment from all who held it was that it is a very heavy marker. This doesn't bother me so much, as my low shoulder firing style supports weight better than a high shoulder or "armpit" firing style. I also got a ton of comments about how loud the marker is. If you want to be stealthy, go with a low pressure mechanical or electronic, because this marker has a nasty report. It was slightly quieter with the J&J barrel, but still could be heard over most of the other mechanicals on the field. The marker is also a bit stingy on the air. A 12oz CO2 lasted me through about 800 paintballs.
The afore mentioned charging handle blow-back is an issue, but not a huge issue. The charging handle definitely blows back, but while chrono'ing the marker I was able to hold the charging handle in with my thumb and it did not affect the performance of the marker at all. Once I am able to find a stock, this will not interfere at all with the use of the stock. I was also able to try a Tippmann A-5 stock that a friend had with him and sadly, it doesn't even come close to fitting. I had one of the more technically adept players at the field look at the marker and he said it seems to be based on the older Sheridan markers. He also said that with some hunting i will be able to find a clamp on stock that will work just fine. I may just wait to see what JT USA releases with their field accessories later this year.
Overall after a full days play I am going to raise my overall rating to an 8. For the price of this marker ( which i have heard recently jumped to $89.99 US, still $40-50 US cheaper than a 98 custom) it is a great value for the money. It plays well and it's few small faults are More than made up for by it's numerous pluses.
UPDATE 9/4/05 *******IMPORTANT STUFF HERE FOLKS*******
Just broke the marker down completely for the first time and found a few things that need mentioning. First, at the rear of the bolt where the charging handle attaches to the bolt, JT in it's infinite wisdom used a plastic pin to hold the charging handle in place. Apparently I charged the gun too hard and broke the pin. I did find it can be easily replaced with a 1/8" x 3/4" steel tension pin. You can pick up a two pack of these for $.80 in the hardware aisle at Lowes. You will need to lightly tap one of the ends slightly crushing it (very slightly) so that it will hold in place in the bolt. I would make this change the very first time you break the marker down to prevent any mishaps with the plastic pin while playing.
Also almost the entire bolt is made of hard plastic. This could end up being the downfall of this marker, but as of right now, I have had no issues with it. I haven't had the opportunity to compare the bolt to any other markers. Judging by everything else on this marker though, it may look like the parts from another marker, but probably is unique to this marker and we will have to wait for JT to produce an upgrade.
I also have found that JT did some creative designing with their ASA line that may prevent the addition of an expansion chamber. Instead of using a standard threaded ASA/Macro-line, JT designed a line that inserts directly into the bolt and is held in place by a thumb wheel type bolt / cover. STANDARD EXPANSION CHAMBERS CANNOT BE USED ON THIS MARKER. So unless JT designs their own expansion chamber for this marker, we may be out of luck on that one. I have heard from some people though that a remote line will act as a type of expansion chamber. This could be, since the purpose of an expansion chamber is to allow the CO2 to expand to gaseous form preventing liquid CO2 from entering the bolt and causing differentiation in the pressure applied to the bolt. It would appear that a remote line could and would act in the same way, allowing the CO2 to expand into the remote line preventing liquid CO2 from entering the firing mechanism. I will see what truth there is to this next time I play because I have a remote line I will be using.
Although these are drawbacks, they can seemingly be fixed quite easily. So my overall rating remains the same. I won't be playing again until Sept 25th so I will only be updating the review if JT gives us an update on their line of field accessories. Hopefully if this marker takes off, not only will JT be releasing a wide variety of upgrades, but some of the other manufacturers will start making upgrades to fit it. That all depends on how popular this marker becomes.
UPDATE 9/26/05
Got in a full day of tough play and man did that settle it for me. THIS MARKER IS AWESOME. We had well over 40 people on the field on Sunday, so I played against every kind of marker you can imagine and the TAC-5 showed up to ball. I played in about 10 games for the day and only chopped balls once in the heat of a fast paced game of attack and defend, but at the time I was firing the marker as fast as I could pull the trigger and was using a gravity hopper, so it is to be expected. I only had to recock once through the whole day so it seems that replacing the pin in the bolt may have fixed that issue. The field that I play is all sand and by the end of the day the marker was pretty dirty, but even with all that sand the marker kept pace and had no functionality problems. I will also say that with my 16" J&J barrel, this marker is a long ball beast. With a slight arc to compensate for natural drop off the TAC-5 was hitting hard and accurate at up to 175ft and with a little Kentucky windage could lay paint at up to 200ft some what accurately. In the tight quarters of a fortress, the stock barrel was deadly accurate and gave me that tight CQB quality that I needed. Right now the biggest draw back to owning this marker is the lack of accessories, but even that is not that big of a drawback. The marker will handle any Spyder barrel and you can pick up a mil-sim gas through stock for around $30 US. The gas through stock will thread into your ASA and has a threaded port to put your remote line into. This stock is universal and I will be getting one this week. This marker is going to turn into one hell of a long ball/sniper marker. I will definitely be raising my rating. For the low price and with the guns current functionanlity, upgradeability and potential to be a great mil-sim with the release of the JT accessories, this marker has the potential to be a defifnite 10 out of 10, but for now I am going to raise my rating from an 8 to a 9.
UPDATE 10/03/05
For those interested in an inexpensive mil-sim sniper mod, I have come up with this package for the JT TAC-5. Although JT is not releasing their upgrade accessories until they see what their sales of this marker look like, I have come up with a hot upgrade package that costs less than $350. here is what you need.......
JT TAC-5 Stealth - $89.99
J&J 16" Ceramic Spyder Barrel - $44.99
MIL-SIM Gas Through Stock - $36.95
Simmons Red Dot 30mm w/ Rail Mount - $39.99
200 Round Q-Loader - $79.95
PMI Universal Bi-pod - $49.99
For a grand total of $341.86 + any taxes or shipping costs. PM me in the forums and I can send you link to where you can buy these upgrades.
I don't have all of the parts yet, as I just picked up a used Tippmann A-5, which burned up the upgarde funds for my TAC-5, but I do plan on having this setup completed by the end of the year and will also be picking up the JT accessories once they are released. Let me know what you think of this mod.
UPDATE 04/23/06
FIRST LET ME REPLY TO A COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW:
<quote>Originally posted by pyro3rg
first off anything shooting with arc is NOT accurate. Secondly are we truly to take advice from a guy who says to use an expansion chamber then get hpa?</quote>
So nothing is acurate then? All projectiles fire with an arc, genius. Even the worlds best snipers have to use arc compensation when firing over certain distances depending on their equipment.
And as far as my upgrade suggestions, I was offering both options, never once did i ever suggest to use the E-chamber with the CA. And for that fact I never suggested either HPA or LPA, just CA, so why don't you get your facts straight before you come around flexing your cyber muscles...............
Now I have had a ton of requests for updates so here we go:
To answer one question, YES, I have switched to the A-5 as my primary marker. It is far more reliable and easier to get parts for. Mine is customized and upgraded quite a bit now. Pics can be seen on my profile at my team's website http://tristatespecops.com/members.asp?member=terror . For those of you who are in the North East I will be at EMR this weekend for Castle Conquest XXI with my team the TSSOC. If you want to stop by and check me out, we will be under the blue DYE tent with the black 3 skull flag on it. You will also be able to spot us by our full Army ACU uniforms and 3 skull team patches.
Now on to the TAC-5. What can I say? For some reason I want this marker to work and I want to help it be a good marker. Right now it is none of those. I have gone through 2 power tubes, the cocking handle blow back has deteriorated to the point of being a neusence. The only way to not chop balls is to fire at a 1-2 bps rate of fire. Yet after all of this I still have hope. I have spoken to JT and the techs there are saying they are coming out with a new and improved power tube. The accessories are available (IN FRICKIN CANADA FOR A TON OF MONEY) so that may fix the cocking handle issue. I am going to actually call JT and try raising some hell to see if I can get some of these issues looked into. So don't think I am leaving you all high and dry. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or e-mail me at nicotera75@netscape.net. |
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| Conclusion: |
See above! |
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| Rating: |
| 5 out of 10 | Last edited on Monday, April 24th, 2006 at 11:31 am PST |
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oMJAo |
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Friday, October 7th, 2005 |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 32 of 38 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Tippmann 98 c |
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| Marker Setup: |
- JT Tac-5 Camo
-JJ Ceramic Barrel
-Daisy Red dot
-20 ounce C02 W/ buttplate |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
-Barrel ( J&J ceramic 14')
-Red dot sight (Daisy Max View) |
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| Strengths: |
-very stable and durable
-accurate out of the box
-looks nice
-range is excellent
-CHEAP |
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| Weaknesses: |
-Field strip is not as easy as advertised
-No sights to line up when shooting |
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| Review: |
Right out of the box I had a feeling that this gun would be a great gun. I immediately knew that a new barrel would be needed because about every 1 out of 4 shots I noticed a slight hook. The other 3 shots are dead accurate though and a sight would increase accuracy even more. This gun is by no means a speed ball gun, hence the name, and that is shown by its slow rate of fire. although this gun shoots faster than my tippmann 98. the bolt and power tube are plastic which kind of sucks because the first time i tried to adjust my velocity the hex screw got cross threaded into the plastic. Its not that big of a deal because i can still adjust my velocity but cant screw it all the way inwards. Another cool thing about this gun is the removable front grip. I removed mine to give it more of a rifle feel ; ) and i love it. it steadys the gun making the shot grouping a bit tighter... a big plus.
UPDATE: wow... I just installed the red dot today and when i got it zeroed in the thing would not miss. from 100 feet away on a 1foot by 1foot square board It hit 30 balls in a row. I cant wait to test it with the J&J ceramic barrel because it should make it even better. I'll have that update in a couple of days.
UPDATE2: well with the J&J Ceramic S2 barrel and some decent paint (Dusk) this is quite the gun. The accuracy is amazing and shoots a lot better than my tippmann EVER did. I'll update the review one more time after I play a woodsball game with it. |
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| Conclusion: |
This gun without upgrades is not the greatest thing... but if you add a few upgrades this can really be an awesome gun. I got mine off of eBay for 50 dollars and with the free mask that is offered by a mail in rebate i will get my money back. If you play woods ball i recommend this gun. just make sure you get a couple of key upgrades like a new barrel and a red dot sight. I'll give this gun a 9 for now but when I test the upgrades i will update my review. |
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| Rating: |
| 9 out of 10 | Last edited on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 11:09 am PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 6 months | 20 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
2 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Various Tippmanns
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| Marker Setup: |
Main marker:
-JT Tac-5 Recon
-BT Apex barrel
-14" Dye Xcel barrel
-BSA 30mm Red-Dot sight
-AK-47 stock
-32* Remote w/ slide check
-Ricochet AK hopper
-Pen spring mod
-Polished Striker |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Barrel
Sight
Remote
Stock (when available) |
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| Strengths: |
Accurate
Powerful
Durable
Price
Adjustable feedneck
Color
Trigger pull |
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| Weaknesses: |
Cocking rod blowback
Paint scratches
Striker pin breaks
Valve spring wear
Chops |
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| Review: |
I love this marker! It's just about everything I've wanted in a woodsball marker, for under $100. It felt pretty good stock, but I immediately replaced the stock barrel with a 14" Dye Xcel. I also removed the "tac handle" and replaced it with a BE red-dot sight that was sitting in my gear bag. After some tuning and testing, I've got it firing very accurate right now. The trigger pull is a bit stiff, but I can manage.
The field stripping wasn't as hard as I read that it would be. It's just not the most convenient if you're on a time limit in the out-bunker.
The rear cocking rod DOES blowback. lt bugs me a little, but it's not as bad as the rod on my spyder shutter.
*Update! Feb. 20, 2006*
Well, if you have looked at the pics, you've probably seen my highly modded Tac-5. I'm seriously loving it's performance. However, I have encountered a couple problems which you should be aware of.
1. The plastic striker pin breaks after some use. Spenic talks about how to fix this in his review, so you should check it out.
2. The valve spring in my power tube wore out after a while which caused the gun to leak out of the barrel. I fixed this by using part of a main spring from a Maddman Spyder spring kit the I had laying around. The marker hasn't had any leaks since.
3. I experienced some bad chopping problems at a couple of games. The first time it was the paint I was using (see my review for evil paintballs), and the second time was user error. I had done the pen spring mod so the gun was firing faster than the hopper. My fix for this was a Ricochet AK hopper. I haven't chopped since. |
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| Conclusion: |
I am very satisfied with this marker. I can't wait for JT to release the stock for it. I highly recommend this marker if you want a good woodsball marker for under $100. |
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| Rating: |
| 10 out of 10 | Last edited on Monday, February 20th, 2006 at 12:28 pm PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 3 months | 20 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Tippman 98 - Larger and heavier than the Tac5, and lacks the rail system. 98 seems sturdier. Tac5 is cheaper.
Tippman A5 - The Tac5's body is built like the A5, and is less complex. The A5's Cyclone Feed is hard to beat. . Tac5 is cheaper.
Kingman Spyder Rodeo - I decked my Rodeo out in Scenario style, which meant lots of money to make it look like the Tac5 does out of the box. |
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| Marker Setup: |
JT Tac-5, 12" J&J Performance barrel, custom modified 7.62mm NATO rifle clip used as as foregrip, Ricochet AK 12v hopper, working on a custom stock... |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
1. New barrel. Stock is fine, but no better than a stock 98 barrel.
2. Fix the feedneck - not an upgrade you can buy, but needs to be done.
3. Scenario-style accessories (carbine stock, sights, etc.), though most of them are for show. |
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| Strengths: |
1. Cheap! Can't beat the price for a 98 clone.
2. Tons of features. |
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| Weaknesses: |
1. Feedneck issues.
2. Paint job.
3. Hard to strip or alter. |
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| Review: |
Long ago I refused to buy a 98 because everybody and their uncle had one, and all the fields rented them. I wanted a rail-capable marker for woods and scenario use, but the big Warsensors and Armotechs and Ariakons were too expensive. Game Face's Recon E5 was nice, but I didn't want an e-gun. WGP made the VF Tactical Autococker, but I wanted to avoid 'cockers as well. I styled a Spyder Rodeo as best I could but it was a monster - heavy and ungainly with all the accessories mounted. What to do?
Ariakon just made the WSF (WarSensor Field) marker for $120 to compete directly with the 98, complete with a tri-rail, and I was about to buy one when I saw the Tac-5 Camo kit in Wally World for $145. Perfect! I ran home, searched online, and found black JT Tac5's for sale for $68 shipped. [EDIT 12/2/05: Pricing has changed, up by almost 50%. Also, Kingman is introducing scenario-style Spyders and PMI just came out with the US-5, a clone of the A5.]
Mine arrived last month and I promptly changed it from vertical feed to right-hand feed and put a few rounds through it. Here's the rundown:
1. Overall Construction - all metal, solid, not as heavy or bulky as a 98. Color appears to be painted, not anodized, as it seemed to scratch to bare metal easily. Inside of the tactical handle wasn't painted at all. These may be about as tough as a 98, but that's a lot to say - only time will tell. Body isn't as thick as an A5 or as long as a 98. Milling is minimal but decent, and the gark grey JT logo is unobtrusive on my black Tac5. [EDIT 12/2/05: There are some sharp edges once the feedneck is rotated. Paint job is shoddy.]
2. Barrel - Standard, looks like a short CMI Tru-Flight. No rifling, but also no porting, just a big muzzle brake.
3. Feedneck - nice, it's a 3-position JT Gorilla Grip. Altering the position takes time, I'd do it before getting to the field. Vert feed works wonderfully out of the box. JT includes an aluminum elbow for right or left feed, but the threads are off - when screwed in completely, it's no longer vertical. I'll add a washer, another o-ring, or a thick gasket to fix the spacing. [EDIT 12/2/05: A pair of thick gaskets at the base of the feedneck threads fixed the spacing perfectly. I shouldn't have had to fix it, though. Gorilla Grip is a joke, I had to tape the neck of every hopper I used. Another problem - I can feel air escaping from the joint between the rotating front end and the marker body. Why is this not o-ringed or gasketed? Leakage is never good.]
4. RIS Rails - weaver / picatinny style, with 3 rails up front and one on top. Top rail comes stock with a carry handle, which is tough plastic. This is a cosmetic carry handle, not an M16/M4-style. Forward rails come with a tactical handle (aluminum). When the feedneck is vertical and the tactical handle is installed, the 2 extra forward rails can't be used. Neat feature, though: when the feedneck is rotated left or right, at least one of the 3 forward rails will move to the side of the gun, so you can side-mount an accessory. With the handle all the way forward, the black Tac5 is easily mistaken for an A5. [EDIT 12/2/05: The TAC5 only comes with one rail for the fore-end; you'll have to make or buy another if you want to rotate the feedneck, mount the handle, and still mount a laser or light on the front end.]
5. Air Line - the line from the valve to the ASA is black-painted braided flex hose, but it's not stainless. It's much better than macroline, and it's the same hosing my Rodeo uses, so this isn't a complaint, just an FYI. [EDIT 12/2/05: The braided bottomline has to be removed from the gun body during field stripping. Could cause problems with excessive wear.]
6. Trigger assembly - grips are no-slip rubber rear wraparounds and feel solid. Trigger is a double-finger blade with a surprisingly short pull. Feels good, and as fast as any other mechanical. Not sure if the assembly is compatible with 98 or JT frames - maybe neither. [EDIT 12/2/05: The frames are molded into the body of the gun and can't be replaced. Fame is solid, not hollow like a Spyder.]
7. Velocity adjustment - 98 style, exactly. Works well. [EDIT 12/2/05: I lied, it doesn't work at all. Mine had no effect on velocity. Stuck at 220fps, period.]
8. Cocking - Unlike the 98, the Tac5 is a flush rear cocking marker, so it keeps a much cleaner line. I imagine add-on stocks will have an extender so they can cock through the rear of the stock tube. [EDIT 12/2/05: Sort of flush. It will still pop you in the lens if you aren't careful.]
9. Internals - haven't taken it completely apart yet, but it they feel solid. Field stripping is very difficult - requires removal of the air line, valve screw, and more. Haven't decided if the internals are 98, A5, Jt, or a combination. [EDIT 12/2/05: Internals are at least partially plastic, see Specnic's review on this as well. Plastic, as in, plastic, not delrin or nylatron. Once the marker is apart, you see the cheapness of the internal construction.]
10. ASA - no drop forward included. [EDIT 12/2/05: Grip-mounted 15-degree bottomline ASA comes with a filter screen preinstalled.]
11. Safety - stiff and loud. Works, but feels like it's sticking.
12. Detent - [EDIT 12/2/05: Worthless. This is a small plastic Viewloader-style tab and consistently fails to keep balls from rolling out the barrel or double-feeding.]
In use, the Tac5 was quite accurate and consistent given the short stock barrel. Speed was comparable to any other mechanical marker. Tested with RPS Premiums and a 72/3000 HPA tank. It was loud in my tests - somewhere between the POP/CRACK of a 98 and the BANGing metal-on-metal sound of a Spyder clone. Maybe a better barrel will fix it (like 32 Degrees' Whisper), maybe it's just the style. [EDIT 12/2/05: a new 12" J&J barrel made the marker much quieter and more accurate.]
Markers sold alone come with a mail-in coupon for a free JT goggle ($10 shipping); markers sold in kits come with a coupon for a free 12v Viewloader Revolution hopper (again $10 shipping). Yet another great bonus!
Note on naming black tactical markers: E5, A5, SIM-5, Tac-5 - sense a theme here? |
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| Conclusion: |
Can't beat the features for the price: Flush cocking, 3-position Gorilla Grip feedneck, removable tactical handle, multiple Picatinny / Weaver rails, carry handle, even more when the JT accessories come out at Christmas or early 2006. Rating of 9/10 is based on other guns in the same price range. Considering that it beats a stock Tippman 98 in many categores and ties in others, at less than 2/3 of the price, it's just about the most marker you'll get for this price. You can't compare a $68 mechanical gun to $1000 Angels or $600 Pimps or even to $275 Ions, so in its class, the Tac-5 is a real standout. Spyder clones have dominated the low end of the market for years, and now the first real 98 clones are appearing. Much like the Spyder clones, it looks like the knock-offs may be a better value than the originals. [EDIT 12/2/05: After extensive use, I can't recommend the TAC-5 except as a 98 replacement for those REALLY low on cash. Worse, prices have gone up, so that a new Tac5 is just $20-$35 less than a new Tippmann 98 Custom. The rails are a great idea, the adjustable feedneck is a great idea, the whole marker looks and feels great - and then fails on too many details. Such a disappointment. I really, really hate to be down on a marker that's so close to being superb, but I can't help it. Rating changed from 9 to 6.] |
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| Rating: |
| 6 out of 10 | Last edited on Thursday, December 15th, 2005 at 2:20 pm PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 1 year | 12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
98 Custom
A-5 |
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| Marker Setup: |
JT TAC-5 Stealth
JT Fixed Buttstock
JT 14-in RIfled Barrel
JT 3-point sling
Empire Reloader II
Deluxe Tactical Flashlight
Java 4+1 Harness
2x 20oz CO2
4x Wrek 140rd Tubes
Triple Drop Leg Pouch
3x VL 100rd Tubes
JT Nvader Thermal Lens |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
See Review |
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| Strengths: |
See Review |
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| Weaknesses: |
See Review |
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| Review: |
These are a few topics ive seen throughout the other reveiws that ill touch on.
Body:
The metal body is VERY durable. Throughout the years of punishment ive put the thing through it has never given me any troubles. Ive dropped the body, with the bolt system installed, from a height of 10 foot onto a rock, still works fine.
Accuracy:
The stock barrel has a great effective range that does vary but is usually around fifty meters+. I would recommend upgrading to the 14" rifled barrel produced by JT for the Tac 5 for a few extra meters.
Field Strip:
The field strip on this rifle is not as easy as advertised, but it is not as difficult as some. To field strip you remove the front feed assembly with an allen wrench, remove velocity adjustor screw with allen wrench, remove bottom air feed port, remove bottom screw with allen wrench, pull field strip pin, and finnaly pull out the bolt assembly.
Feed Neck:
The Gorilla Grip feed neck adaptor is great if you are only going to be using one hopper and dont plan to take it apart. Once you introduce the feed neck to the hopper the only was to safely remove the hopper is to also unscrew the feed neck.
Sights:
Ive heard alot of "No sights to line up" in many reviews of this product. Actually the carry handle is supposed to be a sight. It isnt very good but it is something. Plus, the whole point of the rail system is that you are able to upgrade the sights.
Paint:
The paint does scratch fairly easily. However, my opinion is that this marker is desinged to be accurate, not to win a beauty contest.
Ball Detent:
Some reveiws say that the ball detent is usless and doesnt work. After some use, or ever out of the box, you may have to strengthen the ball dentent by removing the front feed assembly and pulling the ridge up a little more.
Weight:
Weight on this marker con be a huge problem, especially on long scenario games. I played a 12 hr with this marker, without a sling and it can get tiring. Afterwards i purchased the 3-point sling that JT has put out for the Tac 5. The thing works great and really lets you rest. Also a remote helps A LOT.
O-Rings:
I read a review that claimed the marker chewed o-rings, make sure that you keep the bolt and o-rings oiled frequently. Also, make sure you are buying good quality o-rings, not walmart name-brand.
That is all for now, check for updates! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.
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| Conclusion: |
Body: 10/10 (Very Durable)
Accuracy: 9/10 (Stock barrel is accurate, but could be better)
Field Strip: 5/10 (Should really be redesigned, gives a good marker a bad rep)
Feed Neck: 6/10 (Does what it is designed to do, perhaps a little too well)
Sights: 6/10 (Carry Handle/Sights are not very apparent, easily upgraded)
Paint: 7/10 (Can Scratch)
Weight: 5/10 (Can be a problem for smaller, weaker, players)
O-Rings: Not a problem with marker
Overall Rating: Below
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| Rating: |
| 7 out of 10 | Last edited on Friday, September 15th, 2006 at 6:16 pm PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 11 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
3 years |
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| Marker Setup: |
JT Tac 5 recon with a 14 inch spyder barrel. A tasco 42 millimeter red dot scope. |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
A new barrel increases the accuracy which was already impressive. A scope makes this gun and insane sniper. I cant wait to get the new barrel and stock for it in 2006 |
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| Strengths: |
accuracy is amazing .Shoots with the reliability ond accuracy of a high dollar marker |
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| Weaknesses: |
Gun dont always cock thats the only problem |
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| Review: |
The gun i a great value. I was so impressed when i shot it. The problem with the gun not cocking is not that major it only happens once or twice every 200 balls an expansion chamber would probably help it. My friend has an A-5 and the Tac-5 has an amazing resemblance to A-5. The bolt assembly is an almost exact match and JT is coming out with a barrel that looks just like the flatline and a stock for it. If the Tac-5 came with anything resembling the cyclone feed i would have to say that JT would be getting a call from Tippmans lawyer. If i had to play against a player like me that had this gun with the red dot scope i would camp the whole time because i would be too afraid to move because the gun has such good distance and accuracy in the hands of a player with any skill at all it is dangerous. JT has for sure made the jump from speedball to tactical with the Tac-5 and in this jump they went right over the leader in tactical which is Tippman to the front line of tactical paintballing and i hope JT follows this gun with many more tactical markers. |
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| Conclusion: |
For the price and just for the hell of it buy two. |
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| Rating: |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
2 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
tipp 98 (model b4 the custom) |
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| Marker Setup: |
jt tac-5 recon (all stock)
no name 4+1 pack
20 oz
remote |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
expansion chamber |
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| Strengths: |
Feels sturdy
Cheap price
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| Weaknesses: |
Paint scratches like crazy |
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| Review: |
This is a really good gun. I bought it for the price. I dont believe u need top shelf markers to have fun or to be good.
The Tac-5 shoots well. No leaks of co2. I shot around 350 paintballs thru it and none broke. With the velocity all the way down it still shot pretty far. About half the shots curved bad but ended up hitting not far off.
Now the feedneck is something. It takes a while to change it around. Do it b4 u go out to play. The forgrip is a little bit of a problem i thought. To change the handle back down after u change the feedneck u need to remove two bolts. They look like allen bolts but allen wrenchs dont fit them. metric or standard. The turned out to be hex bolts. No problem unless u dont have a hex driver.
The only bad thing really is the paint. I bought the black one. touch an allen wrench to it and watch it scratch. I mean dang. That was a silly thing for JT/Brass Eagle to do. Who wants a good gun that looks years old after only a few times at play?
Oh and the "gorilla" grip isnt so... gorilla. more like "howler monkey". I had to use some tap on my hopper to mae it fit snug. |
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| Conclusion: |
I say this is a really good gun. Woodsball only is what is for. Paint is the worst part of this gun. Try it b4 u buy if u can. it is a JT/Brass Eagle gun but it is a good gun. they may have found their nitch, woodsball/scenario. Give it a chance. |
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| Rating: |
| 9 out of 10 | Last edited on Friday, August 26th, 2005 at 6:01 am PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| 3 months | 6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
4 years |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Brass Eagle Blade
Brass Eagle Eradicator
Brute pump gun |
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| Marker Setup: |
JT Tac-5 Recon Stealth
JT Fixed Stock
JT 3-Point tactical sling
Tasco 30mm red dot sight
Smart Parts Progressive 16" barrel
Generic hopper
Generic 9oz CO2 tank
Switched to side feed |
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
Shave bolt (if you use the side feed setup)
Aftermarket barrel
Stock
Sight |
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| Strengths: |
Sort of accurate
Heavy
Looks good |
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| Weaknesses: |
Hard to clean
Heavy
Chops balls (see review)
Doesn't re-cock (see review)
Inconsistent |
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| Review: |
I got this marker about four weeks ago, and I have played about 5 days with it so far.
Strengths:
Accuracy:
When I played with the stock barrel, the gun was fairly accurate. I would highly recommend getting an aftermarket barrel (how original). Ever since I set up the sight correctly and got my new Progressive 16", I can consistently pick off soda cans at 50 feet. I let some of the other guys on the field try it out, and they were all amazed, even the one with the Tippman 98 with a Flatline. Even better, I was able to hit a paint bucket from 50 yards consistently, with slight curvature. I had to get used to the arc, but once you get comfortable with it, it is (relatively) easy to pick off targets at long distance. Now if only I could convince myself of that while playing...
Reliability:
The first time I put gas on the gun, it leaked. I took it apart and put it back together, and it hasn't leaked since. The only other real problem with the gun was that it chop balls and didn't re-cock with the feed port to the side. Even worse, when it chop the ball, it didn't fire again until I took the gun apart and cleaned out the broken ball. And it did this every four balls or so! I took the gun apart, and got out the bold. I had read in other reviews how they had sanded down the bolt so the balls wouldn't chop. I decided this would be the best way to go, so I got out a Dremel and shaved about a 1 mm off the side of the bolt. After reassembly, I tried it out. It seemed to work fine in testing, and the next day I put it to the real test in a paintball game. It perform beautifully. Not a single ball chopped and it re-cocked all day, and it fired as fast as I pulled the trigger. No problems ever since. On a side note, two guys who came over to play had Tippmann 98s, and neither Tippmann worked right. One leaked and the other only fired one good shot before uncocking.
[ EDIT ]:
After playing with it for an extended period of time, it was gotten less and less accurate. It now only shoots at 250 fps, and the new valve sleeve didn't help. It is becoming too unreliable for me.
Heavy:
It is to be expected. The whole gun (except for some of the internals) is made of metal and is heavy enough on its own. Add a stock, long barrel, CO2 tank, and paintballs to that, and you have one heavy gun. I have the tactical sling for it, which takes away a lot of the weight, and a sling is definitely recommended if you are lacking in upper body strength (like me). However, I like the gun being heavy and awkward; I think it makes it feel more realistic and sturdy. Just keep that in mind if you are used to lightweight guns.
Looks Good:
This is, of course, my opinion. But everyone that has seen it thought it was an awesome gun.
Weaknesses:
Hard to clean:
This is the biggest weakness of the gun. Field stripping is not easy, unless you carry a hex wrench around and have a bag for all the parts. The placement of some of the disassembly screws could have been better, and it would have been nice if they had made all the hex screws the same size. On the positive side, I don't really have to clean it very often now, since I don't get (many) ball breaks anymore.
Heavy:
This can be a weakness sometimes, like when I am in a tight space and need to make a getaway. Not too bad really, it would be much worse if I didn't have the sling.
Chops balls / Doesn't re-cock:
If you take it straight out of the box, with the feed port in the vertical position, these two issues are non existent. If you adjust the feed port to the left or right, however, ball chopping/lack of re-cocking is a major problem. I fixed this by sanding the striking bolt by about 1 mm, as I said before. This method is highly recommended, as long as you are handy with power tools - regular sandpaper would take a while, and the surface would never get smooth without a lot of work.
[EDIT]
Inconsistent with CO2:
At the chronometer it starts at 350, then after one game it goes down to 250 FPS. It also fluctuates from 240 to 260.
Problems that haven't been a problem with me:
Shooting hot / too slow:
I got mine chronographed the day after I got it, and it shot at about 250 FPS. This is a bit slow, but I can never be accused of having my gun calibrated to high. I have gotten used to the drop off, and it is not a problem.
Cracked powertube:
Not a problem YET, but it seems like this happens to a lot of people. It is easily fixable by asking JT for a new one, and an improved one is in development. |
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| Conclusion: |
At first, I couldn't really recommend this gun because of the chopping / cocking issue when the feed port is to the side. The fix may be a bit much for some paintballers, and I would not recommend this gun if you want one that works perfectly out of the box.
I would recommend this gun as an alternative to the Tippmann 98, and as an affordable tactical marker. I have successfully used it for sniping and for heavy assaulting / cover fire.
All around excellent marker, with only a few bugs, some of which can be worked out.
[EDIT]
With all the problems it has been having, I can't really recommend this gun. Maybe to a tinkerer like myself, but for anyone else: don't get this unless you are on a tight budget. |
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| Rating: |
| 7 out of 10 | Last edited on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 at 7:51 am PST |
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Period of
Product Use: |
| Less than a month | 6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Paintball
Experience: |
1 year |
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Similar
Products Used: |
Tippman 98 Custom
Tipman Pro-Lite |
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| Marker Setup: |
Marker: tac-5 recon
Hopper: 32 degrees 200 round hopper
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Recommended
Upgrades: |
14" Barrel. |
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| Strengths: |
Weight
45 Degree hopper option |
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| Weaknesses: |
Hopper needs to be forced in a little.
found only camo paint job. |
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| Review: |
This is the first marker that I have bought. For the past year, when I played I would use my friends extra Tippman 98 Custom. When it was time for me to buy my own, that was what I was going to buy. Until I saw this marker. At first it was only the design that caught my eye. I figured that I would hold it to get a good feel for it. The weight caught my attention right away. The next thing that caught my eye was the price. Under $100. The Tippman I was looking at was another $50. Trying to keep somewhat of a budget I added everything I would need and found this to be a better buy. All in all, the marker, 200 round hopper, 4 ammo tubes, 4+1 harness, face mask and a 20 0z. tank cost me just under $200.
Once I got home, the first thing I did was to go into the back yard to test my new marker. The accuracy was right on. I hit everything with no problem, dead on. I feel with a longer barrel, this would be a perfect snipper marker. I'm looking forward to testing it in action this weekend.
Update: 5/24/05
I used this marker pretty much stock. I replaced the Tac Handle with a BE Red-Dot sight I picked up at Dick's Sporting Goods for $15. Played with it a little and got it right where I wanted it. At one point, while in a game of Capture the Flag, a ball broke in the breach. My gun would not fire. At first, I thought I was out of air, so I switched to my 12 oz back up tank. Once that was attached, I tried to recock my gun, but it still wouldn't fire. I detached the hopper, and found the broken ball. Pulling out my tools, I stripped the gun down while in the field. I took the front have of the gun apart, whiped it clean, and put it back together. Bamb...I was back in business. The one milled construction of the gun really made the differance here. Sadly, once I got the gun working, I was out flanked. But none the less, the gun worked great.
I did have a few balls brake on me other then the one in the breach. But only in the barrel. I had no ill effects from those. The gun kept firing for me with those brakes. I highly reccomend this gun.
I am no looking to upgrade this with a 16" barrel, new ball detent (if I can find one) and a better stock (I lost my tack stock on the field).
Update: 06/19/06:
This past weekend I took the gun out again to The Badlandz. Again, this gun held up to what I wanted it to do. I have sense added a new J&J Ceramic 14" ported barrel. My range has increased by about 50ft. This is also the first time I was able to crono the gun. I was a little disappointed that I kept getting -/+ 10fps. I was unable to get it to really stay around 280fps. Th | | | |
