pbReview.com / Special Ops Paintball A-5A2 Standard / Special Ops Paintball A-5A2 Standard / Special Ops Paintball A-5A2 Standard / Special Ops Paintball A-5A2 Standard
Detailed Description
Finally, a paintgun made by Woods-ball players for Woods-ball players: the SpecialOps Tippmann A-5A2 feels, shoots and looks like a true military firearm. Like the MP5 sub-machine gun, the A-5A2 pops right on target with perfect balance, natural aim and a super-low shooting profile. The A-5A2 is built on the proven and reliable Tippmann A5 chassis, making a superior gun for the mud and dust of the forest and field. If you choose a digi-camo A-5A2, then youll be giving your paintgun the gift of near invisibility. Try crawling around the woods for a day with a bulky, easy-to-spot tourney gun and youll be ready to swap it for a paintgun that was made to fight in the bush.
Features:
- SpecialOps MP5 Front Grip
- Superior ergonomic handhold
- SpecialOps Rear-air Tombstone
- SpecialOps Air-through Buttstock
- Carve-out Contour: Allows free sightline down barrel even with mask and goggles
- Quick-disconnect Remote Nipple: Tucks up under shooters arm out-of-the-way and allows an easy roll to the shoulder for quick and accurate firing.
- Tippmann A-5 Basegun: Reliable Tippmann design is perfect for woods play.
Product Availability
The Special Ops Paintball A-5A2 Standard is newer, so it should be commonly available, both new and used.
Places to Buy
No Stores
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Several Tippmann markers in my lifetime from the Pro-Am to the '98
Marker Setup:
Tippmann A-5, Special Ops air thru stock setup with remote, Centerflag air tank with sliding valve
Recommended Upgrades:
New barrel, LAPCO side-rail mount, remote line, nitrogen system
Strengths:
It's a Tippmann. It'll outlive your grandkids
Weaknesses:
Difficult to field strip, hard to reassemble
Review:
A long time ago I used a rental SL-68 2 while playing in the woods. In my life I've had the pleasure of shooting a Pro-Am, Pro-Lite, a .68 Special, and almost every other Tippmann gun ever made. But I never owned one, I just used rentals or borrowed from a buddy when I would go out of town and didn't feel like taking my gear with me.
So when I got the A-5a2 I knew it would be a good product. I've dealt with Tippmann at big games before and I know their customer service is top notch. In the box it comes with spare parts, as well as the original A-5 parts if you want to swap her back and forth. After a full disassembly, I found the largest problem of the A5. Putting one back together is a bear. Springs don't always want to fit back into the cast halves. So I made a mental not to never take it apart at the field, EVER. You also should have a clue before you take it apart, "spare parts" after you put the gun together is bad.
My A-5a2 came stock with a short thunderpig barrel, which I didn't like at all. The porting is all the way down the thing, and I was losing a lot of control and air efficiency. I recently replaced it with a Stiffi, and I couldn't be happier.
Much to my surprise, I can actually crank out a decent amount of paint with it. I think I can top her at 10 a second, if that's important to anyone. I run her with Nitrogen on a remote, and there's rarely any velocity problems when I'm laying out cover fire. The only time I had any was when I played at high elevation once, but even then I set the gun and it was fine for the day.
Typical of a Tippmann, she is a loud gun. She's also got the blowback 'kick' because of the in-line hammer/bolt. I don't look at these as disadvantages, I like the kick. That's why I got one with a stock on it in the first place. And the noise isn't as bas as the old .68 specials, that thing was LOUD.
Sighting down the barrel is not possible if you shoot her high on the shoulder like a speedball gun. You gotta put it in the same place you'd put a rifle, square into your shoulder. But the base A-5 is built to have the tank under the grip. Because of this, the iron sights are a waste of time when you rifle stock the thing. In fact, I ripped the iron sights off mine as they're completely useless. I side-mounted a dot sight and it puts paint where I want it. If you're used to pellet guns or rifles, shoot this like you'd shoot those, and you're fine.
Speaking of the stock, the balance is very reminiscent of rifles. I can snap it up to my shoulder and start firing very quickly, because it just has the right feel to it. It's also good for long patrols, because I can raise it up and shoot fairly fast. The lack of the handle grip really doesn't enter into things, as I don't shoot mine like a tommy-gun anyway. I hold her like a pump, and it works out.
One of the side benefits of this marker is it has a great reverse intimidation effect. I take her to speedball courses and it turns heads. I wear my camos or my blacks to play speedball anyway, and combined with the look of the A-5a2 some guys assume you're part of the local "SWAT" team. It's actually fun to play along, and throw a few hand signals at them.
Speedball or CQB, she's a touch long in the body. That's Tippmanns for you. Honestly, a Spyder or the Tac-1 is better for indoor play because they're smaller. But I like using the A-5 indoors, once you learn how to maneuver with it. If you play a lot of airball, Tippmanns aren't your gun anyway.
Over the two years I've been using her, I've never had to replace anything. It's a Tippy, it's a freaking tank. The worst damage is the loader has taken some dings and scratches. I replaced it with a ricochet stealth hopper, and problem solved. As long as you perform basic maintenence on her, the A-5 will last damn near forever.
Tippmanns have a lot of available upgrades, including e-trigger packages and accessories. I don't need an e-trigger, but I was thinking of replacing the power tube with another brand when I finally wear down the one in there. But that'll be a while, she's a Tippmann.
Conclusion:
I hate reviewers who give a product they like a "10 out of 10" because there's no perfect paintgun. For my purposes, the A-5a2 is about right. It's not the fastest, the slimmest, the smallest, the quietest, but it fits my style of play. Not to mention that I could use her for another 30 years, and she'll still be cranking out paint. The trigger could be lighter, the hopper could be a little slimmer, there's a few other details but in all, it's a solid purchase and a solid product.
If you're looking for a solid piece of kit that you could use for the rest of your life, Tippmanns fit the bill in general. But she's not for everyone. If you're looking for raw firepower, or a "tight speedball gun", you won't be too happy with the A-5a2. If you're looking for a woods style paintball marker with a somewhat "Realistic" look, you'll like the A-5a2.
This stock is soooo cool. i got it and was excited right away. some people say that it doesnt allow you to look down the iron sights and they are right, if you have a hard bulgy mask. if you have a flexible mask it lets you sight with the iron sights. the masks that work are proto switch FS, JT flex 7, Empire e-vents/ vents avatar. Even my old, old brass eagle 12 dollar mask lets you kind of do it. this stock has no wobble what so ever and makes you gun look and actually feel like a real assault rifle!
Conclusion:
I highly reccomend buying this kit or at least the stock. just get a mask w/flex or a raised rail and youll be fine. who needs the dogleg!
Stock A5 - Better in some ways, worse in others
Stock 98 Custom - surpassed in every way by the A5 in any form
Marker Setup:
Tippman A-5 with A2 kit from Spec Ops Paintball and coiled remote
Pure Energy 72/3000 HPA or 20 oz CO2
Recommended Upgrades:
Coiled remote
HPA
Better barrel
Strengths:
Reliability
Comfort
ROF
Ease of aiming
Weaknesses:
Doesn't accomodate masks
Somewhat heavy
Gas hog
Paint in the cyclone feeder
Review:
I've been using my Tippman A-5 for the past few months now to play primarily as an assault-type role. Previously, I'd been using an old AGD Mini-mag with an aftermarket barrel to play sniper. With that in mind, the first things I noticed about this gun are that it is big and noisy. That may or may not be a factor in deciding to buy it, but this gun would make a very poor sniper.
That said, it is amazing for playing assault. With the Spec Ops A2 kit, the balance is perfect (right on the grip), and the cyclone feeder gives the best mechanical ROF I've ever seen outside of the $500 AGD guns. The stock brings the weight toward the back of the gun, and when the hooper has paint in it, it is incredibly quick to aim. Accuracy is pretty bad with the stock barrel (With 200 rounds, I made about an 18" group at 30 yards), but I'm upgrading it soon to a carbon barrel with hopes it'll be much improved.
I did find (as many others have noted) that the stock prevents effective use of a mask, even with the cutout. However, I don't really use the sights that often, so it is not a huge impediment to me. A solution I found was to wear goggles instead of a full mask, but this is risky, and if you're worried about getting hit in the face, I recommend you get a dogleg stock instead.
This gun is a gas hog, and when firing it quickly, CO2 can freeze it up really fast. I highly recommend using HPA, even if it interferes with the response trigger, which I feel is a must to maximize the poential of this gun.
EDIT: I just upgraded to a 12" Thunder Pig barrel, and accuracy is greatly improved; down from an 18" group at 30 yards to a 14" group, and firing 8 BPS, at that. The new barrel also made the gun substantially quieter.
Conclusion:
This gun is a great value for the money, and superb for most paintballers. It is very reliable, shoots fast and lays down a lot of paint. That said, it makes a very poor sniping gun, being quite loud and inaccurate, and is a bit on the heavy side.
EDIT: With a better barrel, accuracy becomes more acceptable, though it is still not a sniper by any means.
The A2 kit is just the icing on the cake; it rebalances the gun superbly and makes the remote hookup very unobtrusive.
My only complaint would be the mask/stock problem, but if you don't need to take aim and be a marksman, it isn't an issue.
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 8:42 am PST
Tippmann A-5
E-Grip
A-5A2 Commando Stock
A-5A2 EZ Air-Thru Foregrip
14" J&J Ceramic Barrel
Remote with Slide Check
48/3000 Nitrogen
Recommended Upgrades:
You definitely need a remote for the stock A-5A2. Nitrogen is a must. Later, try a red dot sight.
Strengths:
See review for full details.
Weaknesses:
The stock barrel. 14" J&J will do fine.
Review:
I love this gun.
I bought me a Tippmann A-5 last Summer, and I had that 6-position CAR Stock and a Flatline, and I thought it was the best paintball gun ever. And that was until I saw an A-5A2 on the internet.
PROS:
- Feels very, very natural to hold (unlike awkwardly-shaped or badly-balanced tourney guns)
- Excellent balance (With a remote, like you SHOULD be using with this setup, the gun balances right in front of the trigger)
- It's built on a Tippmann A-5.
-Stock is very solid on the gun
One of the most important reasons that an A-5A2 is superior to a regular A-5 without the stock and foregrip is ergonomics, which is the science of making things conform to the body.
The stock is the absolute perfect length to rest on your shoulder, and holding the gun by its foregrip with the left hand feels much more natural and comfortable than holding any tourney gun. The gun is balanced near-perfectly in front of your trigger, so it makes holding the gun much easier.
As I've said above, the reason why the A-5A2 is so much better than any other gun on the market is because it's comfortable to hold and aim. If you have a gun that is balanced well and that you can rest on your shoulder with a stock, you can aim at a target faster. And if you can aim at your target faster, you're more likely to paint him first than he is to paint you.
One of the OTHER best things the A-5A2 has over the stock A-5 is solidness. The stock comes with gaskets you can put between the stock and where the stock fits in the gun. And when you puts one in, you don't get any of the wobble you might get with a cheap 6-position CAR Stock. The foregrip screws into the same nut that the old vertical grip screws into, and when the grip is in, it's very solid too. So there will be absolutely NO falling apart of an A-5A2.
As for durability and cleaning and speed and whatnot, it's the same as the stock A-5, so go see that review for info on that.
Special Ops says it themselves, that the A-5A2 is MEANT to feel comfortable.
Now, let me put down some of the nastier myths out there.
#1: You have to drill nasty holes in your A-5.
NO YOU DON'T. If you buy the A-5A2 fully assembled from Special Ops (specialopspaintball.com), they already drilled the hole and did everything for you. And if you don't fancy spending the money on that, you can buy everything you need to turn an A-5 into an A-5A2 for $110. Or, if you want an A-5A2 and don't have an A-5, it's about $310. Plus: You don't have to drill any holes. Here's how.
Buy the EZ Air-Thru foregrip and a non-air-through stock. Or, if you want an air-through stock, get the EZ Air-Thru kit. No holes necessary.
The EZ Air-Thru foregrip ($20-30 at Special Ops) is made with a hole in the bottom already. That way, even though you don't have an air-through stock, you can put a remote in perfectly through the hole in the grip. And, the EZ grip is larger than the other ones.
#2: The gun is heavy.
I don't know why people think the gun is heavy. I've held much-more unbalanced and heavy electro guns and no one seems to care about a huge nitro tank on the gun. This gun is as heavy as it is gold-plated.
#3: It's unbalanced.
No it's not. The only reason someone might say this is because they don't use a remote LIKE THEY SHOULD BE DOING.
And now, here are the cons.
CONS:
-Stock barrel.
The only thing that I find wrong with the actual description of the A-5A2 is the carved-out part of the stock allowing you to see down the gun's sights. The carve is perfect for laying your face on, but it (like most other stocks except the Dogleg) still doesn't let you look down the sights with a mask on.
I would prefer my A-5A2 to ANY other gun in the world. Even an Angel.
End of story.
Conclusion:
I highly recommend a fully-assembled A-5A2 from Special Ops, and if you don't want to spend the money, buy an A-5 for $200 and the stock and foregrip for $105. No drilling required if you're fine without the air-through stock.
Rating:
10 out of 10
Last edited on Thursday, April 19th, 2007 at 7:03 am PST
I have the standard A5-A2 with my beloved 380$ sight, thats about it
Recommended Upgrades:
definetly a flatline barrel, and a hose, or you can't shoot it, and a hopper off set, when you have a sight, the hopper can get in the way of the sight. And a vest with a tank pouch
Strengths:
well balenced, lighter without the tank, easier to hold, looks cooler, plus its an A5.
Weaknesses:
I cant find any fault with this marker, it is beutifully made.
Review:
This marker is awsome, its much eaiser to use, its a lot more comfortable then having a tank shoved in your arm, it is very easy to lock in targets, its easy to manevaur, i love it. I was playing in the woods behind my house, and my teammates were elimnted, the stock made the snap shots very easy and i won. just because i had that stock
Conclusion:
For any one who wants a great woods ball gun, and whats its kinda cheap, this is highly
recommeded, plus theres all kinds of upgrades you can get so the gun can be just how you want it to be
A-5a2 Standard
10 inch opsgear fluted barrel
Remote coil
Run on co2
Recommended Upgrades:
Barrel
Internal upgrades (e grip, new bolt, polished internals)
Sights?
Strengths:
Weight, looks, comfort.
Weaknesses:
Air pressure
Stock breaks rear push pins at the top
Review:
excellent marker.. only 2 complaints..
1. The air pressure is lower than most guns because the air travels so far inside remote coil and macroline.
2. Pushpins are broken from wear, so if you buy this gun be prepared to purchase extra push pins for your stock.
Price: you pay the money for quality, and if you dont wanna spend the money you wont get the quality.
Conclusion:
Perfect marker for scenario, light, accurate, comfortable, amazing marker, definitely a gun i would purchase again if mine were to completely die.
2005 prostock w/ 72ci steel pure energy and halo b
Recommended Upgrades:
i never got the chance to upgrade it (see review) but everyone else has said flatline barrel so ill go with that. one good thing though would be a proper harness for your tank, dont try to jury rig something out of a vietnam- era surplus vest and pistol belt like i did.
Strengths:
Remote air
Balance
Cyclone feed but thats on any a5
Weaknesses:
Weight
Size
Cant look down iron sights while wearing mask
Review:
ok i got this gun mainly b/c everyone told me a5s were good guns, reliable and fairly accurate and i had enough money to go one step up and get a a5a2. i didnt mod my old a5 i bought a a5a2 direct from specops. i used it one time in a speedball field and it broke. while yes it was my mistake for using a gun designed specifically for woodsball on a speedball field the way it broke was still inexcusable. the oring came out of the valve and it seriously took me 2 months to figure out how to put it back in. once i fixed that i thought i was good to go and i took it out to a woodsball field(i learned my lesson) and it broke -again and this time i couldnt possibly fix it. imagine this your walking back from a game and you notice that your foregrip is a little wobbly so you think "no problem ill just tighten the screw" and you bust out your allen wrench and unscrew the grip and two pieces of the COMPOSITE ALUMINUM /CERAMICS RECIEVER fall in to your lap. i think a very loud WTF is in order. so that was the last time my a5a2 ever saw the field. i dont know what caused it but i cant help but think that the horizontal grip that replaced the vertical mp5 style grip is what caused it to break. there was also the thing about not being able to see down the iron sights with the mask on AND if you go to mount a red dot or other after market sight on the gun part of the hopper blocks your view. the only way to correct that is to A. deal with it or B. get a hopper offset which makes the front of the gun even more of a paint magnet. this gun is built like an assault rifle and inherits an assault rifles main flaw- its too big to use in any kind of close quarters combat. seriously unless youve got a good position lying prone with out any kind of obstructons in front of you youll be introuble. attempting any kind of rush with this gun is just suicide. unless youre a serious woodsball player dont get this gun.
Conclusion:
I give this gun a 7 b/c it broke on me like it did. up until then it was pretty good but wasnt really what i was expecting.
If using a sight, I highly recommend an offset sight rail. It becomes difficult to mount a sight with the stock hopper any ways other than a tiny brass eagle red dot.
A remote is required as this is the only way that one can get air to the gun. Make sure you get one that has adapter for the stock. Look at the pictures and you can see it on the 2 camo'd markers.
The stock barrel is horrid. I would recommend a barrel kit so you have the best paint to bore match possible. If you don't/ can't afford a kit, a single barrel by J&J, Lapco, or Smart Parts are great alternatives.
Lastly, I would go HPA. You will need a high preasure tank reg as the a-5 is a high pressure marker. You will have much more consistant shots firing at around the same FPS all day.
Strengths:
-Quick target aquisition
-good stable feel
-well constructed
-keeps tank off marker.
Weaknesses:
-Impossible to see down sights
-adds weight
-back heavy
-marker has a piece cut
Review:
Special ops is one of the companies that caters specifically to people who like to play scenario ball and woods ball. This company is about ergonomics, feel, balance, and quality.
The a5/a2 is probably the most well known of their A-5 products. The following is a review based on my experience with the product and opinions from seasoned players who have used it that I have played with.
The a5/a2 is a great setup. By having a stock on the marker, it makes picking up a target very quick and easy. Also, by having the stock, it gives the player a very nice shooting platform much like how a rifle. This is an air through stock which means that you DO NOT have the tank on the marker and this does reduce a significant amount of weight, but the weight of the stock is about the same so they negate each other.
The foregrip is possibly my favorite piece on the package. The factory foregrip isn't comfortable to me. That could just be me, but that factory handle gives my hand a cramp after extended usage. The A5/a2 foregrip feels natural to hold and I think it gives an even better shooting stance because of the ergonomic and natural angle that your hand is in. I guess the last positive thing is the look. It gives the a-5 a unique and mil-simish look for those guys who are into that.
For the durability, I don't think there is anything else out there that is stronger for the weight, maybe minus something metal, but that would be VERY heavy. Both the stock and foregrip are made of a heavy plastic that blows away the 6-position car stock. I have seen and goofed around with the Ops Gear equipment as well. They seem to be made of a similar material, but the thing I don't like is how after LOTS of usage, the push pins become worn and the stock becomes loose.
Now for the negative:
The marker is back heavy. Without the stock the gun is fairly balanced. This is assuming you don't have the tank on. Wtih the stock, the gun becomes very back heavy. It balances roughly near the middle of the trigger frame.
The biggest gripe I have against this upgrade is how you can no longer use the iron sights. The stock has a curve molded into it, but it is not large enough to accommodate your goggle system (except maybe outside of the flex series by JT.) A sight can be an easy remedy to this if you want one. Be sure to get on offset rail though as the hopper kind of hinders the ability to put a sight on the stock rail.
If you are used to the A-5, you should not have any problems with weight, but it does add a little to it. The main weight gain is to the back of the marker as the fore grips weigh about the same.
Lastly, the stock barrel sucks so get a new one. I listed a few up near the top if you don't know what to get.
The positives far offset the negatives as those are very nit-picky things I put in. This is a great marker upgrade that for a-5 users should be a priority.
What to Expect:
If you order this marker and take off the foregrip, you will notice that a small piece has been cut out of the marker. This is so the macro line can run to the stock. It really isn't a negative, just a heads up.
You get the A-5 with the stock and foregrip already attached. The hopper and stock barrel are also included like you would expect, and Spec Ops does include everything else that comes factory with the A-5, since they are taking it out of the box, attaching the stock and foregrip, and send it your way.
Cleaning:
I recommend that you clean all markers after everyday of play, but the A-5 can go for a while without cleaning. Take off the foregrip. Take out the tombstone, then the stock. When re-assembling, insert the tombstone, then the stock again. It can be difficult for a person new to the sport (I bent the crap out of the main spring putting the stock back on my first time).
Conclusion:
I like it. I would probably spend the extra money and get the one with the dogleg instead of the a5/a2 stock. the dogleg was not yet out though when I made my purchase. I like the quick target aquistion, feel, and I like how it looks. I don't like having to get down a new way to aim. Also, cleaning it the first few times was one of the most problematic things I have ever done.
I give the a-5 a 6 rating. I give it that rating because the autococker, and AGD tac-one blow it out of the water when it comes to accuracy, noise, and weight. It is better in my opinion than the JT Tac, and BT model equivilants. I still have not been able to play on a PCS yet, but from what I have heard, they are almost equal. The kit does improve the stability of the shooter and makes a long day much more comfortable. I think it is worth giving a full 1 point boost. 7 out of 10.
Rating:
7 out of 10
Last edited on Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 at 1:29 pm PST
I have not used many other markers, so Im not sure, but I have used a stock A-5, and I prefer this.
Marker Setup:
Tippmann A-5 with the Spec Ops SAW Stock version of the EZ Air-Throught A-5A2 Kit.
Recommended Upgrades:
(Anything you would put on an A-5)
Strengths:
The Stock
Weaknesses:
Cant see throught the stock sights with my mask.
Review:
Broken down, its an A-5 with a cool air-through stock. Mine is a lot differant than the one in the picture, but in spec-ops eyes their all the same gun by name. My stock is a bit differant. Its nice as far as the air-throught. Some people might not like it but i love it.
Conclusion:
I would buy it, or if you want, upgrade your A-5 with one of their many kits. Theirs many choices, and more coming from a great company.
-Air-Through Equipment is Vulnerable to Elements
-Complicated Milling if Self-Produced
Review:
Spec Ops has been the lead producer of Tippmann Mods for a few years now, and it's only natural for them to design their own Tippmann marker. Well, they've out-done themselves on this one, with an air-through stock, sleek foregrip, and superior handling in the field I have to stand and applause them. Then, as if they hadn't done enough to create the perfect weapon for those true woodsballers out there, the digi-camoed and dura-coated the marker to it's core, the eye-gripping graphics will leave you in somewhat of a stunned coma or seizure, while the dura-coated finish will keep all that drool from coming out of your mouth and rusting the paint-job. Just Beautiful! If this isn't enough to get you to fork over cash for about ten of them then you don't know what true paintball is.
Conclusion:
Get it, then get it again, and again, and again, until you are dirt-poor and can't afford anything, you live on the streets and you can't even buy paint or air to use it, but guess what? You'll regret nothing...
