Talking about Tippmann

I did a lot of research before biting the bullet and purchasing my first marker. The name Tippmann was hammered into my brain over and over.

There are numerous reasons why Tree went with a Tippmann (whoa, speaking of myself in third-person…I might be on to something here.)

First: I wanted a marker that was forgiving. I’m the sort of guy who, as a kid, took apart way too many appliances, etc. and always ended up having “spare” parts left over after I’d put ‘em back together. I’m fascinated by how things work, but rarely get it all right the first time. From alarm clocks to server software, I have the Midas Touch…but I always manage to get ‘em fixed and working. By the time I’m finished, I know the darned thing inside and out. With this in mind, getting a marker that wasn’t too finicky about its internals was a priority.

Second: I remember my days of playing “Capture the Flag” in my Boy Scout days with very fond memories. Woodsball is where it’s at for me. Matching my environmental needs with a marker renowned for durability was key.

Third: I am the sort of person that picks an interest and is willing to sink a lot of money into making sure I enjoy it. Paintballs aren’t exactly cheap, but they’re an expenditure that cannot be helped.
A marker on the other hand, can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. I wanted a marker that could grow with me. With the Tippy A-5, there are more customizeable upgrades out there than I’ve ever cared to count. I can (and have) gone at my own pace when upgrading my marker and there always seems to be something else to add to my “Ooooh…shiny…” list of things to buy.

With these key elements in mind, I sunk my initial investment into the A-5 package that includes the flatline barrel, E-Grip, Remote Line, and CAR stock.

My only regret in my customization was with this initial package. Two main items of contention here:

1. I despise my E-Grip. I have never used any firing mode other than Semi, nor do I ever intend to. In hindsight, I could have saved a chunk of change by going with the stock grip frame and be perfectly happy. I’ve had batteries go out on me in the middle of a match, I’ve had the darned sear/rear bolt pooch on me halfway through a scenario weekend (See my first scenario game writeup in the AAR section), and after some initial problems with the cyclone chewing up paintballs before they entered the breech, I have never since attempted to use the burst fire modes.

2. The CAR stock does very little for me. It does not take into account the fact that every paintballer wears a mask. My particular mask has zero give to it, and so trying to sight down the barrel is impossible. Second, I’m a tall, lanky guy with long arms and neck. I have so far been unable to find a length that allows anything resembling comfort when attempting to sight through my offset Red Dot sight. I keep the stock as collapsed as possible and rarely if ever find the extra bracing to be of any help.

As of this writeup, I have a SpecOps Commando Air-through stock and grip on the way to replace this cursed piece of obstruction.

In closing:

If by some off the wall chance you read this before making a marker purchase, go with the plain-jane A-5 and upgrade slowly. By the time I’m finished customizing my A-5, I have a feeling that the vast majority of the “customizations” I bought in my initial purchase of a package deal will be in my “Stuff to sell” pile.

SpecOps’ Action Ghillie Density Upgrade

SpecOps’ Action Ghillie Density Upgrade:

This is nothing more than the AG mesh and a bundle of zip-ties. It’s so multi-purpose, that I’ve bought a total of 4 orders of this kit in varying flavors of color.

I have a SpecOps Dagger vest…and I’ve zip-tied almost a full AG kit to it. It’s a poor-man’s AG suit, without the extra bulk of wearing an outer set of clothing and worrying about sizes that fit you; the loss of concealment by wearing a suit with a vest over top; and of course, the expense. It helps break up the vest’s outline and covers identifiable seams on pockets, straps, and my HPA tank.

I’ve also used scraps to zip-tie onto a mesh ballcap. This is my backup headgear for when it’s too dangerous to my health to wear the AG Hood.

Before I got the Rifle Wrap, I made some home-made marker ghillie using even more scraps from the AG Density upgrade. Using nothing but some ponytail holders, AG mesh, and zip ties, I made some pretty effective pieces that break up the barrel, cyclone, and hopper of my A-5.

If you can find some very thin zip-ties, you could probably use a Density kit to ghillie your current Ultralights. The ties that come with the AG Density kit are a bit too thick to go through anything thinner than webbing straps.

SpecOps’ Action Ghillie Rifle Wrap

SpecOps’ Action Ghillie Rifle Wrap:

This thing covers ALL of your marker…even on my A-5 with 14″ barrel and collapsible stock, there’s a lot of length to thoroughly cover the marker.

Three velcro loops…two towards the front for the barrel, and one at the back to secure it to the stock, etc. Basically, it’s one very long strap. You start at the barrel, and begin wrapping it around the marker, hopper, etc. however you choose. Yes, it’s effective from a concealment/silhouette standpoint, but unless you are extremely careful while wrapping, it will obstruct the sightline of a Red Dot, etc. I quickly learned that I’ll have to use either one or the other…it’s just too “shaggy” for me to try using both at once. Maybe if I switched from an offset rail to a simple riser mounting it would work…but that’s just theory at this point.

It serves the purpose it was meant to fulfill, but may have a drawback when it comes to integrating well with a sight.

SpecOps’ Action Ghillie Hood

SpecOps’ Action Ghillie Hood Kit:
There are bonuses and drawbacks. It’s easy to put together, but a couple of things to watch out for.

First off, the bottom-front of the hood velcroes across itself, forming a double-layer of mesh. The first time, I put AG on both layers…a small bit on the underside, and quite a bit more on the outer layer. Bad idea! I had a Spaceballs “Dark Helmet” moment…gasping for breath and exclaiming “How do you BREATHE in this thing?”
I clipped off all the AG from both layers, rolled up the underside flap, and zip-tied it right up against the velcro strip. This let me only have a single flap to cover the mask’s mouth portion. I didn’t go quite as overboard on the AG on the outer portion of the flap this time and the results helped tremendously. I can actually breathe without needing a snorkel.

Second, humidity more than heat will affect whether or not you should even wear the thing. I tried playing with it on during a game not long ago and almost hyperventilated from the heat. The density of the AG greatly affects how much insulation your head gets. If you’ve played in hot, humid weather, you know that it doesn’t take much for you to start breathing hard and fogging up your mask. It’s even worse with the AG hood on.

My suggestion would be to not go all-out and try to use every scrap of AG they provide. It’s just too much for playing in hot, humid weather. Your head needs to breathe, so keep the AG application as light as you can. I’m in the process of lightening my initial application of AG mesh which will hopefully make the heat issue bearable.

You don’t have to look like a Wookie with a perm for the concealment & breakup factor to work…so keep it as light as you can around the top and rear of your head…a bit more on the front sides won’t hurt though.