Hey guys .. Im new to the forum and i have alot of questions to ask .. Ive read thru most of the posts and been on Underground Mod Shops forums too and still cant find anything ... First off i have an A5 .. I want to start modding the sht out of but dont know where to start .. Here are my questions ..

1. If everyone is saying ths stock bolts and powertube are fine , why do people dish out extra cash for aftermarket bolts and powertubes?

2. Whats the difference in the LPK and the Palmer Stabilzer? Whats the best route to go if your running N2 and wat else is needed?

3. Ive read something abt the madman spring kit highering the tension in the gun. Whats the benifit, downfall?

4. Is the whole main idea abt polishing the insides abt friction? Smoother rubbing more bps?

Any responce will be helpful and thanks in advance.

1) Aftermarket powertubes/bolts are made of metal instead of plastic so they are more durable. However, unless you are shooting insanely fast with CO2 then you won't ever run the risk of freezing your tube and cracking it.

I bought a JCS Red Hot power tube because it has a more secure front velocity screw so it never loosens during rapid fire and I won't ever have to worry about losing it.

2) There is very little benefit in a LPK system because the A-5 is such a gas hog to begin with. The stabilizer regulates incoming air to the marker which will provide much greater consistency between shots, especially with CO2.

If you are already using compressed air however, you won't see much benefit from a stabilizer either because HPA tanks come with a built-in regulator. With that said, adding a stabilizer will not hurt your performance but it will be up to you to decide if the miniscule consistency increase is worth the $60-$80 for a stabilizer.

3) Spring kits use stiffer springs than the stock spring to give you higher velocity readings. They are very cheap and easy to swap in. You can find them for around $10 on many paintball web sites. They are the cheapest and easiest way to improve your velocity. Get one. Now!

4) Polishing internals is a way to get a small boost in FPS. When A-5s are released from the factory, the internals are not entirely smooth. If you take your receiver halves apart and feel them, you will be able to feel rough spots all over.

Polishing removes this overspray which reduces friction between the internal bolts and the receiver which translates to a smoother action and slightly better velocity.

But in all honesty, most people polish because they want the insides of their marker to look nice and shiny even though nobody will ever see them. At least, that's why I polished mine.

I hope I answered all your questions, hehe.

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edit*
oops, someone beat me to it while i was being chatted up by the wife and she apologizes.....lol!!


1. people do what they want. bottom line, regardless of whether there are actually any real gains. it's the placebo effect. other than that, if you are using co2 and high rates of fire, replacing the stock plastic bolt with an aluminum bolt will save you from ending up with a cracked bolt in the middle of a day of play. replacing the bolt in real world terms is all about having a more durable part or installing an RVA (Rear Velocity Adjuster).

2. a low pressure kit drops the operating pressure of your marker. currently an a5 will run around 800-850psi. with the lpk that drops to 400 something i believe. with the stabilizer you are getting a regulator.....that's it. you can drop the input pressure to 650 or so though and the a5 will still cycle. the dropping of pressure with the lpk requires a volumizer to allow it to work, as i understand it.

3. i have the trinity spring kit. it has 4 springs of differing tensions. i'm not so sure that unless you are having serious issues with velocity that you shouldn't just buy a replacement tippmann spring for when your stock spring wears.

4. yes, less friction. less friction, less wear and more efficiency.

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Let me say thank you, you both cleared up alot for me. Much better understanding to most of my confusion, but still kinda lost ..

So basiclly if your running alot of co2 thru your gun you would want to upgrade the powertube so it dont freeze and crack .. Im going to be running n2, so is that an issue?

As far as running co2 or n2 what is better? Ive read that co2 is stored in the tank as a liquid and it has 2 expand into gas to power the gun. Is that why there is spikes when shooting? Is that the reason for the P.S and the lpk? The point of a regulator is to all a certian psi to shoot? Is there a point to put a stabilizer/regulator if your using n2 if its always a gas and maintains its elemental properties.

As far as the spings, they all do the same, so picking between the madman and trinty is a coin flip?

ty again

If you are running n2 then your stock internals will be just fine, they will not crack.

the point of the stabilizer with co2 is to keep the velocity consistent when entering the gun. adding a regulator to n2 will help with consistency, keeping it between 2-4 fps with each shot. adding a regulator will only help your consistency.

i believe the spring kits work the same, i have the trinity spring kit and its just fine

Even if you shoot CO2 the chances of your power tube cracking are very very low. You could save the tube upgrade for last, if at all. My advice, save your money for now.

HPA tanks are more expensive then CO2 for 2 main reasons:

1) They are encased in carbon fiber, which is lighter and more expensive
2) They come with a regulator

So assuming you want the best consistency possible, you could buy a CO2 tank and a stabilizer for about $100.00 or just go the HPA route and get the tank with reg already attached for about $150.00.

Keep in mind that since the A-5 operates at such a high pressure, you will likely get more shots per tank for CO2 compared to a similar HPA tank. CO2 refills tend to be a little bit cheaper and are more widely available.

You said you are already running on compressed air. If that is the case, I would save my money and forget about the reg for now. If you've already broken in the reg on your tank and are satisfied with the performance then there is no need for another regulator on the marker.

For example, say you get a +/- 7 fluctuation with your HPA tank. If you spend the money to get a reg AND take the time to break it in you might improve that consistenct to +/- 3. It's up to you to decide if that 4 FPS increase is worth the added cost.

As for the spring kits, they are all pretty much the same. It won't matter which one you get because face it, they're just springs! Most will come with 4 springs of varying tension so you will be able to pick and choose which one you want to use.

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ty guys once again .. i pretty much know were to head from here but if i got more ? ill deff ask ... ty guys again

Because people like to spend money on their hobby.



Some people have reported breakage of their stock plastic power-tubes with CO2, specifically they crack/break when frozen by liquid CO2 during cold weather, rapid fire or other liquid CO2 issues.


The LPK allows your marker to run at a lower pressure. The Stabilizer is actually a regulator(+) to give your marker more consistent shot-to-shot air input, either at higher or lower pressures (depending on the model). COnsistency leads to higher accuracy as you remove yet another variable affecting the trajectory of the ball.


Take a look at this thread for a discussion on spring rates and effects. Basically, the spring rate has a direct effect on how far the valve opens and how long it stays open. This, in turn, effects (among other things) the base amount of air entering the marker.


The main benefit of polishing the internals is reducing friction on the rear bolt so that less spring pressure is wasted on overcoming that friction and is instead directed on the bolt opening the valve.

Welcome to the forum! I'm sure answers to these questions will beget more from you, and that is encouraged! The more you know the better prepared you will be. Please feel free to ask questions any time, we are all always willing to answer what we can. The only stipulation is that you help us out after you've been around for a while and the next new person with questions jumps on to ask!

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