Table of Contents:
I.Introduction
II.Paintball In General

a.What Is Paintball?

i.What are the Different Kinds of Paintball?

1.Woodsball
2.Speedball
3.Scenario
4.Stock Class/Pump

b.Safety
c.Brief History
d.FAQ

III.The Tippmann A-5

a.Washer, O-Ring, Tombstone
b.How it Works
c.Cleaning/Maintenance

i.Quick Strip
ii.Full Breakdown

d.The Cyclone
e.Troubleshooting

i.Low Velocity Issues
ii.Inconsistent Velocity Issues
iii.Breaking Push Pins
iv.Accuracy Problems
v.Chopped Paint
vi.Cyclone Not Spinning

f.Mods

i.Internal

1.Polished Internals
2.Full Auto

ii.External

1.Custom Nameplates
2.Front Grips
3.Milling

iii.Trigger (Mechanical)

1.Pen Spring
2.Trigger Stop
3.Trigger Push
4.Magnetic Trigger

g.Upgrades

i.Firepower

1.E-Grip

a.Old Stock Board
b.WAS
c.APE
d.JCS/APE Triggers

2.Response Trigger

a.RT Mods

i.LP Hoses
ii.Trigger Stops
iii.Drinking Straw Mod

b.Super RT

ii.Barrels

1.Flatline/Apex

a.Cleaning the Flatline

2.Barrel Kits
3.Palmer’s Brass Barrel
4.Other

iii.Cyclone Upgrades

1.Lightning Rod
2.Vortex

a. Vortex Mod

3.Quick Exhaust Valve
4.LP Hoses

iv.Regulators/Expansion Chambers

1.Why You Should NOT buy an X-Chamber
2.Palmer Stabilizer

h.Accessories

IV.Conclusion
V.Other

a.Useful Websites

VI.Games To Play
VII.Playing Safe Outlaw
VIII.Glossary/Dictionary

a.General Paintball Terminology
b.Bunker Names and Descriptions

IX.Acknowledgments



I. Introduction
This guide is written for those new to paintball, new to the A-5, or those needing help with trouble shooting or picking a new upgrade for their already pimped out A-5. I can not guarantee that all the information contained within this document is correct, nor can I accept responsible for any negative experiences you have with anything you have read about in this document. I will however take some credit for the good onesJ. This is a compilation of many different articles and content contributed by nice people from all around the world. It is my hope and intent that it is constantly evolving and becoming better. If you feel anything in this document is incorrect, or would like to add something of your own, feel free to PM me using this forums PM system, or e-mail me (Under Links). I have tried to be as unbiased as possible, but there are simply some products that I like more than others. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it.

-Jacob
(Marmaduke)


II. Paintball in General

a. What is Paintball?

Paintball is essentially, a grown up game of tag. You use air powered Paintball Markers (guns) to mark your opponent. There are many different forms of paintball each very different than the other. Types of play include Speedball, played in an arena setting consisting of teams ranging from 3-10 players; Woodsball, which is played in the woods, and Scenario play which can have over 3,000 players on the field at a time running missions following a Scenario, or storyline. I will go into detail about the following types below. However, a common misconception is that there is only one way to play the game. There are many different game types just like you’d see in a video game such as Halo.

i. What are the Different Kinds of Paintball?

1. Woodsball

Woodsball is played just like it sounds, in the woods. In Woodsball, is usually played “outlaw” style which means it is played on someone’s property; not an actual Paintball field. There is nothing wrong with playing outlaw as long as you follow simple safety rules listed in section VII. It is Woodsball that the general newbie plays first. Woodsball games are generally slower than the other game types and lead to a lot more sneaking than any other game type. A Woodsball field can be the size of an Acre or 100 Acres. Just give out maps if the field is too big, we don’t want people getting lost.

2. Speedball

Speedball is a competitive form of paintball. It was originally made for TV coverage as it is almost impossible to film a woodsball match. Speedball pits players against each other on a small field with inflatable bunkers. Depending on the format, points are scored for eliminations/flag pulls/flag hangs/players left alive, or in the PSP teams score points for flag hangs only (think of it like scoring a goal in hockey). Speedball has gotten paintball a lot of previously untapped media coverage, and is a great format to play.

3. Scenario

Scenario is a mix between Woodsball and Speedball. It combines many aspects of the two as well as throwing in a storyline for players to follow. Scenario games offer epic battles of thousands of people fighting over a point on the field much like Speedball but it also offers sneakier players a chance to set up ambushes and stalk opposing players through the woods. These events usually draw a ton of players with anywhere from 100-3000+ players on the field at a time. Scenario games may last anywhere from 6-48 hours in length with night play. A common misconception about Scenario play is that it is all mil-sim. This is simply not true. While some storylines follow a military-like scenario, a lot have absolutely nothing to do with the military at all. There are FedEx vs. UPS games as well as Santa vs. The Grinch. Scenario games offer many opportunities for players to take missions such as defending a point on the field or seducing girls from the local brothel (I’ve done that). It also allows the more creative and theatrical players a chance to role-play. Taking on the disguise of a Russian spy or Black Market tradesman for a weekend can be loads of fun. I also feel the need to mention the upcoming SPPL (Scenario Paintball Players League) run by Special Ops Paintball. The SPPL offers Scenario Teams the chance to test themselves against other teams in a scenario setting and format.

4. Stock Class/Pump

Stock Class or Pump Paintball is played with pump markers. These markers must be pumped after each shot to reset the hammer and load a paintball into the breech. A true Stock Class Paintball marker must run off of a 12 Gram power source, fire only one shot per trigger pull, and depending on loader orientation, may not exceed a 10-15 ball loader. A “Pump” paintball marker is just any marker that must be pumped before it must shoot. Some pump markers are equipped with an “auto-trigger” which is where if the player holds the trigger down, the marker will fire with each completed pump stroke. Stock Class play is generally played by those wanting hone their playing skills rather than their shooting skills. Contrary to popular belief, pump markers are NOT more accurate than semi markers. There is now a new league aimed at pump players called the OSC (Old School Challenge).

b. Safety

Safety is very important when playing paintball. With Paintball markers capable of firing over 30bps (balls per second), it is very important to never take off your mask on the playing field and to keep your marker on safety/off with a barrel condom on at all times. The speed limit for a paintball is 300fps. At speeds of 310fps (200mph), a paintball hitting you could break a finger. Tournaments set the limit at 300fps to give a little bit of a buffer. Most fields however, to keep the pain level down, and counter possible spikes in velocity keep have a maximum of 280fps-285fps. Often this is lowered down to 250fps during night play. People, ALWAYS keep your mask on while playing, even if your fogged up horribly, it’s not worth taking them off and risking losing your eyesight. Also, remember to put on a
Barrel Condom and keep your marker on safety/off while not playing. I know I’ve already said it but I can’t stress this enough. Just a little FYI, Barrel Condoms are safer than Barrel Plugs as Barrel Condoms won’t shoot out of the barrel if an accidental discharge does happen. If possible, use a Barrel Condom.

c. Brief History

Paintball Markers were first used to mark things such as cattle by farmers, and trees by lumberjacks. The first game of Paintball was played by two friends and their companions who wanted to know who would do better in an intense setting, a woodsman or a city slicker. When first invented, it was called the National Survival Game. After struggling through a rough start in the 80’s, Paintball latched on and became popular throughout the 90’s. That is a brief history of paintball. Hey, I said brief.

d. FAQ

Q: Does it hurt?
A: Kind of, the worst places to get hit are in the hands, the neck and obviously, the groin. It can sometimes hurt to get hit in the head as well. At worst, if feels like being snapped by a rubber band.

Q: How do I become a Sniper?
A: You don’t. There is no such thing as a Sniper in Paintball.

Q: What upgrade should I buy first?
A: Most people would suggest a good barrel. For a Tippmann, I would agree as their stock barrels really are crap. For anything else, a good regulator (if the marker doesn’t come with one) or a compressed air tank will give you best increase in performance.

Q: Which marker is best for my type of play?
A: A paintball marker will work exactly the same in the woods as it would on a speedball field. There is no wonder marker for a specific style of play. Choose a marker that fits your liking. If you like markers that look like a gun, buy one of those. If you want a flashy, fast shooting electro, buy one of those.

Q: Will a double trigger help my mechanical marker?
A: Unless you have super fingers, NO. It is just too hard to walk a mechanical trigger. If you have an electro trigger, it’s a different story. The only thing you may want a double trigger on a mechanical for is the RT. Some people claim that it is easier to “sweet spot” the RT if you use a double trigger.

Q: Do longer barrels help with accuracy?
A: No. Depending on the marker, 12”-16” is going to give you optimum accuracy. My most accurate marker's barrel is only 10.5” long. Most of it has to deal with the material and quality of the barrel.

__________________

II. The Tippmann A-5

a. Washer, O-Ring, Tombstone

Washer first, then the o-ring; the tombstone holds them in place. If you don’t know what I’m talking about now, you will soon…

b. How it Works

The Tippmann A-5 is an open bolt blowback marker. The below diagram will give you a good illustration to follow. I will try to make this as simple as possible. When you cock the marker, you are pulling back the both the (front) bolt and the hammer (rear bolt). These two parts are connected with a linkage arm so they travel together. The hammer in the cocked (open) position is held this way by the sear. In the cocked position, a paintball is allowed to fall into the breech resting in front of the bolt. When you pull the trigger, it trips the sear which releases the hammer. The Hammer and front bolt move together so that at the exact moment the hammer hits the valve the bolt has pushed a ball into the barrel. The gas travels through the now struck valve and launches the paintball. The valve besides allowing air to travel forward also diverts some air backwards to re-cock the marker. This process takes a fraction of a second. In the A-5’s case, some extra air is diverted into the cyclone to allow it to function as well. That is a brief, and probably confusing, explanation of how the A-5 works. The linked diagram does a great of showing the firing process.

c. Cleaning/Maintenance

i. Quick Strip

Cleaning the A-5 is simple. There are two ways to do it. One is the “quick strip” method that doesn’t involve taking apart the receiver halves. To do this, you must first turn in the FVA so the internals will slide out. Then, take off the end cap and the hammer, power tube, and bolt should slide right out. The hammer and bolt will be connected with the linkage arm. Rinse out the receiver and then wash off the bolt, linkage arm and hammer in warm water. Then, make sure everything is dry and lightly oil the bolt o-ring. After that, oil the linkage arm and hammer. Make sure the o-ring on the hammer is well oiled. When finished, connect the bolt and hammer with the linkage arm, put the power tube in the middle and then slide the internals back into the marker. Now, all you should have to do is swab out your barrel and rinse off the cyclone to be done.

ii. Full Breakdown

The other method is a full breakdown of the marker. For this, you will need to disconnect everything from the marker and then unscrew all the Allen Wrenches and pull the receiver halves apart. Rinse off everything except the power tube and then lightly oil the bolt o-ring. Oil the linkage arm and hammer and then reassemble the parts. Put everything back together and you’re done. This method is preferable as it allows you to clean out every nook and cranny of your marker. You also won’t have to adjust your FVA leading to less fiddling when re-chronoing your marker.

d. The Cyclone

The Cyclone is the centerpiece of the A-5. Without it, the A-5 would just be a glorified model 98. The Cyclone works by having extra air from the cycling process of the A-5 diverted to a piston that rotates a ratchet which connects to the stars feeder that feeds the paint into your marker. The actual process is a little hard to describe so just like with the cycling process of an A-5, I am going to divert you to the below diagram:

e. Troubleshooting

i. Low Velocity Issues

This is usually caused by low CO2. But, you probably already know that so let’s look at the other causes. There is always the possibility of a bad drive spring. If you ever left your marker cocked over an extended time in storage, then that could have caused your drive spring to be compressed which will cause the hammer to hit the valve with less energy resulting in less air released and thus, a lower velocity. Some fixes for this include ordering a new drive spring by calling Tippmann or ordering one from TippmannParts.com. Or, you could shim the spring with a washer. Or, if you have an RVA, you could just turn it up all the way. Please note that with the Flatline, you may not be able to achieve velocities above 280fps. Also, if it is cold outside, CO2 may not have enough energy to give you a good velocity due to the nature of the gas. A compressed air tank will fix this problem. Another fix for low velocities is polishing the inside of your marker. See sections IIIfi1.

ii. Inconsistent Velocity

Inconsistent velocities do not include a +/- 10-12 fps. With an open bolt blowback marker like a Tippmann, this is to be expected. Even using Compressed Air, you are still likely to have a difference of up to 8fps between shots. A good regulator such as Palmer’s Stabilizer will help lower velocity fluctuations. And with that out of the way, we can address some real things that may be causing problems. If you have recently polished your internals, and are now having issues, then you most likely didn’t polish them evenly. If there are some rough patches, then that is most likely causing the parts to wear randomly against them which will lead to a random force that the hammer hits the valve with and thus, random, inconsistent velocities. Another issue that may cause inconsistent velocities is a problematic regulator either on your tank or marker. If there is even a small leak in the regulator, it can cause random fluctuations in the pressure. I do not suggest taking apart an air tank regulator by yourself. Get a qualified air smith to do it. A regulator such as the Stabilizer can be taken apart and cleaned much easier. Do a search on the internet or call up your regulators manufacturer for directions on how to correctly disassemble, clean, and replace o rings in your reg.

iii. Breaking Push Pins

Some people experience problems with the push pins breaking that hold their stock in place. If you are suffering this problem, I suggest you contact the manufacturer of your stock and get a new one. Stronger push pins are not the answer to your problems. I owned an A-5 with a stock for roughly 2 years with no issues. It is not a problem with the push pins or A-5 but a poorly designed stock or “lemon” from the factory causing too much stress on the pins.

iv. Accuracy Problems

If you are using a stock barrel, then that’s what is wrong. Tippmann’s stock barrels are a joke. A new barrel such as Palmer’s Brass barrel or a Dye Boomstick will fix your problems. If you have a good aftermarket barrel on your A-5 and you are having issues, then it is most likely due to inconsistent velocities caused by inconsistent pressure to the marker. A good regulator or HPA tank will fix this. If you are using a Flatline, do not expect accuracy any better than the stock barrels. While the Flatline does add distance to your shots, it is pretty inaccurate, even at short ranges.

v. Chopped Paint

Please note that breaking balls in your barrel is different than chopping paint. If you are breaking balls in your barrel, it is most likely a badly honed barrel or if you are using a barrel kit, then your inserts or backs and tips are not lining up properly. Chopping paint involves having a ball not getting loaded completely into the marker so when the bolt fires, the half loaded paintball is chopped. If your marker is chopping paint, then you most likely are having Cyclone issues. Please not that if you are low on CO2, the Cyclone does not always get enough air to spin all the way which can cause this issue to arise. If you are using a full tank, then it is likely that your ratchet is wearing out. To fix this, you will first need to buy a new ratchet by either calling Tippmann direct or ordering one from Tippmannparts.com. You can also order a Vortex ratchet or the new JCS ratchet. These ratchets are metal, increase the speed of your Cyclone and never wear out. However, they come with a hefty price tag of about $30(USD).

vi. Cyclone Not Spinning

See section IIIeii.

f. Modifications

Mods are things that you do to your marker that help its performance. It is not something that you buy. It is something that you make or do to an existing piece to alter your marker. This is different than buying an upgrade such as a regulator or RT, or an accessory such as a new shroud for your Flatline or a sight rail.

i. Internal

These are mods that you do to the inside of your marker. They affect the cycling of your marker. I am not including trigger mods (even though they are internal) to avoid confusion.

1. Polished Internals

Polishing your internals is one fix for low velocity issues. Some also feel that it helps creating a smoother action and better consistency. However, if not done correctly, it can actually do the exact opposite. Some also feel that it is completely unnecessary as Tippmanns are designed to run even if full of water or dirt and by making the action more precise, it is easier to be affected by the before mentioned. Polishing your internals is easy, but takes some time. You can either use a Dremel tool or metal sandpaper. I prefer metal sandpaper as you are less likely to take too much off of one spot. The entire point of polishing your internals is to remove the overspray from the factory paintjob. To do this, start with a medium grit paper or Dremel attachment and take off as much overspray as you can. When finished, get out a finer grip and lightly sand to a smooth shiny finish. You may want to use a couple different grits along the way. Be very careful to not take off to much metal or polish one spot more or less than another. This will just lead to cycling issues and the only fix is ordering a new receiver which will cost you a pretty penny.
EDIT: Found a great link for this! How-To: Polish Your Internals

2. Full Auto

NOTE: This mod is only for mechanical markers. Okay, I know I said that I wasn’t going to put trigger mods in the internal section, but while this mod deals with you messing with your trigger assembly, it ultimately affects the cycling action of your marker and not the feel of your trigger. Before I tell you how to do this though, there is a WARNING: This mod will wreak havoc on your internals and may cause uncontrollable firing. A RT is recommended to be used as it will help reset the trigger but you have a RT, you probably don’t need this mod. Okay, with that out of the way, we can continue. Basically, this mod keeps the sear from having to be reset before the marker can fire again. If you look at your sear, you’ll see that the hole cut in it for it to be in the trigger assembly isn’t round but more of an oval. This is what makes it so that the marker doesn’t fire fully automatic. All you have to do know is put something such as a small piece of a toothpick or a piece of the ink holder on a ball point pin in there. This keeps the sear in the forward position so that when you pull the trigger, instead of the sear being reset, it stays pinned up so it won’t catch the hammer allowing it to cycle freely. Heed the warning above though, this mod will kill your internals and it may become uncontrollable. This is why an RT is needed to help reset the trigger as you may be unable to do it yourself.

ii. External

1. Custom Nameplates

You can order custom nameplates, or, make your own using a wood burner and a craft stick. You can add some interesting finishes using different wood stainers. The stock nameplate just peels off.

2. Front Grips

There are some people that dislike the stock front grip on the A-5 as it is pretty short and small. You can always buy an aftermarket grip such as one made by the Underground Mod Shop, Lapco or Special Ops, but it is quite easy to make your own. To make a front grip that looks like the ones Special Ops makes that are horizontal, all you need is a big round piece of wood, a power drill and a sander. The best way to do this is to first measure how far forward or back you want the grip situated. Then, where you are going to want it, mark where the grip extends past the front lip of the A-5. It is here that you want to drill out an area for the front lip to fit in. This will help keep the grip from sliding around. Know with that finished, you should be able to drill a big hole wide enough for the nut that holds your stock grip in place down where you want it. Only drill this down far enough so that the bolt that screws into the nut hidden in the receiver will be able to reach into the nut. Then, drill out a hole the size of the part that actually screws into the rest of the way through your grip. Now, feel free to stain the grip any tone of your choosing or inlay it with a different kind of wood. I’ve seen some really cool jobs done with Purple Heart highlights. If the grip feels too heavy, you can drill out the inside of it to take off some weight.

3. Custom Milling

It is possible to get custom milling done to your marker to radically change the look. Unless you have good machining skills and a lathe or other necessary machines to do the work, I highly suggest paying someone to do it for you. Contact either the Underground Mod Shop or White Wolf Airsmithing for an estimate of the price it would cost to do what you have in mind.

__________________

iii. Trigger Mods (Mechanical)

I am only listing mods here that have to do with your stock mechanical trigger. However, you may find some of these useful on either the RT or E-Grip. You’re just not going to notice as much of a difference. A combination of the mods below will give a surprisingly light and short mechanical trigger.

1. Pen Spring Mod

Probably the easiest and one of the most effective trigger mods you can do is the Pen Spring Mod. This mod replaces your stock trigger spring for a lighter one. All this mod requires is a clicky pen spring and some wire cutters. However, if you find a spring from anywhere that you want to use, go ahead. Find a clicky pen spring that is the tension of your liking and then cut it to fit in the area between your trigger and trigger spring mount. You’re now done.

2. Trigger Stop

Another easy mod to do is the trigger stop. You can use either a piece of a Q-Tip or the plastic thing that holds the ink in a pen. That is usually better as I have found that Q-Tips tend to get squished and become ineffective fast. What this mod does is stop the travel of the trigger just after the trigger trips the sear. The stock trigger has some extra travel and this mod can take off a couple useless millimeters in trigger travel. Basically, all you have to do is cut your Q-Tip down until it fits in your trigger spring. You’ll have to experiment with the right length for this but just keep slowly shaving off extra material on the Q-Tip until it stops the travel of the trigger just as the trigger trips the sear.

3. Trigger Push

For lack of a better name, I am going to call this the Trigger Push. Another simple mod, all you need for this is a couple thin pieces of electrical tape. The object of this mod is to push the trigger forward until it is just before the area where the trigger trips the sear. All you have to do is put small pieces of electrical tape in the top of the trigger until you have achieved this. Combined with a Trigger Stop, this makes your trigger pull very short, down to only a couple millimeters.

4. Magnetic Trigger

I could use some help here with a "how to".

-Marmaduke

g. Upgrades

Upgrades are manufactured things that increase the performance of your marker. Unlike a mod, you buy it instead of make it yourself or by modifying a pre-existing part. In this section, I will go over some of the most popular upgrades for the A-5.

i. Firepower

These are the upgrades that make your marker shoot faster. Not FPS, but BPS. The speed limit of a paintball is 300fps so buying anything to make your marker shoot faster in that sense is a waste of money.

1. E-Grip

The E-Grip is an electronic grip frame that uses a solenoid activated by a micro switch to shoot a firing pin into the sear causing it to initiate the firing process of the marker. The A-5 now has 3 boards that you can install in your grip frame so I will briefly go over all of them. Another popular add-on to the E-Grip is the JCS or APE trigger. I will go over them as well. Many people prefer the E-grip over the RT as you don’t have to sweet spot it for it to work and installation is pretty straight forward. No fiddling is involved in tuning, just adjustment of firing modes.

a. Old Stock Board

The old stock board that came with the original E-Grips was capped at 17bps in semi-auto and 15bps in all other modes. Modes included were Semi, 3 shot burst, auto, auto response and turbo. Auto response and turbo worked fairly the same as when triggered, they would fire on the pull and release but in Turbo, it would turn on if it sensed more than one trigger pull in a second. Otherwise, it would stay semi auto. Auto response, it would always be on but if on the pull, you held the trigger down for more than a second, it would only fire one shot.

b. WAS Board

The WAS (Wicked Air Sports) board now comes stock as the E-Grip frame. Capped at 30bps w/programmable ramping, it can really let the paint fly. There are many people however that don’t like the WAS board as it has an auto shut-off of 20min which may be a problem in Scenario games where it is very possible not to see any action for 20 minutes at a time. Also, for you to engage the full auto mode, you must first pull the trigger and take three shots which many people find very annoying. The WAS board is available as an aftermarket upgrade for older e-grips that did not come with it stock.

c. APE Board

The APE (Advanced Paintball Electronics) is the most popular aftermarket board available for the A-5. Capped at 25bps, it is not as fast as the WAS board, you’re still throwing a hell of a lot of paint at your target. The APE board offers a ton of different firing modes like the WAS board but it doesn’t have a 20min. auto shut off and full auto mode starts the second you pull the trigger. APE also makes an aftermarket Double Trigger

d. JCS/APE Double Trigger

The JCS and APE triggers are for E-Gripped A-5s only. They will not work on a mechanical A-5 or one with an RT. However, they work wonders on an electric A-5. Many people say that the E-Grip isn’t truly complete without one of these triggers and I whole heartedly agree. These triggers are very adjustable and easy to walk. I have never had experience with the APE trigger but I owned a JCS trigger on my A-5 and it was a thing of beauty. It made it very easy to walk my A-5 to high rates of fire on semi and max out the board’s potential on turbo and auto response. Be warned though that these triggers can take a while to set up. Expect about half an hour or longer to get everything working correctly. But the fiddling around is really worth it as these triggers do wonders.

2. Response Trigger

The response trigger is a mechanism that uses extra air like the cyclone to help you reset the trigger. People are able to do what is called “sweet spotting” which is where you apply a certain pressure to the trigger which balances out the with the piston that resets the trigger to make a kind of full auto effect. Stock RTs can reach speeds of up to 17bps and there are some “Super RTs” that people have done to make their markers fire up to insane rates sometimes surpassing 25bps. I will discuss these Super RTs a little later.

a. RT Mods

Here are some mods that may help you use your RT to its max. Please note that some people feel a double trigger also helps when it comes to sweet spotting the RT.

i. LP Hoses

Contact Tippmann and order that you would need to run your RT off of a Low Pressure compressed air tank. Using these with a HPA or CO2 tank will allow more air to get to the RT which will make it shoot faster.

ii. Trigger Stop

This is done the same as the trigger stop in section IIIfiii2 but you want to make it so the trigger stops on the sweet spot of the RT. This makes it so all you have to do is pull the trigger back until it hits the trigger stop and it basically sweet spots itself.

iii. Drinking Straw Mod

A very simple mod, all you need is a drinking straw. Cut the straw down so it will fit over the pin that the sear rest on in the trigger assembly. Not the pin the sear is pushed through, but the one that the front of the sear rest against. This will almost instantly double your sweet spot.

b. Super RT

If you were on the old A5OG before it was disbanded, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear super RT is the infamous Vulcan created by ~Finsec. This thing is a beast. Some others also created some super RTs that could reach and sometimes break the 25bps mark. However, no one would ever tell exactly how they achieved this. They would however, let you ask questions about the mods done and they would answer them. What was amazing about them is that they still allowed you to use the Cyclone. While this isn’t as big of a deal now with QEV kits and aftermarket ratchets available, it was quite a feat back then.

ii. Barrels

In today’s world of paintball, choosing a barrel can very difficult. There are so many options to choose from including rifling, porting, counter-boring, length and kits. It is very easy to get lost in the immense amount of options. With the A-5 though, Glenn Palmer (The god of Paintball) concluded that 12” is the best length for a barrel. Rifling is completely unnecessary due to the physics involved with a paintball. It changes shape and becomes elongated during its travel so rifling may actually have a negative effect. Porting helps stabilize the paintball in flight and keeps it from moving around at all. It also quiets the marker. On some barrels, such as the Flatline or Palmer’s Brass Barrel, porting doesn’t have any affect on the travel of the paintball. I have no idea what counter-boring is so I’m not going to comment on that. And no, a 21” barrel will not make your marker more accurate or shoot further. A barrel that long is more of a novelty item than anything.

1. Flatline/Apex

The Flatline and Apex are very unique in the fact that they are the only two barrels that will actually affect the range of your marker. However, they do it in two very different ways. The Flatline is actually a curved barrel while the Apex has an adjustable lip on it that puts a backspin on the paintball much like a “hop-up” system on an Airsoft (gag) gun. Many people prefer the Apex because it can be attached to basically any barrel, has decent accuracy, doesn’t break paint as much, is adjustable, and shoots further than the Flatline.

a. Cleaning the Flatline

The best way to clean the Flatline is by both taking off the shroud and boiling it in water, or by rinsing the barrel out over the sink with very hot water and a swab. Make sure the barrel is completely dry before using it again or you are going to suffer horrific inaccuracy and more broken paint. If in a pinch on the field, I have found that the flexible battle swabs (fuzzy ones) do a adequate job of cleaning it out for a temporary fix.

2. Barrel Kits

Barrel Kits offer the user the ability to “match” the paint to their barrel by choosing different backs or inserts. The thought is that the best match offers increased accuracy. Some people hate them while others swear by them. One thing to be careful with when using a barrel kit is to make sure the inserts or back and tip line up correctly. Otherwise, you’re just asking to break paint on a seam. A good match can be found by using what is called the “blow test”. If when you put a paintball in the barrel, and it doesn’t roll out, you should be able to blow the paintball through without getting purple in the face.

3. Palmer’s Brass Barrel

Palmer’s barrel has recently become very popular and I have seen a lot of questions asked about it so I thought I would briefly write about it. Brass is the best material to use for paint as it is naturally the slickest. Palmer, through testing has come up with the best boring on the inside of the barrel for the average A-5 valve. You can have a barrel custom made to “match” the valve of your marker. Palmer believes that the matching of the valve to the barrel is more important than matching the paint to the barrel. Palmer’s markers are elliptically honed so that it follows the way a paintball stretches out in your barrel. This makes it so that you can shoot any almost any size and quality of paint just like you would Marbilizers on any other barrel. The Brass Barrel can be ordered with spiral porting, or double spiral porting as well as being powder-coated black or nickel plated. A 12” Black powder-coated barrel with no porting is around $50(USD). You must order directly from Palmer.

4. Other

There are a whole host of barrels out there to choose from. Popular choices for the A-5 include the JJ Ceramic which is a great barrel at an even greater price ($35USD). The Lapco Big Shot and Sure Shot are also very popular along with the CP, St!ffi and Dye barrels. I can NOT recommend the Tippmann Sniper or Werks barrels as they are basically just glorified stock barrels.

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iii. Cyclone Upgrades

1. Lighting Rod

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2. JCS/Vortex Ratchet

There are currently two companies producing alternative, aftermarket ratchets for the Cyclone that will increase performance and allow your cyclone to shoot up to 20+ BPS. These ratchets are aluminum so they never need to be replaced. One of these is a must if you plan on shooting above 17bps using a WAS or APE board.

a. Vortex Mods (Courtesy of General Lee)

Modifying the Vortex Mod

It's really very easy, just follow the instructions that come with the vortex except for the section were you install the piston rod to the ratchet... here's my mod for that part...

Use a 3/32nd drill bit "or smaller" to increase the hole size on the piston rod. Only take off enough to make the pin hole a few thousandths larger on the piston rod ONLY leave the Ratchet alone ... do this with your fingers NOT A DRILL this makes the piston rod to ratchet completely loose... without any drag at all .... you DON'T want ANY friction here.
Drag on the cyclone is very bad since it works with very little air anyway, any friction on these two parts will just make the Cyclone useless. I use White Lithium Grease on the moving internal parts... not the piston rod seal cup, it gets regular marker oil.. there are others that are better I'm sure, but since I clean my gun completely and quite often, I clean out the Cyclone and re grease it often too.

Final assembly instructions

when installing the sprockets to the axle... use a SMALL drop of Blue Locktite on the mounting screw. and only the screw that comes with the Vortex Mod, the stock screw will strip the threads.
insert the sprockets correctly, "they do go in wrong"...then when screwing them down (with Locktite) STOP as soon as the screw hits bottom this will prevent over tightening the sprockets against the bottom of the cyclone causing drag/friction.

Next ...
The bottom cap
4 screws
only tighten them enough to hold the cap in place,
DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN them either, they will cause drag on the ratchet to internal bottom of cyclone if over tightened.


I forgot to mention...
when attaching the piston rod to the ratchet ...
after drilling / reaming out, the piston rod with the drill bit "by hand"... insert the pin between the ratchet and the piston rod only enough to connect the two.

DO NOT let the pin stick through the bottom of the ratchet were it will drag on the bottom of the cyclone housing...

If all is done correctly and loosely with no drag/ friction.
your Cyclone will last a long time, shoot 20+BPS and never chop paint, except for cheap paint that cant take high speeds... most paint is cheap

Not to mention, you should always cut atleast 1 spring turn from the spring inside of the ratchet when installing the Vortex. (from Dirty_Durnal)

3. QEV Kit

You can know order a QEV (Quick Exhaust Valve) kit from Palmer that bleeds extra air from the gas line of the cyclone allowing it to feed faster. It’s about $15(USD) and replaces your stock hose and fittings. It will add and extra 3-5 possible bps that you can get out of your cyclone.

4. LP Hoses

You can the hoses usually reserved for if you were to run you’re A-5 on low pressure and install them onto your cyclone. It will let more air get to your Cyclone which will allow it to feed faster.

iv. Regulators/Expansion Chambers

Regulators (get this) regulate the air pressure that goes into your marker (no joke!). They also keep it much more consistent keeping your FPS more consistent. An Expansion Chamber is supposed to allow any liquid CO2 to turn into gas before entering your valve. Theoretically, this will cut down on velocity spikes.

1. Why NOT to buy an Expansion Chamber

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palmer's Pursuit Shop Personally, I do not advocate the use of an expansion chamber at all. I prefer to use a tank that is filled to about 10-15% less than stated capacity. A slightly larger gaseous area will be had by the use of a remote setup, but the actual effectiveness of it is ambiguous, at best. This is another concept that is very difficult to explain but it boils down to the fact that CO2 requires a certain amount of pressurized gas as a "cap" to keep the liquid in a stable state. All an expansion chamber can really do is provide enough room to compensate for what is needed. The best way that I know to explain the relationship of pressure and volume/capacity is show the static pressures of a tank that contains different amounts of liquid CO2. This example is for a 20 oz. tank at 72 degrees F. ( the numbers shown are approximates but close enough to demonstrate the diminishing pressure curve as it relates to the fill state of the tank) amount of liquid CO2 in a 20oz tank pressure 21 oz 1150 psi+ 20 oz 950 psi 19 oz 875 psi 17 oz 825 psi 15 oz 815 psi 12 oz 810 psi 6 oz 805 psi 2 oz 800 psiNote the diminishing pressure variance as the actual volume in the tank is reduced. There is one thing about CO2 that is very consistent and that is change. However, the changes are very consistent and very predictable. The trick to the effective use of CO2 is to be aware of what is going on and to operate within the nature of things. An Expansion chamber can over expand the CO2 and reduce the saturation of liquid within the gas. So when you fire the ball, the gas has less potential energy when released. Therefore you must use more volume of gas with an expansion chamber. Another problem with expansion chamber is that once they fill up with liquid it's no longer an expansion chamber. Once Co2 is regulated under 600 psi it can no longer remain a liquid. Most remotes have a small hole, so they don't expand the gas too much.

2. Palmer’s Stabilizer

The most popular regulator for the A-5, the Stabilizer is omni-gas ready. It eats liquid CO2 for breakfast and performs well on HPA. However, if you're strictly using HPA, I'd suggest a Dye Hyper regulator. They have worked the best for me in the past.

Male Stabilizer Set-Up:


Female Set-Up:


Dual Regulator (Male & Female Set-Up):

h. Accessories

Accessories are things that you can add to your marker, but they don’t change the performance of your marker. An example would be a flood light, red dot sight, or a mounting rail. These are usually bought from a manufacturer. The Underground Mod Shop offers some great services on custom work for adding rails or making custom shrouds for your Flatline, etc.


IV. Conclusion
You’ve read what all the contributors to this thread and I have to offer. Once again, I am not responsible for any damage you may cause to yourself or your marker by doing anything in this thread. I can not guarantee the accuracy of everything so if you feel something needs to be changed, let me know or e-mail me. Thanks to everyone who has helped me with this and to all the Management on the A5OG and UMS for making the best paintball forums on the web. You guys kick serious ***!

V. Other
I’m reserving this area for anything that I feel that won’t fit anywhere else.

a. Useful Websites

These are some great forums or paintball websites that I suggest checking out. Feel free to contact me if you want your site added to this list.

• The Underground Mod Shop Front Page Get your custom work done here. The best moding forum on the web.
• www.a5og.net Best Forum for anything A-5.
• Relocate Palmer’s Shop. Also contains a lot of useful Paintball knowledge.
• Webdogradio.us - web dog radio Resources and Information.This website is for sale! Tyger Rules
• www.a5od.net Another great forum for the A-5
• Paintball - World And Regional Paintball Information Guide - WARPIG.com Great general Paintball site
• mcarterbrown.com Lots of info on vintage and rare markers. Lots of SC players here.
• ZDS Paintball - Marker Animations - Index Lots of great animations of markers in action
• Got Questions? I Have Answers! - The Underground Forum FAQ done by FreakShow. Great stuff!

VI. Games to Play
Try out these great game types next time you’re out playing.

Elimination - Eliminate everyone on the other team.

Center Flag - Capture the centrally located flag, take it to opponent’s base or arena gate.

Double Flag - Capture oppoonent’s flag, return it to flag station before they do the same to you.

Multi-Flag - Odd number of flags, say 7, capture randomly placed flags, return them to centrally located flag station, first team to place 4 flags wins. Players can carry no more than one flag at a time.

Alien - One guy is Alien, head start to hide. All others human with human ID (head flags). Alien shoots human => Human leaves game, removes head flag, re-enters as alien. Alien shot is out for good. Game ends when all remaining players are either alien or human.

Scalps - Each player has a “scalp” in his pocket, every man for himself. Shot player drops scalp and exits, shooter gets scalp (or tries to). Dead players regenerate. Game ends when one player has all scalps or, with time limit, has most scalps.

Escort - Air Force One is forced down, Secret Service must escort orange vest wearing President across field to safe house. Terrorists try to take him out. Good guys win by eliminating all terrorists or getting Prez to safe house. Terrorists win by shooting Prez. Prez has marker/can shoot.

Redcoats - No hoppers, reloads in pocket. Must stand abreast, march only in response to direct commands. No using cover, nothing but standing or kneeling to shoot (as commanded). When hit act out death. Straight elimination.
EDIT: The order to "Charge" and bayonet your opponent may be given at any time deemed fit by the commander.

Medic - Each team has one medic with white head band. Upon being hit player calls for medic. If live medic touches he’s live. If medic hit he retires, removes medic badge, regenerates. No more regens for that team. Elimination.

Freeze Tag - When hit the player is frozen. If touched by a live teammate he’s thawed. Teammate must be more than 10 feet from frozen player for valid thaw.

Four Corners - Divide into teams with equal number of players (say, 3). Each team starts at a corner of the field. Team versus team. Hit => dead, go to graveyard in center of field. Once 3 dead guys assemble, markers up, move to any corner of field. Once corner touched => new 3 man team.

Bunker Assault - A few guys in a bunker, rest assault. Elimination.

Terminator - One player is the Terminator, who can only be taken out with a goggle hit. Humans are out when hit. Ends when the Terminator or the humans are gone.

Liquid Metal Terminator - One player is the Terminator, who can only be taken out if he takes himself out. Humans are out when hit. Ends when either the Terminator or the humans are gone.

Terrorist Bomb - A bomb is planted with a timer by terrorists, they defend bomb. Game ends when all good guys dead or bomb goes off or bomb defused.


Mercenary Tank - One tank, dedicated operator. Tank starts in center of field, neutral. First live player to touch it claims for his team. Tank raises appropriate flag, fights for that team. If tank knocked out, it lowers flag, waits for another live guy to touch it.

Tank Defend Flag - Center flag.two teams, game won by touching flag. Tank parked next to it, defends flag from both team. No anti-tank munitions.

Jailbreak - Two teams, one jail for each team: When a player gets hit, he calls himself out, and goes to his teams jail. He is not allowed to shoot from the jail, or escape from jail, until he is tagged by one of his teammates. Once he has been tagged, he is not only allowed to shoot, but he had better be shooting, if he wants to get out of the jailhouse alive! This game works well for several reasons: It gives hit players a hope of returning to the game, it also creates quite a bit of action during jailbreak atttempts. It can instantly turn the tides of the game around, if someone can get to the jail and free all of his eliminated teammates. The game ends when the opposite team is totally eliminated, or all in jail.

VII. Playing Safe Outlaw
This is a guide to follow when playing outlaw to keep safe. As always, I am not responsible if you get hurt playing paintball. I am not responsible if you get hurt while following these rules. And with that out of the way, we can get started with some good rules to follow.

• Designate a leader. This is the only person who can start games, and call masks off.
• After a game is over, no one can take off their masks until the leader checks and makes sure everyone has their safety on and barrel condom on.
• No shooting for any reason unless everyone has their mask on.
• Do not play near roads or where a pedestrian can be hit.
• If you see paint going into an area where it shouldn’t stop shooting. If you’re being shot at and see this, move so it doesn’t happen anymore. If all else fails, call yourself out. A bystander getting hit will ruin it for everyone
• Make sure everyone has their masks on before a game starts, even if they are outside of the playing area. Stray paint may find their eyeballs
• NEVER EVER play w/out chronoing all markers. A handheld chronograph can be purchased for $80(USD). If you divide the cost between everyone, you may only end up paying a couple bucks. A Chronograph is a must as paint traveling faster than 300fps is a serious safety hazard.

VIII. Glossary/Dictionary
I have tried to include all the terms here as I can. It’s in alphabetical order. Please contact me to add anything you deem necessary.

a. Paintball Termology

• ASA: Stands for Air Source Adapter. This is what you screw your tank into
• Bottomline: Term used to describe an ASA position at the bottom of the grip frame.
• HPA: High Pressure Air
• LP: Low Pressure
• Marker: Politically correct term for a Paintball Gun. We use a marker to “mark” our opponents
• Opfor: Stands for Opposing Force
• RT: Acronym for Response Trigger

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b. Bunker Names and Descriptions

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Add to that? Only if I scanned the french portion of the manual!!

Great post Marmaduke!

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Good stuff indeed. I might send you an amended version some day, with some minor alteration to spelling, grammar and punctuation. Just to polish it off.

lol

I'm trying to find those diagrams I wanted to link to right now. But really, any game types you like to play would be very welcome!

EDIT:

Diagrams and most of the links are now up!

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I don't think their done reading yet!!

Awesome post man. I will refer any newbies I run into to this. Tons of good info!

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Palmer Brass/ Apex, Broadsword Vest, T4 Offset Hopper, Dogleg (original slab), A5A2 Foregrip, 114/4500 (Fits in my vest!!) NCStar 45mm Red Dot
Glenn Palmer of Palmer-Pursuit.com
Best paintball field in Northern Virginia (or maybe all!) www.warplaypaintball.comCheck my review. PBReviews

Finally got everything formatted so it looks neat and you can actually tell where everything is. And serously, I'm angry I havn't had anyone PM me or anything with some additions or corrections.

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