Ah, the tac-8. Much has been said about this very distinctive marker already but still very many questions remain. In this review I will try my best to address what I have heard asked about what has quickly become my most used and favorite marker.

Performance

Accuracy. It seems to come up all the time so I might as well get it out of the way right away. Naturally people think that just like in real life paintball pistols will suffer greatly in accuracy compared to a full size set up. With it's tiny barrel and all.
Not so at all! The tac-8 is very accurate, surprisingly so. At shorter ranges it's visibly more accurate then my A-5, although for really long shots it's easier to hit a target with the tippmann.
It's just as accurate as any mid priced marker and if not more. You really just have to see it to believe it.
Tons of fun when you get into a shootout at range with someone wielding a "sniper" set up and take them out with a pistol.
The tac-8 is designed internally in a way that will be inherently accurate (very similar to an automag) and it has a handy built in regulator that is very highly effective in what it does.
On most days I get 1-3 fps deviation between shots and there are times where I can get the exact same velocity reading shot to shot.

Gas efficiency is pretty good, 1 12g will give you a minimum of 24 full power shots and that's pretty perfect.
Since each mag's capacity is eight it's easy just to remeber you can shoot 3 full mags then change the co2. Each mag even has a handy counter on the bottom that makes keeping track of how much you've shot and how many shots you have left a breeze.

The tib also has a very distinctive noise a nice, loud, very crisp pop. Really love the way this marker sounds.

Feel/fit

The tac-8 is large. Quite large. Here is a quick size compairison I took a while back:



What you see in that pic is my pistol, a AA battery, .223 casing, and a standard sized paintball.
(unlike the ridiculously bloated ones seen here )

Yea, it's a large marker. Yes it is relatively heavy, and it may put others off.
But for me that's why I love it.
The reason it has a little heft to it is because the body is milled out of a solid
block of metal. None of those "composite" bodies here! For me that added weight means reliability and dependability. I love the way the marker fits and feels in my had and I gotta say it feels comforting and solid. If it was feather light I would not like it nearly as much.
The magazine is also made for a solid hunk of metal so it also adds weight. But IMO it is well worth it for the durability. I heard of a guy who accidentally ejected the magazine onto his garage floor so hard in put a chip in the concrete. (when you eject a mag from this marker gas is used to shoot them out with a woosh and quite a bit of force)
The magazine had a large dent in it but functioned just like nothing happened. Definitely a bonus when you are running around in the woods.
As for size- come on guys, do I really need to tell you why having a bigger gun is better?

However there is one thing about it that may be an issue for some. The grip, because it has to hold the fairly large magazine is also quite large. So the tac-8 may not be for people with small hands. Try for fit before you buy!
I didn't like this when I first received the marker but after playing with it for a while I really grew to like it. Now I wouldn't have it any other way.


Maintenance

Ah yes. The tac-8 is infamous in this area.
But would you believe me if I told you it's not that bad?
Sure it's more difficult then a tippmann or a spyder but if you have a good guild (hint ) on how it's done it's not killer.
The first few times may involve some swearing and frustration but once you learn it your good for life. Like riding a bike.
This might not apply to everyone because i'm pretty good with mechanics so someone who might be lacking in that area could have shear hell with this marker but for me it was pretty average to take apart and reassemble.
So while in this area the tac-8 does not get a perfect score it still does pretty well.
However one issue I have had and hear is pretty common is the shredding of the little oring that's right where you insert the 12g into the magazine with certain brands of powerletts.
Minor issue but I have to take a few points off.


The so called "Finish - Bling" Section

This is another area where the tac-8 excels. It gets look and allot of them. No way around it, the tib is one sexy looking marker (although some will complain about the way the trigger/guard looks.)
Both in the staging area and on the field it gets allot of attention.
This may or may not be important (depending on how egotistic you are) but it's something to consider for sure.
Plus reloading it makes you look crazy cool.


Practicality/Usefulness

Another biggie. Just how practical is this gun?
Very! I personally find that it gets more use then any single marker in my collection.
Why?
Because what ever I am using as my primary I always have my tac-8 as a back up and sometimes my tac-8 IS my primary.
People always tend to think that pistols will just ride in the holster unused all day but that is really not the case, they are way too useful for that. When every I go into a building my primary gets slung over my shoulder and my pistol comes out. When your clearing out a building you can get so much tighter and closer and you can get angles on the other team you never would be able to with a full sized marker. And as you know, paintball is a game of angles.
Not only that but since the tac-8 is so compact (no hoppers, air tanks, remotes ect. sticking out) you are much more agile and fast when wielding only it.
I'll give you an example. I think I already recited this tale of glory to a few of you so if you've heard it before just bear with me.
I normally play at an indoor field around Toronto that is quite busy most of the time. (Paintball City for those of you in the area)
The night of the story there were about 30 people on the field, which is pretty much it's capacity. The game being played was capture the flag, which normally ends in a draw, what with all that paint being shot at a relatively small area. The filed consists of a bunch of speedball bunkers arranged around a series of buildings. The flag was placed in the middle.
Normally the cap the flag games consist of the teams shooting each other out until time expires with no one really going for the flag. Most of the players there are new and play quite conservatively.
I decided to try something different.
I dropped all my gear except for my mask, pistol and an extra mag in the staging area. Before the game I told my team the plan- when I said go everyone would cover me while I ran for the flag, grab it, and then run for the enemy base and get the flag inside to win the game.
It worked flawlessly, the match was over in under 3 min with a victory for my team. We played three more capture the flag matches and our team won the same way each game.
I would have never been able to be as agile or as quick with a full sized set up, that day the tac-8 payed for itself. Not to mention the fact that that day the field ran out of rentals and my buddy was using my A-5 so had I not brought my tac-8 one of us would not have been able to play at all.
Another highlight was when I ran into a building, shot out three people on the bottom floor, changed the mag, shot out a guy in a building on the opposite side of the field then ran upstairs and scared the crap out of four guys and got them to surrender by yelling and waving a pistol in their face.

But the most fun was the time I snuck up behind a guy and tapped him on the back of the head with the barrel until he turned around. He also surrendered pretty fast.
Again, this marker just allows you to do so many thing you couldn't otherwise. Only thing is you only have eight shots so you have to make each one count but that only adds a bit of a challenge and makes you a better player.
So both very practical and very useful.


Reloading
1.Press the mag eject button
2.Giggle with glee as it come flying out the bottom of the grip
3.Grab a fresh one and slam it home (but not too hard)
4.Mags may be reloaded while on the field from ten round tubes cut down to eight.

It's fast, it looks cool, and it's fun.


Reliability

More reliable then most every other marker I have used.
I baby my guns and take great care of them but the truth is I am an aggressive player on the field and my tac-8 takes the worst of it. I keep it in a thigh holster and it is always being wacked on trees, rocks and buildings while I run and jump, being dragged through dirt, mud, leaves and puddles of paint while I crawl, drooped down a flight of stairs after I missed my holster while trying to stash it, and taking many, many, direct hits. (for some strange reason it's like a paint magnet )
Through all this abuse it has never had one single problem and never skipped a shot. There have been times after I came back from playing when I take this marker apart and find unimaginable things inside of it.
And yet it always keeps working.
You just can't get better then that, I still remember the time my friend dropped an ion and it never worked again.
Heck even my A-5 has blow a ratchet or two.
But to date the tib has taken far more abuse without a single issue.

Other
-Has a built in safety valve to keep you from shooting hot
-The barrel is very quick and easy to remove, just push in and turn slightly and it will pop right out
-One complaint I have is that the stock iron sights are rather pitiful in size
-Safety is easy to use and solid
-Make you look Manly!


Oh yes, the Price
Yes it's a pricey sidearm, especially when you add in the three or so extra mags you will end up buying at $50 a pop. But the value you get from it is unbeatable, worth every single penny many times over.



And the Money Shots







Conclusion

Best pistol on the market.
If you have not already tried one do so soon. You have nothing to lose and much to gain.
Thanks for listening and please feel free to post any questions, queries, comments, rants, or outbursts below.    

Good review, good thing I got big hands

i love mine, they rock!!! great review also.

Guys, wait until i'm finished typing to post!
I'm done now and I took some more pics. I might add something more if I remember it later.

well maybe you should finish before posting! jk.

Holy geez, and I thought before was an informative review.
Great pics
Great gun
Great work Party!

ps: they look SWEET with a mock supressor kit from Lapco, also can beat having a bigshot in one of those! :P

Hammerhead also makes a barrel for the Tac-8:

Hammerhead Paintball Barrels and Accessories. Rifled Paintball Barrels

I have also heard that it doesn't like smaller-bore paint. Can someone tell me if this is true? I have a buddy who has one, and the .683 paint we usually use had had problems in his mags (bought new) flattening up top and breaking/jamming. Any ideas/help on this?

--TAG--

Yep, the silencer does look pretty hot.
But really what I want is for Fl^ to convert mine into a racegun. Something like this one linky.
Even got a price from him but I have other purchases that are more urgent waiting and besides, I can't bring myself to part with my tac-8 for a few weeks yet.


You know, I hear that allot and it even says in the manual that using small paint will give you problems.
But personally I have never experienced any issues and I use very small paint.

Very deatiled review, thanks. I will be looking even closer now at getting one.

I'm a sniper...sometimes all I take to the field is my Tac-8. You'd be surprised how many kills I get with it (no rifle profile, easy to conceal).

FYI re: magazines - due to the mags being spring loaded, if you leave paintballs in the mag when you're not playing they will develop flat spots.