[Coenen]

So you've decided to get a regulator to improve the consistency and efficiency of your ProCarbine, Model 98(C) or A-5. Here's what you need to know so you can get started:
Before I say anything else, all Tippmann markers, when stock, are high pressure. They generally need at least 700psi of input pressure, preferably more, to operate effectively.

IF YOU HAVE NITROGEN, YOU MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS SECTION

Preparing the Marker:
If you intend to use a regulator in conjunction with CO2, you must have one of the following:

• An anti-siphoned tank
• A remote
• An expansion chamber BEFORE the regulator.

In short, all of these modifications are intended to keep liquid CO2 out of the regulator, liquid CO2 and Regulators DO NOT mix. I will cover each briefly. Anti-siphon is basically a bent brass tube installed in the valve of a CO2 tank, the tube bends upwards to the top of the tank when it is screwed in horizontally, it is therefore, incompatible with remote and vertical tank setups. This arrangement allows it to bring only gaseous CO2 into the marker. A remote line, allows the CO2 time to expand into a gaseous state between the tank and reaching the reg. An expansion chamber serves the same purpose as the remote, if it is after the reg though, aside from allowing liquid to enter the reg, it will de-regulate the gas, defeating the purpose of getting a reg in the first place.

There are three ways to attach a regulator to your marker, they are:

1. Use a vertical adapter(VA) in conjuction with a male reg. This method works with all Tippmann markers. Male regs are, generally, threaded just like CO2 tanks.
2. Use a female reg. This will work on stock ProCarbines and 98's but A-5 user's will need the grip adapter tht they would need for a drop forward.
3. Run the reg directly into the valve. This method will work on ProCarbines only, it can be made to work on the Model 98 but, for reasons listed below, isn't a good idea.

Here's a more in depth look at each(in order listed above):
The most common way by far is to use the vertical adapter(VA) with the male reg, it's not rocket science to do, but installing the VA, especially on the Carbine and Model 98, has the potential to be a real pain. Follow the directions carefully and take every precaution not to screw it up. After that you'll need at least one 90* elbow and perhaps a new gas line if you want to be vain and have it look perfect. A-5 users are lucky here, the A-5 already has a built in male threaded VA, however, there is an after-market adapter that allows you to replace the front grip.

The easiest way is to use a female reg, the only one I know off the top of my head is the Palmer's Stabilizer. You will have to buy a set of mounting brackets for it and then it simply replaces the stock ASA. Use a 90* elbow to run the gas line from the regualtor into the valve and it's done. This approach offers a couple of advantages over using the vertical adapter, first, you don't have to buy(and install) a vertical adapter, secondly you don't probably won't need a new hose either. This is, to my mind, the prefered way to setup a reg for the ProCarbine as it eliminates the need to track down a VA(VA's for the Carbine are sometimes hard to find) and install it. It is also very easy to do for the original Model 98 and the Custom 98. The A-5 draws the short straw here though, you need to purchase the grip block that one would need to mount a Drop Forward before the Female can be mounted.

Running the regulator directly into the valve is one of the least common ways to set up a regulator for a Tippmann. In this setup the stock hose is removed, and the reg is screwed straight into the valve. I've heard that the Direct Stabilizer from Palmer's Pursuit Shop will fit the ProCarbine's valve threads. A-5's with the male vert adapter where the hose enters the marker accept male regs. The Model 98 and 98 Custom are the centers of some debate though. Some say that a regulator cannot be run directly into the 98's valve, while others asure us that it is in fact possible. The truth is, it can be done, but it requires some modifications and is generally considered a bad idea. Why is it a bad idea? Glad you wondered. First, you need to find an adapter that will accept the reg on one end and the valve on the other. If/when you find said adapter it is also possible(and very likely) that you'll need to shave some metal from the recievers to fit the reg and adapters. Next you come to the big problem, due to the size of the connection this setup tends to be a bit fragile. If you screw it up either in installation or in play and strip the threads you are looking at a whole new valve and reg. Do lots of research and be very familiar with your marker and what you're doing before attempting this. Palmer's Pursuit Shop, some of the most competent air-smiths in the world, will tell you that it is impossible to setup a direct reg on a 98 or 98C, that should give you an idea of just how hard it is.

With that said we come to the question of which reg to purchase for you Tippmann.
The most common reg you'll see on Tippmann markers is the Palmer's Stabilizer. It comes in all the varieties mentioned above and is equally at home using Nitro or CO2(generally not both) the Stab is adjustable from 0-900psi output pressure(the pressure the reg can give to the marker), and is one of the finest regs on the market for any marker. It'll cost you about $70-90 for a Stabilizer(any type) with an extra $10-15 for mounting brackets for the Female version. It takes a few thousand rounds to really break the Stab in for maximum performance, but after that the reg will have rock solid consistency even with CO2 in almost any conditions. However a Stab that is broken in on CO2 will not perform as well if it is switched over to Nitrogen, I'm not sure if that statement works both ways or not, it might.

Another common reg is the Bob Long Torpedo, the Torp is usually used on low pressure setups as its maximum output pressure is only 600psi, and a stock Tippmann valve's minimum input pressure(the pressure the valve needs to cycle) is also in the 600psi range. With a little modding(lighter drive spring and polished internals) you can make this work passably. Realistically the Torp should be utilized in conjuction with a Low Pressure Kit(LPK). This means that, unless you can make your own LPK(can be done), you ProCarbine guys are probably out of luck with the Torpedo. Stock A-5's are also incapable of running at 600psi. The Model 98 is, rarely(vaires from marker to marker), capable of cycling at 280fps with 600psi. The torp is able to handle CO2 and Nitro fairly well, it will not be quite as consistent as the afore mentioned Stabilizer but is very good none the less. It runs about $60-70 and comes is a male setup for sure. You might want to check and see if you can't snag one second hand from an Intimidator user.

The third all purpose reg out there is the WGP Ergo, it can handle high pressures on both CO2 and Nitro, and is generally on par with the Torp. The nice thing about Ergos is that they can be purchased new for about $60-80, but are also commonly cast off by Autococker users. Thussly with a little looking one can find an Ergo for a fairly low price. The Ergo also has finger grooves which make it more comfortable for some. It comes with standard male threading and will work on all Tippmann markers stock.

There are many other regs one can use as well, I mentioned those three because they can be used effectively with both gasses and are easy to find. Get out and do some research to find which one is right for you. Before purchasing remember to check on these key traits:

• Is it compatible with both CO2 and Nitro? Remember you may not always have whichever you are running now.
• What range of input and output pressures is it capable of operating at?
• Does it adjust internally of externally?
• Will it fit my VA or Valve?

More Below,

Coenen

[Coenen]

NITRO GUYS CAN START READING AGAIN HERE
Firstly, you may wonder why I let you skip that huge, seemingly important chunk of text. All Nitrogen tanks have regulator built into them, that is, of course, how the gas inside gets from an explosive 3000psi or 4500psi down to a useable 850psi. This means, as long as you are running Nitro on your stock Tippmann you do not require a secondary regulator, sure, you can use one if you like, in which case you'd probably want to go back and read the above, but simply put, it's not required, so save yourself the trouble.

If you are a glutton for punishment:
You really want to double reg your stock Tippmann on HPA, fine, be that way. Just remember this one thing, make sure that both the tank AND secondary reg are high flowing and have a good recharge rate. Also try to have about a 75 to 100psi difference in the input and output pressures of the secondary regulator.

If you are just a freak about using CO2:
Alright, you are dead set on having CO2 be the best and most consistent thing for you ever. Anti-siphon the tank, you need to keep liquid out of the marker at all costs. Next run from the tank to a FEMALE reg. After the female run to a male or direct reg. Palmer's Pursuit Shop says that a setup like this will get you actual +or-2fps at the chrono with CO2. Just remember to watch your input and output pressures to make sure that there is sufficient difference between the two. This would also be a good way to get away with CO2 if, for some reason you have a Low Pressure Kit. I feel it also worth noting that by the time you get done paying for and setting up a system like this, you could've easily purchased a decent nitrogen tank. It's still an option though.

The Low Pressure Kit(LPK):
You've decided that even with a reg your Tippmann just isn't efficient and accurate enough, maybe you want an E-Bolt for your Model 98 Custom, or just want to customize the snot out of your A-5. ProCarbiners, sorry guys but you're left out here, unless you are a pretty good air smith and can make your own LPK, in which case, you probably wouldn't be reading this, the Carbine has no Low Pressure capability. Back to the subject though.
LPK allows you to double reg effectively, utilizing not only, the reg that is on the tank itself, but a secondary (LP)reg affording even greater consistency and a measure of increased efficiency. The LPK(Low Pressure Kit) is basically a new set of internals(valve, hammer, springs, etc.) for the marker that allow it to operate at lower pressure. With stock internals the valve in a Tippmann will not operate below 600psi, in fact it may not operate AT 600psi. With the LPK things change, the valve pin is softened and lightened, meaning less force is needed to open the valve and fire the marker. This allows for a lighter hammer and a softer drive spring, which require less back pressure to recock. A Tippmann equipped with LPK will operate effectively and efficiently in the 300-400psi range. If you are a good tinkerer, I've heard of guys doing mods that will allow you to operate even lower, down to the 150-200psi range(usually this is in conjunction with the E-bolt). The Tippmann LPK for the 98C costs about $100 and comes with a valve, vertical adapter with a volumizer, new rear cocking hammer, and springs. The LPK for the A-5 includes the new valve assembly, the VA with volumizer, a new longer length of steel braid gad line to run from the stock ASA to the secondary reg, and a higher flowing hose to power the Cyclone. NEITHER OF THEM include the secondary reg. Tippmann does distribute a reg, but it is a copy of PMI's "Pure Energy" reg and, due to mediocre performance, should be avoided. The Low Pressure Kit comes with one more, small added bonus, since the marker is operating at lower pressure with softer springs the bolt is not being pushed forward with as much force, this means more pinched paint and LESS chopped paint.

If I were to reccomend a reg for Low Pressure work:
If money is not an issue: Palmer Stabilizer, AKALMP Sidewinder, Mac Dev '04 Gladiator, Evil Detonator.
If money is an issue: Custom Products, Bob Long Torpedo, WGP Ergo.

Basically, what I just said boils down to this:

• Reg on Anti-siphon CO2 = Decent consistency and best performance for CO2 within reason.
• Dual Regs and Anti-siphon CO2 = Excellent consistency and, best possible performance for CO2.
• Nitro tank just screwed into marker = Good consistency but kind of inefficient.
• Nitro tank+LP Kit+GOOD LP reg(AKA Sidewinder) = Best consistency, added efficiency, slighty decreased chops.

Hope that helps feel free to post or PM me with questions and comments or on anything you'd like to see changed or added.

Coenen

Check out:
http://a5ownersgroup
http://www.model98.net
For more info, reviews, and user feedback on installation, tricks, etc.

[Lord Headley]

All right guys, here we go. We’re starting the FAQ and Support Section. I’m going to go over the rules of this section and we’ll see how it goes or what changes I have to make.

Rules

- If you have a problem that you want technical help on, then contact one of the section techs.
- Do not trash post!!! I will delete any posts that aren’t a in depth answer or a question. I will not have n00bs destroy this thread!
- Once a question is answered, it is answered. There will be no more posting on that question unless you have a different answer for it. Or you’re a tech.

If the rules can’t be followed, I will close this thread and do it the hard way. Which PM’ing questions to the techs, and opening the thread to allow them to post the question and answer, then closing it again. Follow the rules guys. This is one time I wont be shy about warning people if they constantly break the rules.

Tippmann Techs:
- Lord Headley (Carbines)
- Dhill0413 (98’s, A-5’s)
- Flatliner105 (98’s, A-5’s)
- KevinTheCake (98’s)
- TippmannFronter (98’s)
- Smitty (98s’)
- b heald (98’s)
- chromekilla (98’s)


- Brian

[TravisP]

i bought my 98 custom used from my local pb store. It came with a bunch of upgrades that would have cost me alot more to buy new and upgrade later. It came with a response trigger and i dont know what it is supposed to do. can someone please explain to me what it does and why it is illegal in tournaments?

[KevinTheCake]

The response trigger uses extra gas from your marker to push the trigger forward after you fire a shot. This forward motion resets the trigger to the sear and enables you to fire much faster. You can easily get 10-15 balls per second. If you adjust it just right, you can "sweet spot" the trigger and make it go full auto, effectively bouncing the trigger like a madman.

They are illegal because of their potential to go full auto. If they had a way to lock out adjusting them, they would probably be allowed.

[Flatliner105]

^^yup^^ what you do is keep preassure on the trigger with your finger. The RT will actually push your finger up when it resets the trigger...but since you have preassure on the trigger...it willl push the trigger down and fire...then it will push the trigger back up and reset it...then the preassure will push the trigger back down again...but this happens at a vrey fast rate.

[JTUntouchable]

What is the benefit of the 98c over the A-5?

[Barber]

The A-5 is very inefficient due to the cyclone feed system. The cyclone feed used air to push the paddles.

One is not "better" than the other, but a 98 with a revolution is pretty much the same gun for about a hundred dollars less.

[Flatliner105]

actually the cyclon feed can feed up to 16 bps...and a revolution is a aggitated hopper....so it will only feed 12 bps...so it would not be hte same thing.

If you know you are gonna be a big paintballer...and ur gonna upgrade ur gun, then get the 98. You will save money in the long run....however if your just gonna go out once a month..and you arnt interested in upgrading much...get the A-5...it wil save you some headaches with thinking what to upgrade and such. With the A-5...you get the RT and a barrel...and u got a pretty nice marker...but with the 98...you need a RT...a new barrel...then a hopper...and depending how fast u wnana shoot...will depend which hoper.

Having the cyclon feed is jsut easier for newer players to paintball...and easier for people not interested in upgrading their gun much.

There arnt really any performance differences between the 98 and the a-5...basicly the same...except the A-5 has the cyclone.

[Lord Headley]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

How much more will the gun rust after polishing, is it something to worry about? How much oiling is necessary?

Originally Posted by KevinTheCake

Tippmanns are made of die cast aluminum. Aluminum does corrode over time, but it takes a long time and corrodes very little. If you polish your internals, it would take several years of life on the shelf with no use for your tippmann to corrode at all. In other words, do not worry about your marker rusting or anything silly like that. It will not rust.

You should put a couple of drops of oil in your tippmann after every day of use. Simply look into the opening at the back of the marker where the silver bolt is visible. There is a ring around the bolt you need to oil. You can also put a couple of drops in the opening in the ASA. Unscrew your tank, put a couple of drops in the hole inside the ASA, then put the tank back on and dry fire about ten times. Be sure you take your barrel off when you do this so you wont slime up the inside with oil. You should dissasseble your marker about every three months and oil up the sear and everythig else that moves.

Credit goes to Kevin!

- Brian

[Courtney Taylor]

i'm looking into buying a new type of grips for my '98. i dont like the stock grips much, and i was thinking about dye stickys, but someone said not to and get wood grips. what are some good recommendations?

[Flatliner105]

hmmm...who told u that? stickies are actually a very good choice. VERY comfortable. Only problem is Im pretty sure that you have to modify them to get them on there. Im not sure exactly what you have to do...but i heard it was fairly easy.

wood grips (i take it as you mean grips made out of wood) would be mainly for looks. If your looking for more comfotable grips...would would not be the way to go lol.

[Courtney Taylor]

yea one of my guy friends (he's a moron...lol) told me to go for the wood. i'll take your advice instead, since it definitely sounds like u know what you're talking about.

[Flatliner105]

ok...i looked at the dye stickies and then the 98c grip...and you might have to make a hole through the grip wit a drill to get the screw in the right place...then again im not posative, if I where you I would go to a local proshop...bring the gun and just ask sumone if they have some good grips...then make sure it fits ok.

But i have seen 98s with dye stickies on there...so it is possible...its just up to you if you want to modify it or not.

good luck

[dhill0413]

the 98 and 98c have .45 style grips...which are what the stickies are made for. you shouldnt have to modify anything. im only 98.5 percent sure on that though

[pigstick]

So you've got a 98 custom. Good choice. They're reliable, accurate, (with a new barrel, I recommend you upgrade) easy to maintain, and are built like a tank. However even tanks need cleaning every once in a while.

Disassembly

Please do this on a towel, or open area where you won't lose any parts.
Most of the parts will be greasy, so don't do it on your mom's carpet.

The first thing you need to do is unscrew your barrel.

Next, you need to unscrew the six screws on the left half of your marker with the allen wrench that came with your gun.


This picture is from the 98 custom instruction book. I modified it. They get credit.

The screw in red should not be unscrewed. It is for velocity adjustment, and it doesnt hinder taking the gun apart.
Also, loosen the screws under the air source adapter. (it's the thing under the back handle) You don't need to completely take them out.

After all the required screws are out, the reciever halfs should come apart. Leave the right half on your work surface, and lift the left half off.

You should now have a good view of all your internals.

Cleaning

If your marker has been previously used, there might be paint from a chopped ball in the front bolt. A chopped ball is when a paintball only feeds halfway, and the front bolt chops it in half.

Remove the front bolt, and wipe it off with an old rag. It should be pretty dirty, and greasy. Don't worry about taking the old oil off of it, we'll get to that later.

There also might be paint or grease in your barrel. To get rid of that, just run the whole barrel under warm water until all the paint and grease is gone, and leave it out to dry.

If there is any visible dirt inside the body, wipe it off with a damp rag. Don't worry about rust on the body, Tippmann's are made of aluminum. The only things that will rust are the linkage arm, rear bolt, screws, and springs.

That's pretty much all for cleaning, if there's anything weird in your gun, a leaf, a rat, or cat hair, remove them. They don't belong there.

Oiling

After everything is nice and clean, you'll need to re-apply oil. This should be done about every 2 months if you haven't used your gun, and after every use at a field.
The gun should have come with some oil, but if it didn't, pick up some Hoppe's Lubricating Oil.

A drop or two on all mentioned items should do the trick.


Also taken from the 98 custom owner's manual, and modified by me. They get credit.

Oil your front bolt's o-ring, shown as "A" on diagram.

Next, oil the linkage arm. It's "B" on the diagram.

After that, oil the rear bolt's o-ring. It's "C" on the diagram.

Don't forget to oil the buffer o-ring. That keeps the back bolt from smashing into the end cap. It's labled "D" on the diagram.

Re-assembling

Now you're almost all oiled up. However, there is one more thing you need to oil. The gun must be assembled for you do do it.

To re-assemble the gun, simply make sure all the parts are in their proper place, and place the left shell on top of the right one. Then, replace the rest of the screws. The longest screw goes on the front grip. Smaller ones, doesn't matter which holes you put them in.

Tighten all the screws, including the ones at the bottom of the Air Source Adapter.

Almost done. The last thing to oil is the Air Source Adapter. Labeled "E" in the diagram below.


Taken from 98 custom instruction book, and modified by me. They get credit.

There will be a tiny hole. (on the right side if you're looking straight into it)
Put 2-3 drops of oil into that tiny hole.

After that, screw in your full CO2 tank, and dry fire it WITHOUT the barrel 10-20 times.
This will distribute oil evenly through the pneumatics.

The reason you want to do it without the barrel is that oil will get all over it, and you don't want oil over the barrel you just cleaned. It won't hurt it though.

Take off your co2 tank, and you're all done.

Good job, you've just cleaned and oiled your 98 custom. Doing this will ensure that your gun has the longest, and happiest life possible.

It will also hopefully cut down on costly repairs related to not taking care of your gun.

If I forgot anything, or got anything wrong, please tell me so I can change it.