HELP! 500-600 Shots MAX outta 20oz C02!

Likely culprits:  Stock, drive spring, RT, tank.  Barrel and velocity are irrelevant.

Stock/Drive Spring:  Gas usage on a Tippmann is determined not by velocity or barrel but by the drive spring.  More powerful drive spring = more gas used.  Your spring might just be too strong.

Pressure is placed on the back of the drive spring by the endcap.  Most A-5 stocks replace the endcap, and often put different amounts of pressure on the drive spring.  More pressure on the back of the drive spring = more gas used.  Your stock might be putting more pressure on the drive spring than the endcap did.  Try taking off the stock and see if that helps.

Either way, that problem can be fixed by by replacing the drive spring with a lighter spring, or by cutting the spring you have down by a couple of loops.

RT:  Having RT makes you shoot faster.  Shooting faster with CO2 lowers efficiency.  Try shooting slower to see if this is the problem.

Tank:  Improperly installed anti-syphon can be disastrous for efficiency.  Try a different tank to see if this is the problem.

Good luck.

>><< wrote: That sounds about right to me maybe a little low but really as much as people don't wanna beleive it a5's are gas hogs maybe once you get your springs broken in it'll go up a few shots but other than get another tank or get used to fillin up every other game.

True , tippmann's arent the greatest in the gas efficiency area , but there are some rather simple things you can check to make sure you're getting the "Most Bangs per Ounce" that you can get .

My expertise isnt with an A5 , but the operating platform is the same as the 98C's (CVX valve , inline blowback hammer , Clamshell recievers )

First , and Obviously , check your RT lines , make sure they are fitted well , it sounds like you've already checked the basics but ANY leak , even a small one steals efficiency . If you can see a hose wiggle side to side on the fitting , you can almost bet its passing gas between the brass barbs and hose .The cyclone and RT both use CO2 gas to operate , ,,Tippmann calls it excess gas , but Thats bending the actual truth a little bit . To prove my point , remove your RT and see if you get the same # of shots on a fill .

Second , the clamshells allow a LOT of gas to escape when the marker cycles , this gas escapes through the small gaps and imperfections in the fit of the halves . If you think a very small gap or hole wont allow a substantial amount of otherwise usable CO2 gas to be vented to atmosphere , look at the hole on the CVX valve , even with the poppet stem poking through there's plenty of area to allow gas thru to operate your marker , now compare that against the imperfections that you'll find when you closely examine the fit of the recievers . I dont have a "Before" picture , but I can show you a pic of a 98 clamshell without any major gaps (this took about an hour with a Norton dual grit sharpening stone and a sharpie marker used as Machinists dye to check the fit)

After ,

<img src=" http://shadowminion.mypicgallery.com/widowmakerMODS/clamshel l-fitted-no-gaps.jpg">

This second pic shows the "Upper Half" (Left side) of the reciever needed most of the material removal to achieve a good fit , not a great pic , but you can see what I mean . The black area is either the original Powdercoat , or Black ink sharpie I used to check the fit with .

<img src=" http://shadowminion.mypicgallery.com/widowmakerMODS/closer-i nternals.jpg">

I estimate just fitting the clamshells increased my gas efficiency around 15-25 percent because now I have very little if any , gas escaping when the marker cycles , the majority is going to what its intended for , pushing the ball out the barrel and recocking the hammer .

Hope this helps .