Advice (dont lie to me)

Alright here is what i need

I have been trying to maximize the range,accuracy and overall preformance of my Tippmann A5 (i also have a pro/carbine, any advice for this one is welcome too). I have had formal training as a sniper for the rangers and this goes to waste due to the lack of accuracy and range of my current gun configuration.

As it stands the only upgrades i have on the gun are a JCS folding combat stock with RVA and a Flatline barrel. I just purchased a 16" Armson Stealth barrel to replace the utterly useless Flatline (yeah it shoots far, but its like a shotgun: no accuracy and the paintballs just bounce off my targets). I have been told to buy a regulator but I have no idea what one is and what it does (I use CO2 not Nitro),

what I need is something that can give me consistency from one shot to the next,improve accuracy and range...what parts do I need to buy to do this?

A flatline is the only legal way to get better distance. End of story.

As A5mercenary said, the J&J and the Lapco are too very good, easy-on-the-wallet choices.

A regulator is a device that regulates the amount of air going into the marker. (How a regulator works.). They are used mainly with nitrogen/compressed air, but there are a select few that work well with co2. The best of which is the Palmer Stabilizer. Stabilizer's pretty pricy usually around $90 (for the male version, screws into your Tombstone) but will give you overall better efficiency, and consistency. If you use the Stabilizer in conjunction with an anti-siphon, you will have consistency that you could compare to a marker running on nitrogen/compressed air.

A Stab. would be your best choice hands down to enhance consistency, if you plan on staying with co2. It also works with nitrogen/compressed air BTW.

You will also achieve better accuracy by using fresh, quality paint. Using old, dimpled or cheap paint can hinder accuracy.


EDIT: Lol, after reading my post, I sound like a commercial for Glenn Palmer. Hey, maybe we could work out some sorta deal....

Edited by maroon out

I also have an armson, and Ive have only done target practice with it so far. *Im playing on wednesday* I have found it to be pretty nice, its kinda like a flatline though in that you need a paint with a thick fill to get it to spin well with the rifling though. Wind seems to play a HUGE factor in this barrels performance. Again, its pretty picky on paint also, go with Marballizers, they tend to work pretty good. Havent tried the Draxxus/Diablos before, because Im only 16 and dont have a job. In this case, you pretty much have to choose between accuracy and range/trajectory. The flatline has the range and trajectory, but the armson or J&J or similar brang will have the superior accuracy. Some people say that they get good accuracy with their flatline, but I get the same "shotgun" effect as you at even short range. Hope some of that helps.

i was asking the same question at a couple pro shops. and the airsmiths said basically what you did adds distance, but balls don't break after 100 ft.they say the jj ceramic small bore is the way to go. i ordered one they say it is on back order.

The best thing that's going to give you shot to shot consistancy will be the low pressure kit and HPA. C02 can have major velocity spikes.

What is your FPS when chronoing with the flatline. I don't own one personally but I hear you have to turn the velocity down slightly below 280 for the best performance.

Can anyone with a flatlined a-5 verify this?

Edited by Lightningbolt

MROD wrote: and get the Hyper Star Bolt.

*groan*

Dont touch the stock bolt. Venturi bolts are, and always have been, a complete scam.

My flatline's accuracy isn't the greatest, but it's not a "shotgun" like you described.

Things you need to keep in mind with the flatline:
1) Keep your FPS below 280. Try to keep it in the range of 260-280. It'll hinder your maximum effective range, but you'll still be able to tag people when their paint is falling at your feet. Any higher than 280, and you run the risk of your paint flying off target.

2) Keep your barrel clean. If there's been a break, it's really humid outside, or if the inside of the barrel is dirty, that's going to really affect the trajectory of your paint. I have a backup barrel for when it rains here (Seattle), but during the Spring and Summer, my flatline works perfectly.

3) Use small bore paint. Even though the bore of the barrel is on the large size, because it curves you need to use smaller paint so that it can be spun via the material inside the barrel.

Now for increasing your accuracy (exluding the barrel):
1) Get a regulator. C02 has a tendency to fluctuate wildly because of the expansion from a liquid to a gas state. Because of this, your FPS over the chrono could be +/- 15. A regulator will control your incoming C02 (or HPA) and regulate it down to your desired setting. This could drop the variation to +/- 3 FPS (using HPA). There aren't many regulators designed for C02, however. I recommend the Palmer Stabilizer.

Expansion chambers help a lot too, but aren't as good at controlling the amount of pressure entering your marker. They are designed to allow liquid C02 to expand into a gas, but there is no way to really regulate the pressure that enters your marker.

2) Get a HPA tank. Compressed air remains in a gas state in the tank, so when it enters your marker, it's pretty consistent. Check for availability and of compressed air or nitrogen in your area, as that must be a deciding factor in buying a HPA tank.

The above two upgrades are to increase your consistency over the chorono. With better consistency, comes with better accuracy. When the velocity of your paintballs are more predictable, your groupings/trajectory is too. This applies to flatline barrels or other barrels.

I'm not sure if you have one yet, but I'd suggest getting a red dot sight. I have a BSA 30mm, and it works fantastic. Of course, paintballs are inaccurate compared to bullets, having a really good idea where your groupings (which is what you do with real guns anyways) are going to be can make your flatline much more accurate. Since you have a stock, you may also want to consider getting an off-set sight rail or a raised sight rail.

Does Pure Energy/PMI's regulator work on with the CO2 and the A5?

http://www.pbreview.com/products/reviews/388 (i dont trust this site, to damn many little kids)

I just got one for free, a friend of my had one and he gave it to me because he couldnt get it to work on his A5, he said it wouldnt cycle with it attached. Its a $40 regulator so i dont expect anything great.

thats not what I asked.

I'm getting sick of people hocking product (especially palmer) and arguing about how well somthing worked for them that didnt work for me...It didnt work,I need something better & I dont care if it worked for you

I just purchased a complete knockout barrel kit for my a-5 off of e-bay for $40.00. It comes with different size backs to match the different size paints with the right size bore. Also it comes with different size fronts to experiment with, from 10 inch to 20 inches. I've allready heard not to buy it, but I did anyway. This kit rocks for the price. And yes it's more accurate then my stainlees steel bigshot. You are not going to get better range than the Flatline but the kit is more accurate over shorter distances..