New to the scene

An a5 with a response trigger or e-grip would probably be good.

Any Tippmann would be a good marker.

• The X7
• This is a new marker, and as such, may have some initial problems
• Complaints I've heard include the following
• The low profile hopper doesn't feed well
• Some people are having paint breakage issues with the cyclone hopper on the X7
• If your marker has mechanical issues, Tippmann will take care of it; their customer service is unmatched. (But you may spend some time without a marker.)
  
• If the hopper is a problem it can be easily replaced with an R5 hopper or even a stock A5 hopper.
• If you like mil-sim markers, the X7 is going to be well supported in this area as it is designed for mil-sim modding.
• The A5 has been around long enough to have worked through its inital problems and is an effective marker.
• There are lots of aftermarket performance upgrades/modifications available. (Just surfing these forums should introduce you to most of them.)
• The integrated cyclone feed system means that you won't have to purchase an after market hopper, but you will pay more for the marker up front.
• The 98 family of markers are a proven design.
• Many aftermarket upgrades are avaliable for these as well.
• My favorite feature of the 98 series is that you can swing the hopper away from the breach to quickly clean the barrel with a pull-through squeegee without having to remove the barrel.

My recommendation is that if you can, try to play at least once with each marker type before purchase to see which you prefer. Once you do buy a marker, use it in its stock configuration for a while to get an idea about what you like/dislike on it before you start upgrading/modifying. Again, if possible try out modifications/accessories before purchase if you can.

Welcome to the forum, good luck with your marker buying.

I would go for a 98 w/ e-grip and ACT.

paintballgoth has a good point, your style of play makes a huge difference on what marker would be good.

since your playing woodsball i would think the first thing you should do is buy a stock A5 or 98 Custom ACT and play a few games, see what you like and what you dont like, and upgrade what you think will help fix those problems. One of the first things you will likely need is a barrel through, the 98 custom pro is the only tippmann ive heard of that has a good stock barrel.

After that you will want to upgrade depending on your style of play... if you like to shot alot you probably want an RT or Egrip... or you might want to tuck your gun up closer to you with a drop forward... and the list goes on... theres an ungodly amount of upgrades available for a tippmann A5 or 98 custom and you can tailor it to perfectly fit your style...

So good luck out there, and have fun

If it has to be a tippmann the I would go for the A5. But if not then I would look into the SP8 £200 Egg - 30 Air bottle - £80 £310GBP so whats that in USD. 

 

That much? Ah well then. I would go for a A5 a good barrel and possibly a air bottle.

SP-8: 300
Evolution II: 60
Tank: 65
NxE SP 4+1 (w/ 4 pods): 20

or better yet...

Lasoya Promaster: $200
WGP 50cu 3000psi: $65
Halo B: $98
CCM feedneck (norise): $35
Dropforward: $50
NxE 3 Pod Pack: $20
Vforce Profiler: $68

Total: $486

sry if this is in the wrong place, but do egriped 98s work well with co2?

i was under the impression that they need to be switched to hpa before egrip

phil_stl wrote: Tippmann 98 ACT with DXS Pulse, Centerfeed mod, and E-grip

That's not overkill enough for bush ball yet. Don't forget the magnetic double trigger.

Commander_Cool wrote: "Bush Ball": you mean you guys play in the woods and what not. I believe that either guns considered to be "Woodsball" and "speedball" both function well in the woods, and that people believe otherwise due to some ignorant mindset. Given that, it only makes sense to get the best marker, which would generally be one considered best for "speedball".

Unless of course he has no or limited access to HPA fills, and considering it's 'bush' I'm guessing C02 might be the more practical choice.