Noob’s A-5

Hey all,

This is my first post and I'm a paintball noob.  I've been wanting to give it a try for years but never found the time and money.  Well, I'm finally heading out next weekend and, after a load of research, picked up an A-5.  I've been slowly adding to it over the past few weeks and, though it's not done yet, I think it'll do for my first time out.

The TAC-CAP is for looks only.  I can't imagine a situation that you'd want such a small hopper for, but as I said, I am a noob.  The stock is the next purchase, then a see-thru rail.  Thoughts?

Thatoneguy123 wrote: Well, atleast its better than mine :D

But your avatar rocks!  LOL...that's hilarious!

pythonman56 wrote: Fire power upgrades?

Meaning, like the trigger/grip (remember, me=noob)?  I'm sure I'll eventually get an e-grip, just because it's my only marker and I want to see what full auto feels like, but I wanted to try semi-auto for a while (before I get spoiled), so figured I'd save the $100 for something else for now.  What would you recommend for fire power upgrades?

So far so good. Look into a folding stock and get rid of your front grip. Then look into a see-thru riser and red dot. Put a remote line on it and you'll have yourself a nice milsim gun.

As for fire power upgrades, hold off. Play with semi for awhile. You may find you dont need the extra firepower.

sinisterNorth wrote: So far so good. Look into a folding stock and get rid of your front grip. Then look into a see-thru riser and red dot. Put a remote line on it and you'll have yourself a nice milsim gun.

I was originally thinking of a folding stock, but I'm leaning towards the MP5 slider.  Less bulk, but just as attractive, if not more IMHO.

Hey, I like the front grip!  Well, maybe I should say, I haven't found anything I like better.  All of the other grips I've seen are uglier, except maybe for that hand guard-style one, but the A-5 looks naked without the grip.

I love the idea of the see-thru riser because I want to use as much of the native features of the marker as I can, as long as they're useful.  (For example, I looked into the QLoader, but it bypasses the Cyclone, so I'll bypass it.)  And I figure, if I'm going to use the native sight, why bother with the red dot?  I would like a laser, though (if for nothing else but to intimidate my buddies), which I could mount on top of the riser and, because they're small, it wouldn't raise the profile much (if at all, considering the hopper).  I'd prefer a barrel-mounted laser, but I favor the SMG-style shroud over rails and nothing I've found will fit a Flatline (could someone please make a bracket that fits betwen the Flatline and the marker?).

I've got a remote line coming in too, because I think I'll prefer it to on-the-gun, but I didn't think to get one with a slide check, so I may end up having to buy another.

sinisterNorth wrote: As for fire power upgrades, hold off. Play with semi for awhile. You may find you dont need the extra firepower.

Sounds like solid advice; thanks.

pattison wrote: i am a little concerned that you are starting with a flatline. make sure you bring your stock barrel when you play, just in case.

What do you mean, exactly?  Do they not allow the Flatline at some fields?  I got the quick-change kit so that I can pull it off quickly if I break a ball in it and it really works well (though I haven't used it in the field yet).  I could probably get the barrel off in about 15 seconds (hey, that didn't sound good).

As an aside, I was a little worried when I first got the Flatline, as the accuracy was bad, but after adjusting it left to right of the sight and finding the right size ball, now it's dead on (at least up to 50'; haven't been able to target practice beyond that range yet with the Flatline installed).  Monsters and Big Balls work awesome and are cheap, though I will have to find a comparably-sized ball that fields will carry.  If anyone has suggestions, feel free.  (Or should I move that conversation elsewhere?)