Tippmann A-5 Vs. 98 Custom

please dont bump 2 month old threads please

Mack wrote: Jollyroger wrote: Just three screws, front half comes off. front sight spring and pin do not fly out. the only piece that comes out is the ball latch. So it is easy to clean a ball break, and fast too. Probably faster then striping down a Field strip-able A-5. ( i have no proof of this, its just a guess) I'd have to disagree with your guess.  With the A5 you remove three body pull pins (two of which hold the end cap in place so it comes off during this), depress the tombstone latch, remove the tombstone adapter, pivot the grip frame a bit and just pour the internals out the back.

Ok, by going off with what you said it maybe faster to strip the A-5. However;

Mack wrote: pour the internals out the back.

It sounds like putting the front half of the 98 platinum back together is faster!!


Edited by Jollyroger - 12 June 2010 at 6:33pm

Personally, I like the 98 the best, mainly the Platinum version. Now I have never owned for even shot an A-5. I have handled an A-5 in the store, but that's it. so my opinion may be a bit biased.

I started in paintball 7 years ago. my first gun being a plastic brass eagle  talon. Then moved to the 98. At that time it was the 98 custom shortly after the 98 came out. I have since moved up to the custom platinum.

First of all, everyone knows a 98 can take a beating and keep on running. Case in point is my best friends 98. Still the the original that i bought him on is birthday back in 03.  I moved away and then moved back. and for a year it ended up in a shed with water and other weather damage. I bought a parts kit for $15 and we took apart his gun. The velocity spring was rusted on the end and so was the hammer. We cleaned off the hammer easily and changed some of the o-rings, ball latch and  Also replaced the velocity spring. all the parts we needed came in the $15 parts kit. Oiled it up, aired it up, tested for leaks and then took it out and put some paint through it.  We cronoed it and works like it was brand new. We now try and play every weekend.

I bought my wife a used one from a pawn store and found it had a hole the gas line. so i ordered a new one for $18 from Tippmann parts DOT com and it works great too. Now back to the Platinum. When I moved my gun was stolen and so when I moved back and got back into paintball I bought the platinum. 

There is a big difference in the original 98 and the platinum, not in the way it shoots or durability but how much easier it is to take apart.  In the orignal you had 5 pins in the trigger, one trigger sear pin, a pin in the front sight and several different springs. Now those pins and springs have a chance of flying out at you if your not careful. With the platinum, all those pins and the front spring is pressed into the body so they don't fall out and the front sight spring doesn't fly out.its very nice! it has the same clam shell design as the original 98 with a slight difference. You now can removed just the front half off by its self. now why is this important do you ask? Well, if you break a ball the you can remove just the front half with out having to worry about taking apart the rest of the gun. No springs to come out, no small peices, nothing. Just three screws, front half comes off. front sight spring and pin do not fly out. the only piece that comes out is the ball latch. So it is easy to clean a ball break, and fast too. Probably faster then striping down a Field strip-able A-5. ( i have no proof of this, its just a guess)

Just like the A-5, the 98 has tons of upgrades and stuff for it. now the thread pattern is different from the A-5 to the 98 but it doesn't matter. both guns are so popular that you can get ANY barrel with either thread pattern.

So In my bias view, the only difference between the two guns is that the A-5 comes standard with the Cyclone, but guess what? You can buy the Cyclone for the 98! (which is what I will do soon) In my opinion the Cyclone for the 98 is better than the A-5, my reason is that on the  A-5 it is bolted on, where as on the 98 you can easily remove the hopper/cyclone by the same way you do on all 98's. so easy access for pull through squeegees.  And of course I think the 98 is a stronger better workhorse.

Also, Just to say, I prefer Tippmann over any manufacture out there! They have the best guns, the best Customer service. and MOST importantly, EVERY part for EVERY tippmann gun as available for purchase. (cheap too) Most times Tippmann will just replace the part for free no matter if you broke it by being stupid or not.  

Case in Point: On my platinum, I was installing my expansion chamber and was screwing in the piece that goes into the valve, well, I was a stupid moron and cross threaded it in the body nut. Well as this was a new piece I could not find it anywhere. looked online, nothing. So i decided to buy a Tap and Die set to fix it, well it was gonna cost me $50 just to get the one I needed to fix this little part!!! Finally I called tippmann and told them. Was honest to them about me breaking it and being stupid. The tech said no problem, to just send the part in and they would fix it. If they couldn't then they would just replace the part for free. Well, I put it in the mail box on Tuesday.  Well 1 week later (on Tuesday),  UPS knocks on my door. (in my head I said what the heck, I didn't order anything) The driver handed me a small padded envelope. The return address was Tippmann  in Ft Wayne, IN. I opened it and there was a brand new piece. exactly 7 days from when I dropped it in the mailbox! For Free! now that's customer service!!

DISCLAIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!   
                 This has been MY opinion and mine alone. Probably very biased as I have only owned and shot a 98. The Guns are TOTALLY player choice. The 98 is just that I prefer.


Edited by Jollyroger - 12 June 2010 at 6:41pm

No significant difference between the two beside the inclusion of the Cyclone on the A-5 and outer styling. Internals are nearly identical, thus the performance is as well.  Both offer a very wide range of upgrades, with the A-5 having more Milsim body kits available.

actually, I'd like the answer to this one, if there is any real mechanical difference between the two, I'm getting my first "decent" paintball marker and would prefer to spend once instead of buying, selling, buying, selling, and buying to get to a marker that I actually like. 

what high points/low points are on each gun?

I know the A5 is designed for field strippability and the 98 is supposed to be able to take a lot of abuse...beyond those things, what else can you offer up on this debate? (or, should I be looking at something like a spyder or another brand of gun if I'm willing to drop 300-400 for my first gun?)

my current debate is between the A5 with x7 egrip (it'll then get modded with an aftermarket board that the "safe" position turns the board off so I don't have to worry about a power switch mod to make the gun easy to turn on/off)

or any version of the model 98....

the add ons that either one will get are...

remote line, M4 style collapsible stock, J&J Ceramic 16" barrel, and that's probably it, unless I find a CHEAP red dot sight that's decent....

Daven wrote: In fact if you have a 98 custom pro, you should prbly just throw it away.

Have you ever used a Custom Pro?  Or a 98 in any form?  If you have, then you should certainly know better than to make such a bogus post about it.

A5 is way better. 

i have the 98 custom pro, brother has the A-5. I'm not trying to get a yeah your gun is better than your brothers, but what do you guys like the best? why? the range? the accuracy? the aimer?