Tippmann A 5

What are the best mods for the Tippmann A-5 ?

This is the first question most people ask after they take their Tippmann A-5 out of the box for the first time. The A-5 is one of the easiest paintball markers to customize, and there are more mods designed for the Tippmann A-5 than any other paintball gun on the market. With such a huge variety of mods available, upgrading your A-5 is only limited by your imagination. Whether you’re looking for practical mods that enhance performance and functionality, mods that offer killer mil-sim looks – or both – you can be sure that there are plenty of practical Tippmann A-5 mods that will suit your personal tastes.

Barrels

The stock Tippmann A-5 comes with a good barrel, but there are many great barrel upgrades on the market. A new barrel can provide better range, accuracy and confidence. Barrel mods range from the new BT A-5 Apex barrel (with its customizable flight path capabilities) and the interchangeable Hammerhead Battle Stikxx Kit, to the tiny 3-inch End Game stub nose barrel. A new barrel is an easy upgrade that anyone can do and should be your first mod.

Air

The beautiful thing about the A-5 is that it can run any type of gas without modification. You can use a 10oz Co2 or an 88ci/4500psi HPA tank and the marker will function flawlessly. While it is technically not a modification, a good HPA tank is well worth the investment as compressed air is much easier on the marker’s internal parts and provides more consistent velocity shot after shot.

Remote

A remote line takes the tank off the marker and allows you to carry it in a pod pack or on a vest. This upgrade lightens the marker considerably and, with the addition of a stock, helps balance the marker. A high quality remote line with a slide check like the 32 Degrees Coiled Remote w/Slide Check will give you years of worry free playing. The remote can be run directly off the Air Source Adaptor (ASA) at the bottom of your handgrip or from an air-through stock. You’ll be amazed at how much more maneuverable you’ll be with a remote tank.

Trigger

The two main trigger upgrades are the E-Grip and Response Trigger (RT). Either of these modifications will increase you rate of fire from 8-9 balls per second (bps) to 12-15 bps. If you are an adrenaline junkie who likes to be in the middle of the action or a heavy gunner who likes to sit back and give cover fire a trigger upgrade is a must.

Stock

A good buttstock can be an extremely valuable mod. It makes aiming easier, balances the marker, and allows the gun to be brought up on target fast. Stocks can be regular, dogleg for mask relief, collapsible for close quarters fighting and increased maneuverability, or air-through. This is another easy mod to make on your marker. Pull the two retaining pins in the back of your marker, remove the end cap, insert your stock and replace the pins. Done. Consistent eye relief and improved balance make this an upgrade everyone should consider.

Hoppers

The hopper holds paintballs and drops them into the breech. With the inventive and highly effective Cyclone Feed System on the Tippmann A-5 hopper upgrades are not essential. One good choice for a hopper upgrade is a Ricochet R5. The unique angled design can deflect paintballs without having them break.

Handguard / Foregrips

A handguard or foregrip upgrade adds to the mil-sim look of your marker, makes the marker easier to shoot and helps protect the barrel from damage. Grips and handguards range from the A-5A2 grip that allows you to place your front hand horizontal to the ground to the F.O.G. Foregrip with Rails that allows you to attach many tactical extras (flashlights, lasers etc). The best feature of the F.O.G. is that it does not touch the barrel. No more annoying and ugly screw marks on the finish of your barrel.

Sights

Some people say that due to the shot range of a paintball marker, adding a sight is a useless upgrade. If you talk to players who dominate the field week after week you will hear that adding a sight unit allows you to greatly increase your chance of a hit with the first shot. Making the first shot count can be the difference between victory and defeat. Any mod that increases your chances is a good mod. Whether you choose a BSA 30mm red dot sight, a more traditional Mil-Sim T168 Reticle Intensified Tactical Scope or a cutting edge Nightvision D.143 Nightscope, you will not be disappointed as any of these will be a good upgrade and give you the edge on the field.