Tippmann Mods that Make Sense
(and a few Mods that Don't)

Tippmann Custom Buttstocks

Every paintballer wants to take his paintgun to the next level.

Better, stronger, faster. . .

Tippmann owners are as vulnerable to this impulse as anyone. Luckily for us, there are literally dozens of cool mods for the most popular Tippmann paintball guns – the 98 Custom and the A-5. Unfortunately, the Pro-carbine and Pro-lite were not made with mods in mind, so there are fewer mods for these trusty Tippmann designs.

But not all mods were created equal. Many Tippmann mods do nothing to improve performance of your paintball gun – and frankly, many other mods are expensive pieces of junk. Beware, when selecting mods for your custom Tippmann. Customized guns are very cool, but you'll want to make sure you get what you pay for.

Buttstocks 101

There are probably 30 distinct after-market buttstocks for the Tippmann A-5. alone. The buyer should definitely beware, as many of these Tippmann buttstocks are as junky as they are expensive.

Special Ops Paintball offers a series of Tippmann A-5 and Custom 98 stocks that meet the best quality standards in the industry. The Special Ops A-5A2 stock is made from high-impact plastc and aluminum, specifically designed and molded for your Tippmann A-5. The attachment point to the A-5 is solid aluminum and it locks onto the stock with a full-length steel rod that connects the butt-plate to the mounting lug. This design mirrors the quality design built into actual firearms such as the H&K MP5.

If you're shopping other manufacturers designs, a good place to start looking at quality is the attachment brackets. Are they plastic or aluminum? Since there's a lot of torque on the point where the stock meets your gun body, you can expect your new Tippmann mod to break right where the stock meets your gun if it's under-built. Many

stocks are made with plastic fittings and pins and these are notorious for breaking in the middle of a game. Even worse, some manufacturers glue a Tippmann A-5 end cap onto a stock that was hacked off a cheap airsoft gun. We hate to criticize product, but this is a truly horrible design. Gluing the Tippmann end cap onto a stock that will be experiencing a ton of bending and twisting while in play is just begging for your stock to bust in half. Even if the stock is marketed as "medium," "heavy" or "military grade" don't be fooled into thinking you're actually getting quality. Any stock design that is made from cobbled-together parts, instead of being designed from the ground up, is likely to disappoint you. If you notice that your new stock was glued together from parts, send it back and get your money refunded.

Insist that your stock be built with an attachment rod that travels the length of the stock and screws into the butt-plate. Also make sure that you're not buying a stock that was cut from an airsoft toy.

Stocks that are made from

hacked-up airsoft gun parts are always of inferior quality. Most often, the "donor" airsoft gun that was sacrificed for the part was of very low quality to start with. Then, when the gun is hack-sawed apart and glued back together with PVC fittings, you can be sure that you're spending money on something that will disappoint you. To add insult to injury, these hack-job Tippmann mods are surprisingly expensive. We've heard dozens of complaints about these Franken-designs and how easily they break and all we can say is: friends don't let friends buy junk.

There are a number of no-name manufacturers of AR-15 style buttstocks (collapsible and fixed) that also make very poor equipment. Unlike those, Pro-team collapsible AR-15/M16 Tippmann stocks are very solid and well built. If you buy another brand AR-15/M16 stock, you're probably buying a lesser product.

JCS manufacturing produces a series of folding and fixed Tippmann A-5 and Custom 98 buttstocks.

JCS - A-5 MP Stock w/ RVA (Rear Velocity Adjuster)

Since JCS machines all of their products from solid steel and aluminum, we have found their quality to be of the highest grade.

On-gun or Remote?

Another question you should ask yourself before buying a stock is if you prefer having your air source mounted on your gun or carried on your harness. Carrying your CO2 or Nitro tank "remote" or "off-gun" gives your Tippmann far better balance than bolting the air onto your gun body. However, if you run remote, you'll need to get used to having a coiled remote hose between your butt-pack and your paintball gun.

Most custom Tippmann stocks, including all Special Ops Paintball designs, will accommodate an on-gun air tank. Additionally, all Special Ops manufactured stocks come with an air-through stock design built-in. This means that your remote hose can attach to a nipple at the butt-end of your stock. With other designs, the remote hose attaches near or in front of the grip where it will get in your way. If you're going with either a remote setup or an on-gun rig, you'll want to take a hard look at the Special Ops line of Tippmann stocks.

Mods that Do Something Worth Doing

Many after-market Tippmann stocks are not designed with function in mind. As strange is it may sound, many (if not most) mods are built just to look cool – even if they screw up the functioning of your paintball gun.

Set your sights on a buttstock that makes sense considering your style of play. If you're going with a remote, pick a system that will give you the advantage of an air-through stock. If you're running on-gun, choose a stock that will work well around your bottle.

In any case, you will want to avoid stocks that make it hard to sight down your Tippmann. Most stocks get in the way when you try to look down your barrel. Remember, you'll be wearing a mask when you play and the mask complicates looking down your barrel or your sight. When you test a new stock, make sure you're wearing your goggle and mask. Otherwise, you might be fooling yourself into thinking that you'll be able to see down your gun when, in fact, you won't be.

Any stock that extends directly out the back of your paintball gun will probably interfere with the natural sighting. Your accuracy will suffer, even if you practice extensively.

Instead, look for a stock with a mask carve-out or with a design that allows ample room to get your eye looking straight down the frame of your Tippmann. Also, you can help the situation by using a raised or offset sight rail. In any case, when buying a custom stock, consider how it will effect your ability to fire your Tippmann accurately.

Add-ons that are poorly manufactured tend to wobble in play and will reduce your effectiveness and enjoyment of the sport. Hold out for parts that fit snugly.

One of the biggest detriments of poorly designed mods is excess weight. Out-of-the-box, your Tippmann is fairly light. But, when you start adding cosmetic mods to your gun, it can become heavy and difficult to play with. Many mods aren't nearly worth the weight you'll be adding. Choose wisely and keep your weight in check. Believe us, when you're carrying your gun around all day (especially in a scenario game) you'll feel every once.

Since many mods are selling style over function, you may notice that the manufacturer's marketing photos conveniently leave off the air tank and the hopper. Since your modified Tippmann is actually going to be used to play paintball, be sensible when you pick parts for your gun. A beautiful stock configuration that ends up looking lame once you add your tank and your hopper is just so much extra weight. Do business with retailers and manufacturers that have the integrity to photo their products the way you'll be using them: with air tanks and hoppers attached.

Everyone wants their Tippmann to look cool and to be unique. We're all willing to sacrifice a little functionality in the name of style. However, make sure that your Tippmann add-on is quality-made and that it will actually help your marker perform better. There are so many quality, sensible mods on the market that you should accept nothing less.

Tippmann Mods that Make Sense (and a few Mods that Don't)

Tippmann Custom Buttstocks

Buttstocks 101

On-gun or Remote?

Mods that Do Something Worth Doing

Tippmann Mods that Make Sense
(and a few Mods that Don't)