The Tippmann Alpha Black, Project Salvo, and Army Series are some of the best and most popular mil-sim paintball markers ever produced. They feature a durable design internally, and externally made to look like a real assault rifle. They are the marker of choice for many paintball players.
Out of the box, they are all "OK" markers at best when compared to all the other paintball markers in the world. They are not great, but "OK". They shoot when you pull the trigger most days, but are really loud markers when compared to others, have some very noticeable kick/recoil for a paintball gun, have a long/hard trigger pull, and their stock barrel accuracy is not very good by any standards. Tippmann's do NOT have a breech sensor (electronic eye system) like many paintball markers, so chopping paintballs in the breech is totally possible, and fairly common if your loader doesn't keep up with your rate of fire. The stock barrel is a "one piece" or "straight bore" barrel that is.692" in bore size. A barrel that is .692 is WAY too big for most paint on the market. Sure, it will technically shoot the paint, but a lot of air is wasted, and goes around the ball. The ball can literally roll down the barrel with ease. Because of this loose paint to barrel fit, your groupings are all over the place and will be the cause of even more paintball breaking in the barrel.
When you add up all of it's short comings, its fair to say that unless you are playing against some really basic markers/newbies, you will likely be out gunned and need to rely on your foot speed and gun fighting skills, rather than your markers performance to take you to victory.
With that being said, all hope is not lost for your Tippmann. At TechT we have been developing some next level upgrades for Tippmann markers for over two decades. Our parts are designed to give you a fighting chance no matter what the situation. While our parts won't make you a better player, they will make your gun perform better for you. They are all designed to improve the reliability, efficiency, accuracy, and rate of fire to give you that edge over the competition. Add that with your determination win, and you have a much better chance of walking off the field victorious over some of the "super guns" that you will encounter on the playing field.
Recommended Upgrades:
1. The Super Bolt - Anti-Chop Bolt System: The Super Bolt is designed to stop it's forward movement on a partially loaded paintballs, and retract to allow the ball to fully load for the next shot, rather than just chop through the ball. The Super Bolt is also a full metal bolt, so its more durable than the stock bolt. It also has a ramped front lip, so its less apt to clip the ball stack and cause a ball break in the breech.
2. The Zero Kick Hammer SE - The Zero Kick Hammer will noticeably reduce the kick of the marker and that will yield much higher accuracy and consistency. Many players have said its the most noticeable and important upgrade you can do for your Tippmann.
3. iFIT Barrel Kit - The iFIT Kit allows you to size the internal bore of your barrel to the paintballs you are using. This makes for less wasted air, quieter sound signature, and tighter groupings.
4. Hair Pin Trigger Kit - These pins shim your trigger and sear to give you a snappy short trigger pull. When your BPS goes up, your chances of winning also do.
5. Gun Sav Grease - The life blood of your marker. The slickest grease in paintball and trusted by more players than any other lubricant.
7. Custom Springs - Get the most out of your marker with custom drive springs and valve springs.
These are just a few of the upgrades we recommend for your marker. There are several others that will all add to its performance. Its up to you to decide how far you want to take it. The sky is the limit.