modding a 98 for First Strike

[rawbutter]

I'm thinking about making a cheap "sniper" with a Tippmann 98. I'm curious if anyone else has done this and can offer any advice.

I know If I can find one of these magfed adapters on eBay (or here), then I can feed First Strikes with Zeta mags. Obviously the feed hole in the Tippmann 98 isn't the right shape, but I'm guessing I can fix that with my milling machine and some filing. Slap a rifled barrel on there and.....is that it? Anything else I need to know? I seem to remember reading somewhere that First Strike rounds need a different style of bolt to reach their full potential. Is that something I should worry about?

Or is there a different route I should take? Hammer 7? Mod a cheap pump into a single-shot rifle?

I'm really kicking myself now for not getting a Scout when they were on sale at Christmas time. There are a few guys in my club (myself included) that are curious about First Strike, but it's hard to spend $500+ on a set-up when you've never personally seen the rounds in action. Plus I'm not even sure they would be worth it at our woodsball field, which is only about the size of a football field. We can already almost shoot from one side of the field to the other. Not with much accuracy, of course, and it's a miracle if you don't hit a branch on the way, but still. There's never a situation where someone is standing out in the open thinking that they're out of range only to be picked off with a sniper shot. So....yeah. Interested in First Strike, but want to try it out with something cheap before taking the plunge on a full set-up.

[XEMON]

Or is there a different route I should take? Hammer 7? Mod a cheap pump into a single-shot rifle?

Absolutely, even a tracker converted to FSR bolt action will shoot great, keep the stock barrel and you'll be good till 60 yards 👍
I've made 5 or 6 of them as of now, and I'm always impressed how good they shoot FSR ...
(And they're so light and tight I've carried them in a holster with 3 or 4 FSR for those few extra long shot ...)

I'm really kicking myself now for not getting a Scout when they were on sale at Christmas time.

Except for the mag, you'll get the same performance out of a converted tracer with a lighter bolt pull ...

[Super Nova]

If you find a source for those mag adapters please let me know. I had one back in the day, got rid of it and now haven't seen any for sale.

[Tippster]

Are you still looking for one? I bought one off Ebay a while back and don't use it!

[anson]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that First Strike rounds need a different style of bolt to reach their full potential. Is that something I should worry about?

this only applies if you're playing magfed. The bolt has to be shaped so it doesn't clip or flip the next round and cause jams
I think you're on the right track with the m98 though. I would d-shape the feed hole. During the game I would unlatch the loader and hand load first strikes. This way you can still use both ammo.

[Jonnydread]

I second this. Hand loading FSR is really fun and would require a lot less work and money

[superman]

personally if your planning to play with first strikes and play with them alot and want something magfed. consider picking up a used emf100. They just work and the mag setup is really nice.

[rawbutter]

One of the guys in my club just bought an EMF100, actually, so this whole thread might be moot. I'm sure he'll let me shoot it next time we play.

[Carp]

rawbutter If you are able to get your hands on 1 of those Tippmann brand adapters. You must use it for making a fsr capable brass beast...





I forget which brass mage here made this though, to give them the credit they deserve...🤤


Edit...It was badger who created this...

[rawbutter]

That's gorgeous. And beyond my skill. I don't know how to solder.

[Carp]

Brokeass_baller *the want increases*

[Magmoormaster]

holy hell that's incredible

[Brokeass_baller]

I would just pick up a Tacamo kit and a few mags and be done with it. Much cleaner looking, and they're of good quality. The Vortex and Blizzard and Bolt models don't look milsim at all, unless you decide to make them look milsim.

You will either need to buy a new bolt (MCS has them), or you'll need to modify your own for a coned tip. The flat edge on stock bolts like to flip the rounds.

If you have feeding issues, you might need to sand down the power tube a bit. Tippmann tolerances weren't real tight, and some tips protrude past the bolt. Not a problem with round ball, but can be with FSR.

[Trbo323]

personally if your planning to play with first strikes and play with them alot and want something magfed. consider picking up a used emf100. They just work and the mag setup is really nice.

While true that they are nice the problem is finding one. We just went through this with my brother in law. Most ones for sale in the used market players have built out and want like $700 for them.

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[Refoogee]

Alright, so, I posted a thread on here about this very topic pretty recently. I'm actually in the middle of doing this project myself. There are a few caveats to modding a 98 like this.

1. You'll probably be dropping more money than it's worth if you don't have a 3d printer. The official Tippmann 98 Mag adapters are hard to find these days. If you can keep the whole project around 150 bucks, it might be worth it. If not, move on to a different platform. You can find used magfed markers, like Valken M17's, for not much more than that.

2. The ergonomics will leave something to be desired. Having a mag horizontally sticking out the right side of the marker not only makes mag changes more difficult for right hand shooters, it makes peaking corners harder. There are magwells for the 98 that modify the marker so that it feeds from the bottom, or the left side. They require a lot more body work, and can get ugly looking fast.

So, that being said, there are really only two things that need doing to run First Strikes. You need to mill out the breach to accept First Strikes. 98 bodies are pretty soft, and it doesn't need to be good looking. A dremel would do it if you're careful. You'll also need to pick up an MCS Tacamo Shaped Projectile Bolt. The standard 98 custom bolt doesn't work well with First Strikes. You're pretty much good to go after that. You could drop some money on a rifled barrel for First Strike use, but there's only a few worth picking up. "Worth" may be up in the air at that, it's not like there's been extensive testing to really see how much difference they make. We all know how that whole rifled barrel thing turned out for regular paintballs, despite all the anecdotal evidence. I picked up a Nemesis barrel for pretty damn cheap to run this season, so I'll see how that goes.

As for First Strikes, I've been playing limited paint for about a decade now. I've ran STBB pistols, I've ran pumps, and I've ran magfed. The problem with magfed is that it's stock class but worse. First Strikes are the only thing that makes magfed worth it, and they really do even the playing field. All things being equal, a First Strike magfed setup won't make you feel like you're at a disadvantage to anyone else on the field. Even in closer quarters( within reason that is). A field the size of a football field is big enough to get the advantages.

[rawbutter]

Great feedback. Thanks for taking the time to write this.