Procarbine or A5?

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

Hey y'all looking to get something to play recball/loaner for friends. Always liked the look of the procarbine but it was a little before my time. Are they still serviceable/easy to find parts for? Pretty much between that and a cheap A5. Not looking to play tournaments just for fun. I realize these are antiquated platforms at this point. Mostly playing pump/Stockclass these days but on the off chance I wanna play semi I'd like to have something that just works. Hpa compatibility is a must and what would be a fair price to pay?

[markdem]

i vote A5. Theres one on craigslist right now for $50 in Narragansett

My procarbine has a hard time reaching full velocity with HPA. Parts are slightly harder to find. The grip is plastic and that lets the tank twist in relation to the marker (not a big deal but it bugs me)

i had an A5 and the only problem i encountered was a dwindling supply OEM parts for the cyclone system. However i believe there are plenty of aftermarket manufacturers for these, including a cyclone delete kit

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I seen dat 👀

[Chappy]

Drill out your valve reduction fitting and you’ll probably hit 300, at least close. All y loaners cam shooting 265ish on gpa. Open up that fitting adds a good 20 foe if your using an 850 tank. As far as the gripfram twisting… i have 9 procarbs and don’t experience this. Maybe you have a hairline crack somewhere in the frame?

[Myrkul]

Exactly what Chappy said. Drill out that gas fitting and these are off to the races. I've also never had a frame twist on me.

[Carp]

Hey y'all looking to get something to play recball/loaner for friends. Always liked the look of the procarbine but it was a little before my time. Are they still serviceable/easy to find parts for? Pretty much between that and a cheap A5. Not looking to play tournaments just for fun. I realize these are antiquated platforms at this point. Mostly playing pump/Stockclass these days but on the off chance I wanna play semi I'd like to have something that just works. Hpa compatibility is a must and what would be a fair price to pay?

Have I got the thing for you.

It's a Tippmann 98C with add ons (included but not currently installed)...cyclone feed w/hopper, PZ98 magfed adapter, stock elbow, R/T trigger, Apex barrel or Evil Pipe kit...Car-stock?

So you can play it all... make it as janky and/or reliable as you want to. 😂 If that sounds comically interesting? Give me a pm for some pics. 😉

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

Not really interested in a 98 at the moment thanks

[Jackson]

I personally like the Pro/Carbine more than the A5. The extruded/milled aluminum body definitely gives the Pro/Carb a more refined/quality feel. I also prefer the foregrip over the barrel vs vertical foregrip (totally a personal preference). Make sure you have a high pressure (800 psi min) output HPA tank. I had a tank that was only putting out 650, and I could only hit 240 fps. I also saw just the other day about drilling out the reduction fitting going into the valve to improve flow with HPA. I'll see if I can find that link. I may have to try it on my own Pro/Carb.

As far as replacement parts go, There's very little that would need to be replaced on the Pro/Carb. There are fewer plastic components than the newer Tippmann guns, and the plastic that is used seems to be of higher quality/strength (high glass filled percentage). O-rings are all standard off the shelf available. You will have to have replacement valve reduction fitting o-rings (can't remember the size off hand, but it is a standard o-ring). They have to be replaced every time you remove the valve reduction fitting (they get destroyed). Ball latch and main spring are the same as the 98/A5/X7 line. There's still a good number of replacement parts available on TippmannParts.com: https://tippmannparts.com/collection...diagram?page=1

The A5 is also a solid choice. The cyclone feed makes it so you don't have to worry about an electronic hopper. Though sometimes they can be rough on paint.

Really can't go wrong with either.

Edit:
Some useful Pro/Carb links:
Bolt modification for small paint: https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/p...766#post479766
Drilling out reduction fitting: https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/p...748#post469748

[Jonnydread]

I like the feel of the Procarb better than the A5 too

[Jonnydread]

i vote A5. Theres one on craigslist right now for $50 in Narragansett

This is the one Mark is referring to. That's very close to me, let me know if you're interested in it and I'd be happy to grab it for you if it's still available.

I had a Procarbine and really liked it, but I was mostly running it on CO2 so YMMV.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I might take you up on that. Currently purging a bunch of stuff and the sick way my brain works is if it's cheap as hell doesn't count haha

[Morgenstern]

Can’t really beat the a5 in terms of serviceability. Comes apart really easy, airline fitting the valve is even quick-release. The trigger mechanism is so much more refined than the pro-carb that I’d recommend it for that alone. I prefer older 98s over everything else Tippmann but they can be trickier to work on than A5s if you’re not familiar with them yet

[Darknite667]

I have owned and played a lot of paintball with multiple pro carbines and a5's. Both are solid markers with many pros and few cons so you cant go wrong with either. I still own my original pro carbine after 20+ years of paintballing if that tells you my preference between the two platforms.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

These were the same as the a5. BNIB. .

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

This one has a response trigger too. .

[Hellion360]

https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/buy-sell-trade/sub-100/566400-tippmann-a5-double-trigger-works-good

I'll throw in a bunch of response parts if you like.

[gabe]

Have you considered a good old Tippmann 98? They're very cheap right now, are less complicated than an A5 and better built than a procarbine.

[Chappy]

Lol you are insane. I can rebuild a procarb in a third of the time it takes to do a 98. They are far more robust and reliable. I have both for my loaner fleet and the procarbs are far better in every metric except trigger pull.

[Myrkul]

Gabe, you do realize that you have to split a 98 to replace the ball detent right? That is the single most frequent part that needs to be serviced on all Tippmanns.

[gabe]

Yes, I do realize you have to split the shells but I've never found that to be hard. I've done it on a barrel with a couple allen wrenches multiple times at the field.

[Jimmydee]

This is tough. I own both and love them both, A5 with no mods just stock.

Not sure how much you’re willing to spend but why not get both? They can be found cheap less then $150 for both and there ya go. Switch out.

[Axel]

I like the Carbine series better for its character, but objectively an A-5 has much better spare part availability and more options. Plus the trigger pull, while not stellar on any classic Tippmann, is better on the A-5. There's really no reason to pick a Carbine or Pro/Carb over an A-5 unless, like me, you just like the style

[Cdn_Cuda]

Neither, a BT-4 (Or Assault or whatever). It’s a Tippmann A5 without a cyclone basically. No annoying springs popping out like a 98. Easier to use and maintains, great loaner. Bought one that looked like it was never used for $70 CAD and it came with a nice Dye I4 mask even.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

Since multiple people brought it up I'm not interested in 98s just too basic. Has a lot to do with wanting an A5 back in the day and the foregrip of the procarbine being like a traditional firearm (stupid I know) plus they can both take straps which is kinda neat