Model 98 keeps breaking paint

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

Hi y'all been playing since 2005 and just got my first Tippmann, I was a Spyder kid growing up. Cleaned, oiled, and new detent but keeps breaking paint. Tank is around 800 psi running compressed air out of a 50/4500 ninja. Got a CMI 14" barrel that I got it with it. Kind of puzzled. When I was shooting in the backyard the velocity seemed low and it was still breaking paint, granted it was junky left in the car stuff but still. Any suggestions would be much appreciated

[JonM]

It could be a few different things. It could be the old paint is just misshapen and breaking. It could also be brittle paint, which is susceptible to breaking in a Tippmann. It could also be a case of small bore paint resulting in the next ball in the stack getting clipped by the bolt.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I bought new paint the lowest grade thickest shell and it's been arguably worse

[Chappy]

Try single loading intro the feedneck and see if it stops breaking, then you’ll have an idea if the focus is on the loading/ballstack/loader or if it’s something on the gun

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I took the Oring off the barrel seemed to help a little bit. The after market barrel had a gap in the breech the ball was jumping. Velocity still seems lows but this field has a finicky chrono

[Buff_phroggie]

Low velocity might be a combination of really big bore and really small paint. Could also be that some tippmanns are picky with hpa. Any chance that you have a zero kick hammer? Sometimes you neex a heavier spring with a sero kick, or the main spring is getting a little weak

[Myrkul]

It the detent in good shape? Those usually are the first part to go in Tippmanns.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

Freshly changed and gone through nothing is obviously broken. I got the chopping under control but I can't shoot over 106 so I'm guessing it's the main spring

[Myrkul]

OpusX the ramped bolts are definitely more of a finishing touch, if this thing is only shooting 106 something else is MASSIVELY wrong and needs to be corrected first.

[JonM]

If velocity is as low as you say and the velocity adjuster screw is all the way out, then this sounds a lot like the problems I had with Tippmanns lately. This could be a combination of small bore paint, a large bore barrel, and a weak mainspring. The mainspring is a cheap fix if you get a spring kit. The small bore paint issue may be a tougher issue considering how almost all paint I’ve shot lately rolls out of barrels larger than .680. Like Chappy recommended, try single loading balls to see if the breaks are a stack issue. If that fixes it, then there are some fixes that may help such as a tapered tip bolt.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I think I got the chops someone under control. As mentioned above there was a 1/4" gap in the breech possibly someone put the wrong Oring on the barrel threads (after market) was preventing the barrel from fully seating. Removed the Oring seems to fix the majority of breaks. Gonna try main spring and new Orings throughout. I had the velocity screw practically out.

[JonM]

A heavy mainspring really helped in my case.

[FlightMedic938]

What size bore is your barrel? The 98 Custom front bolt, when fired, extends in to the barrel. If the bore size is too small it can lead to paint breaking in the barrel and decreased velocity from bolt slap and bolt drag.

If you haven’t already, get a bottle of good paintball oil. Tippmanns are oil sponges. You want to oil everything except the sear. Even the springs.

[Myrkul]

What is the barrel? Is there a chance it's kind of old? The threads changed a bit between the model 98 and the 98c. The old barrels will still work, but you need to undo the front two screws on the clam shell, twist the barrel all the way in, then re-tighten the two screws on the clam shell. This would explain the gap between the breech and the barrel, and lead to some massive velocity issues. Tank output could also be a culprit. 98s like 750+ psi. I run mine at 950 psi. If your tank output is too low it's going to be extremely difficult to hit velocity.

If it's still shooting crazy low after that, I'd toss in a stronger main spring, then a weaker valve spring, then try to drill out the gasline for extra volume and polish the striker and the inside of the clam shells.

[markdem]

Ive had issues with knock-off detents being oversized and dragging on the bolt, lowering velocity. Best way to test this is to remove the detent entirely and give it a few shots (single loading, obviously). If velocity improves, you found your problem.

Genuine tippmann detents also bounces back to shape easier after being left in storage (bolt closed)

As far a breaking paint goes, i dunno man. i get the odd break but even on a bad day its only like 1 in 50

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I'll keep that in mind after doing a full refresh

[gnarlynick]

My early 2000's 98c was chopping paint like crazy, as well as misfiring every now and then. Turned out to be a worn rear bolt. Bought a replacement seat (pull type) and hammer and it's firing beautifully now. Food for thought. Also is firing at a low velocity (120-170 FPS) but I believe that may be a low output on my HPA regulator. Used a 90g CO2 tank and was getting 250-270 FPS. Still working through troubleshooting that one, filling HPA in my area is difficult.