CCI phantom feel

[Impactfour]

I absolutely love CCI phantoms. I've got a variety of pump markers; a smooth as butter pre-2k sniper, a gorgeous custom pgp, my wife's emek and an armson semi but if I ever need a competitive edge I go for my phantom.

I run mine with a 12 Rd feed, UC kit, vsc 12 gram, 45* grip and anywhere from a 6" to a 14" barrel depending on the field I'm playing. I used to swear by using a t-stock but have found that playing without one makes me stop chicken winging and makes me a much smaller target.

I think the nice part of a phantom is it's dependability and modular format. With the right parts you can have a complete unique marker that feels right for any player or scenario.

[Gunangel]

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

I honestly can't remember how I felt about them. I had a few, but they never stayed in the gear bag. Always had a sniper even when we were playing tourney ball, but phantoms seemed to come and go.

But, I remember stock class play very fondly and would love to get back into it, maybe more so with an HPA tank so I'm not dropping 12g everywhere on the field, but glad to hear your guys thoughts on it.

Will see about that brass shimming and undercocking. I did find I still have some stocks, detent rings, and trigger shoes in my parts bin, and I have heard the new bodies are nice with the o-rings. Will have to read up on the cup seal thing with the valves.

[Grendel]

Throw the detent rings away they are more of a problem then a solution. Tape, Freedummy detents and nail polish all work way better. Doing an ASP detents in the body would be the way to go for permanent modification.

[SignOfZeta]

I absolutely love CCI phantoms. I've got a variety of pump markers; a smooth as butter pre-2k sniper, a gorgeous custom pgp, my wife's emek and an armson semi but if I ever need a competitive edge I go for my phantom.

I run mine with a 12 Rd feed, UC kit, vsc 12 gram, 45* grip and anywhere from a 6" to a 14" barrel depending on the field I'm playing. I used to swear by using a t-stock but have found that playing without one makes me stop chicken winging and makes me a much smaller target.

I think the nice part of a phantom is its dependability and modular format. With the right parts you can have a complete unique marker that feels right for any player or scenario.

I really like the modular aspect as well. Right, left, center, stock, all from the OEM. CO2, HPA, any barrel size, over cocker, undercocker, VSC, rear valve, bottom line CA, vert CA…all factory options that are usually in stock. It’s pretty cool. Or it was pretty cool until EV effed it up.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Agreed that’s not even taking into account all the aftermarket bits and goodies.

[Jonnydread]

It took me 3 or 4 setups, but I finally found a Phantom configuration that felt natural and works for me:

• Undercocking
• VSC with NO stock
• ASP mod
• 86° frame

Lightweight, maneuverable, tolerates small paint without have to deal with bore sizing.

That said, even with the perfect setup, I will always prefer Sheridans.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Like that K frame Palmers you are so deadly with.

[Chaos]

For anyone with a Phantom that is sick of the lack of quality material that EV is making their cupseals out of ,get some of the new Sheridan Faceseals that PGP Junkies is selling. They are the same size and shape as Phantom Cupseals and work very well as suitable replacements. They can be found here PGP Junkies

[Drunkscriblerian]

I have an original CCI Phantom and I remember loving it back in the late 90s when no one was running pumps. It was low-profile. lightweight, and thanks to the "rain cover" I had for it was also quite silent. Also, it was very gas-efficient; I ran mine on a 12 oz C02 tank, I'd fill up in April and thanks to how I spent more time sneaking than shooting I wouldn't have to worry about gas again until July.

Digging it out of storage after 20+ years recently, I was shocked to find out that it aired up without any work. So, I can say that vintage Phantoms can approach Tippmanns when it comes to durability/reliability.

Like a lot of other guys here, I prefer a Sheridan (my favorite gun in my collection was always my PGP) but the Phantom is awesome for what it is. It's one of my vintage guns that I plan on rebuilding into something better than what it is now.

[Myrkul]

I absolutely adore my phantom, it gets more use then any other pump gun I own, but I also only run it in VSC pistol configuration with a chopped pump handle and an 8" barrel. I've tried several of my friends open class phantoms, and I just generally just didn't care for them.

That Empire Trracer in your gear bag is actually a VERY good gun. My second most used pump is my Empire Trracer. If I have to play open class pump, I'd definitely grab that Trracer over a phantom. I usually run mine with a 13ci on a bottom line and the empire spring feed, but they still balance and handle well with a 50 round hopper like a Jolo. It always shoots 285 with zero fussing and is just a blast to use.

[Cdn_Cuda]

This has me looking sideway at my Phantom after picking up two Trracers.

[Myrkul]

Ya, the Empire Trracer is just an really really solid marker with a great feel and balance to it and all the nice creature features. AC threaded barrel, double feed detent, the hopper is really more of an offset vertical right feed then a true right feed, the spring feed is the most fun though. The dual pump arms means the pump stroke is WAY better then a phantoms. The only real complaint I had with mine was I didn't care for the pump handle, it was a little too bulky and milsim for my taste, and the pump arms can be know to break if you are rough on them. I just replaced my pump handle with one from a Line SI and dremaled up some new pump arms for it to work and have been using it for years in this configuration. Also worth noting: I haven't adjusted the velocity since 2018 and last time it was over the chrono a few weeks ago it was shooting 286.

[Gunangel]

Well, I'm not sure who to blame...but I now have 3 phantoms heading my way.

Will have to wait for CCI to get some black parts in stock, but my cart total with them for parts is making my wallet cry. We'll have to see if I can rekindle any spark or if there was a spark to kindle!

[Jonnydread]

Well, I'm not sure who to blame...but I now have 3 phantoms heading my way.

Will have to wait for CCI to get some black parts in stock, but my cart total with them for parts is making my wallet cry. We'll have to see if I can rekindle any spark or if there was a spark to kindle!

[Grendel]

lol, I am back up to 5 Phantoms in my procession with two more on the way. That is after I got rid of all of my Phantoms. You NE guys corrupted me and got me back into playing stock class/modified stock class.

[dutchcommando]

I love Phantoms, but I might have a bit of a bias because I know the current owners.

Like others have said, they're super lightweight and have a stiff pump, so it's something to get used to. The currently made ones have a dual o-ring detent system to prevent rollouts and also offer a gas-through grip system that's convertible between vertical and bottomline air just by switching the position of the asa plug.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Too bad that gas-through grip system functions like garbage. Mines in the parts bin collecting dust till I get the time to drill it out and make it actually functional.

[dutchcommando]

Weird. Did you contact them about it? Because they'll make it right.

[Carp]

dutchcommando give this a read if you got a minute or two. 😉

https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/paintball-news-aa/the-armory/cci/457483-phantom-2-0-frame-velocity-issues

And..

https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/paintball-news-aa/the-armory/cci/395819-the-phantom-has-gone-factory-gas-through

[Gunangel]

I have an interesting order coming next week, but figured I could post an update.

I was shopping on multiple fronts, and they all kind of came together at the same time.

Stock VSC: Got a bone stock VSC phantom circa 2005 from a member on here. Without a return spring having to pull it forward is a foreign feeling. With a return spring, better or at least more traditional, but hated it with the stock barrel. I'm guessing the pump handle swelled or something as there was noticeable drag and just consistent resistance that was pretty unpleasant. 3/10

Seller was super cool and shared some of his setups and recommendations. Happened to order a Deadly Wind carbon fiber barrel that only had a little bore at the back of the barrel for the handle to slide on, much smoother, 5/10.

Open class: second phantom came from ebay, pretty much purchased within an hour of each other to the lament of my wallet. Vandetta style undercocking kit, has the newer body with the o-ring detents and some neat extras. No stock and no trigger shoe, but had those to add. This one was painful to pump when received, actively straining and flexing, having to hold parallel to body to pump. 1/10

Modified Open Class: Turns out previous owner had 3 return springs on this guy, either they were much, much stronger than I am, or they just installed them prior to the sale to make sure it wouldnt be lost. Removing two of them and this is dramatically better, feels a little harder than a really lightly sprung sniper, but smooth, stabilizing rods take away the stock woble. 6.5/10

Modified VSC: By this time, mods including those recommended by the MCB member came in. All those together, and the handsome little devil feels great. As a bonus I get to run one of my favorite grips. The factory style pump handle, but under the barrel feels nicer than the square vendetta style, also used one return spring for this one. Pretty much tied with its sibling, and on par with even a really well sprung sniper, but the marker itself is way lighter and has a more consistent pump stroke. Plus it shoots great! Played a round last weekend and put about 300 rounds through it. 7/10.


The wildcard.

Phantom Revolution: Noticed this guy on facebook from a seller who was selling a lot of really high end phantoms. It looked like it was missing some parts, but the seller was actually able to find them prior to shipping. Also had aftermarket color matching detents. Initially, it was disappointing, especially for the price. Pump trigger bound up pretty easily without the barrel handle. Slide rod is surprisingly wobbly, and the springs don't pull it forward consistently so running into similar odd feeling as the stock VSC without a spring. ?/10

Cleaned and tweaked Phantom revolution: Disassembled and found that the detents were causing a lot of drag on the bolt, especially with there being 2 and the bolt not having slots for them. Inserted a blank on one side and now far less drag. Added the over-barrel handle and less wobble. Cleaned off some old grease/gunk (previous owner stated he had not used it in a very long time), and re-lubed the bolt and the pump rods. Goodness, it is smooth! Like problematically smooth. Like "staring at my other pumps and thinking how clunky they feel by comparison levels of" smooth. "Looking for another Revolution levels of smooth."

Pump action is buttery, just a perfect amount of resistance. It still seems to get caught or bind up a little bit occasionally. I need to really take everything apart and clean/replace o-rings etc to get it perfect as it doesn't feel smooth all the time, but when it does its thing, it is sooooooo very good. 10/10.


Verdict thus far: You guys weren't wrong. The pump stroke can be a bit stiff, but with any of the stabilizing methods it feels pretty good. If I got the open class phantom first, I think I might have immediately looked to trying to sell it as that was painfully hard. Thankful I had a chance to talk through with a few phantom people who had some advice so I had things to look for and improve.
The Revolution is a pretty odd duck. Will have to wait to see how it shoots, but it really has potential to be pretty darn great. If I could find a way to stabilize it a bit more, make it more consistent, and add an undercocking kit, I think it would be the new bar.