Great for beginner paintball players, the 98 Custom is ready to grow with you.

Tippmann Model 98 Custom A.C.T. Power Pack
Weight: 3.0 lbs w/o tank or balls
Firing Rate: 8 B.P.S.
Length: 19.6 inches
Effective Range: 150 ft
Power: CO2, compressed air, nitrogen

NOTE: Paintball guns are always referred to as markers, this is just a heads-up so you won't be confused later.


As a new player to paintball I have only begun to try the different markers available to purchase. As such my opinion on the Tippmann 98 Custom (98C) will be unbiased but also without many other markers to compare my opinions against. As this is an entry level gun I assume many shoppers looking at the 98C will have a similar experience level (or none at all) as myself.

My first full-scale paintball day earlier this year involved 18 buddies and my rental Tippmann 98C. The paintball field I played at gave all players renting equipment the full Tippmann Power Pack which included gun, mask, tank, and hopper. I will note that I immediately requested a larger 48C air tank before playing. I played over several different types of fields including Speedball, Capture & Hold, and Woodsball also known as Scenario Paintball. During the course of the day I fired about 2,200 balls through this marker and I developed some definite opinions on it.

-(Comfort and durability)-

As soon as I tucked this marker against my shoulder it felt very comfortable and had simple controls, manual safety above the trigger guard, and single action one-finger trigger. No electronics or batteries to replace and no fancy settings to mess with. After playing for three hours I didn’t have sore arms or fingers from handling and firing my 98C, this is a good sign for beginners looking to pick up and shoot without reading a manual.

Durability was very good and I army-crawled, slid down dirt banks, poked the end of my barrel through brush and through dirt, and shoulder-rolled my way (with my marker hitting the dirt first) into trenches all day long. The barrel, grips, and grips were all covered in paint debris and mud/dirt and it still kept rockin’, this is pretty close to the AK47 of paintball markers. My 98C had no real issues and performed through all this without a hitch, only a few balls broke before exiting the barrel and I blame the dirt in the end of my barrel more than the gun. I did have a bit of a problem with my ball-hopper feed neck loosening up during a long battle but tightening the screws cleared up the issue. Speaking of the gravity feed 200-round ball hopper, I was not impressed with the hopper included in the Power Pack as it was hard to fill due to the standard size neck and thin lid design. I had a hard time telling whether or not the snap-tite lid was sealed properly or not.

-(Firing Rate & Barrel)-

Most mid-level markers shoot between 12-20 BPS without upgrades, the 98C only manages 8 BPS which is definitely on the slow side but fine for beginner players. The factory 8.5” barrel is pretty short as most guns go and seems to be a bit more inaccurate than it should be. At medium range (20-50’) I found the 98C nailed pretty much everything in what I would guess to be a 20” circle, I really enjoyed playing light infantry which involves running and gunning simultaneously at distances usually no greater than 50’. Shooting out around 100’ I noticed the accuracy really started to fall apart and hitting a target behind cover took 30-40 shots if he didn’t move.

-(CO2/Air Usage)-

I loaded my tank with compressed air which while more expensive to recharge is much cleaner than CO2 and doesn’t change pressure with the temperature nearly as much. I shot an estimated 1,100 shots with my first tank and just over 1,000 balls with my second tank. I was impressed with the air conservation for an air-actuated mechanical gun. The most efficient guns are the 1,500 balls-per-tank electronic guns that sip air/CO2 like they’re in an oxygen bar… you’ll also pay a lot more for these guns.

On a side note several of my friends only got 900 or so balls from a tank of air before running dry, my only explanation is that their playing style is much more machine-gun Rambo-esque while mine is more strategic and I fire more methodically. It may be the 98C is less efficient when fast-firing at max ball feed rate all the time.

-(Upgrades)-

Whoa Mama, are there upgrades for this gun… it’s easy to modify your 98C to look like an M16, AK47, MP5, or many other popular military weapons. The grips, stock, sights, bipod, magazines, and all other external upgrades are essentially a looks-only purchase… don’t expect any real performance upgrades from them. There are however plenty of real upgrades that you will notice immediately such as low air pressure kits (more shots per tank), Sniper and flatline barrels up to 20”, cyclone ball feed system, and more efficient hoppers.

There’s also a ton of other companies pumping out parts for the 98C. This is one of the more upgradeable guns on the market, the other two are also Tippmann products… the A5 and X7 models.

=Downsides=

Since the 98C relies on gravity to feed its 200-ball hopper into the gun, I had quite a few misfires when down to 50 balls or so and while firing uphill. The balls tend to congregate at the back of the hopper and not roll forward into the feedneck. This can be easily avoided with a better hopper or even better, the Cyclone Feed System which force feeds balls into the firing chamber and has a much larger feed neck.

The 98C isn’t a simple marker to break down and clean, watching the field staff clean mine after a game I was surprised at the number of springs and other internal parts that hide inside the 98C. Granted, you don’t often have to field-strip a paintball marker and cleaning after every few paintball outings should be enough, but there are much simpler designs out there.

I was not a fan at all of the included mask in the Power Pack, it was not very comfortable and fogged easily even in 60 degree weather. The small CO2 tank and cheap ball feed hopper are also not recommended.

As mentioned above the firing rate and stock barrel are the real weak spots in this marker, both are fixable and at the low initial price of the 98C it’s still a great buy.


------- Here are my field impressions -------

--- Speedball ---

Speedball is possibly the most popular variation of paintball and involves small fields dotted with inflatable barriers, large sections of drainage pipe, or other obstacles. The object is usually to eliminate the other team as fast as you can by hitting enemy players. One hit and you're out for the rest of that game, each game usually lasts less than 5-10 minutes.

I have to say after an hour or so of solid Speedball play the 98C is NOT the best Speedball gun. It's 8-10 balls-per-second fire rate do not keep up with the much faster guns often fielded by Speedball players. The stock barrel is average at short range shooting and you'll find more than a few wild-fliers as balls hook or curve enough to miss sometimes. If you're interested in playing Speedball I'd look at dropping a bit more $$$ into a faster firing gun as you'll need in to be competitive.

--- Capture & Hold ---

The field I play C&H on is set up like a small town with a few short one-story buildings, one or two buildings with upper floors, and tons of trenches, barricades, and half buried abandoned cars and vans. In the center is a 20’ tall flagpole with red and yellow flags at the bottom. Each team has to reach the pole and raise their flag to the top, whoever gets their flag to the top must keep the flag up for 10 minutes to win the game. At any time the other team can raise their flag and lower yours to start their 10:00 timer. We usually play with 2:00 minute reinforcements.

The 98 Custom flat out rocked at C&H games since all the action took place at that crucial close to mid range where the 98C works best. If you frequently play capture the flag or capture and hold this is a great marker that will keep you in the game and out on the field.

--- Woodsball ---

Woodsball is usually played in thicker woods with natural cover and bunkers made of branches, logs, and trunks of fallen trees. Usually woodsball games are 1 hour or longer and consist of scenarios found in actual military conflicts. Common woodsball games are Capture the Flag, Objective Destruction, or other tactical challenges. The 98C works quite well in these situations as fast-firing brightly colored markers aren’t needed. Stealth and strategy win you the day in the woods and I wouldn’t mind at all having a 98C under my arm all day.

----- Bottom Line ----

I highly recommend this model as a beginner to intermediate marker as it can be upgraded in many ways and is priced very reasonably. I would not recommend the Power Pack as everything extra you get with the kit is of only average quality and not reliable for long term play.

Go out there and find a 98 Custom without all the extras and talk to a local shop about what tanks and hoppers work best with this marker. Don’t think once you get better at the sport you’ll be sorry you purchased the 98C, it still throws down a very solid game with a few upgrades and it’s an excellent gun to loan friends when introducing them to the sport.