Ultimate Upgrade Thread. all the BEST upgrades.

If you want an aftermarket barrel, I would say go for anything from a 10 inch barrel to nothing more than a 14 inch. Why is this you say? Well, it’s quite simple really. When a paintball is projected forewards, within ten inches of travel, its speed slowly decreases. This is true for all one piece barrels. Now say you have a 18 inch barrel, there will be 8 extra inches of ball travel where it has intensified friction, or resistance, thus, slowing the ball down and making your marker use excess air to achieve your desired velocity. This is not very air efficient. Now, with the newer 2 piece barrels, length is preference, because it has 2 pieces, the back part being a control bore, which controls the balls flight path, then the front piece is a little larger, to allow the paintball to regain its shape before leaving the barrel. Some people, however, do like a little longer barrel, like a 16 inch maybe, to aim down the side of it, and push the bunker over to the side and shoot. Here is a list of superior, top choice barrels that you can select depending on your budget. Accuracy is dependant on the consistency of the gun, your steadiness, and of course, the paint-to-barrel match.

$30 range

DYE Excel

Custom Products one piece

2k1 Smart Part All American

J&J Ceramic

$40 range

Lapco Bigshot

Smart Parts Teardrop

Smart Parts Progressive

$50 range

Lapco Autospirit

$60 range

Smart Parts Freak Jr.

DYE P&P Excel

$70 range

2k3 All American with selectable front

$80 range

DYE Stainless

DYE Ultralight

$100 range

DYE Boomstick

$110 range

J&J Full Tilt system

$130 range

Titanium Paintball Longbow

Equation Multiple Switch Pro System

$140 range

Powerlyte Scepter system

$160 range

DYE P&P Boomstick

Evil Pipe system

$170 range

DYE Titanium Boomstick

$180 range

Smart Parts Freak system

$190 range

Custom Products Pro system

$200+ range
S!te mfg. Sw!tch barrel kit. 4 bore sizes and 1 front. each front sells for $100 alone, and each bore for $30. each full front+bore size weighs only 74 grams. same ppl that make the st!ffi.

Hoppers/Loaders

Loaders are a very important part of your setup, not so much because of a misfire, but more because of the chance of a chop and the damage it wreaks on your accuracy.

Check out the Hopper Report for more information.


Zap Mach 404 - 11bps
This, simply put, is not the best loader. It uses the "shaken, not stirred" technology. It has a pendulum inside that shakes the whole hopper. Uses one 9volt battery. It does, however, hold 230 paintballs, but only 210 max should be used, so that the balls have room to move. Comes in bright, fruity colors.


Viewloader Quantum - 7bps
Dont even think about getting this. It feeds horrendously. It sustains a constant 7bps due to its one blade impeller. For the money you would spend on it, it would be better to get a VL200 and just shake it.


Viewloader 9 volt - 8bps
This hopper is reliable, but is too slow for most guns, especially when the 12V (a great improvement) is only an extra 5 bucks more.


Viewloader 12 volt - 11bps
This is a nice loader, you can find the 12 volt with X-board for the same price if you look around. Very reliable, though the shells have been known to crack.


Java 12 volt - 11bps
This is like the Viewloader one, its still made by Viewloader, but I think the only difference is the circuitry, and the look of it.


Viewloader 12 volt with X-board - 12bps
This hopper has the X-board, which increases reaction speed and motor speed by 15%. Very reliable.


Wicked Air Sports TurboRev upgrade - 13bps
This is an upgrade board for a Viewloader Revolution 9 volt, 12 volt, and 12 volt with X-board hoppers. It increases the feed rate of the hopper by calculating the agitator motor speed, torque, and spin duration based on the time between balls passing through feed tube. WAS claims 16bps, but physics only allows it to perform a steady 13bps. This surpasses all other Revolutions.



Warped Sportz Revolution with X-board and Warped Sportz Dark lid - 13bps
I personally own this item. It is great. It has a snazzier, tighter fitting lid, and comes in two tone colors. It comes with JmJ propellers also. The shells are also much tougher than the normal Brass Eagle shells.


Empire Reloader - 13bps.
Very sweet! Sound activated. A must have, its a 12 volt X-board with recessed power button, and its sound operated. No more gaps in feeding. It's commonly hailed as the fastest agitating hopper on the market.


Ricochet AK - 12bps
Very nice hopper, has a nice gated feed which doesnt allow a ball to roll back up in the hopper. This is good for those with harsh blowback problems. Has an o-ring neck that allows for the correct fitment into the feed neck, you can also change o-ring sizes for different guns. Its shaped rather weird, but for a reason. Its suppose to deflect paintballs. Does it work good? Yes, and no. It depends on what type of paint has hit the hopper, the angle of the shot, and the velocity of the opponent. Has a nice lid that can be opened halfway for quick loading, and its on the very top, which gives less of a chance of spilling paint everywhere while reloading. Spins with every shot, unlike the Revolution, which only spins when it senses a gap in the stack of balls. This spins after every shot. Very good hopper indeed.


Ricochet 2K - 12bps
Same features as Ricochet AK, but with an LCD screen on the back with numerous features like ball counter, game timer, shots left in hopper, shot counter, and stuff like that. All the bells and whistles you could ask for.


Ricochet UV - 6bps
It is chrome inside and comes w/ a UV light so that if you have glow-in-the-dark paintballs, this UV hopper will "charge" your balls into tracers! Gravity fed, non motorized.


Viewloader Evolution 1
This hopper is out of production.


Viewloader Evolution 2 - 15bps
Very nice jump from the Evolution 1. Has an adjustable feed rate of up to 17bps. Gravity assisted force-feeding action. Though Brass Eagle claims 17bps, due to it's design, it's only able to get 15bps. max burst rate is 17bps.

Viewloader Evolution 2 Z-board. 17-18 bps
new board for evolution 2. adjustable feedrate up to 23bps.
gravity assisted force feed as mentioned above. again due to its design, the true feedrate is less than advertised. 23 bps is max burst rate, 17-18 consistantly.

PTP Warp Feed
This is sweet, it moves your hopper down to the side of gun, lowering your profile, and eliminating hopper shots. You can even shoot upside down for 6 shots, and you can shoot sideways too, however you want. You do need another hopper like a Revolution or something to feed the warp. All this does is accellerate the balls through a tube. It is force-fed. It uses a disk to apply pressure on the paint and feed it. Now you may think it will force the balls too hard and break them, but it has just the right amount of force to push balls at up to 20bps, but slide past them if need be. It spins when the kick of the gun is detected, you cant hit it for it to spin, because the kick of the gun is very distinct, and hard to replicate. You can adjust the sensitivity also. It wont break paint. Uses and external sensor bracket. This is more expensive than the AGD warp. 20bps.


AGD warp feed
Same as PTP Warp, but alot cheaper, and uses an internal sensor. 20bps.


Odessey HALO A
This hopper isnt the greatest thing to hit the shelves, its gear driven if you didn't know, and has some unfixed issues. It can be upgraded to a HALO B for a fee by the manufacturer. 16bps.


Odessey HALO B
This is a great hopper, topping out at 22bps. It is sweet. Its belt driven, a big jump from the HALO A. On some guns, you may have some issues of the HALO forcing paint in the gun to hard, and it will break paint, but you can just get a new ball detent to fix it, which is a cheap fix. It weighs a little more than a hopper should, it weighs 2 pounds. 22bps. 55 bps burst rate

Odyssey Halo B V35 board.
this board is for the Halo B. aftermarket only, availible for $35. it has 6 settings, 17-35 bps. 55 bps max burst rate.

Empire Reloader B. 55 bps
Sweet hopper. sound activated Halo B. it has multiple battery configurations. stock with rip drive, and no dark shell/paint break problems


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Now on to Various LP mods. The things you will need to achieve low pressure will be discussed here, as well as a few views of how LP works. LP stands for ‘low pressure’ if you haven’t noticed. Here are some things you will need in order to obtain LP:



Regulator

For an HPA regulator, I recommend the Air America Vigilante. It looks nice, and only 49 bucks. Any of the four Air America regulators, is a very good choice also. Another nice regulator, and so is the AKA Sidewinder. The Sidewinder is limited to 700psi output pressure. The Palmer Stabilizer is a nice regulator, which is the acclaimed the best C02 regulator out there. you MUST use an anti-siphoned tank, or bad things will arise. There is a female version which goes on your bottomline, or the male version, which is the foregrip style, or the direct version for spyders without a vertical adapter like the older Compact and the sort. you could also use the Bob Long Torpedo. It works well with C02 also, but the output is only limited to 600psi. It looks great too. Good price also. You must use an anti-siphoned tank with this also. The next great C02 regulator is the Smart Parts Max-Flow. It was made for C02, like the Palmer Stabilizer. Again, you must use an anti-siphoned tank. You can use the bottomline style, which can be found used, seperated from the tank itself, for around 80 bucks. Or the inline, or vertical Max-Flow regulator. You could also get a used Autococker regulator for really, really cheap. They work great too. The AKA Sidewinder and the MacDav Gladiator both work well with anti-siphoned C02. The MacDev Gladiator has been tested at 32bps with no shootdown. If you do buy a regulator, you will need a metric thread adapter, or a new hose, if you are still using the stock Kingman hose.


High flowing vertical adapter

This is essential in an LP setup. You can get the Bob Long vertical adapter, the 32 Degrees vertical adapter, the AKA Mitey Max vertical adapter, which is the highest flowing, the Check-It 15* vertical adapter, which is second highest flowing, and has a gauge port, the NW Products 15* vertical adapter, or a drilled stock vertical adapter. One of the five is a must-have thing. The Bob Long is the same as the 32*, except the Bob Long has a gauge port.


High flowing valve pin

You need one of these if you dont already. A 32* valve pin, Diamond Labs valve pin, AKA Tornado valve pin, Max-flo valve pin, or a modified stock valve pin.


High flowing valve

This is also an extremely needed item in an LP setup. You have the highest flowing valve, the Maddmann Rocket valve. The spring has adjustable tension, and the cupseal and valve are all once piece. The cupseal is like a cone shaped object, and this is nice because it doesnt get damaged easily. The Rocket allows for lower pressures when recocking. Then you have the TASO Turbo valve, the Venom Turbo valve, the Omega valve, the Tornado valve, which allows for greater efficiency, the 32* Turbo valve, the Diamond Labs valve, and the 32* Magnaport valve. I recommend against the Tornado valve if you have a "compact" style body, it only works with full bodied spyders. Ask if you aren't sure if it will fit on your gun before you buy it. While actually a LPC, there is also a Neo Power valve, but it is NOT worth the money, and is highly low-quality from my experiences.


Volumizers and LPC's

If you dont have one, then you can get one, they dont make much of a difference. If you have one, you can still get one, but no changes will occur exept for loss of money. This is purely a cosmetic upgrade. Some are big, some small, all are the same performance wise.


Polished internals

This is done to lower the friction of the parts, by lessening the amount of mass that rubs the inside of the body, to allow you to lower your operating pressure. Instructions are found here.

High flowing bolt

You could, however, polish your stock bolt. and remove the venturi out of it for higher flow. Then you could drill the hole on the side of the bolt to enlarge it for higher flow also. Just take a drill to it. If you dont know what your'e doing, then ask me how. If you insist, you could buy a new bolt. I suggest the APM tigershark bolt. it is very worth it. it has the flow of a lightning, no o-rings(great tolerances and customer service if it doesn't work right) and is only $18-20 shipped. There are alot of bolts, I cant list them all, but I can tell you that the Check-it Full Force is good, and so is the White Wolf delrin bolt. Delrin is a resin type material, that is slicker than aluminum. It does not need to be oiled at all. If you do oil it, it could give problems. If you do buy a bolt, however, be sure it is not a venturi design, as it restricts airflow. Although not very high flowing, the IPB Werm Undertow bolt. It is a special, patented design that projects the ball foreward, but with a backspin to it, for added range. It simply gives the ball an upward momentum giving a longer flight path. It works like a Flatline barrel or a Z-body on a Mag, but for much, much less money. In order for this to work correctly, you must have a loose paint-to barrel match. This means, if you have a .687 bore paintball, you would want a .688 or .689 barrel bore to accommodate it. If the paint fits to tightly in the barrel, the ball wont spin. Since it has a little room in there, it is allowed to spin.


Lighter striker

The only company that makes a lighter striker as of now is Dark Horizon. The main reason for this is lowering kick of the gun. Not really an LP factor that much. Now there are three types of these. There is the fatty, for full bodied Spyders, the slim, for compact bodied spyders. Then there is a modified version of the slim called 'Otters version'. To purchase this, you MUST call Dark Horizon and ask for Otters version of the striker. I think it comes in only the slim, but it may come in fatty also.


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Correct main spring and valve spring combination

This is something youre gonna have to experiment with, changing springs and all. The Maddmann kit is an example. More people find that a hard main, and soft valve, will suffice. There are 4 or 5 different brands, but the Maddmann is the best because it comes with a good amount of springs. It has 3 valve spring, 3 main springs, and 3 trigger springs. Then you have the 32* spring kit, the Check-it spring kit, and the Shocktech spring kit, although this includes only main springs, and no valve springs. They are all good choices.


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Main spring guide kit

Losing velocity? If you've bought a spring kit, and your velocity is still a tad bit to low, you can buy this main spring guide kit, or a shim kit as Shocktech calls it, to improve velocity. It works as good as a spring kit, but with 6 shims instead of a few springs. It simply compresses the main spring to hit the striker harder and give a higher velocity.


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Sights and scopes.

The point I want you to know is that.......THEY ARE USELESS! Completely, utterly, useless. They are about as useful as Dorito being used as a frisbee. Paintballs do NOT fly straight, I urge you not to buy a scope, and spend it on paint or something.


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Lets have a look at drop forwards, shall we? First of all, if you dont know already, Spyders have diagonal hole patterns. Most drops have inline holes. To make the switch, you'll need a bottomline adapter to allow use of inline holed drops. Some drops for Spyders are the universal Kapp Drop Zone, the Custom Products drop, the Tuctite drop forward, and another I cant seem to find. The tip to buying a drop is to get one that YOU like, not your friend. If you do buy a drop though. You may need a metric thread adapter to adapt Kingmans metric threas to the standard US thread that all other companies use. If you buy a new ASA, youll need a new hose, or the adapter.

Don't want a drop, just want an on/off? The Check-It Products Uni-Mount On/Off is for you!


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Here are some free 'home mods' you can perform yourself. You can drill the vertical adapter, polish internals, drill bolt for higher flow, remove venturi from the bolt, drill valve out, or sand the valve pin down for higher flow.


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Finally! We get to trigger frames! Well, if you have a stock Kingman mechanical frame, you could perform a trigger job on it. Pirhana frames dont fit on Spyders, but Black Dragun frames do if you order a spyder sear. This link has some more info on more frames including M3 Black Dragun frame, and the ones Ive listed also. Here are some frames you can buy as of now:


DYE .45 double finger
Nice trigger frame. Comes in black and chrome. Has an adjustable rear stop and uses stock internals. Inline holes for drop forwards.


DYE .45 single finger
Nice trigger frame. Has a rear stop. Comes in black and chrome. Inline holes and staggered holes for drop forwards.


Powerlyte Styx

Soon to come.


Benchmark .45
Nice looking frame. Has a nice, smooth trigger pull , but is a tad long. Uses its own internals. Comes in multiple colors. No trigger stops. Has inline holes and staggered.


Kingman Sprint
A nice e-frame. Uses DIP switches. Composed of a polymer plastic. Adjustable trigger pull that you can adjust by a screw on top of the trigger. Staggered drop forward holes. DYE Stickies, or any other aftermarket grips, will NOT fit this frame. 13bps limit.


Kingman ESP
A nice aluminum e-frame. Adjustable trigger pull that you can adjust by a screw on top of the trigger. Staggered drop forward holes. DYE Stickies, or any other aftermarket grips, will NOT fit this frame. 13bps limit.


Mako Storm
This is a sweet frame. Lots of options. LCD interface. Mako, is out of business, so you must buy them used. The grips arent that great, as they are just aluminum panels. Has an adjustable front stop. Staggered and inline drop forward holes. DYE Stickies, or any other aftermarket grips, will NOT fit this frame. Removable trigger guard also. 15bps limit.


Boo-yaah ELCD
Sweet frame. Out of production, must buy this item used. LCD interface, lots of options, nice comfy Hogue grips, non-adjustable trigger, it has a VERY nice pull though, I managed to get 14bps off it, and it has a removable trigger guard. Staggered drop forward holes, and inline holes. DYE Stickies, or any other aftermarket grips, will NOT fit this frame. 15bps limit.


Centerflag Hyperframe
Very nice frame, although a little pricey. Adjustable trigger pull. Centerflag has an outstanding warranty and customer service. Inline drop forward holes. DYE Stickies will NOT fit this frame. 13bps limit.


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Expansion chambers

Okay, here is what it boils down to when talking about expansion chambers. To decide on whether it is worth the money or not, you must first conclude what an expansion chamber does. It simply has little chambers in it with allow the C02 to expand into gas form. The reason for this is that if liquid c02 gets in your gun, it could freeze it up. Expansion chambers dont really work when your shooting fast. Your best bet would be to buy an anti-siphon kit for your tank. It will be much better than an expansion chamber, and the best part, they are under 10 bucks. your best best is to save up for a regulator that permits anti-siphoned tank, like the few i mentioned in the regulator topic above.

Now on to miscellaneous upgrades


Roller sears

A sear is a part on a mechanical frame that slides off the trigger, and releases the striker, then catches the striker as it travels backwards after firing. The roller sear simply lightens the force needed to relase it from the trigger by adding a little wheel on the end of it. This guy will modify your stock one for a small fee, in the future, but they arent available right now. Or you can buy one new from Diamond Labs, but Im not sure on the price.


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Vertical feed neck replacements.

If your stock plastic vertical feed neck has broken here is your place to be reading. This is a replacement one, made by Check-it, constructed of aluminum. It is adjustable also. This is one made by Java, which is pretty much identical to the Check-it one. NW Products also makes one, as well as Vaporworks does also, which aids in some blowback reduction.


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Aftermarket triggers for Kingman E-frames

Well, if you dont like your stock Kingman E-frame trigger, for $19.95, you can get a Check-it Sweet Spot trigger for it. This works on the ESP frames, and the IPI frame. Its very nice, made out of machined aluminum, it is a drop-in replacement. Comes in a few nice colors also.


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Aftermarket triggers for M3 frames

Have you recently bought an M3 frame for your Spyder? Well, if oyu dont like the trigger, you can get a Check-it trigger for it. Its also available in the blade trigger version. Both are made of aluminum. Zenitram makes a toothed trigger, and the stick trigger. Paintball Kingdom makes the Scorpion trigger, the Reverse angled blade trigger,and the bladed lip trigger.


Anodizing

Anoodizing is the process of charging a liquid dye with electricity, and dipping the aluminum, and aluminum only, part in the dye, then the dye soaks into the aluminum, and becomes part of the metal, therefore dyeing it. Only aluminum can be annodized.

Powdercoating

Powder coating is an advanced method of applying a decorative and protective finish to a wide range of materials and products. Powdercoating is VERY, VERY hard to scratch off, if almost impossible. The powder used for the process is a mixture of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which is sprayed onto a surface to be coated in a high temperature oven. The charged powder particles adhere to the electrically grounded surfaces until heated and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven. The result is a uniform, durable, high-quality, and attractive finish. I could list some places, but there are many, so you'll just need to search, but $70 is an ideal price per gun. Silkscreens can be done to give off a detailed graphic image of your choice.


Airbrushing


Milling

This is a process where a machine, called a mill, that graphically carves the metal away from the desired part, giving a certain desired pattern. Its not a cheap process, but gives your gun a higher resale value, and you can make your gun one of a kind. If you want a place to do it, you must search, there are too many out there to list, but $225 bucks is an ideal price per gun.