Tippmann Pro/Am

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: Please send all corrections and comments to me directly by email to the above address. All info and comments not accompanied by an email address and first name are my own. Those that send info and comments to me will have and email address and first name attached for reference purposes.

This file is available via anonymous FTP at caticsuf.cati.csufresno.edu under the name ~ftp/pub/rec.sport.paintball/FAQ/pro-am.faq

A text version is also kept on-line for easy reference.

Index

• General Information
• Revision History
• Advantages/Pluses
• Disadvantages/Minuses
• Operation
• Maintenance (cleaning)
• Common Problems
• Modifications/Accessories
• Opinions and other Comments

General Information

Product:

Pro/Am & Pro/Lite

Manufacture:

Tippmann Pneumatics Inc.
3518 Adams Center Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
1-800-533-4831
1-219-749-6022
FAX: 1-219-749-6619

Action Type:

Semi-Auto (Open bolt blow-back)

CO2 Capacity:

700+ shots per (standard) 12 oz.
500+ shots per (siphon) 12 oz.

Cycle Rate:

300 RPM

Standard Barrel Length:

10.5"

Sniper Barrel Length:

16"

Length - Overall:

32"

Weight:

4 lbs.

Current Average Price (NEW):

$280 (Pro/Am with 12oz & case)
$245 (Pro/Lite with 12oz & Sniper Barrel)

Product Description:

The Pro/Am and Pro/Lite are the descendants of the famous Tippmann 68-Special semi auto. Like the 68-Special, the Pro/Am is a blowback operated semi auto. It is an open bolt gun. The Pro/Am comes with a bottom line CA adaptor at the base of the pistol grip. The gun has external velocity adjustment, the ability to squeegee from the breech forward (with a wire squeegee, included with the gun), open sites, and both 3/8" and Weaver dovetail site rails. The Pro/Am is all steel & aluminum. The Pro/Lite is all steel & aluminum with the exception of the pistol grip and foregrip, which are both composite. The new Pro/Am and the Pro/Lite are identical guns with the exception of the composite grip and foregrip on the Pro/Lite. The Pro/Lite is considerably lighter than the Pro/Am.

Both guns come with, at minimum, wire squeegee, extra mainspring, allen wrenches for velocity adjustment and breakdown, operators manual, lube, barrel plug, and a Tippmann patch. Many Pro/Am packages include an excellent hard plastic carrying case that stores all of the above nicely. Tippmann used to send out a video with their guns, but have recently discontinued this practice.

Revision History:

"2500 - 5500: Tippmann used a plastic foregrip, larger rear sight, and delrin front bolt. Foregrip had a tendency to split apart at the seams. Tippmann logo was an insert of the left side of gun, and serial numbers were postion on the right side of gun.

"9000 - 12000: the next upgrade I'm aware of was the improved rear valve, porting of elbow (reduce blowback), and ported barrel."
-- Henry Chan <henryc@panix.com>

Advantages/Pluses:

• Simple design
• Midrange Price
• Reliable
• Beginner friendly
• Tippmann reputation
• Light weight
• Good cold weather gun (readily accepts liquid)

Disadvantages/Minuses:

• Stock barrel lacks accuracy
• Gun tends to be loud
• Limited upgrade path

Operation

The gun's mainspring provides the energy required for the forward movement of the bolt. The sear (located below the rear bolt) keeps the bolt open until the trigger is pulled.

The valve body and power tube do not move inside the gun. The power tube is held in place by a lip inside of the receiver at the power tube's front, by the valve body at the rear, and by the velocity adjustment screw. The valve body is held in place by the power tube in front and by a small square of metal fitting through a slot in the bottom of the receiver and into a slot in the bottom of the valve body.

                 _________       ____________________
Power tube ___  /         \     |                    |
   _______/  / _|  valve   |_   |  rear bolt         |main spr.
   _______     _   body     _| |                     |\\\\\\\\\
          \||\  |          |    |  _______________   |
           ||   \_______|_/     |_/             / \__|
 vel. adj.-^       | |  |                      / /
  screw           |   |                       / /sear
                  \___/
                   | |  CO2 hose to CA 
		   | |

The CO2 burst ejected from the front of the valve body travels through the power tube, past the velocity adjustment screw, out the front of the power tube, through the front bolt (not pictured above), then against the paintball in the barrel--propelling the ball out of the gun. The CO2 burst ejected from the rear of the valve body causes the rear bolt to recoil, compress the main spring, then catch itself on the sear--effectively recocking the gun.

The front bolt (pictured below) is connected to the rear bolt via a rod that passes over the top of the valve body and power tube. The front bolt is essentially a short, hollow tube that surrounds the front part of the power tube. The front bolt only serves to push a ball into the barrel, then to guide the CO2 burst from the power tube through to the ball.

                  ________________________   <-connecting rod
                 /                        \
  /-\    -------|-   /-|   ---------     -|------------------
 |   |      =========  |   |       |     |                  |
  \-/    ---------   \-|   ---------     --------------------
  ball    font bolt    ^   valve body            rear bolt
                       |
		        \--power tube

• The gun's main spring.
• The amount of pressure in the CO2 bottle.
• The velocity adjustment screw.

The amount of pressure from your power source directly effects velocity. Should pressure in your power source change (i.e., bottle heats up or cools down), velocity of your projectile will change also. This is why Tippmann suggests the use of a siphon bottle when playing in cold weather, or to encourage consistent velocity--the liquid CO2 will always be at the same pressure when it enters the system.

The velocity adjustment screw serves to restrict or liberate the flow of CO2 through the power tube. Screwing the screw into the power tube restricts the flow and causes lower velocities. Backing the screw out of the power tube increases flow and causes higher velocities.

Maintenance (cleaning)

To "field strip" the gun.

1. . Take off the loader and CA bottle.
2. . Lock back the bolt.
3. . Remove the allen screw at the front/bottom of the receiver.
4. . Unscrew the barrel.
5. . Let the bolt forward, then use your allen to push the two pins holding the lower receiver (trigger group) onto the upper receiver (main body). Let the lower receiver hang onto the upper receiver via the air hose. Be careful not to twist this hose around too much.
6. . Unscrew the big "plug" at the rear of the receiver. Careful for the mainspring as it attempts to jump out of the gun.
7. . Unscrew the allen holding on the rear sight on the top of the receiver. Slide the rear sight off the sight rail.
8. . Dig the connecting rod (connects the front and rear bolts) out of the top of the gun.
9. . Remove the bolt handle out of the rear bolt.
10. . Slide the rear bolt out of the back of the receiver.
11. . Remove the front bolt from the front of the receiver.

Reassembly isn't too tricky:

1. . Slide the rear bolt into the back of the receiver. The part of the bolt with the hole in it should be towards the rear of the gun.
2. . Notice that the bolt handle has a hole in it. The gun's mainspring goes through this hole. Put the bolt handle in the bolt, roughly aligning the bolt handle hole with the horizontal axis of the gun.
3. . Slide the mainspring over the mainspring rod and insert the mainspring into the rear bolt. You will need to fiddle with the bolt handle in order to get the mainspring to go through the hole. The rod should be in the rear of the spring.
4. . Screw the large plug on the rear of the receiver. This will involve compressing the mainspring while guiding the spring and rod into the rear of the bolt. I find the be best way to do this is:
   
   1. . Hold the receiver in your left hand, with your index finger and thumb on the bolt handle. You will need to fiddle with the bolt handle while compressing the spring so that you're sure it's aligned correctly, and you're not binding the spring inside the bolt.
   2. . Take the receiver "plug" in the palm of your right hand, holding the mainspring and mainspring rod in the small indentation on the plug with your fingers.
   3. . Guide the spring and rod into the rear bolt. This is the only tricky part as it involves some dexterity. :) Screw the plug into the rear of the receiver.
5. . Put the lower receiver (trigger group) back onto the upper receiver (main body). You should be able to push the pins back into place with your thumb. I don't think it matters which side of the gun they go in from.
6. . Put the front bolt back into the front of the receiver. Be careful for the rubber ball detent in the bottom of the chamber. You might need to use your allen to push the detent down as you slide the front bolt back into the receiver. Try to align the small hole in the top of the bolt with the top of the gun. The bolt connecting rod is going to go into this hole.
7. . With the rear bolt forward, drop the connecting rod into the top of the gun. The rod should connect the front and rear bolt via the holes in the top of each.
8. . Slide the rear sight onto the sight rail and screw it down with the allen. Be sure the sight is in the right place on the rail, that being over the circular indentation under the allen. The sight holds the bolt connecting rod in place. If it is not in the correct place on the rail, the rod can pop up out of the front or rear bolt. Also, be sure to secure this sight well. If the allen backs off during a game your gun can malfunction and you can even loose your connecting rod.
9. . Lock back the bolt.
10. . Screw the barrel back into the gun, but do not tighten it yet.
11. . Replace the allen at the bottom/front of the receiver. Tighten it snug to medium tight, but not too tight.
12. . Screw in the barrel as tight as you can.
13. . Tighten down the allen.
14. . Make sure your foregrip will still latch onto the receiver. If not, loosen the allen slightly. [Tippmann design flaw #2]

Once you have the hose detached from the valve body fitting, use a socket (forget the size, might need a deep socket too) to get the brass fitting out of the valve body. I have been able to do this with a regular open ended wrench, but I highly advise using a socket in this situation. You'll have to push the valve body forward, by working the socket onto the fitting, in order to get it seated properly. The valve body does move forward against the power tube, it just takes some pressure.

Taking the valve body out of the gun's main body is something you should certainly do every once in a while. This area around the valve body seems to be the "dirtiest" in the gun. It collects lots of grime and way too much aluminum filings and other junk that I don't think you want finding its way into other parts of your gun.

I completely disassemble my pro/am after every weekend of use. But then, I am confident I can take it down without causing damage or wear on its parts. I also find cleaning my paintguns a labor of love.. :) I'd recommend that normal people take the valve body out and clean it about once every 10-20 uses.

I *do* recommend field stripping the gun after every use. Be sure to keep that rear bolt clean and well lubed, as it will rust if it sits too long with moisture. Use the corners of a rag to get as much paint (if any) out of the chamber area of the gun.

Common Problems

• "I can't get the velocity on my Pro/Am below/above XXX fps, no matter how far I adjust the velocity adjustment screw."
  -- The gun comes with two main springs, one for cold weather use and one for warm weather use. Try changing mainsprings. Also, cold weather performance and velocity consistency can be helped through the use of a siphon tank.
• "A very small (approx 1/4" x 1/4" x 1/8") square of metal fell out of my Pro/Am while I was cleaning it, and I can't figure out where it goes"
  -- The Valve Stop goes in a slot under the receiver, in front of the trigger guard just behind the velocity adjustment allen screw. The Valve Stop is usually held in place by the front pin that holds the trigger assembly to the receiver. The Valve Stop itself prevents the main valve body from moving back and forth in the receiver.

Modifications/Accessories

Aftermarket Barrels.

Barrel    Price  Length   Materials    Rifling      Comments
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tippmann 
  Sniper    $40   16"     Aluminum     Some,        Not as accurate as
                                         internal      other third party
                                                        barrels.
SmartParts  $89   16"     Stainless    External     Very Accurate, but not
                                                        so easy to clean. 
                                                        Quiet.
Armson      $90   13"     Aluminum     Internal     Very accurate, but
                                                        loud.
J&J         $50+  Many    Brass/       Internal/   
                           HardChrome    Smoothbore