Wednesday, October 29, 2008

BT TM-7 Paintball Gun in the Hot Seat!

The BT Paintball TM-7 created a lot of excitment in the paintball world way before it was available for purchase. Built on Invert Mini technology, people were expecting a lot of performance from this small woodsball gun.

Also available for a limited time is the
Olive Green TM7 Paintball Gun. No better color for the woods, match your surroundins and keep your position unknown. Checkout the TM7 Parts category. There you will find TM7 specific parts as well as other parts commonly used on the BT TM-7. Parts are always easy to find at www.rockstartactical.com.

Monday, October 27, 2008

US Army Alpha Black Paintball Rail and Stock

Last week we made a post about a few new Alpha Black parts to hit the store. More came in this weekend. Trinity released a version of the their MP5 collapsible Stock to fit the Alpha Black marker. This is one the first aftermarket stocks to hit the market for the Alpha Black. The Trinity Alpha Black MP5 Stock is perfect for open field or close quarter battle. With the press of a button, the stock extends or collapses to accomodate your shooting position.

We also got our hands on a new Alpha Black Carry Handle Rail. This rail fits into the groove of the carry handle. Alpha Black owners will need to drill a hole in the base of the carry handle to allow the integrate screw to fit through the handle and be secured by the thumb screw. The rail is 5.5" in length and it provides a mounting base for any paintball scope or accessory with a weaver compatible base.

With the combination of our m-16 hand guard rails and the new carry handle rail, Alpha Black owners now have plenty of rail space to accomodate tactical accessories like paintball scopes, flashlights and lasers.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Tippmann A5 Parts Performance Upgrades

We always get a ton of questions from people looking to upgrade a Tippmann A5. There are a million different cosmetic A5 mods on the market that will allow you to make turn the A5 into just about anything imaginable. Those are really personal preference mods that do not sigificantly influence performance. But what are the most popular, most 'bang for your buck' performance upgrades out there today?

We recently published an article on the website that takes a closer look into a few key areas to upgrade on the Tippmann A5. Although still teetering on the edge of personal preference, making some basic upgrades to the trigger, cyclone feed and barrel are the primary initial areas of focus. Focusing your money on these areas will not only allow you to increase performance but also achieve better efficiency and reliability in the woods. Also checkout the new Sniper Paintball Blog for a similar article posting on Top A5 Parts.

The season is among us and people are heading into the woods with paintball marker in hand! Look for lots of new things to hit the website now through Christmas. New mods, guns and a few other secrets we don't want to let out of the bag just yet! Sign up for our newsletter and bookmark our blog so you don't miss out.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

New US Army Alpha Black Parts

The US Army Alpha Black parts are really emerging onto the scene. Recently a few companies have released some parts that will change the performance and feel of your gun. For US Army E-Grip owners, Rhythm Innovation's Alpha Black E-Grip Trigger is all-aluminum alternative that drops into the existing Alpha E-Grip. This will allow you to not only gain a smoother, lighter trigger pull but also be able to adjust your trigger's firing distance.

If you're looking for additional rail space for accessories on your Alpha Black, look no further. We special ordered rail kits that will allow you to add tactical paintball rails to your Alpha Black M-16 Hand Guard. They fit over the holed opening on your guard. These rails are almost 6" long and come in two different versions: a single rail kit and another single rail that includes an RIS style front grip. They will work on most M16 Handguards, not just the Alpha Black. There is no drilling or permenant modification needed. We are always hunting down Alph Black accessories so check back often for more Alpha Black Parts. Visit the
US Army Paintball Website for more information on this ultra-cool woodsball paintball gun.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Tippmann A5 Selector Switch E-Grip

Lots of buzz is in the air and on the web about some new releases due out very soon from Tippmann. Tippmann introduced the new Selector Switch A5 E-Grip Trigger Frame at a recent paintball event. The new Selector Switch grip borrows technology from the current e-trigger found on the Tippmann X7. The external switch allows you to select firing modes on the fly while the magnetic hall-effect trigger replaces the older mechanical trigger for smoother, more reliable firing. Estimated arrival date is around October 20th. We have begun taking pre-orders on the website. The Selector Switch E-Grip will be sold as a trigger upgrade as well as pre-installed on the Tippmann A5 E-Grip Model.

Another cool addition to our growing line of Tippmann X7 Parts is the new Tippmann X7 Expansion chamber. The chamber is machined from aluminum in the shape of a M16 mag kit. It includes everything you need to upgrade your X7. The new expansion should help level out the spikes experienced with CO2 use. This is also due in the week of Oct 20th.

Learn more out these products by visiting our website using the links above or Tippmann Sports. ROCKSTAR Tactical is a top, authorized dealer for all genuine Tippmann guns, parts and accessories.

Friday, October 10, 2008

TechT Paintball Fang Trigger for A5

The boys at TechT Paintball are at it again! This time that are giving A-5 owners something they've wanted for a long time now. The new TechT A5 Fang Trigger will allow you to fine tune your A5 trigger to your exact preference. Does it work with all model A5s (basic, RT and Egrip)? Yes, it does. It is metal, yep... Aircraft Aluminum to be exact. It even uses roller bearings and includes a metal trigger guard.

Don't forget to checkout our
TechT Paintball Cyclone Mods. They are a 'must have' for anyone who wants to increase the cycling rate, efficiency and reliability of their cyclone feed system. We always have them in stock! For installation and general tech help from the guys themselves visit TechT Paintball.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

New BT TM-7 Parts and Accessories

New BT TM-7 parts have become available and are on the shelves now. The popularity of the BT TM-7 Paintball Gun literally grew leaps and bounds overnight. Many manufacturers have been creating upgrades to cater to the masses of people who now call themselves TM-7 owners. Some of the parts to recently hit our store include:

  • BT TM-7 Double Trigger Kit - Increase speed and comfort by upgrading your trigger to a double trigger by BT. This trigger includes a double trigger guard. Made from high-strength resin plastic, this trigger will stand up to some serious firing.


  • BT TM-7 Player's Parts Kit - Whether you need spare parts or a complete rebuild, the BT TM-7 parts kit is a 'must have' for your field bag. Parts at fields for newly released guns are hard to come by, make sure you have the parts support you need to keep you on the field.


  • Tech T Paintball MRT TM-7 Bolt - MR. T is back! No not really, even if he was he could never fit inside a TM-7 receiver! Tech T is known for their superior quality bolts. They've lent the same technology to the new Mass Reduction Technology TM-7 bolt. One of the lightest bolts out there, the MRT will increase accuracy, consistency and shot efficiency. The MRT is due in any day.


  • BT Flashsight - Made for most markers, the BT 2-in-1 Flashsight is a flashlight and laser sight in one. The perfect tactical addition to a TM-7 or any gun with available rail space.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Metal Trigger Upgrade for the Tippmann X7

Rick from Rhythm Innovation is at it again! We've been waiting for this one for a while... Rhythm has just released a Tippmann X7 Metal Trigger Upgrade. This new trigger is made of all aluminum for the X-7 Egrip. It comes as a single trigger with an aluminum trigger guard. Fully adjustable, so tweak all you want to find the perfect pull! Best of all it has almost no side to side slop. Thank you Rhythm... we've been waiting for this since we first picked up an X7.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Lapco Cocker and Tiberius Barrels

New to ROCKSTAR Tactical and relatively new for Lapco are the 8" Big Shot 'Apex Ready' and 8" Big Shot Autococker Barrels. Previously, the only available threads for 8" models were for the Tippmann A5 and Tippman 98. The Apex Ready barrel has a 0.690 bore while the non-Apex Big Shot barrel for the autococker has a bore of 0.687. Both are great sizes designed to work well with most field paint.

Lapco's 8" Big Shot is a favorite among us Tippmann A5 owners. Not only does this barrel perform surprising well, but it also works perfectly with the
Lapco Mock Paintball Suppressor. We use the combo to achieve a submachine gun similar to an MP5.

We were also able to secure a number of
Apex Tips. Now you can mix and match any Apex Ready Barrel with an Apex Tip without having to buy the entire Apex Barrel kit. We currently stock an assortment of Apex Ready barrels from Lapco and Smart Parts. Lapco barrels are offered in most popular barrel threads. Smart Parts are offered in every thread known to paintball. Smart Parts Apex Ready Fronts use the All American or Freak Backs, therefore if you can convert any exiting AA or Freak barrel into an Apex compatible barrel system.

Lapco also released a new barrel for Tiberius T8 or T9 pistol owners. We are really excited about this new
Lapco ST8 Shot T8 Barrel and cannot wait to try it out. The barrel has a matte black finish perfect for the Tiberius pistols. They are 9" in length with a bore of 0.690. The cool feature is the thread-on muzzle break. Not only functional, this muzzle break will single out your T8 pistol among the pack.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

CO2 vs. Nitrogen in Paintball

CO2 vs. Nitro - We've had a lot of questions lately regarding the differences between CO2 and Nitrogen when used in paintball. We thought a blog post was in order to cover some of the basic differences, including the good and bad, between the two.

CO2 Tanks - First, CO2 is the most commonly used propellant in paintball. CO2 tanks come in varying sizes and can be filled by just about any store or field the sells paintball equipment. CO2 that fills a tank is in the form of a liquid, therefore the tank's size is deemed as a liquid volume such as a 20 oz. tank. CO2 can be a dirty gas. The liquid form of CO2 in your tank is not what powers the marker. Liquid CO2 must be turned into a gas to pressure the paintball gun. Thermal energy or heat is needed for this conversion. This is the reason for the coldness experienced when shooting a CO2 powered gun. Not only can the marker get cold but internals such as o-rings can freeze. This may jam the gun causing it to shoot erratically. At very high rates of fire, CO2 can cause something called drop-off. This is when shot velocity is inconsistent and balls do not travel as far as the previous shoot. Basically the liquid CO2 is not converting fast enough to supply enough pressure to maintain velocity inside the paintball gun. This is further exaggerated in extremely cold temperatures.

'Compressed Air' aka. 'Nitrogen' Tanks - Sort of a breath of fresh air. Literally! Compressed air tanks are also called Nitro tanks because the air we breathe is composed mostly of Nitrogen. Nitro tanks are considered high pressure air because internal pressures can be as high as 3000 psi in some models and 4500 psi in others. They all use a regulator installed on the tank to bring the internal pressure down to a pressure that is usable by the paintball gun. Most nitro tanks outbound pressure is at about 800 psi. Some lower pressure models can regulate the air pressure down to about 400 psi for guns that operate on a lower pressure. You will not get the coldness or freeze-up like CO2 when using compressed air. Actually, nitro tanks will tend to get a little warm when in use. Also, you will not get 'drop-off' like you do with CO2. If drop-off is occurring in a gun using nitrogen, then the problem may be the filling rate of the regulator attached to the gun (that's another post altogether). Nitrogen is therefore easier on a gun's internals for reasons explained above. Due to the high pressure a compressed air tank holds, the price is considerably higher than CO2. Tanks need to be composed of special materials which cost more money. The other cost is associated with the regulator. Compressed air is the way to go if you are concerned with increasing a paintball gun's performance as long as you can afford it and your local field or store has the equipment to fill the tank for you. Compressed air is a must for those that play in a predominantly cold environment.

How do you calculate shots per fill for a Nitro tank? - Don't be fooled, shots will vary every time you get your tank filled. A good rule of thumb is to take the cubic inch size and times it by either 10 or 15 depending on whether you have a 3000 psi or 4500 psi tank. Therefore to calculate a 68ci/4500psi tank's estimated shot capacity, you would take 68 x 15 =1020 shots per fill.