Paintball x3

Tippmann knows what their customers want. After experiencing great success with the X7 and A5, two markers that were built to greatly resemble modern tactical firearms out of the box, Tippmann had the appearance part of the formula figured out and stuck with the tactical look with the Phenom. A long Picatinny sight rail lines the entire top of the receiver, perfect for scopes and sights, while another sits at the bottom of the forearm, ideal for adding vertical fore-grips, lights or lasers. A hollow submachine-gun magazine inserts into the bottom of the receiver and adds to the “tactical firearm” look and feel. A metal single trigger sits inside the trigger guard of a comfortable, H&K-style grip and the firing mode/safety selector switch is also styled after that found on H&K firearms like the MP5 and UMP.

While slightly smaller than the X7, the Phenom is able to accept many of its aftermarket accessories like shoulder stocks and barrels. Internally, a blow-forward, spool valve operating system is a complete departure from the simple, reliable and time-tested inline-blowback system used by Tippmann in the X7, A5 and 98 line. However, the blow-forward concept is also a proven and reliable design, and utilizes an integrated regulator at the rear of the system to adjust velocity. Like the A5 and X7, the Phenom field strips easily via push pins and is standard with the Cyclone feed system, which utilizes air from the valve to sling paintballs into the breech for firing, reducing chopped and broken paintballs during high rates of fire and eliminating the need for purchasing an electronic loader. A 9.5 inch stock barrel with a smooth internal hone and A5/X7 threads is standard. With the Phenom, Tippmann has gone away from the steel-braided bottom line air hoses used on everything from the 98 series to the A5 and X7 in favor of an internal air line. A basic bottom-line air adapter accepts both CO2 tanks and screw-in compressed air bottles, though with some larger compressed air systems, this bottle adapter can make for a long setup.

The X7 Phenom operates on either CO2 or compressed air, though the rates of fire that the marker is capable of achieving make compressed air highly advisable. A nine-volt battery, easily and quickly inserted into the back of the grip frame, powers the marker’s electronics. The semi-automatic trigger pull of the Phenom is very light thanks to the magnetic, Hall-effect trigger system and once the selector switch is flipped to the “fully automatic” position, it improves even more as the marker ramps to fully automatic and maintains a very high rate of fire as long as the trigger is consistently pulled. A 200 round, low-profile hopper is included with the Phenom and presses onto the top of the Cyclone feed system. The hopper is offset to the right of the receiver slightly to allow sights and scopes to be used effectively. The X7 Phenom is not a light paintball gun, tipping the scales at a full four pounds with the hopper and a nine-volt battery. However, as Tippmanns are known and respected best for their truck-tested toughness, light weight has never been as high on the list of requirements for Tippmann customers as durability.

Taking a Tippmann X7 Phenom from the attractive box, ideal for retail display, to the playing field requires only a few simple steps. A high-quality nine-volt battery must be inserted into the rear of the grip frame, the foregrip must be attached, the barrel must be threaded into the receiver, the hopper must be pushed and twisted into the Cyclone Feed, a screw-in compressed air bottle or CO2 tank must be threaded into the bottom line air adapter and paintballs must then be poured into the hopper. Thus locked and loaded, the X7 Phenom is ready for play.

Over the chronograph, the Phenom fired very consistently. The initial strings fired slowly over a Paintball Radarchron BPS unit were recorded at 270, 278, 277, 274, 278, 275. Strings fired at much higher rates of fire remained consistent, a testament to the performance of the blow-forward operating system. A Crossfire 4,500 cubic inch compressed air system with a high output-pressure regulator was used for all testing, along with recreational-grade Valken paintballs. Adjusting the Phenom’s velocity is a simple process, requiring an Allen to be inserted into the velocity adjusting nut, accessible through the side of the receiver.

Thanks to the consistency of the Phenom’s operating system and one of the best stock barrels the company has sent out with a gun yet, the marker’s accuracy is very good. Once the user is accustomed to the handling characteristics of the Phenom, placing single shots onto targets near and far is very simple. When the switch is flipped from basic semi-automatic to full-auto, the Phenom hammers shots downrange at rates in excess of ten shots per second, the Cyclone feed keeping up and preventing chops and broken balls completely. When fired in “rock and roll” mode, all the shots land in tight, predictable groups. During testing, the Phenom did not chop or break a single paintball. Players can expect over 1000 shots from a fully-filled 68 cubic inch, 4,500psi compressed air bottle.

While by no means feather-light or flashy like a tournament paintball gun, Tippmann’s new X7 Phenom delivers performance on-par with many high-end tournament markers that cost two and even three times as much. Players who enjoy a hard-core, mil-sim style of scenario or recreational play will love the aggressive, tactical submachine gun look and performance of the Phenom and come to rely on its durability, which should easily live up to the Tippmann name on the receiver.

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