Reviewer: Lonnie "Grendel" Colson, Hellions SFG Company Commander and Team Captain.Manufacturer: Tippmann Sports, LLC., 2955 Adams Center Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46803.
Description: "The new Tru-Feed 7-Ball Magazine will now come standard with every TPX Pistol. It uses a straight feed, low tension spring system that allows players to use a wider variety of paint, and is less affected by hot or humid conditions." (From Tippmann Sports' Facebook press release)
Period of Product Use: Approximately one month
Paintball Experience: Almost 20 years (1990)
Similar Products Used: Tippmann 8-Ball Staggered Magazine
Marker Setup: Stock TPX (serial no. 0014572)
Recommended Upgrades: HammerHead barrel
Strengths: Straight feed is quicker to load as you do not have to worry about a paintball sometimes stacking out of sequence creating dimples when filled to capacity. The lower tension spring reduces the effect of hot and humid weather on paintballs stacked in the magazine. It also allows the TPX to fire a wider variety of paintballs, even the relatively brittle-shelled premium paints.
Weaknesses: Loss of one shot per magazine. I consider it a very minor one that is overpowerd by the gain in reliability, but there are some that may consider that a weakness.
Review: Anyone who has every taken the field at D-Day with a TPX Pistol (or similar paintball marker-pistol) as a sidearm has likely experienced the frustration of having a misfeed. Worse is the jumble of paintballs resembling melted gumballs in their magazines. Tippmann has come up with an ingeneous way to virtually get rid of the problem caused by having paintballs mashed together in hot and humid weather. After extensive testing, they got rid of the staggered feed and went with a lower tension spring. The result is magazine that is 'gentler' on a wider variety of paint, including the relatively more brittle-shelled premium grade paintballs.
The first thing I did was compare the new Tru-Feed 7-ball magazine with the standard 8-ball magazine that came with the TPX Pistol. At first glance, the only thing that really looks different is that there are 3 screws on the Tru-Feed. The dimensions are almost indistinguishable one from another. Once you load them with paintballs, the differences start to stand out. The tops(magazine feeds) are noticeably different. The standard magazine has a curved finger-like feeder lift on the carrier (see photo, second from left), while the Tru-Feed has a dimpled semi-circular feeder that is spring actuated. The newer version is easier to depress and is therefore easier on paintballs.
Loading the Tru-Feed seems faster. I sometimes would get a paintball that did not want to stagger correctly on the old stock version. If I was in a rush and did not fix it, I would often end up dimpling one or more paintballs from the extra pressure being exerted. The straight feed just loads straight. Load fast or load slow, they all load in a straight line. Both magazines' carriers lock down in a similar fashion prior to loading. Paintballs did not jump out of the magazine when dropped into a pouch.
During the test fire, I would alternate between the Tru-Feed and the standard 8-ball magazines to keep a one for one comparison going. During the course of fire, I could not tell the difference in the magazines by way of weight, feel or handling. If I went through speed drills, I occasionally forgot which one I was using until the last shot. As a result of that, I would recommend that guys who count their shots to either make a point of checking to see which magazine they are loading (tough in a game), or store them separately, or just not bring both versions on the field.
The tests used to write this review were conducted over a two-day period using a new model TPX Pistol. Temperatures were very mild for the Chicago area. Paints used were: RPS Marballizers, DraXxus Heat and Empire Blizzard. Neither magazine experienced a break with any of the three brands of paint.
Conclusion: The improvements of the Tru-Feed Magazine are enough to cause Tippmann to make it standard with all future TPX Pistol sales. Experiences with "gumballs" in the old 8-ball staggered feed magazines during those hot D-Day summers makes the switch to the new Tru-Feed a no-brainer. I was never a fan of the staggered feed to begin with. The loss of one paintball per magazine is not even a consideration in my mind. In fact, during those cold Chicago winters, I usually could not get through 3 of the 8-ball magazines on a single CO2 cartridge. During tests of the pre-production models of the Tru-Feed, I was always able to get through 3 of the 7-ball magazines. I like consistency. Knowing that you are finished with your 3rd straight feed magazine means you need a CO2 change as well is much better than wondering which shot is going to roll out the barrel on the 3rd staggered feed magazine.
Anyone who does not see an improvement (reduction) in their rate of breaks should contact the Tippmann Techincal Support Team at (800) 533-4831, especially if they are using one of the original models. Tippmann has come out with several updates/upgrades and their techs will repair or exchange parts free of charge. Visit them at any one of the many major big game events literally around the world.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
For More Information: Tippmann Sports TPX Pistol
Photos: Images of the Tru-Feed 7-ball magazine and standard 8-shot magazine with the TPX used to conduct this review.
