The Phantom paintball marker is made by Mike Cassidy of
Component Concepts Incorporated. The gun is a standard
Nelson-clone with a few personal touches and ideas by Mike,
and is leading the pump market among old and new Pumpers
alike.
There are many great features to the Phantom that add up to a
great marker, most of which will be talked about in this
article. Many people like the gun for even more reasons, but
the strongest features to me that make the Phantom such a
great paintball gun are it’s light weight, adaptability,
efficiency and consistency, and customer service.
Construction:
The Phantom is a single tube Nelson-design and is made mostly
out of aluminum, which allows for a very light marker. Because
of this, it can be switched from hand to hand or whipped
around a bunker to get off a quick shot with ease. It also
makes it a snap to stay posted up on someone
and keep that straight shot, and get to your bunker off the
break without having to lug your marker behind you. You can
pretty much carry it around all day without having to worry
about a fatigue because of its light weight. Add on a micro
conversion kit and it will barely feel like it’s there!
However, one small word of warning:
if you prefer heavier setups, then this might not be the gun
for you. A Phantom in Stock Class, Vertical Stock
Class configuration only weights slightly over two
pounds! I know quite a few people who have had Phantoms and
just could not shoot them
straight to save their lives, all because the marker was
actually too light; they were used to heaver markers like old
Sheridan's and Sniper’s (at >1.5lbs heavier). If you think
this may be an issue then I recommend trying one out on the
range or playing with it for a few games (if possible). The
Phantom is probably the most popular pump out there, and
where’s there’s Pump or stock class paintball players, there’s
usually a Phantom or two.
Adaptability:
Feel like hosing for a few games? No problem - throw on a
different body - and choose from either left feed, right feed,
or center feed, I might add. Want a challenge or feel like
saving a little paint?
Go
ahead and play stock class for a few games and get rid of that
blimp! Run out of 12 grams for the day or are you feeling a
little lazy? Toss on a bottom line and a drop forward and/or
regulator if you’d like, and screw your tank right in. Want a
small gun and profile? Toss on a micro-conversion kit. Feel
like that 10 round tube doesn’t leave you with enough paint
while reloading? No problem; grab a 15 round tube and screw it
right in. Not only all that, but there are the options of a
.45 or M-16 style grip, L-stock or telescoping T-stock, back
bottle or vertical air, the list goes on and on. With all
these extra parts, you can change your gun and playing style
in a matter of minutes; most people can change a body in under
a minute or two, and everything else takes mere seconds. Not
only that, but all these extra parts are pretty cheap to pick
up!
Efficiency and Consistency:
On a nice warm day I get roughly 40-45 good shots per 12 gram
with an 11” barrel and matching paint, and am usually +/-5 fps
at the chronograph on un-regulated CO2. ‘Nuff said.
<Editors note: Your results may vary, but if
your not getting at least 25 good shots per 12 gram co2
cartridge with the Phantom, something is wrong.>
Customer Service:
The Phantom is personally backed by Mike Cassidy, the sole
creator of the gun, and to tell the truth, you’re going to
hard-pressed finding another person who takes as much pride in
their work as he does. If you ever have a problem with
anything in the paintball gun, contact Mike and he’ll take
care of it for you, often times replacing the broken or
malfunctioning part at no charge, even years after the
warranty has expired. Talk to anyone who has dealt with Mike
and you will hear nothing but good things about him and his
service. That alone is one of the most outstanding things
about the Phantom, even though it’s not actually physical part
of the gun.
Maintenance, Cleaning, Etc. :
The Nelson-design is simple and easy to understand, so thus,
it is an extremely easy marker to clean and maintain. Basic
maintenance should be performed at the very least every other
time you play with it, and will take you no more than 20
minutes once you get the hang of it.
Make sure the gun is not
gassed up or loaded, unscrew the barrel, wipe it down
and clean out the inside of dirt and paint, unscrew the pump
handle and washer, and pull off the return spring and nylon
washer, taking special care not to lose either. Wipe all of
them down
and set them aside, and unscrew the front thumbscrew. This
will remove the body, so make sure the internals don’t fly out
everywhere. Wipe down the body, feed gate, and feed tube, make
sure there isn’t dirt or paint that made it’s way in through
the small openings in the gun (if there is, you can rise it
out in your sink or use a barrel swab, but make sure you dry
it out after!). Set that aside, and grab the hammer. Wipe off
all the grease and dirt, dry it, and put a small drop of oil
on the outside (only a small drop! A little oil goes a long
way!) and spread it around with your finger. Grab the back
part of your marker (the grip frame and valve, still connected
by the rear thumbscrew) and slide the hammer back onto the
power tube, flat part facing the rear of the gun. Grab the
mainspring, wipe it down, and place it inside the hammer
around the power tube. Next, take your bolt, wipe it down, oil
it lightly, and grab your body. Slide the bolt into the body,
o-ring facing forward, making sure the large hole for the pump
rod is visible out of the bottom grooves in the body. Slide it
forward, attach the pump rod to the hole in the bolt and,
making sure you are holding the pump rod and bolt in place,
slide the body onto the rear of the gun. It should slide right
together. Screw in the front thumbscrew, replace the washer
and nylon screw, and screw the nut, pump, and barrel back on.
Your Phantom is now clean! I do this after every time of play,
and if my gun got a lot of sand on it or it’s been a while,
I’ll break the gun down even
further to make sure it’s fully clean. A properly maintained
and cleaned Phantom will last you years and years!
Also, I usually go through and replace all seals and internal
springs once a year. Replacing the seals is just a
preventative measure taken by me against leaks, and replacing
the springs helps keep your velocity nice and consistent. You
don’t have to do this, but it works for me, and my Phantoms
hardly ever have problems (knock on wood!). As with this and
the cleaning, find which way works for you the best and go
with that - this is just here as a reference and starting
point.
Adjusting Velocity :
Included with your Phantom
(hopefully) is a long metal rod with a plastic cap on the top.
If you look at the top of your bolt and rod (while the gun is
disassembled or degassed, preferably), you’ll notice that the
two match. The piece inside the bolt is called the Tuned Port
Compensator, or TPC for short. This controls how
hard the hammer hits the valve and your velocity. To adjust
velocity, stick the velocity adjusting tool down the barrel,
line it up with the slot of the TPC, and turn clockwise to
increase velocity, counterclockwise to decrease. The easiest
thing to do the first time is to turn it all the way to the
left, and adjust it as needed.
NOTE:
do not turn the TPC to the right more
than 5 full turns; this will unseat it and mash the threads,
causing erratic velocity fluctuations. If you have to turn it
5 full times and are still not getting decent velocity, try
replacing your main and valve springs.
Also, the TPC may come loose during play and move in and out,
causing velocity changes, which is why CCI has added a little
nylon screw into the side of the bolt, which locks in the TPC.
However, this is a little hard to lock down once you have your
velocity set unless you have a Right Feed body, so the easiest
thing to do to hold it in place is this. Next time your gun is
disassembled, take out the TPC, and look down the bolt. Grab
the appropriate Allen wrench, and screw the nylon washer in
until you can just see it protrude into the interior of the
bolt. Leave it there, and when you reassemble the TPC and
bolt, it should feel a little snug while you screw it in (but
make sure it’s not too snug or you wont be able to adjust
it!). This will help the TPC stay seated where you set it
throughout the day while still allowing you to adjust
velocity.
Accessories and Custom Parts:
There are many accessories and custom parts out there for the
Phantom, so I will only go over a few of them here.
Detent Ring Set: Available from CCI, the detent
ring set is an absolute must if you are going to be using a
non-multiple bore barrel system. These little rings are 4
different sizes, and sit in the breech of your gun (just
unscrew the barrel,
drop them in, making sure they’re seated correctly, and screw
your barrel back in) and help prevent rollouts. This is a
lifesaver at many Field Paint Only (FPO) fields where the
paint is too small for your barrel, and will save you many
moments of frustration. Being only a few dollars, this should
be a definite item in your gearbox.
CCI Nickel barrels: Also available from CCI are
nickel-plated stock barrels. They are just a little smaller
than the stock barrel due to plating, but it is an excellent
barrel (as is the stock barrel). The matte nickel finish
complements dust anodizing nicely. Trigger Shoes: Available from CCI, trigger shoes fit
over the thin trigger and provide a flatter, wider surface for
your finger to pull against, which makes for a comfortable
trigger pull and feel. This is more of a personal
preference/style thing - I have a trigger shoe on one of my
Phantoms and not on the other, and I can honestly say I have
never noticed the difference while I’m playing, only in the
staging area and range. However, they can be anodized to match
your gun, which adds a nice little flair. These are only a few
dollars, as well.
Bobbed Valves: Available from Punishers Customs, as
well as most paintball machine shops. Bobbed valves are
replacement valves for the Phantom (though you can send yours
in be modified), and are shorter than the stock ones. The air
chamber inside the valve is decreased, which will help your
efficiency using 12 grams, adding 3 to 4 extra shots or so.
However, there is one downside to this: during rapid fire you
will experience a little drop off, and it will increase the
longer you shoot. CCI doesn’t ship Phantoms stock with these
because of that very reason, nor do they offer that option at
this time.
Fr-antom II Barrels®
: These custom-made barrels are done by White Wolf
Air-smithing. The barrels are milled out to accept Smart Parts
Freak barrel inserts and still fit the Phantom marker. This is
a great option if you’re going to be using multiple types and
sizes of paint, because it lets you match the paint to the
bore for maximum efficiency and accuracy. The barrels costs
around as much as other aftermarket barrels, plus you have to
buy all the Freak inserts, so it can get a little pricey.
However, you can purchase the barrel and a couple of inserts
of the paint size that you use the most and go from there.
Where to Buy:
There are many places on the internet to pick up pretty much
anything you want, but here's a few that are outstanding to
deal with and others that I mentioned in the article.
http://www.wevopaintball.com - Site sponsor of SCP, good
prices on Phantoms and accessories, and a great guy to do
business with! Wevo also carries a lot of other pump and stock
class gear. You won’t be disappointed dealing with him.
http://www.punishers-customs.com,
http://www.airsoldier.com - The first link is the main
page for Punisher. Bobbed valves, under-cocking kits, one
piece feeds, and amazing custom work can be found here. The
second link is where you can buy Punishers products.
