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But then, perhaps the phrase “entirely new” isn't exactly correct. The Triumph may appear to be another in the line of futuristic-looking Wal-Mart budget bangers popping up on shelves for the last several years, but upon closer visual inspection it becomes clear to anyone with at least an Associate's Degree in paintball design and technology that the Triumph is, in fact, the inner workings of the 98 Custom wrapped in colorful composite. Strip the cast aluminum wrapper off the business parts of a 98 and replace it with a large, blue or red composite shell appearing diametrically different from the black firearm appearance that, according to some, was stodgy and holding the company back in the mainstream, kid-driven market and you get the Triumph line. I never subscribed to that line of thinking, as I was always the type that would rather have a black, rifle-looking paintball gun that went “bang” every time I pulled the trigger rather than a paintball gun with here today, gone tomorrow styling and bright anodizing that, as often as not, went “plegh” instead of sending a paintball out the barrel. That's why my Tippmann collection includes everything from the SMG-60 to the 68 Special and Pro-Am. In a world where every company but Volvo is making a bright red stacked tube blowback clone and selling ten thousand of them a year through the sporting goods stores at the mall, I can understand why the new, corporate Tippmann that wasn't around when Dennis Senior was making firearms and sewing machines would want to produce a red plastic 98 Custom and it makes perfect sense. The insides, where the work gets done, always function and are proven reliable, while the outsides will attract the twelve year old with the suburbanite parents driving the SUV. In fact, inspecting the Triumph's outer shell a second time brought a shocking realization to light that proves that the corporate marketing jocks had been working overtime; the word “Tippmann” is not present anywhere on the Triumph that I could find. What I did find while twisting and turning the big plastic Triumph XT in my hands was a little gold sticker surreptitiously slapped onto the underside of the handgrip that, better than anything, explains the new lay of the land in paintball better than anything: “Made in China.” So much for the “Made in America ” sales pitch that used to help me put reliable, truck-tested-tough, Tippmann paintball guns in the hands of so many customers at the stores I've worked in over the years. But, like J. Geils once said, “it's ok, I understand, this ain't no never-never land.” To be successful in a world of fifty dollar paintball guns, Tippmann can't make everything in the land of the free and the home of minimum wage and unions. Tippmann appears to have handled the “made in China ” thing better than most, as I am patriotically willing to believe that even one of the last bastions of communism can't break a 98 Custom, even if it is wrapped in red and black plastic. The boss is over there off-stage frantically flapping his arms, which must mean he wants me to stop reminiscing about the Tippmann Pneumatics I knew ten years ago in contrast to the Tippmann Sports of the here and now vis-à-vis the geo-political economic landscape and get back to the brass tacks of the Triumph XT the company was so kind to promptly send my way. He's the boss. Now that the blister pack is ripped open let's get to work.
Though the Triumph feels a bit large in the hands due to its large, plastic shell, it is relatively light at just under three pounds. Adding the included nine ounce tank and two hundred ball hopper add a bit more weight, but not much. As the XT is a semiautomatic, double trigger-equipped paintball gun, the nine ounce tank provided with the Power Pack won't be adequate for anything more than back yard plinking for very long. A twelve or twenty ounce CO2 tank would be ideal for the Triumph, as the included drop forward will keep the overall package short enough for young players and the larger tank will provide a great deal more shots per fill, especially in cold weather. It felt a little strange heading down to the local paintball store and asking for a nine ounce tank fill. It had been a long time, but I think it was good for me. Often the first step on the road to ending up somewhere bad is forgetting where you came from so I just smiled when the guys snickered as I handed them a nine ounce tank. Since that's what Tippmann packages the Triumph with, that's what powered it during my testing. With its included nine ounce tank filled and a hopper of XBall Silver paintballs, the chronograph range was the next stop, with the first three shots down the barrel clocking in at an interesting 221, 222, 223. Though I had to wonder if the Triumph's velocity would increase by one foot per second per shot fired for the rest of the afternoon, I decided that attempting to increase it manually might be faster. The Triumph's velocity is adjusted through the left side of the receiver similar to the 98 Custom. A quick turn of an Allen key brought the velocity up to 272, 271, 273, very impressive numbers for a hundred dollar paintball gun powered by CO2. Predictably, after a few dozen more shots liquid CO2 entered the valve in spite of the included expansion chamber and velocity immediately spiked to three hundred feet per second. Even during a liquid velocity spike, the Triumph XT maintained its extreme consistency, with velocity holding at 301, 303, 301 feet per second! During hot summer months, players should take care to regularly chronograph their Triumph to ensure that velocities remain safe. The Triumph XT is accurate. Thanks to a combination of impressive consistency and a stock barrel nicer than anything I've seen from Tippmann in the past, shots at close ranges landed in a tight group, with shots at longer ranges in a larger, but predictable circle good enough for play at the local paintball field or in the neighborhood woods. As the composite receiver and vertical feed of the Triumph prevent sighting down the top of the gun, owners will required a few hoppers of target practice in order to become sharpshooters. As an added note speaking volumes for the quality of the Triumph, no matter what the velocity or rate of fire, the gun neither chopped nor broke a single paintball during testing. Targeted at entry-level players, the Triumph line offers Tippmann performance, reliability and quality at a bargain price
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Tippmann's new Triumph line comes in three flavors, from the entry-level, blue XL through the red XT to the red eXT electronic version. All are semiautomatic, standard with double triggers and come either as “Power Packs” with Tippmann-labeled VForce goggles, a hopper and a nine ounce tank or the basic gun by itself depending on which ends up in the shopping cart. The XT, which can be had for fewer than one hundred dollars, provides its owner with a solid list of standard features. An expansion chamber is built into the long, middle grip area for improved consistency and more shots per tank, a company-first vertical feed neck, swooping drop forward bottle adapter and an eleven inch stock barrel that is one of the nicest I've seen from the company. Barrel threads on the XT line are large 98 Custom threads, so plenty of after-market barrels are already available and any barrel used will remove quickly for cleaning. If I were Tippmann, I'd make a “sniper” version with a longer, ported barrel and a plastic housing molded in olive green rather than the bright red or blue standard colors. After all, Tippmann is the weapon of choice for scenario and woodsball players.