U.S. Army Paintball is a new entity in the sport of paintball, but the products are manufactured by old hand Tippmann Sports.  The Alpha Black is named for the earliest M16 Military rifles issued during the Vietnam War.  Soldiers during that conflict took to calling the M16 the "Little Black Rifle".  The Alpha Black comes in several different configurations, including the basic, basic with E-Grip, and the model tested here, the Alpha Black Tactical, which is aimed right at the hearts and minds of scenario players. 

The Tactical reviewed here is a pre-production piece, which was described by representatives of Tippmann as "98% there" with regards to how the actual production piece would look.  Functionally the marker is identical to a production piece.  

The design of the Alpha Black Tactical is inspired by the workhorse Model 98, which bodes well for the marker's reliability.   Tippmann went to great lengths with this marker to make it resemble the M16, with the cast body of the marker shaped like an M16, the curved 'clip' coming out of the authentic looking magazine well.  The plastic 'clip' can be removed from the marker and used as storage space for oil or a map or the like.  The distinctive raised sight rail of the M16, the 6 position CAR retractable stock and the A2 styled foregrip complete the look.  To the uninitiated, the Tactical looks real enough to get the unwitting scenario player in trouble.  Failing to follow my own advice nearly got me into a scrape with the law transporting the Alpha Black from a local field to my home...the attendant at the drive through I was going through took some convincing that the marker wasn't an assault rifle sitting in the floorboard.  Discretion is the better part of valor when transporting scenario/mil-sim paintball gear.

Out of the box, the Tactical has a similar feel to the M16A  I carried while in the Army back in the late 1980's.  The 11" barrel is a bit shorter than the real thing, but close enough to the CAR variant of the rifle to make it feel 'real'.  A hopper isn't included with the Tactical, so it's up to the user to decide how he wants paint fed into his marker.  A standard angled duckbill ASA is mounted on the underside of the marker's grip frame, which gives a clue as to how the Tactical prefers to be fed air.  Like most Tippmann markers, the Model 98-inspired Alpha Black prefers CO2 over compressed air.  We did note better consistency from shot to shot with compressed air, but running even a 47 cubic inch tank is overly cumbersome in an on-gun setup.  Those wanting to use compressed air would be better served by setting up to use the marker with a remote setup to preserve the feel of the real thing.  For the bulk of the testing of this marker, we ran it on-gun with a 12 ounce CO2 tank, which gave us the best compromise of capacity and weight. 

For the review, the marker was powered mainly by the 12 ounce CO2 tank, a Hard Corps Torque hopper and the stock barrel.  The low profile of the Torque coupled with its' relatively low weight countered the fact that it was hanging off the right side of the marker.  The front stock went a long way towards keeping everything in line while handling the marker on the field fully set up. 

The marker made its' debut at a LCP Scenarios game held at Blackwater Paintball in Monticello, Florida.  The hardcore scenario players on hand initially mistook the Tactical for a heavily upgraded marker, and when they were told of the test marker's low price, the reactions were mainly along the lines of "Finally!  A starter marker for scenario players!"  Field owners loved the marker's bang-for-the-buck value of the Alpha Black, saying that "ALOT" of these markers were going to get sold.

The weather that weekend was precisely what normal weather in Florida wasn't like, with temperatures in the low 40's during the day and constant rain.  Despite the less than ideal weather conditions, the Tactical's unported barrel shot the ProCaps LCP "Billy Ball" very well in the less-than-ideal conditions.  The marker was also fed Diablo Formula 13, which shot adequately through the Tactical. 

The marker has the characteristic Tippmann bark, and felt recoil was heavy for those not used to shooting a blowback style marker.  For those accustomed to a blowback marker, the recoil is precisely as expected.  The marker's weight soaked up a lot of the recoil generated by the marker's hammer slamming back and forth during firing.   Perceived accuracy was typical of a Tippmann M98, which the Tactical shares barrel threads with.  With an aftermarket barrel, accuracy should improve, but at the expense of ruining the marker's look.

With the Alpha Black and Alpha Black Tactical, scenario players have an option for a solid performing, extremely reliable, realistic looking marker to be had for a reasonable price.  The MSRP for the marker reviewed here was $149.99, with the base Alpha Black retailing under $100.  For those on a budget, they can buy an Alpha Black and upgrade it later with the Tactical kit as funds allow. 

To squeeze even more performance from the Apha Black, US Army Paintball will be selling a separate E-Grip for the marker to increase the rate of fire.  No pricing was available for the E-Grip at the time of this review.   For more information on the U.S. Army Alpha Black and Alpha Black Tactical, check out www.usarmypaintball.com

© Copyright 1999 - 2008, 68Caliber.Com

Top of Page