Earlier this week, we shared a video of the Tippmann US Army Project Salvo with the stock barrel versus a 14″ J&J Ceramic barrel.  Now, we’re sharing the hard data with you.  We took 30 shots at a target 75 feet away with the marker chronoed at about 280-285 fps.  It did have an eGrip upgrade as well as the Cyclone Hopper upgrade.  However, no other internals were modified.  For these tests we were using GI Sportz 3-star paint.

Before we get into the shooting review let’s take a closer look at the marker.

Pros

• Reliable/Proven Design – Just like the rest of the Tippmann’s US Army marker line, the Project Salvo is primarily a Tippmann 98 Custom.  Tippmann has spent nearly 13 years tweaking and improving their design since the original Model 98 and it shows.
• Multi-positional, folding stock included – Measuring from the breach, this stock is able to collapse down to 11.25″ and can expand all the way out to just over 14″.  When the stock is folded down only 1.75″ sticks out from the breach.
• Milsim appearance out of the box – Modeled after an AR15, the Project Salvo looks just as good as many of the customized milsim markers at any of your local paintball fields.
• Well-balanced – Even though the marker we tested with came in at just over 8.5 pounds when loaded with paint it felt good when we put it up to our shoulder to fire it.
• Great price – MSRP is only $149.00!  Compare this to a base model Tippmann 98 Custom at $139.00 and you’ll understand why this is such a great deal.  You simply cannot get this marker in separate pieces for a better price.

Cons

• Heavy - As just mentioned, this marker isn’t light.  You’ll want a sling if you’re going to make it through a weekend-long game.
• Standard gravity-fed hopper – Out of the box, this marker comes with the standard gravity-fed hopper.  In our experience, these can lead to the “shaking technique” in the heat of a firefight.  However, you can install a Cyclone hopper for just under $60.
• Difficult to take apart – This is more of a personal opinion than a fact-based statement, but I don’t think I’m alone.  The Tippmann 98 product lines are one of the more difficult markers to quickly break down and put back together.  Most of the internals are under pressure and the smallest wrong move can lead to parts flying all over your workspace.  I don’t recommend trying to break this down at the field; do this at home where you can see things for a few feet in every direction.

Final Verdict

Pending Sainthood. Admittedly, I only shot this marker for about an hour to ensure the upgrades I installed for my brother were working right.  However, in this short time I was able to tell a  lot about this marker.  Out of the box, you’re ready for a great day at the field.  With a little bit of an extra investment it’s even more impressive.

Stock Barrel Performance

Out-of-the-box the Project Salvo comes with an 11″ anodized barrel.  All-in-all it performed relatively well.  I did find myself trying to compensate for the for the left-hand pull, but never seemed able to.

14″ J&J Ceramic Barrel Performance

I was extremely impressed by how tight the grouping was from the 14″ J&J Ceramic barrel.  Remember, we’re shooting round projectiles that, frankly, don’t want to go straight; they like to curve in the direction of the spin.  The above graphs are actually measuring centimeters from the center of the bullseye.  Simply unbelievable.

Given that this barrel has an MSRP of about $30, we have no choice but to call this barrel a Confirmed Saint.