My 68 Special with Tippmanns stock 16 inch sniper barrel, 20oz tank, 100 round Viewloader vl-90v2 loader, Palmers SHER085 muzzle brake, Tyler #3 trigger shoe, generic buttstock and padded rifle sling. Missing in this picture is the Aimpoint 5000 2X red dot scope with grooved receiver mounts. When fully loaded, it is heavy. It's length is almost the width of the car. The best 1992 Woodsball Marker.
The Model 68 Special from Tippmann Pneumatics Inc.
The Serendipitous Paintball Marker
I am writing this due to the lack of available information on what I consider one of the best and unique paintball markers ever made. The Tippmann 68 Special was a marker ahead of its time and then abruptly abandoned. My goal is to try to fill in the gaps and
clear up misunderstandings about the Wet CO2 system markers compared to standard Dry CO2 system markers, Something that I wish Tippmann had done. Had they tried, they might have realized what they had and what could have been done with it. I also hope that the information I can provide will increase interest in and help to return the 68 Special to the field of play. Look out Mil Sims, Old school is pushing back. So here is my blog of what I discovered was the Serendipitous Paint Marker, the 68 SPECIAL. Enjoy.
An advertisement for the 68 Special in paintball magazines
Though
very reliable and durable in the field, the 68 Special had two
Achilles heals.
The
first was a production issue. The 68 Specials started by hand
assembling from chopped pre-made SMG 68 frames and toolings. These
were hand fitted to a chopped SL-68 style feed and barrel system.
This meant that the markers had slight variations and did not have
easy interchangeability where it was most critical for the evolution
of the marker to take place. Even when the markers were being hand
greensand cast dedicated for the 68-Special, it still restrained the
much of the cut and fit construction of the original. SMG 60
conversions had more delicate frames and the receiver could not stand
up to the increased forces generated by the use of liquid CO2. Some
cracked at the setscrew on the receiver tube support. Others just
cracked at the forward bolt hole locations that remained after the
conversion. The pinch was made exclusively for the SL-68's 40 rnd
hopper, Not the standard hoppers that were on the market. The pinch
would break if someone attempted to force a fit.
The
second was that much of the material it was made of rusted. Most of
the markers of the time were aluminum, brass, and/or plastic. After a
game it was typical to rinse and hang the markers to dry. Soap that
washed off the oil based paint also washed off the protective oil
coat on the Tippmanns. This was also true of its SMG predecessors.
That is the main reason functioning markers are getting harder to
find. You will notice the brown receiver sleeves and hammers on most
markers that come up for sale, rust damage. I fortunately owned real
weapons and was used to detail cleaning and oiling, so my markers
were well regulated [Kept in good working order, if your unfamiliar
with the term.] I will be using pictures of them in my discussions.
Yes I do have more than one.
The
greatest and most unique feature of this Marker was the push into Wet
Systems Technology. Most likely accidental while studying a flaw in
the SMG series, accidental liquid feed. A feature that was turned
from a liability to an asset. A marker that did not suffer the chill
effect of rapid fire even while spitting frozen vapor itself. A
marker with no regulator yet could maintain safe velocities where
others failed and still fail. A marker that could rival HP Air
markers decades before they even existed. Then suddenly, abandoned.
Never to be raised to reach its full potential, but left to fade out
of existence because its parent chose to dote over a less perplexing
child, the SL.
I
have since determined that despite being the greatest feature, liquid
feed was also THE
death
knell for the 68 Special. Tippmann's failure to change the design on
the Siphon tank valve allowed the siphon tanks to be used on
non-siphon markers. This became more painfully obvious when they were
being used with factory SMG-60s. The SMG-60 was only COMPATIBLE
AFTER the
mainspring was clipped, a fact never listed in any manual. Its use on
other markers proved more disastrous. The liability was high. Rather
then draw attention to the issue, the 68 line was quietly dropped and
all replacement parts sold off. At the time of this writing, Tippmann
still does not have copies of the owners manual for the 60's or 68's
on its web site. You will also find no mention of siphon tanks.
The New Beginning
If you plan to acquire a 68 SPECIAL for play you will need a Full face mask with a soft flexible chin and cheek area that will flex around the tank. The 68 Special shoulder mounts high like a real rifle. Rigid masks will not let you look down the sites. The 1990 masks were smaller and did not have the clearance problem. I use a JT Proteus mask with my markers and it has just enough give to sight in.
1990 field legal mask and a current field legal mask that works with the 68 Specials high shoulder mount. Left is my JT Thermal Spectra goggles. You can't see the plastic ear cups that I purchased after seeing an earshot drop a player. On the right is a JT Proteus. When I tried to play again they disallowed my first mask and all they had in the shop was an insanely expensive Proteus. I wanted to play so I bought it. After all that, I found that they only gassed the tanks for one game play. No liquid CO2 so I couldn't play anyway. The silver lining was that the Proteus lays right into the 68 Special for comfortable sighting in.
An introduction to my 68 Specials
My initial experience with the marker was not a good one, but getting an understanding and taking corrective action changed that experience from bad to great, making it my preferred marker of choice. I started paintball in about 1990 using a Splatmaster Rapide. This was at the request of a coworker who was invited to a between radio stations challenge and was requested to bring friends. I never played paintball before and somewhat reluctant, purchased a new marker and gear. The game went well and I was hooked. I eventually modded the marker with Gator and other parts and played regularly.
My first marker. A Splatmaster Rapide with Gator upgrades plus. My favorite tactic was to sprint the flag line on the whistle to flank the enemy before they positioned themselves, then come back and take them out with the 1x power Red Dot scope. The scope had poly-carbonate shields over the lenses but they have long been lost.
Most of the markers in the field were Nelspots and pumps and I only saw one SMG 60. I was on the receiving end. Hell yes they hurt. I was strafed across the chest at close range. Its owner had so much padding on that my ball had just bounced off without breaking. It was other wise a perfect shot. I learned an absolute and clear lesson then to shoot til they break.
A few months later my coworker showed me his new prize, a 68 Special. He pleaded for me to get one and we could mop the field. I looked at the price tag and said pass. He persisted and eventually I went to the shop and purchased the display as the markers were back-ordered with no clear future delivery date. I bought it on August 21st, 1991 for $369.00 plus tax.
This is what came in the box. The display 68 Special for $369.00 plus tax purchased on Aug. 21, 1991. Contained patch, manual, spare o-rings, 68 Special, 40 rnd hopper, 7 oz siphon tank with shoulder stock, squeegee, sling, Warranty card (not in picture), and a tank fill coupling with washer. I believe there was a coupon for paintballs that I never used.
I grew to hate this marker as the valve always leaked. I should have contacted Tippmann as I later found that their customer service was pretty good, but at the time they were backed up on orders, the field called and all markers seemed to have one or more issues of some kind. It was a good shooter and replaced my Rapide but I hated the intermittent leak issue. My coworker had to buy every new marker as it came out and quickly got cross with his wife. Three was his limit, no more markers til he sold some old ones. He offered me his 68 special with only months of use, for $150.00. I declined so he threw in all its accessories for the same price. I could use the two extra tanks and one was 20oz, plus I was looking to mod some barrels and so I accepted. I tested his marker in a game for function and loved it. After a thorough cleaning and oiling, I transferred my accessories and retired my marker. I have been using this marker since. I eventually replaced the valves in my original and it is now just as reliable. After seeing the Tippmann TILs, I suspect the problem was really the valve O-rings damaged by the store owner when examining the valve system on the display. It's my backup now. My construction job eventually ended and so did the funds for game play. I cleaned everything and packed it away.
A few years ago, I started playing again but it has been hard to find fields that properly fill tanks. Most were just pressurizing the tank. This gets most markers through a game but it doesn't get the 68 Special through chronograph. Most people now have never heard of a siphon tank or say oh no, you can't use that, it will damage the marker. My local field closed up due to the economy a few years back so I have been benched again. This gave me time to find out why and how my marker was so different from the others. Despite its fame or notoriety depending on who supplies the inconsistent data, Tippmann doesn't even seem to acknowledge that this marker ever existed. They sold all remaining supplies to PB Sports and no longer mention or support it. Any questions that I sent them went unanswered. I was excited with the SL return and then depressed with no mention of the 68 Special. I now found a field in a neighboring state and am once again getting ready to play. The following is supplied for those who have had the good fortune to come into possession of a 68 Special but can't find much about it. Most sites either omit critical information or have it wrong to begin with. Other than sales brochures, documentation is rare and data had to be extrapolated from related markers with known changes taken into consideration. Help with any missing information or error identification will be appreciated.
The
Short History of the 68 Special
In
1986, Tippmanns SMG 60 Gen 1 had its strengths but even more faults.
It sported an efficient 62 cal ball, available in semi-auto only or
select fire(semi and full auto fire depending on trigger pull), tank
feed, and 15 fast shot capability. Its faults were that it had no
Safety switch, no velocity adjuster (Velocity
was adjusted by changing out the mainspring, This was not even stated
in the manual. Also most markers at this time had no field
adjustment.),
15 round bursts on full auto that threw the expensive clips into the
bushes, a system that would spaz on liquid CO2 if fired at downward
angles, and a frail gas line on the outside of the receiver. Tippmann
then made the SMG 60 Gen 2, the gas line was moved inside, and a set
screw behind the trigger could disable the full auto mode, but it
still had no mechanical safety (The
instructed safe position was lowering the bolt into closed position,
striking the bolt handle could still fire the marker.),
the liquid CO2 issues remained, had no field velocity adjustment and
the 62 caliber ball was becoming increasingly harder to find. In
1987, Tippmanns response was the SMG 68. This is the first of the Wet
CO2 markers. It used a siphon tank to intentionally draw and use the
liquid CO2 to an advantage (I
believe that the valve is the same as in the SMG 60 Gen 2 but the
increased force from the previously undesired CO2 liquid feed could
fire a 68 cal ball very well. Serendipity?),
it still had no mechanical safety, but it was stock SEMI
AUTO ONLY (full
auto SMGs were being banned at some fields. Some users quickly found
that installing a SMG 60 Gen 2 trigger gave this marker full auto
capability, the threaded set screw hole for full auto disable was
still in the receiver frame and could be used).
In 1988, Tippmann released the SL 68. An economical pump that again
used "Dry System" CO2 and a 40 round gravity fed hopper. In
1989, The SL 68 was doing well but for the semiautomatics, the
velocity control and the lost clips were still issues. Competitor
markers began sporting semi auto fire but with simpler gravity fed
hoppers. In 1990, Tippmans final Solution was the 68-Special. It
still had no mechanical safety, it did have a velocity adjustment
screw, it had the siphon tank from the SMG 68 and a 40 round gravity
fed hopper (The
hopper neck was undersized and adapters had to be used for installing
aftermarket hoppers, The necks were also prone to breakage if over
tightened or if forced to open wider.).
Tippmann then initiated a program to perform a non-reversible
upgrade
on sent in SMG markers for about a $100.00 fee. Later, the roll pin
under the valve was omitted, the valve was milled, and a C spacer was
installed to ease valve floating for more consistent velocities.
Shortly after that the side notch in the bolt tube gave the marker
its first mechanical safety. Now we are at the final version of the
68-Special. The evolved marker designed with on the fly improvements
and corrections. This marker was built using the existing factory
parts of its various SMG predecessors. It was a veritable paintball
Prometheus, taking the best of all its ancestors. Sadly this was also
the last model of this innovative series. The 68-Special had two main
variations. The release model, which had a roll pin valve retainer
under the valve, a power tube with a steel rod insert, and no
mechanical safety. The final version which had the grooved valve with
a C shaped valve retainer/spacer, a one piece power tube with three
holes, and the mechanical safety. Because of the upgrade program and
factory service upgrades, 68-Special markers may have on the
nameplate SMG 60, SMG 68, or 68-SPECIAL. They may also have the later
power tube, valve spacer/retainer, and the safety notch on earlier
models. The distinguishing factor for a 68-Special will be the hopper
clamp on the right front of the receiver.
WET
CO2 Systems (volume) VS DRY CO2 Systems
(pressure)
Take
everything you were told about paintball markers and trash it. It
most likely does not apply to the 68-Special. Other than the early Z
series and the Mega Z made by Montneel Designs, no other markers were
designed to cycle liquid CO2 in them. It looks to me that this
was an accidental system discovered in the SMG 60 liquid CO2
malfunctions. The Montneel markers were initially based on the
68-Special with focus on an improved valve design and on
upgradability. These, the SMG 68s and the 68-Specials are referred to
as "WET CO2" systems and they actually use a different
physics than "DRY CO2" system markers.
Dry
markers use the CO2 in gas form to fill a firing chamber. A pressure
regulator limits the gas entering the chamber to a fixed pressure
that on sudden opening, the escaping gas pushes the ball to its
velocity. As the ball travels down the barrel, the pressure drops as
the gas was already expanded in the expansion and firing chambers
prior to release. This is why barrel length has limited effectiveness
of about 14 inches. The upside is that you can reduce velocity and
save gas. The downside is temperature sensitivity. The system cools
on consecutive firing. On rapid fire, the pressure can drop to less
than the regulated pressure and ball velocity suffers. Also tipping
the marker to allow liquid CO2 to enter the system can cause
dangerous pressures and damage the marker as well as exceed safe
shooting velocities.
Wet
markers run liquid CO2 directly to the valve with NO regulator and NO
expansion chamber. The valve size and the force of the hammer strike
pushes out a FIXED volume of CO2 liquid that expands rapidly outside
the valve and in the power tube. The set screw on the side of the
power tube uses turbulence to cause back pressure, this higher pressure slows the conversion of liquid to gas. After that, the liquid to gas conversion pushes the ball
with increasing pressure unlike the dry system that releases all
pressure at once. With a wet system the tighter the ball seal and the
longer the barrel, the higher the exit speed. Longer barrels DO get
higher velocities on wet systems. The limit is when the forward bolt
pulls back far enough to release barrel pressure. Keep in mind that
you're still limited by field velocities. 270 is 270 whether pushed
violently at once (dry) or through rapid acceleration (wet). The good
side is that with a wet system, you are at maximum velocity. If Gas
CO2 should enter the system then the velocity will lower and not get
dangerous like liquid CO2 in dry systems. There is substantial
confusion about this because of velocity bursts of the SMG 60s when
tipped forward and liquid enters the valve. (There
was no anti-siphon device in Tippmann tanks, in fact Tippmann still
does not recommend them.) SMG
60s were NOT siphon markers, They were designed as dry systems with
no regulators and the tank itself being the expansion chamber. More
confusion comes from POST SMG parts lists that list Siphon Tanks as
an option. I have found no manuals exclusively for the SMG 68 and all
evidence shows that a SMG 60 manual was sent with new SMG 68 markers.
The siphon option was only intended for the 68 Cal and standard tanks
for the 62 Cal but that fact was never clarified. This
has resulted in all types of absurd comments on 68 Special velocities
and quirks, all rumors. Rumors repeated so often that they are now
regularly confused with fact. The wet system is SAFER than dry
systems. The only downside is that the amount of CO2 used in shooting
is much higher.
The
simple fact to remember is that wet systems work on volume and dry
systems work on pressure. Liquid cannot be compressed, a chamber of a
fixed size holds liquid at a fixed volume.
If some of the liquid turns to gas, then the volume is actually
reduced. This is not true with gas, where a chamber of a fixed size
can hold different volumes of gas at different pressures and are
greatly affected by temperature changes. If the marker is
chronographed after the system is properly wetted, three rapid shots
with barrel up, then the maximum velocity is shown. Any gas entering
the system or forming in the system on a hot day does
not increase the
velocity. Wet systems use the rate of expansion, liquid to gas, not
the expanded gas pressure to push the ball. The small valve area can
only release a small quantity. The more expanded gas in the valve,
the less liquid there is, the less liquid there is, the less there is
to convert to gas on release and therefore the less there is to push
the ball with resulting in lowered velocity. All expanded gas in the
valve critically lowers velocity and does not push the hammer
sufficiently to catch. The wet system IS safer. Using the liquid to
gas conversion is also why a wet system can be effectively used in
cold snow covered areas where ""Dry" CO2 pressure
systems fail to perform well. It also allows rapid-fire WITHOUT a
significant drop in velocity. A real kickbutt feature before the use
of HP air.
If
you have ever seen a 68-Special in action. You probably saw the
result of just gas in a wet system when the liquid runs out, there is
not enough force to blow back the hammer to catch on the sear and the
marker machine-guns chopping up balls with a loud
BBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRAAP. Back then, we called those Tippmann gun farts.
The barrel then required cleaning and a rush was certain. If you
didn't have buddies or a back up piece, you were usually screwed. The
main reason I went to a 20 oz tank. Tip: If your 68 Special starts to
Machine-gun, tip it upside down and change the tank as fast as you
can. Turning it over stops the ball chop and clears some debris from
the barrel during the machine-gun. After tank change, right the
marker, and Re-cock. It will fire some unbroken balls. The accuracy
will not be there but you can take out the rushers giving you time to
safely sqeegee your barrel. The MYTH about tipping the 68 Special
marker certain ways and getting higher velocity has been one of the
most aggravating issues that I've had to deal with in the field, even
in the 90s..
On
a side Note
Can
you convert the 68 Special to HP air? Sorry, no. The valve capacity
is too small and the feed line from the tank is a spring encased
1/16" plastic tube. It is too small to allow adequate air flow.
It will overheat and/or rupture before adequate pressure can be
reached for the valve size during rapid-fire. The valve seats are
also not designed for the required HP pressures. On impact the valve
is designed to release liquid CO2 on both sides. The valve is
free-floating so roughly an equal release is on both sides. One side
drives the ball and the other drives the hammer back to catch the
sear. Besides not having any expansion chamber or internal regulator,
The hammer itself weighs 275 grams or 9.7 ounces. That's more then a
half pound cycling on each shot. The gas would have to overcome the
inertia of the hammer as well as being able to reset the mainspring,
furthermore it would have to propel the ball to proper velocity.
Without a complete redesign of the whole system, satisfactory HP air
is not possible. Most of the blown lines I have read about were
during a test cycling of CO2 gas or compressed air and not the proper
liquid CO2 as required.
On my future posts I will be supplying some tear down pictures for those repairing or restoring their markers. Debunking 68 Special Myths. Tippmann siphon tank innards and hopefully how to build them. I would also like to review velocity issues and supply some videos. If all goes well I will eventually supply details on a major mod on my third 68 special. [TOP SECRET ]
SML
Blogger.com user StrayBlackCatsMeow
Address http://68-special.blogspot.com/
Blog "The 68-Special from Tippmann Pneumatics Inc"
Blog Reference page number 01
Title - The Serendipitous Paintball Marker
Revised - 05/24/2017
