Paintball Buyer's Blog

Awhile back when I was at CCI, the home of the legendary Phantom pump paintball marker, I saw that Mike Cassidy had an actual Smart Parts Phantom Freak Back on one of his personal Phantoms. There have been some custom-milled stock barrels to accept Freak Inserts over the years but pump players have been begging Smart Parts to make them an actual factory Freak Back since… since… well, since the Freak System came out! Well, a little urging from us (one of, if not the largest SP barrel retailer in the world) and a quick call to Mike at CCI quickly led to this long-awaited product coming to market!

The main reason why Smart Parts never released the Back in Phantom thread is because the inner diameter of the CCI pump handle necessitated a smaller outer diameter for the Freak Back. This diameter was too thin for SP’s specs… barrels would have been snapping off markers left and right. They also were not sure how much of a market there was for such a product… after all, how many people still play pump?

The answer is a A LOT, and the number is growing as players either turn to a pump marker for a new challenge or want to get back to their roots. Available in stockclass or directfeed (“open class”), the Phantom has a cult following for its quality, reliability and ease of maintanence. I’ve known many semi players who bought one on a whim and have never played semi again. Mike Cassidy’s CCI is still going strong after 20+ years with no signs of stopping.

We said, “If you build it, we will buy it”… and now the authentic Freak Back for the Phantom is here! It is made with a 1″ outer diameter so a custom Phantom Pump Handle direct from CCI is included. It is milled out to fit the new diameter and a tad shorter to line up with the front. A new Retaining Nut is included as well. This will accept any of SPs fronts such as the classic spiral-ported All American, the newer Freak or the machinegun-esque Tactical.

Now you are prepared for any paint you need to shoot, as the Freak Inserts allow the shooter to match the bore to the paintball for any conditions. Plus no more rollouts! For those newer pump players out there, that means you won’t experience the frustration of the paintball rolling out the muzzle because its too small for the barrel.

A major manufacturer such as Smart Parts making products for pump players is always a good thing. It shows that this traditional and exciting style of paintball is alive and growing. Let’s keep that momentum going !