Paintball Buyer’s Blog

Okay, I am officially impressed with the Smart Parts SP-1. This thing is fun to shoot and is gentle on paint, plus basic maintanence is quick and simple. I picked up the Stock Plate Adapter (which lets you mount most models of Tippmann 98 stocks) and the Double Trigger Kit. Though I really liked the look and more realistic milsim feel of a single trigger, I wanted to try it out with the factory aftermarket trigger kit. Definitely glad I did! On the stock trigger the activation point… where the microswitch ‘clicks’… is pretty early so the rest of the triggerpull (known as overtravel) is wasted motion. Lots of overtravel also puts unnecessary wear on the microswitch. The Double Trigger Kit angles the trigger back and includes a triggerstop screw so you can adjust how far the trigger travels. Less wasted motion = faster rate of fire and longer microswitch life!

The owners manual for the SP-1 only shows maintanence as far as removing and greasing the bolt… these markers were designed for first-time paintball marker owners as well as seasoned players and thus the manual was designed to show you the basics without confusing the less mechanically inclined. Anything beyond basic upkeep should be handled by a well-trained and knowledgable technician at your local paintball pro shop. I had fun tearing it apart to install the upgrades… 20 years of paintball dissection makes it a breeze… but I realized that others might not have such an easy time with it, or maybe they live far away from a pro shop. Well, I took out my camera, tore my SP-1 back apart, and snapped a few pics to help those install these popular upgrades and understand their SP-1 and Smart Parts Vibe (they are similar) a little more.

DISCLAIMER! I’m not responsible for any damage or mistakes you might make to your paintball marker. Please use all the proper tools and lubricant when performing anything to your marker. Please remove and COMPLETELY degas your marker (remove tank and dryfire till no longer cycling) prior to any maintanence. If you’re not sure of any of the following, contact Smart Parts Tech Support, they have friendly and knowledgeable people over there in Pennsylvania!

Degassed completely? Good, first thing first is to remove the grip screws and the battery. Don’t yank out the battery by the wires! Notice how the battery lays in the grip? Use a little thought when placing and removing the 9 volt and you won’t have any broken or crimped wires. Remove the screws holding the ASA to the gripframe.

Next remove the bolt. This is actually the bulk of the maintanence your SP-1 or Vibe will ever need. Using a 1/8″ Allen wrench, remove the two screws and the back plate. With a 5/16″ Allen you now unscrew and pull out the rear plug. Using a squeegee or similar object, gently push the bolt back from the breech end out the back.

Look how much grease was on there from the factory. Thats how much you want to use. In the future, you’ll be wiping down the bolt and inner chamber, regreasing with Smart Parts Sleek Lube or Dow 33 and sliding the whole assembly back into the marker. Never use any oil for you SP-1, Vibe or other Smart Parts spool valve guns!

Now remove the three screws holding the gripframe to the body… one behind the grip, one in front of the trigger and above the regulator, accessed through the whole on top of the body.

Now the gripframe can be gently pulled away. Just make sure to guide the battery connector with care through the frame so you don’t break the battery wires.

With a suitable tool… I used a small Allen wrench… push the crosspin forms the axle that the trigger pivots on out from the right side of the frame (with the frame pointing away from you) and remove the trigger. Remove the screw above the forward end of the triggerguard and the brass nut that that also houses the trigger pretravel screw in there. You may need to back out the pretravel screw a bit to fit the wrench in the nut. Remove the single triggerguard, insert the double and put the screws back in place. Slide the new trigger in place and insert the framepin from left to right.

Now, everything goes back together in reverse order. Note in the pic below how the regulator and frames nest into each other.

If you’re adding a stock with the Stock Adapter Plate, slide the piece that the stock fits through on first. Then, piece the two sections of the plate that go against the body onto the end of the stock. See how all the tongue and groove sections fit together? Clamp those down over the end of the stock, then slide the first piece down the shaft, lining up the metal guide pins into the holes. One thing to be aware of is that these parts are plastic and thus not always perfect dimensions the fit was designed to be very tight. Better this than a loose and wobbly stock! I found that a simple bench vise or large pair of padded vise grips made clamping the adapter together much easier… unless you plan on changing stocks all the time you will only need to do it once anyways.

Thats it… there’s not much to it. Just go slow, take your time and don’t force anything. Don’t do it anymore than you have to as well. One thing I’ve learned about paintball markers is that the less you take it apart, the better. Now I’m not saying to never clean your marker, what I’m saying is that if your marker isn’t full of mud and got shot up to the point that paint has seeped in everywhere you should just clean the breech and wipe it down. When you do need to tear your SP-1 or Vibe down further, such as a deep clean or to change the ball detents, remove the screw and block by the reg on the underside of the body and then slide the internal chamber and firing can out of the body. That stuff on the internal chamber is the same grease you use on the bolt to make installation easier.

Here’s how my personal SP-1 currently runs. In addition to the Stock Adapter Plate and Double Trigger Kit, I added a CORE Collapsible M4 Stock, LAPCO Bigshot 14″ Barrel and a new Single Point Tactical Sling that we have for a smokin’ price at the moment. There is one idea I have for this marker thats going to involve some cutting of this, hacking that and causing a total void of warranty in general… but its going to be sooooooo cool!