Junkie in the Trunk - Issue 1 - August 2008

The very first "Junkie in the Trunk" Blog Gear Review (...dedicated to the Head Junkie, Rich Struth)

IF YOU LIKE THIS ENTRY - PLEASE RATE IT!

Junkie in the Trunk reviews are gritty, fast paced, half baked but manly and almost accurate. We may throw in an opinion. We may miss something totally. If we do, feel free to add it to the comments section.

The BT (Ben Tippmann) TM-7

We finally got our hands on one of the celebrated new BT TM-7 markers. Eagerly anticipated, it was surrounded by rumors of it being a supergun that would count coup on any other Mil-Sil puppies out there. From its looks, I had high hopes for hard ass action. The gun itself weighs in at about the same size as its "brother" gun, the Invert Mini. The body itself is comprised of black composite plastic that appears to be able to take a licking. Since this was Wreckn’ Krew member, Micah “Memnock” Reeve's gun, we hesitated to put it through the full Barnum & Bailey circus act. But Memnock threw caution to the wind and gave the OK to add one small upgrade to see if it made the TM-7 more of a killer.

The “up” he picked was the New Designz Invert Mini V2 Bolt. A Delrin Mini that ND calls the Tru-Flo, it was sure to enhance the already mythical performance of this gun. We’ll get back to this later.

Before we get down to the basics, let's make some comments on the gun itself. If you look at the reference photos, you can see that the gun's shell is made of plastic. First examination anticipates you picking up a heavy piece of gear. Not so with the TM-7. It has got to weigh in at near the same 2.2 ounces touted by the Mini. The shell is detailed and finely marked with accents and the TM-7 logo. At the back end is a sliding, multi-position stock constructed of the same lightweight composite that makes up the shell.

The manufacturers’ info says that the gun has “Mini technology inside”. This is true, but again, I’ll return to this point. There is no shortage of Picatinny accessory rails, with one running the entire top of the gun, a la the BT-4 Combat. Also from the same marker is the feed neck, sliding back and forth on the rail and locking in place. In addition to the stock, there is a adjustable folding front grip. BT has been selling this same grip separately for a time now, so it is a time tested accessory and very comfortable to use, especially with the ability to lock it up and down.

Looking at the electronics, we see a “shift-on-the-fly” lever switch with four positions. Safety, semi, burst & full-auto. These setting can be changed and NPPL, PSP,NXL & Millennium modes can be selected.

OK, it's photo time. Let's take a break to look at some pictures...



Woody "Wolfen" Lovill (LT) of Gunfighter Paintball checks out Micah "Memnock" Reeves' (RT) new BT TM-7 by adding a Metadyne A-5 Magazine to the front rail and seeing how it looks.



Definitely a sweet looking marker!

Composite plastic with recessed hardware make for clean lines and less things to snag in the woods.



Uh-OH! Here was a point that was brought out by the owner at first glance. When he finished a good, hard day of play with the TM-7, the paint distinguishing the different switch settings was all but wiped away. Definitely need to consider etching in this case BT! This is the "before" picture...



Wow! Laid bare, the TM-7 has a familiar look. But not without some important differences.

First off, while this marker is built on the same "platform" as a Mini, do NOT mistake it for the same gun. While the technology is similar, there are some differences that could get you in a bind if assumptions are made.

For example, the bolt. I mentioned earlier that we were going to install the New Designz Invert Mini V2 Bolt. We did. It acted plain stupid. The "chambered" ball was erratic in that it would shoot at an extremely reduced velocity when the gun was pointed at a downward angle. Tilted up, it did the boogie. Down, it seemed that the ball would roll forward and rest on the detents and not give the full contact karate kick needed to zip it on it's way. OK. Scratch that bolt. BUT WHY? A bit o' measuring found that the stock Mini bolt length is 2" long. But the TM-7 bolt length is different and longer at 2 3/8". This was enough to throw the operation off.

Another caution is kind of a "duh", but still worth mentioning because lots of players take it for granted and it can cause problems. DO NOT use a 9.6V battery in the gun. When the owner of this one inadvertently used a 9.6, the solenoid went into a coma and had to be reset before firing. Strange, but true!

The solenoid is mounted horizontally along the top of the inner housing instead of into the bottom parallel to the air tube. What does this mean? Damifino? But it makes for one of the best guns to come out for the scenario player in a long time.

There is only ONE really strong thing that a player may think of when considering this gun. It is not a "field" friendly gun. What do I mean by that? Well, the dissasembly of this marker is not all that easy. If you are not familiar with a Mini or run to the airsmith with any problem you have, then you may want to never consider taking yours apart and letting the tech do it. ("Careful, M'am! He's got a bench!") The hardware is small, lightweight and easy to lose for blind guys like myself. The best way to describe it is to compare it to a Custom 98 being torn down while sitting on the field... with a huge final battle going on around you. Doable, but not an easy task unless you know what you're doing.



Did I say ONE thing? I meant TWO, because I forgot about the "trebuchet" velocity adjuster. Huh? The velocity is adjusted by inserting an allen wrench into a hub with a series of holes in it and turning it clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust. Made me think about that Timeline movie with Medevial war. You will feel like this after trying to set your speed with this apparatus. I found this to be extremely tedious. Woe to one, should the need arise to reseat the poppet. I found this the only really "ouch" point on the marker, especially considering any newer, inexperienced player that gets his mitts on one of these. BT/Invert, you should really consider finding a better way.



Overall, the Junkie in the Trunk gives the BT TM-7, 4 Smiley Nods out of a possible 5. That's pretty damn good! This marker is an airweight ripper, both CQB and on the open field. Memnocks' opponents have made their opinion known. It rips! And at a street price of $399, the price is in the affordable range for most players.

If you want to know more about the TM-7, feel free to pester Memnock here on PBJunkie, write your comments below here or get to the BT website at www.btpaintball.com.

*An additional note. The TM-7 is HPA only and does not run on CO2. In fact, the manual recommends using a low pressure HPA tank. Consider that when making a decision and figuring costs.

Jes "GFGJester" Sharai is a factory trained and certified Invert Mini Tech for Gunfighter Paintball. He is also factory trained and certified for Dye, Tippmann, Eclipse, Empire, NXe, PMI, Smart Parts, Viewloader and WGP. He is an avid paintball photographer and journalist whose resume includes Paintball 2Xtremes, Paintball Sports Magazine, RECON & PB Junkie.com.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER - The opinions stated in this review are that of the writer-reviewer only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the ownership or management of PBJunkie.com.