Special Ops Tiberius 8/9 Extended Magazine Kit
by Dr. Rusty Arrington on Jun 26, 2008
This is as much a review of the Tiberius line of guns as it is about the new Spec Ops Tiberius mag extender. I have been playing paintball since 1989 and can remember very few products which have radically changed the way I played and brought a new level of joy to the game. The Tiberius line of guns did this for me this year. Creeping through the woods with my T9 drawn invoked images of Jack Bauer chasing down bad guys with his pistol and never stopping to take a bathroom break. I love the new play dynamics that the Tiberius T8 brought to my game. Over the years I have gradually descended into a “spray and pray” game from playing tournament paintball. I brought this mentality to the woods and wondered where was all the intensity I vividly remember from my early years? I now find myself choosing my moments and counting my shots under the influence of pure adrenaline.
Counting shots is actually very fun but not always desirable. Eight shots at times can be very limiting. Don’t get me wrong, I more often than not use the mag-feed option on my Tiberius, but I felt the need to upgrade to the T9 for the right feed capability “just in case”. I had the opportunity to use my new Tiberius mag extender at the latest big game I attended and found several of those “just in case” moments when I pulled out the extended mag. The mag was a great first choice for my sprint to pull the flag first at the game start. I ended up getting pinned down once the flag was pulled and was grateful for the extra capacity. The extended mag also worked great in the T9 rifle form when sweeping up the hill waiting for the op-for to ambush us. Yes, having the extra capacity can be a very good thing.
Many players were concerned that the mag was too cumbersome due to its length. Overall I found this to be a non issue when I was using the marker as my primary. The mag was too long for my taste when the T9 was holstered on my thigh. The swept-back positioning of the mag meant that the extender never caught on trees or branches like many faux-mags you find on other guns. Belly crawling through the tall grass was easy. However, it is a bit difficult to shoot while using the sights when lying prone. Obviously these are minor issues and ones I had anticipated even before using the mag. The only other issue regarding the length I found was that my tool-less CO2 puncture screw would not rotate around fully due to the mag obstructing the pin/handle.
The mag extender has been well conceived, designed and crafted. It is machined from a single piece of aluminum and anodized flat black. It does not feel cheap at all. It feels like a nice piece of equipment, which is very important to me. Spec Ops utilizes an octagonal design for the ball reservoir to add strength as well as style. It compliments the existing lines on the Tiberius marker very well. Installation is very easy, the extender bolted onto my existing mag in less than five minutes. Loading is no different than before.
It is refreshing when a company is innovative and gives the player products which they want. Funny thing is that I was sitting around in my office a few weeks ago daydreaming about paintball when I had the thought, “I wish there was a high capacity mag for my T9”. Thanks Spec Ops for giving us another “Mod that makes sense”.
Dr. Rusty Arrington