The Bottom Line
The Phantom is the classic on which all other pump paintball guns are compared. It is a simple, compact, reliable pump paintball gun that is suitable for any player with any level of skill.
Pros
- Light and compact
- Runs on CO2 or compressed air
- Customizable
Cons
- Slow to fire (It is a pump, after all)
- More expensive than basic semi-automatics
- Difficult to adjust the velocity (screw is down the barrel)
Description
- Basic pump paintball gun
- Nelson-based design
- Home Page of Component Concepts, Inc.
Guide Review - CCI Phantom
Design
The design of the Phantom really hasn’t changed much in the past twenty years since it was introduced. It has a pump arm that fits around the barrel and a rear grip with a single finger trigger. The Phantom comes with several options including a rear ASA, a bottom line, a vertical adapter or a quick change unit to run off of 12 gram CO2 tanks. The body can either have a feedneck (left, center or right feed) or else come with a 10 round tube for stock class play. You can either get a classic grip or 45 degree grip. While the classic phantom is black, it’s available in almost any color plus acid washing – the “golden gun” version is particularly cool. One thing to be aware of is that the Phantom does not use ball detents so make sure your paint fits your barrel or you’ll have paintballs rolling out.Performance
I love to play with pump paintball guns and the Phantom represents exactly what I love about them. It is extremely light and the grip and pump arm are ideally located for pumping efficiency and comfort. While the pump action is stiffer than the autococker-based pumps, it isn’t difficult to cock and is very smooth compared to other, similar pumps. The trigger does not fire with a feather, but it is by no means difficult to fire, either. Firing the Phantom is my favorite part about the gun as it is extremely accurate and consistent, even when using CO2. Its valve design also allows for autofiring where you simply can hold down the trigger and every time you pump the handle, gun will fire. With autofiring I have been able to get up to 5 bps, though I doubt that I get above 3-4 during actual games.Upgrades
There are many upgrades for the Phantom ranging from sights and scopes to countless pump arms and modified ASAs. While the stock phantom doesn’t need any upgrades, I do enjoy playing with an under-barrel cocking handle.
