Tiberius Arms Tiberius 8 / 8.1 Pistol Paintball Gun Review

In 2011, Tiberius Arms introduced the first-ever magazine-fed paintball pistol. Paintball media and woodsball enthusiasts alike went crazy for this new concept. Not only was the idea of a magazine-fed pistol cool and convenient, but the paintball gun worked exactly as advertised. The pistol turned out to be one of the most well made products on the market, combining accuracy, durability and reliability with a realistic look and feel. Reviewers compare it to a Desert Eagle 50 caliber “real steel” pistol. A few years later, the manufacturer introduced the Tiberius 8.1. The T8.1 includes a few enhancements over the original, including an undermount tac rail, an optional remote air adapter permitting players to run the pistol on constant air rather than CO2 cartridges, and a low-profile, tool-less CO2 quick-puncture mechanism should you choose to use 12-gram cartridges.

Players can shoot about 24 balls, or 3 magazines, off one 12-gram. While other paintball pistols, most notably the Zeus G2 and Tippmann’s new TPX pistol, come close to the Tiberius 8, it remains the leader in the category. If reviewers had any complaint about this pistol, it is the size and weight. I’ve had personal review experience with the original Tiberius 8 and the T8.1 and, as a female player who stands only 5’3” and weighs about 120, I didn’t have any problems carrying either paintball gun on the field. I’ve also seen kids use the gun in games, squeezing into tight quarters or making a run for the flag. The T8 and T8.1 are both extremely well-balanced and just a lot of fun to shoot. In terms of its durability, during one test for Paintball Sports Magazine, we submerged the T8 in a bucket of water, pulled it out and fired, hitting our target with 6 out of 8 balls. (The missed shots were only slightly off-target and simply due to bad aim.)

Our Sources

1. PBReview.com

Aside from print magazine articles written over the years, PBReview.com offered the most comprehensive reviews of the Tiberius 8, with customers giving it an average rating of 9.2 out of 10. By comparison, the Tippmann TPX pistol received an average rating of 7.9. Various versions of the Zeus G2 received ratings from 8.5 to 9.4, but the Zeus G2 is no longer available in stores since the manufacturer is out of business, making customer service and availability an issue.

2. Amazon.com

Amazon.com offered 2 reviews of the Tiberius 8. One player gave it five stars, commenting, “This gun is perfect. It has amazing range small and very nice and light.” The other reviewer gave it one star, but his comments showed he clearly doesn’t understand the point of pistol play in paintball games. A pistol is not designed as “a back-up to a primary gun,” but to introduce an entirely different style of play. Players who use pistols as “back-up guns” understand their mindset must change when the pistol comes out of the holster – the objective becomes stealth and survival, not firepower.

3. Special Ops Paintball Forum

SpecialOpsPaintball.com – The Special Ops Paintball forum also offered several reviews of the Tiberius 8. One player noted, “WOW! What an incredible piece of engineering. I put about 30 clips through it so far and it is very accurate…able to maintain a 4” group at 30 yards. I would recommend this paintball marker to anyone interested in carrying a sidearm.”

Recon Goes Online

In paintball today, the cutting edge is producing equipment which is faster, cheaper and lighter. As we've seen by the new releases of markers at the recent PSP World Cup, the newest products from Tippmann and TechT, Dye and Planet Eclipse, are all huge steps forward in these realms. Certainly, light and fast aren't always ideal qualities. I'm a huge fan of gorgeous brass sheridan-valved pump markers. But when you are looking to squeeze every bit of performance out of what you've got, lighter and faster is the way to go.

Unfortunately, the changing times have hit the paintball industry hard, and RECON has not been immune to this. RECON has always been a labor of love, not a money-maker, and as such, the "ship of state" has finally scraped up against financial shoals, far sooner than we had hoped. Due to these financial difficulties, RECON will soon be moving to a free, all-online format, to be called RECON Online. We'll continue providing informative and useful articles, and great paintball photos, now at the touch of your keyboard (how's that for fast?). Obviously, this was a hard move to make. It's tough to beat the feel of a great woodsball picture in a glossy magazine. However, this is the manner in which we at RECON feel we can best serve you. Of course, we won't leave subscribers hanging out to dry. Our close friends at Special Ops Paintball have very generously agreed to issue to each subscriber a gift certificate of greater value than the currently remaining balance on your subscription. Details for these will follow. Thank you all again for your support of RECON magazine, and we look forward to continuing to serve the woodsball community in our new online venue!