MacDev Prime XTS Review

Let’s get this out of the way, I love this gun. So much so that I purchased a second. It does everything and has everything I would like a marker to do and have. My fellow members of the commonwealth over in Australia have a real winner on their hands here and it is a shame that the XTS is not in more players hands.

Around The Outside

The XTS was made to compete against some of the top dogs in the industry and does not disappoint. Starting from the ASA we have a purging system that uses a nice simple lever system. For those not in the know, lever style on/offs like this are patented by Dangerous Power. On the XDR MacDev opted for a screw in alternative to avoid paying the licensing fees, but on the XTS we have a level and I am happy to see it. On the original Prime there was a bit of a jut out that some claimed would cause it to accidentally degas. I have my doubts of this happening in a real world situation but addressing the feedback is always welcome.

Moving up we have a very comfortable set of grips. I never had an original prime but I hear MacDev went for some harder rubber. In theory this wasn’t the worst idea as it did seal off the board and battery from water. After user feedback they opted for softer rubber with a water resistant board. I have used my XTS in the rain without issue so this may have been a good move. The grips are comfortable and grippy without the soft “I’m going to peel apart at any moment”, feel that some softer rubbers tend to bestow.

Speaking of the board, inside the grips is an OLED equipped board and the required 9v battery. Though it would be nice to see the common trend of using AA batteries I will say my 9v battery made it multiple weekends. The use of 9v batteries and that to change batteries requires removing the two grip screws are two out of four of my only gripes with the XTS. The OLED has an easy to read screen with all of the general information you would need to play. Programming is easily done with the trigger and buttons across the back of the frame.

From there we have the frame and the trigger. The frame is comfortable with rubber anywhere your hand would normally touch. The trigger guard is large enough to not get in the way, which could be a negative to some if you like to bounce your fingers off the guard. The trigger itself is simply great. It swoops forward with an angle that puts it between a blade trigger and a scyth. For modern ramping it feels great and with the lever ASA you can easily lower your hand to comfortably use a single trigger. For semi auto this is one of the best stock triggers I have used in a while.

Moving up we have the toolless back cap. This is one of those modern features that every marker should have. At this point it shouldn’t be worth mentioning so let’s move forward the feedneck and eye covers. The feedneck has a pretty standard level with a brass fitting that makes it feel very satisfying to clamp the loader down. On the other side is a thumb adjustment screw that you can once again thank Dangerous Power for. The eye covers are held in place by a magnet that holds them securely. They remove easily but I have never had them come loose in play.

Ahead of all that we get to the adjustable front grip. It can be set to be vertical or at an eight degree angle. The angle is pure preference but I ended up preferring the slight pitch. Again the comfortable softer rubber makes an appearance. The body of the XTS puts the front grip at a very comfortable length from the back grip. This marker is long and at 6’1” it is the most comfortable marker I have owned.

This leaves the barrel. The Shift 3 barrel that comes with the XTS is the perfect system for me but for some may have one flaw. The 3 piece system comes with a back, front, and two inserts. With .689 and .681 sizes you have options for large or small paint. In my region this is perfect but paint varies drastically so keep your local options in mind. The inserts are a proper 8” length and the total barrel length is a fairly standard 14”. The tip is well designed with forward facing ports. MacDev claims that by aiming the venting air forward it helps make the marker quieter for the user and their teammates. I will be testing this with a decibel meter later in the year along side some other barrels but what I do know is it does make it easier to clean. My one grip with the barrel is that the inserts go in through the front of the barrel back. Though this leads to a great fit it does mean it is not recommended to use this barrel with the tip off. My home field is on terf so this does not impact me at all but on grass or dirt can be a major issue. If you take a core sample and cannot clear it this can cost you a point so keep it in mind that on the right ground a different barrel may be a good call.

On the inside

Though the outside of the Prime XTS has some features that I am happy to see looking deeper you find where the real magic happens. We will get to the bolt system shortly but some great choices have been made internally that keep the Prime in the upper tier of paintball markers. One big selling feature is the internal air and wire routing. For the electronics there are no wires between the trigger frame and the body. Two screws lets you remove the frame and a set of pins make or break the electronic collection. The eyes are wired to the upper board located in the body, making for incredibly short eye wires that are nearly impossible to pinch. Following the eyes up you see some clever use of clear plastic seals that prevent paint from getting onto the eyes. These seal well enough that the prescribed cleaning method is pouring water down the breach. While we are here I’ll note the detents are easy to remove. They are a pretty standard rubber detent that though not compatible with other brands of markers they are interchangeable between current MacDev markers.

Back to the subject of air, the air travels through the grip into the regulator inside of the trigger frame. It is easily user serviceable and adjusted. From there it transfers up to the Prime solenoid. Much like the rest of the XTS Macdev makes these solenoids in house. They are resilient and serviceable adding to the long term use of the gun.

To Infinity

Now we get to the Infinity Engine. MacDev made a choice to make a simple, effective, reliable engine. At what cost? In my opinion, very little.

The Infinity Engine is an unbalanced spool valve. The bolt is held in place by an air sear controlled by the solenoid. When allowed the sear vents and the bolt moved forward and the air behind the bolt vents forward sending a paintball out into the world. Often this is called a dump valve. The best comparison would be a simplified Geo or a more refined Dangerous Power G3-5. You see the problem with a dump valve is that if you do not stop the air source it continues to dump down the barrel after the ball has been fired. In the case of a Dangerous Power system the air is allowed to flow freely and is cut off as soon as possible. In the case of the Planet Eclipse Geo they chose to use the solenoid to fill a chamber behind the bolt that is closed off when the sear releases. The XTS has a chamber similar to the Geo but it is fed through slots cut into the bolt. When the air sear is released and the bolt moves forward the slots are cut off, stopping air from getting to the chamber.

This is a simple and effective way of operating a paintball gun. There are only four dynamic orings (meaning orings that see movement when the bolt moves), making for a fool proof system in terms of both maintenance and reliability on the field. The open or closed nature of this valve makes for a very fast shot character. You pull the trigger and at that moment a ball is in the air. This does make for a “crisp” shot, so if you are looking for a long smooth shot character this may not be the marker for you. It’s not a kick in the sense of barrel rise but more a vibration that lets you know a shot has been fired.

Note that the bolt is subject to bolt stick under certain conditions. On most days if you leave the XTS aired up for an hour or so the first shot will be very low. This time frame drops to about twenty minutes on a cold day (under 10*C in my experience). For most players and most games this is not a problem if you make a test shot after long breaks. On cold days don’t be afraid to raise the dwell and/or FSDO on the board.

The elephant in the used market

At the current price of $1400 I am confident that the XTS holds its own against other markers in that price range. Its feature set, ergonomics, and general build quality the XTS holds its own against the likes of the Planet Eclipse CS3 and Dye MXR. The issue lies in the used market. These days you can get a used XTS closer to the price of a used Planet Eclipse 170/180R or Dye DSR. This makes it very hard to recommend the XTS new because the used price is 1/3rd of the new. In fact it was the number one pick in our markers under $500 for 2025.

Some have assumed that the used price is reflective of the quality of the XTS’s quality but I would advise you to reject that. After some mild research I believe I have found the source of the low resale value. One is some of MacDev’s now former retailers were selling Prime XTS for less than its intended price. The other, at least from what I have been able to find, is that MacDev was offering some strong team sponsorship incentives that included the XTS at a discounted rate. When those sponsorships ended the teams sold off their gear reflecting the price they paid and not the retail price of the marker.

End of the line

MacDev created a great marker that they will have a very difficult time selling any more of. I personally own two and love them, but I also personally only spent around $850 for the two. It is very difficult to recommend purchasing a new XTS with the price they are going for on the used market. This unfortunately means the likely end for the Prime line of markers as sales numbers have likely dropped. Thankfully MacDev seems to have found a good amount of success with the GT2 and will likely proceed with their lessons learned with the recently released GTX.

Long story long, if you are shopping for a new marker MacDev holds up with the best of them. Features, ergonomics, and build quality is right up there with the best in the business. They make most (if not all) of the parts for their markers from the solenoids to the barrels so long term support seems locked in even for a smaller company in the greater paintball world.

I intend to use both my XTSs for years to come. My wife is much shorter than myself and she still enjoys the longer feel. The shot character (sometimes called “quality”), is short and snappy in a satisfying way. Efficiency is where it needs to be, though is unimportant enough you will notice I didn’t mention it until now. If you get a chance to pick up an XTS I would do it but just make sure you check the used market. At its new price it is a good deal but at the used price it is going for it is truly a steal.

Find an XTS

I purchased my MacDev Prime from WC Marker here in Canada. They are now a dealer for MacDev products here in Canada but also sell used markers at great prices. The XTS pops up from time to time on BST groups for great prices but buying a used one from a trade in site can get you some peace of mind. There are a few options like Trade My Gun in the USA that are worth combing and finding a deal.