Upgrading a 98 custom

i have been playing paintball for about 6 years now but have always used stock tippmann 98 customand while they are amazing little guns i have wanted to upgrade it a little. i am going to put a tippmann CAR style stock on it and my question is if i need to get a drop forward for my tank(9oz but iwill probably go with a 20oz eventually). i am also looking into a new barrel. i have heard good things about smart parts 16inch progressive rifled barrel any thoughts? i am also into real guns as well as paintball and i know it negatively affects accuracy to put a bipod on a barrel(something about barrel harmonics and vibration) does it affect a paintball gun? the last question is about my hopper. i have been wondering if i should upgrade to cyclone feed but since i am moreof a sniper i dont feel it is worth it and have been intrigued about the qloader system? i will be getting a double trigger and hopefully a red dot sight. thank you from a noob upgrader.

I found having a stock on a marker with a tank on it to be cumbersome, especially if you plan on using a 20oz tank. I had a SP Progressive barrel, and it is not rifled unless they have changed it. Most agree on here that J&J and Lapco both make nice affordable barrels. 12-14 is a good length. I had a 16" and found it to be a bit long, but it is personal preference. I actually tend to like shorter barrels. I won't adress the bipod question as I have no idea about harmonics or what. I will say, that I have rarely found myself in a situation where a bipod could really be beneficial. I rarely stay in the same place for long enough. The Cyclone is a good system, but is limited to use on Tippmann markers. However, if you are shooting semi-auto and never really outshooting the hopper, there isn't much reason to upgrade. If you do need something faster, look into a VL Revolution or similiar. They are cheap, dependable and easy to find. On the outside chance that you are planning on upgrading to an RT Trigger or E-trigger, than look into a higher end feeder.