Flatline Barrels

[f1d094]

The flatline barrel is a pretty amazing innovation...Unfortunately, it appears that Tippmann has a patent pending on it.

Does anyone know if they are licensing the technology for 3rd party manufacturers?

In other words, is there a snowball's chance in hell that we'll ever see one for an AGD product?

Its a hell of an advantage to have and I'm now thinking of actually switching to a Tippmann...

[TSalPaintball]

They do make them for the cocker ,but I ma not sure how that works
http://www.armyoforr.com/flatlinecocker.html

[Dayspring]

Not a CHANCE of seeing it on an AGD product.

Yes, they increase your range. But their accuracy goes to hell if not EXACTLY set up right. And by the time the ball hits you at that range, it usually won't break.

Not to mention the fact that if you break a ball in the barrel, you're DONE for the day. Cuz you can't straightshot it, squeegee it or anything else.

[sneakyhacker420]

you can squeegee it, just as long as you have a flexible squeegee


probably the worst thing about them is the fact that they max out at 9bps, any more than that and they'll start breaking balls cause of the stupid curvuture in the barrel


it may shoot further, but in that extended distance, you loose accuracy, and that added distance, you also increase the chances of the ball bouncing off the opponent :rolleyes:


and the cocker flatline is a tippmann flatline with a mounting bracket made for an autococker :o

[sneakyhacker420]

but i'm sure that Doc Nickle or Punisher's Customs could whip up an adapter so that the flatline can work on a mag somehow

... anything can done, but for the right price ;)

[sps16]

i personally don't like the flatline, while it does put extra distance on the ball it creates backspin which makes the ball lose its "uhm" and makes it bounce of your opponent

[Steelrat]

I've seen em shoot. I could pull a "Neo" at the speed those things are moving. As interesting as they are, the only thing they are good for is suppression fire in woodsball. It IS a neat concept though, and does actually increase the range significantly.

[f1d094]

Originally posted by sps16
i personally don't like the flatline, while it does put extra distance on the ball it creates backspin which makes the ball lose its "uhm" and makes it bounce of your opponent

1) What is this "uhm" you speak of?

1a) Why would it make my balls bounce?

2) Does a flatline barrel have a *negative* effect while within the same effective range as a non-flatline equipped marker? (Other than 9bps) It seems to me that a flat trajectory would be nothing but a boon. It would even make the use of sights worthwhile neh?

Cheers.


P.S. Thanks for all the comments/support btw....this forum rocks! (Which in itself is a huge draw to buy an AGD product)

[f1d094]

Originally posted by sneakyhacker420
but i'm sure that Doc Nickle or Punisher's Customs could whip up an adapter so that the flatline can work on a mag somehow

... anything can done, but for the right price ;)

Got any links for me for Custom shops? Anyone you would recommend *PERSONNALY* ???

Thanks!

[f1d094]

So, if I wanted to, could I get the Cocker version of the flatline and hook it up to a ULE mainbody???

Hmm..

[TSalPaintball]

I do not belive they make the flatline for the cocker by its self. I tink you can only get it when u get the flatline cocker. I it uses an adapter I think.

[Skoad]

they are talking about when you shoot a paintball out of the flatline the paint just kinda "floats" towards where it's going.

you can stand there and watch it come to you and casually move out of the way. and it's reduced speed will make it bounce off people.


personally, i hate the suckers...waste of $

[f1d094]

Originally posted by Skoad
they are talking about when you shoot a paintball out of the flatline the paint just kinda "floats" towards where it's going.

you can stand there and watch it come to you and casually move out of the way. and it's reduced speed will make it bounce off people.


personally, i hate the suckers...waste of $

1) So do they have a reduced muzzle velocity as a result of the barrel being curved?

1a) Or do they have a cap on the max speed? (i.e. Can they shoot 260 or 300 fps?)

2) I understand that at long distance they are slower than ****...I've doged longballs for a decade now. What I'm interested in is a flat trajectory for the duration of the ball's "viable" flight time. Comments?

[Steelrat]

Well, the times I have seen them shoot, the ball initially followed a normal path (straight at first, then dropping slowly as it got further out) then suddnely started curving upwards. And this was every shot. So I would say that, according to my observations, it does not follow a flat trajectory.

[Skoad]

it is FAR from a flat trajectory, like steeratt said.

It comes out of the barrel at kind of an arch...starts to drop a bit then goes like straight up in the air.


its hard to explain but once you see one shoot you'll know.


(my friend has one on his m98)

[f1d094]

Originally posted by Steeratt
Well, the times I have seen them shoot, the ball initially followed a normal path (straight at first, then dropping slowly as it got further out) then suddnely started curving upwards. And this was every shot. So I would say that, according to my observations, it does not follow a flat trajectory.

Wow. Very weird. I'd love to see this effect in person.

Have you shot one personally? Is the flight pattern any better / worse say for the 1st 75 feet?

[Steelrat]

Frankly, its not the trajectory you should be worried about, its the speed. You have to see how slow the ball is moving to believe it. You can literally dodge out of the way of them. Unless the person does not know they are being shot at, its really not too effective.

Aesthetically, the flatline looks nice on the A5, kinda like a MP5 with a silencer. But on the 98 it doesnt look as good, and on the cocker it just looks plain wierd. I also remember a rather loud report when I heard an m98 with a flatline firing, and like someone else mentioned, your ROF is fairly slow compared to what other markers can put out.

What are you planning on playing, woods ball or speedball? At most speedball ranges, these things are not necessary. For woods ball they can be useful for surpression.

[athomas]

The velocity of the flatline follows the same acceleration curve as a regular barrel for the most part. There are some minor differences due to the spinning but nothing that we need to concern ourselves with for the purpose of a simple explaination. So, a ball shot from a flatline barrel will have the same impact power as a normal ball shot from a straight barrel.

As you increase the range, you decrease the forward velocity. For a straight barrel, this means that the ball will fall to the ground before it reaches its target. The energy of the spinning keeps the flatline ball in the air longer countering the effects of gravity. The forward velocity still decreases at a predetermined rate for the ball. What this means is that the ball will go farther when shot from the flatline barrel but the forward velocity will be greatly reduced.

We know that long shots from a straight barrel have little impact power. At the same extended distance a flatline will have less because the energy of the spinning ball counters the effects of gravity leaving only the energy contained in the forward momentum of the ball. The ball fired from a straight barrel will have a higher arch to reach the same distance. The forward velocity will be the same at the same distance, but the ball will also have some vertical energy as the ball accelerates towards the ground due to gravity. The ball will more likely hit on the upper front side of the targer but will have a better chance of breaking.

So the combination of forward energy plus vertical energy means a long lob from a straight barrel will more likely break than a long direct hit from a flatline. At close range where the trajectories of both are reasonably flat then both will be equally effective.

I wonder if a person using a slightly curved barrel could extend your arch as opposed to actually reversing the acceleration effects of gravity.