Stiffi Switch Barrel Kit Question...

[XtremeC]

so i understand that the barrel back is only 1" long so how are you suppose to screw it into a tac-one? The barrel goes in about 2"... Secondly i understand it has 4 bore sizes for differnent paintball situations but what about the barrel tip? If the barrel tip is .691 wont a small ball just bounce around in the tip once it leaves the back of the barrel?

thanks if you can elabrate a bit

[XtremeC]

still wondering..

[Automaggot68]

still wondering..
I am too. That's a good question.
Wish i could help you :(

[FireITup14]

i dont know....but be carefull if you do so. i got a thread adapter and it has gotten stuck in two differnt ULE bodies because of the cut off on them. i had to drill holes in the adapter twice.

[indulgence]

I don't know if this is totatlly correct but, that 1 inch back at .691 is for paint to bore match. Meaning, it is .691 for a nice fit around your paint for the ball acceleration. After it leaves that, it has been fully accelerated and even if it did bounce around in the tip I actually think it will just slide through loosely, not even bounce, but if it did,, it wouldnt be so much because the tips aren't that much bigger, and it wouldn't really affect the trajectory that much.

hope this helps, again I'm not totally sure about this.

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

First off the guy running around with the claim to fame that the barrels with the short size reducers, or inserts, are the best, is full of crap. the idea that the ball will get what it needs from a 1 inch shaft launch is moronic ot say the least. it was a way to make more fast, and cheap.

then the bounce in the barrel, yeah it does matter, alot, it breaks, it that matters to you?

the only good thing about a stiffi switch kit is that it is smooth enough to bow it out nice.

I have had a Hammer head for a Very short time, and i HATE IT! selling it FAST.

but others love it.

Look up warpig and google the barrel research.

think of it like this. remember those rockets you used to lauch off of a steele rod. long rod, straight take off?

short rod, went all over the place?
and this makes no sense either, if we are getting a barrel for all this money for a paint size, why just 1 inch? then the rest of the barrel .691? What the #^%$&* is this crap...

TOM, come Back and fix this!
Eric

[Spaceman613]

I use a CCM barrel kit which is effectively the same as the Stiffi.

It works, shoots straight... doesnt break paint any more than any other barrel I have owned, and it prevents rollouts.

Efficiency seems to be roughtly the same as when I use other barrels as well.

I dont buy the "bouncing around the tip" thing. Show me proof and I will believe, but with my experience, they shoot well.. I dont use any of my other barrels anymore actually.

[yakitori]

First off the guy running around with the claim to fame that the barrels with the short size reducers, or inserts, are the best, is full of crap. the idea that the ball will get what it needs from a 1 inch shaft launch is moronic ot say the least. it was a way to make more fast, and cheap.

then the bounce in the barrel, yeah it does matter, alot, it breaks, it that matters to you?

the only good thing about a stiffi switch kit is that it is smooth enough to bow it out nice.

I have had a Hammer head for a Very short time, and i HATE IT! selling it FAST.

but others love it.

Look up warpig and google the barrel research.

think of it like this. remember those rockets you used to lauch off of a steele rod. long rod, straight take off?

short rod, went all over the place?
and this makes no sense either, if we are getting a barrel for all this money for a paint size, why just 1 inch? then the rest of the barrel .691? What the #^%$&* is this crap...

TOM, come Back and fix this!
Eric

sorry, but thats not accurate. Balls dont bounce around any more in a switch kit than any other barrel where the paint doesnt match. The barrel sizers are only 2 inches long because if you think about the process of firing a ball, the bolt pushes the ball into the end of the barrel (in the case of the switch kit) and then the burst of air hits it. The rest of the switch kit is a stepped bore. I think it is .695 though, not .691. And it doesnt effect breakage, or accuracy much at all. A lot of ppl just get a one peice .691 and shoot all paint through it. The ball is traveling so fast that it doesnt have much time to bounce around. Its usually in contact w/ one side or the other of the barrel because the sizer is honed enough to shoot it straight thorough the barrel. The switch kit has been very accurate for me and I actually have Less breaks w/ it than any one peice barrels.

Also, yes you want to be careful w/ the switch kit in a ULE body because the sizers have holes in them to stick an allen key in to loosen when they get stuck in the gun. What happens is the barrel unscrews and the sizer stays there. W/ a ULE (not sure about Tac 1, but prolly the same) the sizer screws all the way into the body and the body overlaps the holes in the sizer, therefore if it comes off of the barrel and stays in the body, you will have a hell of a time getting it out.

[billmi]

it is .691 for a nice fit around your paint for the ball acceleration. After it leaves that, it has been fully accelerated

If this were true, you could screw in just the 1" back section, and your shots would be at the same velocity as the shots out of the full barrel.

Somehow, I doubt it.

[yakitori]

If this were true, you could screw in just the 1" back section, and your shots would be at the same velocity as the shots out of the full barrel.

Somehow, I doubt it.

true, and this could refute some comments about effective barrel length. Ppl say 2 peice stepped bore barrels only have an effective barrel length of the back, not the front. If that where the case, they should chrono the same w/ the front off or on. I doubt that to be the case w/ the two inch sizer backs.

I can try and see.

[XtremeC]

sweet man, i started a debate...

ok from the comments i read, even if the 1 inch sizer does or doesn't affect the velocity, and if it does or doesn't break in the barrel it is pointless to get this sizer kit if I can't get it out of my barrel

thanks for the info

[indulgence]

all I said was that the ball would get the speed it needs from the back. I didn't say that, the back is all you need. The front is for directing the ball to where it needs to go. And I highly doubt that the ball would break in the tip because of that "bounce" actually, I don't even think it would bounce that much at all.

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

I think it is .695 though, not .691. And it doesnt effect breakage, or accuracy much at all. A lot of ppl just get a one peice .691 and shoot all paint through it. The ball is traveling so fast that it doesnt have much time to bounce around. Its usually in contact w/ one side or the other of the barrel because the sizer is honed enough to shoot it straight thorough the barrel. The switch kit has been very accurate for me and I actually have Less breaks w/ it than any one peice barrels.

See here is a problem with this statement that makes more sense with mine?

the J&J that have here is .689 at the back, being a one peice it is .689 at the front.
Great barrel, some would say the best there is, next to the dye Boomy.

then the Dye Boomy, .689 at teh back, but runs 6inches of that size before letting it go in a larger tip. that is .699

then the Stiffi .689 at a 1 inch back or 1.5 if that is what it is, the it is .700 the rest of the way.

that just dont see right to me.

there has to be room for bounce and play in the barrel.

Even Hammerhead thought this to be true. the intorduced the Rifeld tips to ELIMINATE that bounce by catching that loose ball and redirect it in a correct path via the groves.

ask any one and they will say one peices are more acurate, Bommy's are next in line.

but hey, these are the questions to be asked for ever and ever, Tom was working on the perfect paintball, remember, but that issue is dead. they will have it. Buy good paint, thats the answer to it all.

Eric

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

this was done with my Mic's in my hand too. i have all these barrels right here, performed all these tests.

the team owns and uses, and has tested the:

Hammerhead
Sceptor System
Freak
J&J Edge
Stiffi Switch
Boomy's
Longbow kit
Dye Ultra's
J&J one peices
Amrson's


Barrels of my Choice, in order: J&J Edge- 12" and 14"
Longbow Titanium
Boomy's

Others on the teams like the others and swear by them too.

To each them own...

[yakitori]

The point I am trying to make is that even though the sizer is only 1-1.5 inch long that the ball doesnt accelerate completely in the sizer only. It has to accelerate some in the barrel even though the barrel is a stepped up bore. Otherwise you would get the same chrono result by removing the tip and shooting the gun w/ the sizer ONLY. Thats not going to happen. You will get less velocity w/ the sizer only than w/ the sizer and barrel together.

ANd the stiffi switch is .XXX (whatever sizer you are using) and stepped to .695.

The ball is accelerating so fast that it doesnt bounce around. Its such a tight space that even if it diverged from its flight path that it wouldnt be enough impact to cause a break. I personally dont think that the ball "bounces" inside of a barrel. Its traveling at 200+mph, and the barrel is 14" or so on avg. The ball may touch one side or the other , but I dont imagine it as going like. /\/\/\/\/\/ inside the barrel.

[VFX_Fenix]

The Purpose of the sizer section on the Stiffi Switch is this, and nothing more, to prevent a chambered ball from rolling out of the barrel. Anyone who claims the sizer will do more than this is obviouslyu trying to sell something.

The concept of the sizer, or at least a changable sizer as far as I am aware, originated from pump guns like the WGP Sniper/Autococker and the CCI Phantom. The first aftermarket barrel that I can recall that had a set of these interchangable sizers was the OTP serries of the barrels for the Autococker that had little sizer rings. I know that something similar is currently avalible for the Phantom though OTP has stopped making the this style of barrel. Other companies such as LAPCO have made bore sizers similar to the Switch Kit for a number of years as well.

Barrels that use inserts, like the Freak and Scepter, are extensions of this original concept.

For the Switch, it's a .691 Stiffi barrel with a step to .700 and a set of bore sizers to keep paint from rolling out the barrel for any paint smaller than .691 and a little different dressing so you can't directly screw the barrel into a gun. Not worth $200 or what ever they're runnign for these days. Hardly even worth $150 imo but hey. That's just me.

EDIT - And I can't recall who it was, I believe it was AGD that did this test, but they found that overbored barrels left a "zebra stripe" pattern on the inside of the barrel after firing indicating that the ball was moving between the various internal surfaces of the barrel as it traveled. Barrels that saw better matches had, generally 2 stripes running cleanly down the inside of the barrel which got wider or increased in number as the bore of the barrel approached and became smaller than the paint. For those of you that have a hard time wrapping your head around the thought that a paintball can bounce off the internal walls of the without breaking consider how small the angel is that the paintball is striking the barrel surface at AND think about the last time you had a paintball skip off of your head.

[Jaan]

The ball is accelerating so fast that it doesnt bounce around. Its such a tight space that even if it diverged from its flight path that it wouldnt be enough impact to cause a break. I personally dont think that the ball "bounces" inside of a barrel. Its traveling at 200+mph, and the barrel is 14" or so on avg. The ball may touch one side or the other , but I dont imagine it as going like. /\/\/\/\/\/ inside the barrel.
That used to be the problem with smooth bore muskets. They were inacurate because the ball was not a tight fit to the barrel and would bounce around. It doesn't matter how many times the ball bounces inside the barrel, it's the last bounce that counts. The projectile will take the trajectory that it exits the barrel. That's why you can have curved barrels like the flatline.

[slade]

the ball isnt "accelerating so fast it doesnt bounce around," if its heading in a certain direction its going to hit whatever is there (in this case the side of the barrel). saying its accelerating too fast to hit the sides of the barrel is like saying if you shoot at a tree the paint will be going too fast to hit and will curve around it. if you want to see this for yourself, find a large bore barrel/small paint, pour baby powder down the barrel and take one shot. you can see that the ball bounces around.

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

That kind of ball play inf hte barrel makes for less accurate shots, that a fact...

Toms point was made in the video that was mentioned.

The barrels with the size backs that are short are for not letting the ball roll down the barrel? isnt that for Detents? and wtf, a .700 then junk.

Do your home work before you buy...

these new barrels that roll out are crap.

Eric

[automikey]

Check out my thread titled "CCM Stiffi Bore sizer removal tool ".

[Spaceman613]

closed bolt guns still have rollout even with detents since the ball is past the detent at rest.

cockers, pumps, old shockers, sovereigns, omens.... they all can have rollouts even with ball detents.

And if you have never shot the barrels in question, dont make broad generalizations about all barrels with "short sizers." The original OTP barrels were VERY good (came stock with Bob Long guns, as are Palmer barrels (small paint with wedgits perform the same task).

[onedude36]

EDIT - And I can't recall who it was, I believe it was AGD that did this test, but they found that overbored barrels left a "zebra stripe" pattern on the inside of the barrel after firing indicating that the ball was moving between the various internal surfaces of the barrel as it traveled. Barrels that saw better matches had, generally 2 stripes running cleanly down the inside of the barrel which got wider or increased in number as the bore of the barrel approached and became smaller than the paint. For those of you that have a hard time wrapping your head around the thought that a paintball can bounce off the internal walls of the without breaking consider how small the angel is that the paintball is striking the barrel surface at AND think about the last time you had a paintball skip off of your head.

This man speaks the truth.

[yakitori]

well, I dont think of the ball brushing against either or both sides of a barrel as "bouncing" you just said bounce off your head. Or bouncing off of a target. I see that as a bounce. But a .689 paintball inside of a .691-.700 barrel doesnt "bounce" it may brush agasint one side or the other its more like skimming the side of a barrel because it is such a tight fit.

I think of a bounce as dribbling a basketball, shooting it and "bouncing" it off of the backboard cause it to rebound.

Maybe we just have a different Idea of what "bounce" means.

the point Im trying to make is that a ball "skipping" off of one or either side of the barrel in such a tight space at 200+mph will not lead to more breaks.

Have any of you complaining that the switch kit isnt any good or not accurate cause you are comparing it to a muzzle loader actually shot one? Or are you just using the "anti-hype" comments w/o ever actaully trying the product? Ive shot plenty of barrel kits. Ive shot the odyssey barrel kit that is 3 separate single bore one peice barrels, and it wasnt as accurate as my switch kit. Ive shot AAs, Freaks, JJ ceramics, Lapco bigshots, AGD crown point barrels, and none of them have yeilded any better results than a stepped bore stiffi. How do you say they arent worth the money. They are lighter, have a year warranty, easier to self clean, quieter, durable, and they look better than aluminum barrels IMO. I know looks are opinion but the red mamba is hot.

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

As far as real Guns, well that is an issue i can rock and roll in all day. that is a place i love to be in. I am Hunter and Marksman allday long. Reloader, gunmaker, guncollector, shootist.

As far as Firearms, there is NEVER play in the barrel :wow:

as a matter of fact, you cant even put a bullet in a barrel. there is a larger reciever for the casing and bullet, but never play, tight all the way through. but this cant happen with a soft material like gelitan based Paintballs.

As far as Muzzies, i build them all the time for people. they are the same deal, but the bullet is lubed so that you can ramm it down the barrel for loading. when a ball is used, you still need to uase a wad or patch to keep the ball tight, very tight. a loose ball is not accurate.

the point is maybe it isnt bounce but it is movement, play, just to much of it in some of these barrels that are comming out.

the tighter, more controled the ball is for a longer period or amount of time down the barrel, the more accurate the shot will be. Hence the muzzies that are 5 or 7 feet long, they were very accurate for there time, and the snub nose 38 cal. cant hit crap at 50 yards if there is a breeze.

Dont preach the guy that could hit this or that, those are rare situations.

We have to work with what we have here folks, but i do belive that the man who could have helped is gone, and i do believe that any play in barrel, bounce or the Malibu Jig, is NO FRIGGEN GOOD!

AS I MENTIONED BEFORE: we and I have shot all these barrel as well, so this isnt a load. just what i have seen and what i feel. My two cents.

Eric :shooting:

[VFX_Fenix]

well, I dont think of the ball brushing against either or both sides of a barrel as "bouncing" you just said bounce off your head. Or bouncing off of a target. I see that as a bounce. But a .689 paintball inside of a .691-.700 barrel doesnt "bounce" it may brush agasint one side or the other its more like skimming the side of a barrel because it is such a tight fit.

I think of a bounce as dribbling a basketball, shooting it and "bouncing" it off of the backboard cause it to rebound.

Maybe we just have a different Idea of what "bounce" means.

I never said "bouncing" off your head, I said skipping. However you're arguing symantics which, while valid, doesn't change the fact that you can gather the meaning from the context used within the conversation/post.

Also, I've shot Stiffi's and they are fine barrels, I never said they weren't. I will admit to saying that they aren't worth the money though, at least not to me. The material is lighter, sure, more durable, maybe, a year warrenty, great, self-clean better, opinion, quieter, opinion.

Lighter materials - Carbon fiber is lighter than aluminum, has similar if not greater strength for given applications, and is easier to manufacture than an aluminum barrel.

Durable - Carbon fiber is a durable material and strong, however that integrity is immediately comrpomised when the barrel is chipped or scratched. Carbon Fiber is also is subject to manufacturing defects which can cause failure of the weave and the barrel under stress.

Warrenty - A nice feature, covers them in the event that a flawed barrel leaves the factory or if someone were to be too rough with their barrel.

Self Cleaning - So far I've never seen a barrel that effectively shot clean that wasn't a polished Stainless Steel small bore barrel. Self-cleaning with a stepped bore barrel is just a joke. There's no way that a stepped bore barrel like the Stiffi/Infinity/Boomstick/CP Pro/Freak/All American/etc. etc. etc. because of the way the barrel works. The control bore will be the only portion of the barrel that can be shot clean because the ball actually is what pushes the paint out of the barrel, once the ball gets to the step the ball is no longer "idealy" supported by the barrel and so cannot move the paint past the step out the muzzle. The self cleaning aspect of the barrel is hype, hype that's been pushed for a long time within the barrel industry. No barrel shoots clean, though most barrels do shoot reasonably well after paint has been run through them, a single bore barrel would self clean better than any stiffi.

Quieter - A matter of opinion for most and without difinitive sound testing, the loudness of the barrel is a matter of perspective. Hammer Head is the only company that I know of that has published any sort of audio report data from its barrels.

Accuracy/Consistancy - You said it yourself, none of the other barrels you've shot yielded performance any better than a stepped bore stiffi.

Appearance - In a sport which is largely based on image appearance is a viable reason to buy a barrel and pay a premium price for.

Paint Matching - The Switch uses bore sizers, which serve to prevent roll-out for closed bolt guns with barrels that are of a larger bore than the paint being shot. This is not paint matching within the common context of the term. With "paint matching" the purpose is to match the effective bore of the barrel with the paint to achieve a certain desired fit. Bore sizers do not change the effective bore size as the effective bore is still .691. Barrel kits like the Freak/CP/Scepter/Empire/Etc. all change the effective bore of their barrels through sleeves or backs.

So, what are we left with?

Lighter, Warrenty, Looks. Three things that a Stiff, so far as the arguments I've put forth and I've seen put forth (as I understand them, please feel free to correct me) for why the Stiffi Switch is worth the money.

All three are preference items as well. So where does that leave us? Personal prefference. There are no wrong answers, only believing that your answer is the only answer.

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

So where does that leave us? Personal prefference. There are no wrong answers, only believing that your answer is the only answer.

Thats it a nut shell, i can get a headache going through all that for the Boomy, or the J&J just for the fact that they have been here for a LONG, LONG time and so on, and so on...

Blah, Blah, Blah. Go to conventions, shows, they all sit up there on there boxes with reason after reason for why to use there's.

But it will always be your choice and ask the people that play the most.

again buy good paint, thats a good choice too.

remember this, youll get wooped by a Tippy, with a stock barrel and 12 year old at the other end, it dont matter.

[yakitori]

are you kidding me? when was the last time any paitnballers looked at any "real" scientific study on barrels and paintball physics? I am going to have to laugh at that one. [

They are queiter than other barrels. Thats not opinion. I guess they may not be. It could just be my hearing. Maybe Im gradually getting deaf. Maybe its selective deafness. I just cant hear barrels anymore. A barrel guides a ball where it is going. They arent accurate because they are paintballs.

And like I said, the stiffis have been the most accurate in my opinion of all the barrels Ive shot. And hammerhead is on that list too. And hammerheads sound like firecrackers.

I never said the stiffi self cleans completely. I said it self cleans better than the other barrels Ive used. Maybe you havent used stiffis for any extended period of time, other than shooting someone at the field a few times. Have you owned and used a stiffi for longer than 3 months?

Im totally convinced now. I think I am going to put my stiffi back up for sale and use my stock barrel. Essentially no barrel is worth the money. We might as well all use the stock one then. I will start shooting brass eagle paint too. Why pay more. Its just a gelatin shell filled w/ paint.

I dont think I will be getting whopped by a kid w/ a tippy at the field. I use my pump at fields like that. I dont use my good equipment in scenario, woods games. I will be using the ole sl 68 from now on, with a eh ehm. jj ceramic one piece.

[Eric Of Extreme Measures]

Hey i Know plenty oh guys with Pumps, that run just pumps, with stock barrels, or smooth bore barrels that would make a mess of most of us..

I have teammates that run Tip98's w/one peice J&J's that i would put againt the best of them.

Hey if you need to rely on your gun for all your credit in this sport, then you have issues...
The gun is the tool, YOU are the sport.

Hey do what you want, But I say DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!

We have Stiffi's and Hammerheads on Ebay is you want to be the sucker that buys them!!!!

Please do.
:shooting:

[VFX_Fenix]

are you kidding me? when was the last time any paitnballers looked at any "real" scientific study on barrels and paintball physics? I am going to have to laugh at that one.

"Real" scientific studies are reasonably common and avalible from various sources including WARPIG and AirSoldier, not to mention the tests done by AGD.


They are queiter than other barrels. Thats not opinion. I guess they may not be. It could just be my hearing. Maybe Im gradually getting deaf. Maybe its selective deafness. I just cant hear barrels anymore. A barrel guides a ball where it is going. They arent accurate because they are paintballs.

Depends on where you're standing and how the porting is set-up. The more porting in a barrel the quieter it is, also as the shooter your perception of the sound signature is very different than if you're on the business end of the barrel or even standing 20' off to the side of the barrel. Listening to my E-Mag being shot by other people while I'm on the sidelines and the loudness of the report changes dramatically depending on where I'm standing and how the gun's being pointed. The same thing happens with every gun. The Hammerhead barrel has it's porting pointed back towards the shooter. Looking at their sound signature data the loudest points are behind the muzzle.

http://www.hammerheadpaintball.com/main/images/test-results33.GIF



And like I said, the stiffis have been the most accurate in my opinion of all the barrels Ive shot. And hammerhead is on that list too. And hammerheads sound like firecrackers.

I never said the stiffi self cleans completely. I said it self cleans better than the other barrels Ive used. Maybe you havent used stiffis for any extended period of time, other than shooting someone at the field a few times. Have you owned and used a stiffi for longer than 3 months?

I owned a 12" Stiffi for almost 6 months. Fine barrel, shot nicely, all that jazz, didn't like the way it felt though on the nose of the E-Mag or my Cocker. Too light for me at a megere 1.8 oz. I'll take my aluminum or stainless steel tubes. I will admit that the last comment on self cleaning was pointed and I must appologise for that. The intent was to debunk Site's claims thouhg it ended up being something else.


Im totally convinced now. I think I am going to put my stiffi back up for sale and use my stock barrel. Essentially no barrel is worth the money. We might as well all use the stock one then. I will start shooting brass eagle paint too. Why pay more. Its just a gelatin shell filled w/ paint.

I dont think I will be getting whopped by a kid w/ a tippy at the field. I use my pump at fields like that. I dont use my good equipment in scenario, woods games. I will be using the ole sl 68 from now on, with a eh ehm. jj ceramic one piece.

Now I'm not sure where this is coming from though the sarcasm dripping from the remarks is about as thick as Nutella. The intent wasn't to disparage the Switch by implying that it wasn't a good barrel. Simply that, as far as I can see, there are three things that the Stiffi has going for it. The Stiffi is lighter, carries a warrenty, and has a unique look. Are these three items worth the premium price that's being demanded? That's a matter of personal opinion and nothing in the world can change someone's opinion.

Personally I'll stick with my Lucky 15's and, though I am loathed to say it, Freak kit.

[billmi]

all I said was that the ball would get the speed it needs from the back. I didn't say that, the back is all you need. The front is for directing the ball to where it needs to go. And I highly doubt that the ball would break in the tip because of that "bounce" actually, I don't even think it would bounce that much at all.

If this is true, and you shot with only the back, then the velocity would be the same as shooting with the back and the front. The difference would be that the shot would be less accurate. It should be pretty simple to test.

[billmi]

As far as Muzzies, i build them all the time for people. they are the same deal, but the bullet is lubed so that you can ramm it down the barrel for loading. when a ball is used, you still need to uase a wad or patch to keep the ball tight, very tight. a loose ball is not accurate.


Poor fit from the projectile to the bore was why smoothbore muskets had accuracy issues compared to rifled muskets.

One of the reasons some revolutionary militia units were so effective in the US revolution was that many of them were shooting tight patched round balls in rifled barrels against troops shooting smoothbores. That's because they were armed with their own hunting rifles, instead of military rifles.

They had much better accuracy at distance. The tradeback was that when using an overbore conical bullet, or tightly patched patched round ball, it takes much longer to load, than an unpatched round ball. Yes, a revolutionary war era conical bullet is lubed, but you still have to literally hammer it into the muzzle to get the rifling to shave it into a proper fit. Similarly, a tight patched round ball takes a bit of effort to load.

If you've ever shot a Hawken and a Brown Bess on the same range, with period ammo, I'm sure you've seen you can get off about 3 times the shots in a given time period with the bess, but even with its shorter barrel, the Hawken will give tighter groupings. Military thinking of the day was that rate of fire was more important than accuracy.

It wasn't until Minie developed his underbore conical bullet with a hollow in the back (it loaded fast, but the explosive force drove its rear skirt into a solid seal with the rifling) that fast loading was combined with the benefits of a tight projectile to bore fitting, not to mention the flatter trajectory and better penetration offered by the conical shape. Look at the results, crazy high death tolls in the civil war because generals were still using battlefield tactics designed around the poor fitting smoothbore round balls.


Great history of course, but not directly applicable to paintball as projectile consistencey, velocity, and pressures involved are vastly different. That would be like saying that since dimples help golf balls overcome drag they must help paintballs. Not necessarily true, as there are issues of scale - the paintball is significantly smaller than the golf ball, but it is interacting with air which has molecules and turbulence patterns of the same size.