Are the barrel kits worth it?

[slateman]

Last time I played paintball seriously, the Freak Kits had just come out. Now there are a bunch of them. Are the worth it? Do they actually help? Is one considered better than the rest?

[scrumpy]

Last time I played paintball seriously, the Freak Kits had just come out. Now there are a bunch of them. Are the worth it? Do they actually help? Is one considered better than the rest?

They're worth it if you are a cocker owner to keep paintballs from rolling out of your barrel. Other than that I don't know.

[Pha|anx]

Single piece smooth .689 bore is what I use and, honestly if I used a kit it wouldn't be a Freak. There are so many nicer kits out there... MacDev, SM1, CP, UL, etc...

[ThePixelGuru]

What's the word on Kaner Kits? The newer run of them has longer backs, seems like that'd work better than a sleeve only a few inches long...

Anyone used one?

[Beemer]

IMHO No. If the paint is that crappy you need better paint not a 200 dollar barrel.

Its just BS to sell more barrels.


Single piece smooth .689 bore is what I use

This is what I have used to for 19yrs. No problems.

Peace Out

___________

http://home.comcast.net/~beemerone/AoIL.gif

[slateman]

I shoot a ULE Emag with a 12" Boomstick. Theres a thread in the Tech Forum about my day of breaking paint. I'm not sure if its because I need a rubber ring around the barrel, of if it was because I was shooting medium bore RPS Premium paint out a small bore Boomstick.

Pha|anx thanks for the info.

The reason I'm asking is because I thought it might be nice to have a seperate barrel for different paint. And I've noticed used kits going for the cost of a new barrel

EDIT - What about the "Pipe kit"? Empire's kit?

[Cow hunter]

it all comes down to the paint........ i have an oversized Empire twister that shoots normal paint horribly, but if you let it swell up a bit it works fine....... but i use a 12'' dye Xcel and it works just fine for everything

[psychowarden]

Although I have used a couple of kits on my cocker/mag/torid, I dont see any noticible difference than when Im shooting good single bore barrel. If you are looking at kits, you can get a 7piece Empire kit at actionvilliage for really cheap. I have used one on my Mag, and it shoots just as good as my CP barrel. Also, I rarely break paint with a single bore barrel, I do alot more in kits and two piece barrels, such as my glued boomstick.

[slateman]

Although I have used a couple of kits on my cocker/mag/torid, I dont see any noticible difference than when Im shooting good single bore barrel. If you are looking at kits, you can get a 7piece Empire kit at actionvilliage for really cheap. I have used one on my Mag, and it shoots just as good as my CP barrel. Also, I rarely break paint with a single bore barrel, I do alot more in kits and two piece barrels, such as my glued boomstick.

Yea, thats what I have

[Recon by Fire]

Unless you are shooting some bizarre sized paint, any good .689 barrel would work great. I use my Freak almost exclusively and I love it...that said, I have only ever used 3 of the inserts in the kit and 95% of the time it is the .689 sized insert.

[yingyang]

If you got a phantom like me, its a must because the detent kit is a lousy system. Usally when I use an open bolt semi I use 3 barrels, one for small bore, medium and large bore. They dont have to fit perfectly to get prefect accuracy.

[doc_Zox]

if your playing a 26 hour scenario, you are stuck with the field paint.
I bought a Scepter kit cause the paint likes to grow in the rain
and you have no idea how big it will be later that day.

[fire1811]

buy a 14" .689 barrel and forget about the kits. I have used most and see no difference.
paintballs are not made exact so borematch is next to impossible. Dont buy the hype.

I like my 16" stiffi and have always like 14" dye ultralights

[Beemer]

buy a 14" .689 barrel and forget about the kits. I have used most and see no difference.
paintballs are not made exact so borematch is next to impossible. Dont buy the hype.

I like my 16" stiffi and have always like 14" dye ultralights

But why do like em soooooo Loooong? :eek:

[mobsterboy]

they are if you use them for more than just paintball....
























Paperweights!!! Get your minds out of the gutters, I know what you were thinking. No really tho, its all about preference. I use Boomys, Freaks, Pipes, and I do see improvements, but not enough to go buy a 200 dollar one brand new. Find one used, try it and if you dont like it, sell it, and get yourself soemthing else. If kits arent for you, get a UL, nothing else like it

[yakitori]

I personally like kits for the efficiency. W/ a smaller barrel and a larger bore paint, you will be shooting slower and have to turn up the velocity to compensate.

If you have the money, I say why not. I see improved accuracy over actually matching my paint to my bore size. Accuracy is determined by paint/barrel match and paint quality.

If you dont have a lot of money, then just get a CP 2 piece w/ two backs. A .687 and a .691, and youll be fine. If you use just one barrel, then .689 is fine.

And freaks arent that great either. As other say, there are better kits.

[installer020]

I have used a number of different one piece barrels and am now using an Evil Pipe Kit. I love my Pipe Kit, but don't know if it is worth the money new. I got mine used for 100$, which is what I paid for my last ultralight. I mainly use the .689 back. If you can get one reasonable, do it and decide for yourself. If you don't like it do what the other guy said and sell it. :headbang:

[BD_Paintball]

if you play alot at different places or play alot of tourneys then yes it is worth it. in tourney ball you will shoot alot of different paint with different bore sizes. well worth the money for a kit.

[ultralight]

i traded an intelliframe for my pipe and i love it. sure i only use two of the backs regularly but then again, i only ever shoot one brand of paint. it is nice to know that i can shoot field paint anywhere without a big problem though.

so i suppose if you plan on playing at several different fields tht are fpo then a system my be a good idea. but if you have one home field or one favorite brand of paint then you should just figure out it's size and buy a barrel accordingly.

[MisterBones25]

i have an empire kit for my imp, its not bad for the money. i found it a big step over one barrel because my local feilds were always switching paints, i'v had to use every back i have atleast once. on my mag i shoot all 3 sizes of the cp one piece. i hate those days where you get too small of a paint or too large of a paint for the barrle you have, you cant hit anything. i like the variety.

[rkjunior303]

I keep a .688 and a .692 Ultralight back in my bag.... Depending on Paint match, I try to get the closest to it.. Usually it's the .688... If I know the paint is going to be crappy or the weather is suspect, I sacrifice the efficiency and go to the .692 to account for swell.

[Lohman446]

I have used stainless freaks, empire kits, phat kits, and pipe kits. I have tried about every barrel out there at some point I think. Last year I sold a lot of my equipment (though I still have some various barrels laying around). I have never tried a barrel other than stock on my Proto - nor do I carry anything else with me to play.

[FSU_Paintball]

I'd get the cheaper Empire kit... they shoot great, you get different bore sizes and it's the same price as one nice barrel. Aside from that, unless you've got a cocker a .692 ultralite will shoot anything.

[GT]

Are the barrel kits worth it?


no

[thefuzz]

You can pick up a used kit for cheap on E-Bay or a b/s/t forum. I've owned a freak for years and that's only because I use it on my Phantom (Frantom-II), Cocker, and Mag. I picked mine up used for the price a new Boomstick, so they're not all that expensive. The freak isn't as good as some of the other system's mentioned, but it works fine for me.

[UTDragun]

I have one for my karni and absolutely love it

[Baby Huey]

If you play at different fields and in different conditions you will need a kit. I have used the SS freak for about a 1 1/2 years with no problems. The nice thing is once you have the kit (with some tips) if you buy another type of gun all you need to do is buy a back and you have an entire kit for that gun as well. Good luck and God Bless.

[Pha|anx]

If you got a phantom like me, its a must because the detent kit is a lousy system.
Phantom barrels suck--- At least mine does. Besides Lapco and CCM, does anyone make decent Phantom barrels?

Usally when I use an open bolt semi I use 3 barrels, one for small bore, medium and large bore. They dont have to fit perfectly to get prefect accuracy.Agreed, currently I have .689 16" CP and a .691 12" Excel. Going to pick up somehing around .684 - .686 just in case.

EDIT - What about the "Pipe kit"? Empire's kit?
Pipes are one of the louder kits around, if that matters to you, and aren't exactly built like a tank. The later also applys to Empire multipiece kits.

But why do like em soooooo Loooong? :eek:
Bunker maniplulation.





Things to be warry of...
#1 Quality of the bore honing.
#2 Bore type. Single or stepped. Also if it's stepped you will have two bore sizes, the smaller of these should be at least 5-6'' of the barrel length.
#3 Durability of the barrell. Especially if we are talking someone playing front.
#4 Weight and balence. Some care-- Some don't-- I don't... Not yet.

Speaking from experience. :cheers:

[68magOwner]

i didnt use a barrel kit, up untill, about a year ago. I snagged one of the new edge kits (the ones that actually look decent, with the new tips) for $70, 4 bores, 1 tip. I would definatley say it was worth it. Now, is it going to make a MAJOR difference than if you just had one large bore barrel? no, not really, but, for the price i got mine at, it has certianly come in handy. Have actually noteced different shot groupings using different sized backs with the same paint (so, makes a difference if you have it sized up right). But, im shure i could fair ok without it as well, just nice to have.

summary- Its a nice thing to have, but, i wouldnt make it a major priority if you need other equipment first.

[bentothejam1n]

Phantom barrels suck--- At least mine does. Besides Lapco and CCM, does anyone make decent Phantom barrels?
I've heard that J & J make decent barrels. I think they have a kit that fits a phantom without messing with hte hole in the pump. Does the phantom have cocker threads??? I've never really checked