Does a longer barrel mean better results?

[swat150]

Hi, Im buying a dye boomstick for my spyder and they sell 12, 14, 16, 18 inch barrels all for the same price. Does a longer barrel mean better results?

[Benfica4ever]

Not exacly. but ill tell you a while back my cousin had a 16 inch booomy and it was horribly unacurate.

The boomy was probably good, but the gun was not able to even push the ball though that far.

[penguinpunk555]

dont get anything longer then a 14 inch barrel pointless if it is 16 and up

[TheTramp]

The short answer is no. Unlike a real firearm, having a longer barrel will not make your paintball gun more accurate.

With that said, having a little longer (I like 14") barrel will allow you to use the barrel to "work" your bunker. You can get the tip of the barrel further out while keeping you body better covered. An example would be pushing in the side of a Sup-air bunker to get a better angle while not exposing any more of your body.

[BobTheCow]

This is one of those subjects where you will never be able to get people to agree.
Some people believe that the longer the barrel is, the more accurate the shot will be, no matter how long the barrel gets (assuming a fairly good paint-to-bore match). Other people (including myself) believe it doesn't really matter past about 12" or 14".
Some people also think that longer barrels are more gas efficient. Also (to a point), longer barrels are a little quiter than shorter ones. Depends a bit on the porting.

If you're considering playing any type of speedball, think about what position you'll be playing. Generally the front players want shorter barrels so they are exposed less, and the back players want longer barrels to be able to shoot straighter longer. If you're not sure, 12" or 14" is usually a good bet... try to get a chance to put one or both of those lengths (of ANY type of barrel) on your gun to see which you like better.

**edit** Tramp beat me to the part about workin bunkers (works for hyperball, too).

And happy hunting, Boomies are generally really good barrels.

[WarBUCKs]

Alright,

If you are playing on "Sup Air" fields get a longer stick so you can bury your barrel into the side of the big inflatable triangle and square balloon things. With the barrel tucked deep inside you get to take shots and the other team gets ticked off cuz only your barrel shows, but they are doing the same thing anyway.

I personally wouldn't go over 14" but if you are a "Size does matter" type of guy then go bigger.

[JAM]

longer barrels can sometimes seem more accurate, 'cause they're easier to sight along/point at your target. the effective length (where the ball is actually touching the barrel) on all boomsticks and ultralights is around 6", so any size tip won't make too much difference in accuracy. i go back and forth between a 14 and a 12.

[Star_Base_CGI]

I have the 16" rifled CMI Sniper barrel with Muzzle break.

Its is 5 times more accurate than the spyder barrel easy.

I will prove it at spplat.

[SomebodySomeoneRTPcf]

12-14 is where the ball stops increasing speed....16-and up is just more porting to reduce sound and some of the speed.

[Dayspring]

Paint to barrel match... THAT'S what makes a barrel "accurate". The next defining characteristic is air system consistency.

So before you go saying that your 16" super barrel is the best thing out there, remember that your 16 barrel may be better suited to the paint you are using than the stock Spyder barrel. That doesn't mean that the CMI is any better manufactured than say a Scepter (because it's not).

And it's hard to shoot people from the dead zone. Remember that CGI. You said it yourself- Shatner may have a hard time wining if the teams are even. And as of now, they are.

SO BRING IT.


Originally posted by Star_Base_CGI
I have the 16" rifled CMI Sniper barrel with Muzzle break.

Its is 5 times more accurate than the spyder barrel easy.

I will prove it at spplat.

[Darkstorm]

I use 18" and 20" barrels.

It is not more accurate, but there are a couple of advantages with a longer barrel.

- Visually it seems easier to aim down a longer barrel
- It is better for your profile when laying on a bank of a creek (or like the airball example)
- More porting does seem to make a longer barrel quiter
- Longer barrels go through more bush, this is great help when in the woods

Of course the disadvantages show more in a speedball situation.

[Jack & Coke]

Wouldn't your position also be a factor?

Front players: runs a lot, slides a lot, stays tucked in a lot... shorter barrel = better ?

Back players: runs less, stands more, uses the "bunker manipulation technique" more often... longer = better?

[Dayspring]

I'd say that 12" is the defacto standard. You're actually hard pressed to find barrels much shorter than that. Not that they aren't made, just that they aren't easy to find.

[xmetal2001]

No, The boomstick lengths that you are looking at will have the same performance because they are effectively the same length. The ball only touches the first half(silver part) of the barrel. I think thats about 4 inches or so.

Aside from that it is personal preference. I prefer the shortest barrel i have(usually play with a 10") while some players prefer a longer barrel so they can push into an airball bunker and play tighter. Longerbarrels are generally quieter as well.

Your accuracy is going to come from good paint-barrel match.

[GT]

Depends of what you are "doing" with your barrel and what kind of "results" you want to "get."

jb

[hitech]

Originally posted by Star_Base_CGI
I have the 16" rifled CMI Sniper barrel with Muzzle break.

Its is 5 times more accurate than the spyder barrel easy.

I will prove it at spplat.

Man I wish I was going to be there to see that! Prove it to Tom. I will be very interested to see what he reports.

BTW, it is IMPOSSIBLE for that barrel to be 5 times more accurate. IMPOSSIBLE. If you want to know why, Read this. (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64669&perpage=30&pagenumber=5)

[Star_Base_CGI]

Whatever. You could not hit a barn with the stock 10 Inch ported spyder barrel. Its pure grade A junk.

[hitech]

Originally posted by Star_Base_CGI
Whatever.

Chuff, chuff...

[fcpchop]

doesn't matter what ne one says teh bottom line is the paint match to ur barrel. end of story

[Crazy]

SUP AIR,
nuf said...
16" owns all.

[Recon by Fire]

Rifled paintball barrels? LOL So an object with a liquid core spinning is now more accurate?

I have used 16" SP barrels before, and I have dropped my 14" Freak down to a 10". There is absolutely no change in accuracey. I can play back and still tag you off the break.

Accuracey/distance is all bore match, velocity, and consistancy. Nothing else matters.

[JEDI]

Originally posted by Recon by Fire
Rifled paintball barrels? LOL So an object with a liquid core spinning is now more accurate?

I have used 16" SP barrels before, and I have dropped my 14" Freak down to a 10". There is absolutely no change in accuracey. I can play back and still tag you off the break.

Accuracey/distance is all bore match, velocity, and consistancy. Nothing else matters.

Smart answers = good. :D

I've gotten the same accuracy out of a 14" Boomie and a 6" pro team barrel. Noise, usefullness in tight situations, etc., thats a different story.

[Phil]

The real answer to your question is that no one knows. Evidenced by the varying and sometimes contradictory posts above this one. No one has done a real study of the many variables. My advice is to get whichever barrel makes you happy. I would like to add that you can get a barrel just as good for half the price of the boomy.

[hitech]

Originally posted by Phil
The real answer to your question is that no one knows... No one has done a real study of the many variables.

Yes they have. Read all about it here. (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64669&perpage=30&pagenumber=1)

[Evil Bob]

Freaks, scepters, pipes, empires, etc, etc, and any other multibore barrel system with a two stage bore has an effective barrel length of the tighter of the two bores, which is where your paint to bore match is critical. Normally, the tip (the larger bore) does not touch the ball at all during it's flight through the barrel unless some radical lateral movement has been applied to the barrel which happens alot in fast snap shooting. Since the tip doesn't usually come into contact with the ball, all it really does is equalize the pressure around the ball and smoothly introduce it to the outside environment. Does it affect accuracy? Yes, remove the tip and see how accurate your barrel is without it, your shot groups will increase in size, you will notice a difference with and without it. Turbulance control is what all that porting is for, it does serve a purpose. Does that mean a 20" tip is better then a 4" tip? With a 4" tip, the change in pressure is dramatic, with a 20" tip it's not so dramatic as there is a greater distance to equalize the two pressure zones in, but the 20" tip also has greater risk in the ball hitting the side of the tip as the marker is moved around. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns on tip length, the shorter the tip, the less likelyhood of breaking paint in the tip when snap shooting, but you also get more turbulance affect when the balls exits into the outside environment, which results in slightly less accuracy. The longer the tip, the better the turbulance control and the greater the chance of crashing the ball into the side fo the barrel when snap shooting. There comes a point where you reach a happy medium between the two, usually the 12-14 inch range.

An additional side benefits of a longer tip come in to play when you are balling on a field with inflatibles. As several have posted above, you can use the barrel and push into the inflatible with it so that it bends around your barrel. The longer your barrel, the further behind the inflatible you can get your body and still fire.

-Evil Bob

[A to the G-Dizzle]

Evil Bob gets props for clearing that up.

[Phil]

No offense Hitech but that post only lists some of Toms conclusions. Conclusions without the supporting data are worthless. How would you know if the test was flawed or the wrong conclusions drawn?

[FeelTheRT]

for me.. its 14" or longer. Though ur gun dosn't become more accurate, your able to sight down the barrel easier.

[hitech]

Originally posted by Phil
No offense Hitech but that post only lists some of Toms conclusions. Conclusions without the supporting data are worthless. How would you know if the test was flawed or the wrong conclusions drawn?

Did you look at the supporting documentation in the Data classic thread? Did you follow the links for vortex shedding? Do you challenge BJJB's math? Very little of that thread is Tom. There is a lot of information to read. It will take time to independently verify/dispute. And there in lies the problem, no one wants to take the time...

[Miscue]

Originally posted by Evil Bob
Since the tip doesn't usually come into contact with the ball, all it really does is equalize the pressure around the ball and smoothly introduce it to the outside environment. Does it affect accuracy? Yes, remove the tip and see how accurate your barrel is without it, your shot groups will increase in size, you will notice a difference with and without it. Turbulance control is what all that porting is for, it does serve a purpose.



Not true. The ball is well ahead of the air-blast... this idea of turbulence is moot. Actually, shorter barrels exhibit tighter velocity control... but doesn't really matter.

[Evil Bob]

You're quite right Miscue, the ball eventually outruns the propelling air source as the air reaches its maximum expansion and the ball will continue forward under it's own inertia. Depending upon the distance that this occurs in, there is potential that the ball will create a vacuum behind it as it outruns the expanding air. At which point this occurs depends upon the volume of the air used to propel the paintball and the paint to bore match.

What the porting and the larger bore diameter do is relieve the pressure infront of and behind the ball so that ball is not pushing a column of air down the barrel and pulling on a sucking vacuum behind it, both of which will cause additional drag and loss of FPS at the barrel.

A side benefit of the porting and the larger bore is to quiet down the noise level of the firing process, the longer the barrel/porting, generally the quieter the marker's report.

-Evil Bob

[Recon by Fire]

So where do the paintball elves come in? :)

[bleachit]

Originally posted by Star_Base_CGI
Whatever. You could not hit a barn with the stock 10 Inch ported spyder barrel. Its pure grade A junk.

I have a stock spyder barrel, and oddly enough, I have a rather large garage resembling a barn. if you were to look on the side of the garage you would see a lot of white marks, many of them left by that stock ported spyder barrel. They arent the best barrel, but they are not junk.

[sithos]

im a grumpy old man, trapped in the body of a 23 year old paintball fanatic... would you like fries with that?

[Star_Base_CGI]

Hey Sithos. Just about every contest I do, some member copies I something I do. This time I put some pinstripes and AGD on a rail. About ten people made rails and put AGD on every single one. Proclaiming that Jam had the best rail but that every single RAIL SHOULD HAVE AGD ON IT. HMMM. You see me complaining? Someone said imitation is the sincerest form of flatery. I dont see anyone copying your stuff.

CGI simply means Computer Generated Imaging. It could be Paint Shop Pro or 3D Studio max. Your a very unhappy man.

[sithos]

yah, i think im just grumpy cause ive interviewed at 3 video production houses lately, and they all tell me that they want to hire me, then a week or 2 later, tell me that they don't need a 3d artist, just 2d.. which i can do, but no one pays attention to that.

sorry for bein mean, but really, atleast take some time to render your stuff in a good program, some nice lights can make all the difference.

[Star_Base_CGI]

I dont know what to tell you except the economy is very bad. If I rubbed you the wrong way. Im sorry. If other people are giving you are hard time.

Just remember that the country is losing $400,000,000,000 a year. Thats about $$200 for every man woman and child in the country. I think Most of us would pay $200 to get out of debt but the problem is the government keeps spending.

The spending is a tax. SO they raise Taxs. Everything comes in here from other countries. (were not making anything so everythings going out and nothings coming in.)

Have faith in your abilities. Not just that your an Artist but all the abilities involved in that.

You will get a job. It might not be a 3D artist but it could be something youll enjoy!

Just have a little faith.

That goes for everyone heres thats looking. Its easy to get discouraged but if you suceed a few times that gives you some more faith. If had some minor successes in life and If I can do it you can too.

[Recon by Fire]

Originally posted by Star_Base_CGI
I dont know what to tell you except the economy is very bad. Just remember that the country is losing $400,000,000,000 a year. The spending is a tax. SO they raise Taxs. Everything comes in here from other countries.


The economy is very bad? Despite tales of doom and gloom, the economy has experienced growth albeit less than what we have been accustomed too. The country is losing $400B a year? How, did we we forgot where we put it? Spending is the budget, tax is government income, I don't think we should mix the two up. Psst...taxes are lower now, not higher :) I do agree the budget could use some trimming and we could all do a bit less importing!

[FreshmanBob]

Originally posted by Recon by Fire



The economy is very bad? Despite tales of doom and gloom, the economy has experienced growth albeit less than what we have been accustomed too. The country is losing $400B a year? How, did we we forgot where we put it? Spending is the budget, tax is government income, I don't think we should mix the two up. Psst...taxes are lower now, not higher :) I do agree the budget could use some trimming and we could all do a bit less importing!

It's going to other countries in the forum of money from buying things like cars, oil, electronics, mass manufactured crap, cotton, ect. ect.

things we don't want to or can't make ourselves.