New Style All American???

[nak81783]

I got my Smart Parts All American barrel in the mail today. I had one for my Spyder and loved it, so I decided to get one for my Mag. There's only one problem. It doesn't look anything like my Spyder barrel. I heard SP has a new All American barrel style out. Is this true? The barrel I got looks a lot like my Progressive, except it's rounded more instead of the squared look of the Progressive. The one I got in the mail today also has the SP crosshairs logo on both sides of it. Also, the porting doesn't run up the length of the barrel like my Spyder one. It only is at the last 3 to 5 inches of the barrel. Please tell me if I got the right barrel or not. I can't find any good pictures on the net of the new style, so if someone has one, please let me see.

Thanks,
Nathan

[a_malfunction]

I havent heard anything about a different AA. Sounds to me like you got a Teardrop.


Oh, try www.smartparts.com, they might have a pic of the barrel you got.... that should help in identifying it.

[nak81783]

Yeah, I checked Smartparts.com and they didn't have a picture of the barrel I got. The truth is, I can't find a picture of the barrel I received anywhere, which leads me to believe it is the new style AA. I wish I would have just gotten the old style if that is the case, because I know it works.

Thanks,
Nathan

[covadsucks]

I believe it was FACEFULL magazine that listed the new milling on all Smart Parts barrels. I think SP really screwed up by making all of their barrels resemble the Cheapy Spyder Progressive barrel. The new Tear Drop is butt ugly -believe me when I say I know ugly...you should see my snaggletoothed sancha. I can crack open a beer or can of Campbell's soup on that grill.

[nak81783]

Action Village Nightmare

After searching forever on the web, I finally found a picture of the barrel I received the other day in a catalog up in my room...whoops, shoulda looked there in the first place I guess. It is, in fact, a Smart Parts Tear Drop. The new SP AA barrel simply is interchangable with the freak system (I guess it is a two-piece or something), so it's not really a new design. Those Bons of Sitches at Action Village messed up my order for the second time now. First, they didn't send the SP AA barrel at all; now they send me the wrong one. Plus, their return policy expects me to pay for shipping it back to them. I am NOT paying for their mistakes. I have items backordered from them, and order all of my stuff through them. If they don't take care of this at no extra expense to me, they will lose my business...period. I will cancel all pending orders and go else where. God, I just want to play paintball with my new Mag and the barrel I actually ordered. Is that so wrong?

Oh yeah, one more thing. With my Mag package I ordered from them, I was supposed to get a 12 inch progressive barrel, but they sent me a 14 in. It's not a big deal, and I am going to keep it, but I prefer shorter barrels and they should send me what I am supposed to get.

UHHHH...I am so frustrated right now...

Thanks, Mag Forum, for letting me vent. I will try to remember to keep this post updated as things unravel, hopefully for the better.

Nathan

[[NA]WARLORD]

Sorry about your luck, but i've had great luck with Paintballgear.com/Action Village. Your 14" over 12" issue is known as a substitution, they didnt have a 12" so they substituted the 14" at no additional cost to you, thats good business policy "IMO", second the new style barrel you speak of is the Tear Drop indeed, instead of being straight on ported end its now concave like Freak tip, since Freak tip is basically the same,they made 1 barrel design to cut down on machining costs, thus saving us, the consumers, on paying higher costs for there products. As far as returning material and a re-stocking fee, call them first, explain your situation, and they will, more than likely, waive the fee. I had a similar issue with them and they were more than happy to rectify the situation. Besides, you have to call them anyway for a return authorization # anyway. Good Luck !!!!!!!!!!!!

[nak81783]

Thanks for your input. I hope things work out for me and Action Village also. They have a great selection of products and usually it gets to me in 2 or 3 days. I'd like to keep ordering from them if this all works out.

I don't know if you got the wrong idea from my post, but I am, in no way, upset with Smart Parts. I think they make great barrels, and I will continue to buy them. Although I have yet to use both the Progressive (which is mine to keep now) and the Tear Drop (which I most likely will have to send back), I am sure they are both quality barrels. It's just that I paid for an All American, I know how well they work, and I expect to get an All American. My frustration is with Action Village.

I have heard of companies substituting one length of a barrel for another length when availability is an issue. I do not believe, however, that this is good business practice. With so much of paintball being personal preference and opinion, products should not be substituted without first consulting the customer. I don't like long barrels, so I would have waited for a 12 inch barrel, especially since my nitro tank is on backorder, and I can't shoot the mag anyway. Unfortunately, I didn't know my Progressive was a 14 inch until I compared it to the 12 in Tear Drop that I received. I always thought that the threading was not included in the length of the barrel, so when I measured it, I started from in front of the o-rings on the barrel. Oh well, I won't mind having a 14 inch Progressive as a back-up barrel to my All American 12 inch. Hopefully, everything will work out.

Thanks,
Nathan

[[NA]WARLORD]

I wasnt trying to flame you dude, just letting you know about the new barrel, it has actually been out since this summer. The 14" will be a good woods ball barrel, but i agree with you 100% on if you buy it like it is in picture or by name, it should be actually that. My problem was with a REDZ pack, it said pack but when it came it was a whole system (pack& belt) not what i ordered. Call them, explain it and they will hook you up, trust me. Also if you get the new Interchangable All American, order a 10" tip, this will make total barrel length 11.5", that is the shortest barrel Smart Parts currently makes, unless you can find the discontinued Venturi barrel, which is 8" total length. Good Luck !!!!!!!!!!

[nak81783]

OK, thanks. That new one sounds cool, but right now, I'd settle for the old style. Now, the new style is a barrel in itself right? You can use it as is, or take the front off and use it on the Freak system? If the tip is 10 inches, what's the back then? Is it just the o-rings and twist lock or what?

Thanks for your help,
Nathan

[[NA]WARLORD]

Its only interchangeable with the Freak fronts, not the inserts, its basically a two piece design that gives you the option of a longer/shorter barrel by purchasing different tips. The back is essentially the same as a normall All American, no interchangable inserts like Freak, that would defeat purpose of Freak system..... Sorry !!!

[nak81783]

Right, that's what I thought, but maybe I didn't word it right. The front of the new style AA can be used in conjuction with the Freak System, but the back of the new AA style is a predetermined bore (.689 if I remember right), and I knew it didn't accept the colored bore sizers. Now I have another question though. If the new AA barrel front can be used in conjuction with the Freak system, can the front that comes with the Freak System (Tear Drop I believe) be put on the back part of the new AA barrel? I don't see why it couldn't; the threading should be the same. Correct me on any of this if I'm wrong. Not that any of the Freak questions apply to me, I am just curious.

Thanks,
Nathan

[rhetor22]

action village sent me a perfect ceramic 14 incher instead of the progressive 12". It's actually a nice barrel though, i'm keeping it. I sent them a letter to let them know i wasn't too happy, in fact i sent two but didn't get any responce. I have ordered from them before and they gave me great service. They must have trouble over the holidays. Oh well.

[nak81783]

Ok, sorry, but you've triggered me. Here's my story in detail.

I decide to get the TKO Mag Package at Action Village. I wanted to upgrade the barrel from a Progressive to an All American though. When I called in once to check the pricing of the upgrade, they said it would be like $45 extra. Cool.

Finally, I gather up all the money for the Mag package, barrel upgrade, nitro tank, scuba tank (not from ActionVillage.com), and some other accessories. When I call in to place the order, the guy tells me the upgrade will be $70. He said even though the site says it comes with a Progressive, it really comes with that ceramic barrel, so the upgrade would be more. That was harsh. I had a hard time getting the money for all the other stuff, and now they want another $25. Oh well, I said to go for it. However, the guy said he'd do me a favor. The way he was setting up the order, he said I'd most likely get both the ceramic and the AA at no extra charge other than the upgrade cost. Cool.

The day finally comes, and my package arrives. A few things were on back order, but that is ok. Everything checks out except there is only one barrel in the box. Oh well, I thought...it's the Smart Parts one. Good enough. In my haste and excitement, I rip open the barrel packaging only to find out it is a 14 inch Progressive. Action Village doesn't take anything back if it is open. So I thought I had screwed myself.

I called in to see what I could do and explained how the guy said I'd most likely get both barrels. They were really nice, said they'd check into it, said I could keep the one I already had, and they ended up sending me my AA barrel...so they said.

Again, the day arrived. I rushed into the house to open my new AA barrel. What's this? This doesn't look like my Spyder AA. I didn't think there'd be that much of a difference between a Spyder and Automag AA barrel. Turns out, contrary to my prior posts, it is a 12 inch Progressive...not a 12 inch Tear Drop. It has standard holes for porting, not the elliptical shaped porting of Tear Drop.

So both times, I received orders with invoices that read Smart Parts AA Automag 12 inch and both times they send me a Progressive...the first time a 14 inch and the second time a 12 inch.

Maybe somebody who puts orders together at Action Village just doesn't know what a AA barrel is. I don't hate them for it. Not everyone plays paintball and knows what each barrel looks like.

Never did I get the ceramic one even though the initial guy who took my order said I would. Oh well, I get to keep the 14 inch Progressive for sure now, and maybe they'll let me keep the 12 inch too...LoL. I don't care though. I just want my AA 12 inch. I will gladly send the 12 inch Progressive back as long as I don't have to pay shipping.

Wow, I wonder if I take the record for the longest post? I had way too much caffeine and can't sleep, so I thought I'd spend some time on my favorite website.

Thanks if you actually read all of this,
Nathan

[[NA]WARLORD]

Ok heres what ya do, e-mail [email protected], explain the situation to him and call him as well. He is the man when a situation like this comes up. If ya cant get the issue resolved threaten to turn him into the Better Business Beauro, that should get the results your looking for, its kinda low & dirty but you as the consumer should get what you paid for. Sometimes ya gotta break it off in somones butt, before they actually do anything, ya may end up paying for shipping, but tell them to credit you for it as they boned your order the first time !!!!!!!!!!!!

[[NA]WARLORD]

One last thing, see if tip unscrews on your barrel, if it does you have the new All American, if not you have a teardrop.....