Fellas, could you please explain howw barrels affect air consumption...

[Rahman]

Hi guys could you please explain to some of us that don't know how barrels affect air consumption and....Tanks

[ciaran.mooney]

The longer the barrel the more friction the ball experiences. So you have to us more air to get the ball to go faster down the barrel, so once it leaves the barrel you are firing the same FPS of someone with a shorter barrel.

Shorter the barrel less air needed to get the same FPS, the longer the more air needed.

[PyRo]

Whenever the ball is in the barrel, it requires force behind it to keep moveing. This force is the air, when the air comes out it is compressed, so what it does is try to expand. When it expands the paintball is pushed down the barrel by the expanding air. As the ball moves further down the barrel, the pressure decreases. Say there is 100psi in the chamber before the ball is fired. Once it gets 1in down tbe barrel you will only have 75psi left, 2 inches 40psi etc (i'm not sure exactly what the pressures are, i'm just using those as an example). Once it expands enough that there is no more air left behind the ball, the ball stops accelerating, and begins to slow down. To make up for it slowing down, more air is needed to get the ball out the barrel at the same speed with a longer barrel.
Porting will also decrease air efficancy because you loose air out the porst.
I like miscues analogy of this
Say you are drinking though a straw, now poke holes in the straw. What happens? It takes alot more effort to get the same result. The same is true for a ported barrel.

[Rahman]

Now I see , thanks alot guys I apreciate your help now I understand this concept ,once again thanks..

[Butterfingers]

Like everything in this world there is an equalibrium.

Gasses need time to expand to propell a paintball so if you have too short of a barrel the gasses won't expand all the way to its potential and you get wasted air.

If you have too long of a barrel the gasses will expand all the way until it stops expanding, then it will slow down. To compensate you have to turn the pressure up thus increasing air consumtion and wasted air.

The optimal length for an automag is said to be 11 inches.

[Rahman]

Thanks Butterfingers,again I learn something new 11" wow
I definetely did not know that, one question though and this one concerns accuracy I was always under the impression that the longer the barrel(of course not exageratedly long)the better the accuracy and the shorter the barrel the more you compensate accuracy so my question here is what lengh of barrel is ideal (on an Automag)for keeping accuracy at mid to long ranges and still not comprimise to much gas efficiency,would an 11" barrel still do the job or would some lengh???
Thanks for your help guys...

[ciaran.mooney]

Only part of your barrel is needed to actually "set" the ball on its path. The longer the barrel infact the less accurate it could be. With barrels about 4-6"s is how far is needed to accelerate the balll the rest just slows the ball down.

I think theres a indepth article on the main but of AO.

[soilent green]

read toms tech tips he explaines barrel efficiency but butterfingers is right you can have a long gas hog or a short gas hog so go for a happy median a lapco or 12" CP

[Butterfingers]

The most important factor to accuracy is paint to barrel match.

Simply you have to match your paint size to your bore size.

Length really does not effect accuracy in a paintball gun. A more important factor is the quality of the barrel, and how well your paint matches, and the quality of the paint.

[Rahman]

Very interesting..This really throws my entire philosphy about barrels right out the window ,but it brings me another issue why then have 14",16" and 18" long barrels is it just for style or is there some substance actually involved here, or is it all just part of the marketing scheme....

[Butterfingers]

marketing...

and some people find it easier to point and aim with a longer barrel.


Your theory is still somewhat correct for real firearms to an extent. A longer barrel in a firearm subsequently also increases velocity which leads to more range a flatter trajectory and more accuracy. Barrel manufacturers like making this faulty comparison to real firearms. The fact is they are 2 very diffrent things.

Since paintguns are set at the same velocity the physical flight of a paintball coming out of any gun is for the most part identical.

Velocity is the key!

[Rahman]

Well I knew the differences between paintball & firearms trajectory characteristics I wish 2yrs ago someone had told rifleing doesn't work on paintballs.I must say this thread has been very enlighting my mind is now set on a barrel kit with adjustable boresizing,but wait do any of these actually work as advertised or is it once again just B$ you see I have a 12" j&j ceramic it's an alright barrel but the bore is just too tight I also have a 14"smart parts 2-pc all American with the stainless back I bought thinking the rifling would actually make it the accurate barrel on the planet you see theres another issue all together, the whole 2-pc idea will you actually benefit from putting a paintball thru a smaller bore and than having it spit out a larger one,or once again is it all hype and if it what out there actually performs???
once again ,Thanks for all your help

[Butterfingers]

The stepped part of a stepped bore barrel just makes your gun quieter and look cooler.

The effective bore (the smaller bore) is what makes a diffrence. The freak kits and other interchangeable breach systems work great. Some people seem to have problems with freaks breaking paint in thier gun. Because of the unique design of the automag barrel it makes it difficult to use an insert. Custom products offers an adjustable bore size system by using full backs. This iv'e heard works better on mags.

[Rahman]

Thanks for all your help Butterfingers I really apreciate it I'll definetely use the data gathered here to review my options ...