FS round and rifling

[RavishingEddie]

Hi guys,

Just wondering if the rifling on a barrel would have any positive effect on the trajectory spin on an first strike round. I seen rifling tests that didn't offer much effect in the accuracy of a round paintball but what about a D shaped round?

Also, what direction of spin does the FS round go? Clockwise or counterclock?


Im designing a sniper rifle. Thanks.

[Frizzle Fry]

The FS rounds themselves are rifled (that is to say, self-rifling). I think any barrel that didn't have the same twist rate and some way to line up in the breech would be hindrance to your performance... That said most paintball barrels I've seen that are rifled utilized polygonal rifling with a low twist rate - might not have any effect at all. In the long run FS isn't really that accurate; it's just that much more accurate. You're gonna be leaps and bounds better than the next guy if you buy a smooth barrel and overbore slightly - I'd say avoid something with a long control bore (or any at all).

[Hobbez]

I believe lapco is making a fs specific rifled barrel. Check the Tiberius forum on Mcb, there's a lot of info there.

[athomas]

Most paintball rifling that is in the market is more hype than anything. The low fps of a paintball prevents rifling from having any real effect. You would have to spin the paintball at a rate of a complete turn every inch or so to get the rotation up to a value that would be beneficial. Then, of course, it would rip the paintball apart. Also, the shell would accelerate faster than the fill would, so some of the effect would be lost anyway.

A "straight rifling" may make things more accurate, but it works by preventing large areas of surface contact and reduces the spin rather than actually spinning the ball. Other paintball "rifling" is just circular porting, which isn't rifling at all.

[Hobbez]

Most paintball rifling that is in the market is more hype than anything. The low fps of a paintball prevents rifling from having any real effect. You would have to spin the paintball at a rate of a complete turn every inch or so to get the rotation up to a value that would be beneficial. Then, of course, it would rip the paintball apart. Also, the shell would accelerate faster than the fill would, so some of the effect would be lost anyway.

A "straight rifling" may make things more accurate, but it works by preventing large areas of surface contact and reduces the spin rather than actually spinning the ball. Other paintball "rifling" is just circular porting, which isn't rifling at all.

When your talking about a regular paintball, the above is all true. However, the new first strike specific rifled barrels coming on the market have matched the spacing and twist of the FS round itself. In a standard barrel, FS rounds dont begin to spin until well after they leave the barrel. In the new barrels, the FS round leaves the breach and "snaps" into the groves of the barrel and starts to spin before it leaves the barrel. Whether the extra spin really makes a difference or not? Who knows, but I bet dollars to donuts it sells barrels.

and just FYI. The fins on FS rounds make it spin the opposite direction of the twist on regular rifled barrels, so using a rifled barrel with a FS at best will do nothing. At worst, you will develop spin that will make the FS round have to stop spinning with the barrel spiral before it can start spinning with its fins.