Choosing the right barrel

[hillg]

[Gundam V]

If you want a cheap barrel, CP one piece are pretty good. If you want to use freak inserts, for better paint/bore match, a docsmachine tanto barrel is a real good choice as well.

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[hillg]

I looked at freak insets and all of that but think just a one piece is how I want to go. What bore size should I stay with???

[Gundam V]

Since paint has been shrinking, I've noticed that bore sizes of .685-.687 work pretty well, you will not need anything bigger than .689 bore size. If I'm mistaken I'm sure someone will correct me.

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[JKR]

If you want a one piece barrel, I can't recommend Lapco enough. Lapco barrels are fantastic barrels and a .685 should be a good all around size for you.

[going_home]

Inception Designs Stella kit....

Thats all I use, with an Apex 2 tip.

[hillg]

What about length?? Would use it for a mix of woods ball and speedball, smaller courses.

[Gundam V]

I've personally ever only used 10-12 in, although I do have an evil pipe 14 in tip. That is gonna be personal preference.

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[hillg]

I use to have so much stuff a few years ago, then medical issue arose and had to sell everything off. Had a nice J&J kit that I really enjoyed, plenty of other mags too. Now I am starting over and its getting expensive lol.

[athomas]

A paintball barrel is just a metal tube that accelerates and guides a round paintball towards its target. Don't get caught up in the hype of this and that. Yes, some are better quality than others, but most reputable barrels on the market are pretty good.

The ideal barrel for efficiency is 11" unported (based on testing for a level 7 bolt). A level 10 bolt may vary from that distance. To maintain some efficiency, you should be using a barrel that has at least 8- 10" of unported length before the venting starts. Smaller vents will be quieter and still allow efficient acceleration.

The barrel inside diameter you use will depend on the paint you use. Ideally, if the paint is consistently sized, you should pick a barrel that barely touches on two opposite sides of the paint at the widest point. We know that is highly unlikely with some general paints sold at many fields. So, you might want to have a barrel that is slightly oversized. An oversized barrel is more forgiving on poor quality paint than an undersized barrel. You will give up some efficiency using an oversized barrel, but you will have fewer barrel breaks. The accuracy and consistency will be pretty good, but not as perfect as a perfectly matched barrel. It will be better than a perfectly matched barrel if the paint has some odd shapes, though.

So, you really need to find the size of the paint you are most likely to use, before you invest in a barrel. Otherwise, you could be let down by the consistency of your gun.

From my own experience playing competitive tournaments and X-ball, my guns all use oversized barrels. If the paint in my area is 0.687", I would be using 0.695" barrels. I've never had an issue with accuracy and I can shoot anything that falls into the breach from my hopper. It just won't be as efficient. The sad part is that I have several kits and all of the smaller sizes are brand new and never used.