Flatline Barrel

[nevwyn]

Hi all

Just had a question or two. I was reading the latest AGP last night at work and they have that article about the A-5 with the flatline and the rt or e-grip.

Now I can't afford an A-5 let alone one with 2 of the above.

however since the have all of the above for my 98 I was wondering what the general concensus on the Flatline is is it worth getting? is it difficult to attach?

My biggest reason come from cost factors, I live in canada and the prices I see for a flatline (and by the same token the rt kit) are the same price more or less as I paid for the marker however given the price of barrels if the flatline does what it says I'd rather shell out a bit more and get it instead of a barrel kit. Of course thats saying I buy new.

Nevwyn

[punkcmonkiez]

i have a flatlined tippmann... yes it shure does do what it says... its not that hard to install but what takes a little testin is lining up the barrel so its strieght...another thing that you have to get used to is at closer range, aiming down a bit to compensate because of the curve upward... i dont know if id get it tho. it is cool somtimes and the balls do go farther and stuff(they also curve around trees :P). but you also loose velocity as they get farther out and you get alot of bounces.defeating the purpose of trying to get the longer shots in the first place. the flatline, really only good for woods play IMO. so if your planning on getting into speed ball or already play then this is not the barrel for you. just go with a nice aftermarket barrel for much less... and i dont really agree with the whole barrel kit thing but i dunno thats just me. ive always used a .689 either 12 or 14 inch and thats always been good to me with all my guns. the only barrel that was noticably worste than the rest is the tippmann stock barrel. so if you still have that youll notice a much bigger change on almost any barrel you get. thats my 2 cents

[c sherer]

IMHO - definately in the top 10 list of "biggest wastes of money on a gimmick paintball product for your marker".

Sure, it shoots further, but you are not shooting faster(300fps) so the energy at the longer range is rarely enough to break on anything softer than a goggle lense. Besides, I can just add a few degrees of arc to my shots and achieve the same effect without spending 125.00.
Save your money. Buy almost anything else.

CoSh

[Sparq]

I have to disagree - When the flatline is funtioning properly it will generally outrange other markers which are firing at equal velocity. Myself and my uncle were at a scenario game yesterday. I shoot an RT Pro and he has a flatline equipped M98c. Both of us had chronographed at 280fps. Standing side by side, he was getting eliminations at rages 20+ feet past the maximum range my RT was getting even with the arc. Yes, many of the hits are bounces, but as has already been stated, bush ball is where the flatline is actually useful. It is a small advantage, but in scenario play it can play an important role.

We were shooting Chronic, in case anyone was wondering.

[FalconGuy016]

Also, in the woods, it matters where your ball goes. There are too many obstacles just to shoot at a person. A flatline adds a whole new level to woods ball because you are able to utilize little holes in the trees that otherwise would have been almost completely impossible to arc a paintball through (and then its at the wrong angle and everything). I think the best reason for a flatline is get a ball STRAIgHT through a hole and still hit on the other side. Really helps out

[Sparq]

Actually falconguy, that reminds me - when the tree cover on the field isn't very high above the shooter's head, arcing paint won't even get it to the target. The flat trajectory of the flatline helps when there are overhead obstacles that would normally impede a long range shot.

[LittlePaintballBoy]

ok you guys, the flatline is a HUGE
waste of money. it may be able to shoot really far, but by the time it get out there the balls are every where, ask aegis, he has one on his A-5,its great for scaring the crap out of people when they are walking along the other side of the field and you start firing at them and they run for cover, but when it shoots that far it also loses velocity and probably wont pop on impact anyway. bottom line- its a big gimmick more than anything else.

[wobbles82]

Sparq, you said generally outranges markers...it always outranges markers shooting the same velocity. Heh. Anyway, I have used many in my heyday of recball, and I must say I laughed at my friends. Sure the range was their, the bragging was in place, but point is when I had my AA you can simply arc the shot to get nearly the same effect. The Flatline floats the balls, by making a zero gravity effect, so breakage is also very hard. IMO its just not worth it....even if it was free its just a flawed concept. And I feel sorry for the Flatline Cockers, while they are better than the Tippies with Flatlines, I really just dont see the point. Thats my 2 cents, for what its worth.

[Sparq]

wobbles - I know, I'm just trying to avoid complicated counter arguments regarding backspin bolts and automag z-bodies and such . In any case, the accuracy I witnessed was as good at his maximum range as I was getting at my own. No, I would not buy one and am not particularly distressed when they are used against me, but I do think they have their uses and are more than a "gimmick" when used properly. Finally, if someone is willing to spend the money on a flatline and they enjoy using it, how can it be called a waste of money? What is or is not a 'waste of money' will vary from person to person.

[Evil Bob]

You guys are not listening... you cannot arc if there is low cover, stop thinking speedball and wide open spaces and think recball/scenarioball/woodsball for a few minutes.

If there is low tree cover, shrubs, bushes, etc., you can't arc/lob your shot, it will end up breaking in the trees. A guy with a flatline will be able to take you out where you simply cannot touch them.

I've seen guys under tree limbs at 100 feet that couldnt' be touched because your indirect artillery shot would hit the tree above them and come no where near them.

Just like everything else that is designed with a special purpose in paintball, it has it's use and is highly effective at it where nothing else works.

-Evil Bob

[ramennoodles]

ok in my opinion the flatline is a waste of money because it cannot do what it claims. It claims to put a backspin on the ball, therefore making it go further, but there are several reasons why this would not make it go farther. First of all, a back spin would slow the ball were it to be sustained. Secondly it could not be sustained because the fill inside the ball would neutralize it. Check out APG if you don't believe me, they did an unbias study (it was actualy on rifling the barrel of a paintball gun, however, it follows the same principal.)
-isaac

[Sparq]

If there is so much evidence to show that it doesn't work, how do you explain how so many people have SEEN it work in person? The fact is that it does work, despite what APG's "unbiased study" tells you. Believe your eyes, not what you read.

Evil Bob - you put into coherent words what I could not

[ramennoodles]

i apologize for not making myself clear, it does not work because of what it claims, it works because the barrel is arced (sp?) not because of a back spin

-isaac

[Sparq]

Hmmm...well I still have a bit of an issue with that because when you watch the flight path of the ball it actually does fly straight for a much longer distance than a standard barrel before the trajectory noticeably drops toward the ground. I'd say it IS because of backspin - you may notice the barrel curves back to tolevel as it nears the muzzle. But it really doesn't matter why it works, as long as it works.

[LittlePaintballBoy]

uh actually, the arc is what puts the backspin on the ball. know what you are argueing about before you start argueing