Does a longer barrel mean better results?

[swat150]

Hi, Im buying a dye boomstick for my spyder and they sell 12, 14, 16, 18 inch barrels all for the same price. Does a longer barrel mean better results?

[Benfica4ever]

Not exacly. but ill tell you a while back my cousin had a 16 inch booomy and it was horribly unacurate.

The boomy was probably good, but the gun was not able to even push the ball though that far.

[penguinpunk555]

dont get anything longer then a 14 inch barrel pointless if it is 16 and up

[TheTramp]

The short answer is no. Unlike a real firearm, having a longer barrel will not make your paintball gun more accurate.

With that said, having a little longer (I like 14") barrel will allow you to use the barrel to "work" your bunker. You can get the tip of the barrel further out while keeping you body better covered. An example would be pushing in the side of a Sup-air bunker to get a better angle while not exposing any more of your body.

[BobTheCow]

This is one of those subjects where you will never be able to get people to agree.
Some people believe that the longer the barrel is, the more accurate the shot will be, no matter how long the barrel gets (assuming a fairly good paint-to-bore match). Other people (including myself) believe it doesn't really matter past about 12" or 14".
Some people also think that longer barrels are more gas efficient. Also (to a point), longer barrels are a little quiter than shorter ones. Depends a bit on the porting.

If you're considering playing any type of speedball, think about what position you'll be playing. Generally the front players want shorter barrels so they are exposed less, and the back players want longer barrels to be able to shoot straighter longer. If you're not sure, 12" or 14" is usually a good bet... try to get a chance to put one or both of those lengths (of ANY type of barrel) on your gun to see which you like better.

**edit** Tramp beat me to the part about workin bunkers (works for hyperball, too).

And happy hunting, Boomies are generally really good barrels.

[WarBUCKs]

Alright,

If you are playing on "Sup Air" fields get a longer stick so you can bury your barrel into the side of the big inflatable triangle and square balloon things. With the barrel tucked deep inside you get to take shots and the other team gets ticked off cuz only your barrel shows, but they are doing the same thing anyway.

I personally wouldn't go over 14" but if you are a "Size does matter" type of guy then go bigger.

[JAM]

longer barrels can sometimes seem more accurate, 'cause they're easier to sight along/point at your target. the effective length (where the ball is actually touching the barrel) on all boomsticks and ultralights is around 6", so any size tip won't make too much difference in accuracy. i go back and forth between a 14 and a 12.

[Star_Base_CGI]

I have the 16" rifled CMI Sniper barrel with Muzzle break.

Its is 5 times more accurate than the spyder barrel easy.

I will prove it at spplat.

[SomebodySomeoneRTPcf]

12-14 is where the ball stops increasing speed....16-and up is just more porting to reduce sound and some of the speed.

[Dayspring]

Paint to barrel match... THAT'S what makes a barrel "accurate". The next defining characteristic is air system consistency.

So before you go saying that your 16" super barrel is the best thing out there, remember that your 16 barrel may be better suited to the paint you are using than the stock Spyder barrel. That doesn't mean that the CMI is any better manufactured than say a Scepter (because it's not).

And it's hard to shoot people from the dead zone. Remember that CGI. You said it yourself- Shatner may have a hard time wining if the teams are even. And as of now, they are.

SO BRING IT.

Originally posted by Star_Base_CGI
I have the 16" rifled CMI Sniper barrel with Muzzle break.

Its is 5 times more accurate than the spyder barrel easy.

I will prove it at spplat.

[Darkstorm]

Speedball or Scenario

I use 18" and 20" barrels.

It is not more accurate, but there are a couple of advantages with a longer barrel.

- Visually it seems easier to aim down a longer barrel
- It is better for your profile when laying on a bank of a creek (or like the airball example)
- More porting does seem to make a longer barrel quiter
- Longer barrels go through more bush, this is great help when in the woods

Of course the disadvantages show more in a speedball situation.

[Jack & Coke]

Wouldn't your position also be a factor?

Front players: runs a lot, slides a lot, stays tucked in a lot... shorter barrel = better ?

Back players: runs less, stands more, uses the "bunker manipulation technique" more often... longer = better?

[Dayspring]

I'd say that 12" is the defacto standard. You're actually hard pressed to find barrels much shorter than that. Not that they aren't made, just that they aren't easy to find.

[xmetal2001]

No, The boomstick lengths that you are looking at will have the same performance because they are effectively the same length. The ball only touches the first half(silver part) of the barrel. I think thats about 4 inches or so.

Aside from that it is personal preference. I prefer the shortest barrel i have(usually play with a 10") while some players prefer a longer barrel so they can push into an airball bunker and play tighter. Longerbarrels are generally quieter as well.

Your accuracy is going to come from good paint-barrel match.

[GT]

Depends of what you are "doing" with your barrel and what kind of "results" you want to "get."

jb