BARREL BIZ

Do you still have the stock barrel on your marker? If you bought a high-end marker (400.00 +) you either got a pretty good barrel, or you had to purchase one to go on the marker. Most entry-level markers have barrels already and, their quality and accuracy is usually lacking, shooting curved, short, or broken paint. Purchasing a new barrel for your marker is definitely a wise upgrade. However, you should do your homework.

First of all, aside from point and pull the trigger, a paintball marker is nothing like a real gun. Paintball projectiles are .68 caliber round balls made like a Tylenol capsule filled with non-toxic vegetable oil, food coloring, and sometimes soft wax ---NOT like a lead bullet. Paintballs break easily when they hit something (you or a branch or tree)---NOT glance off or go through like a lead bullet. And, CO2 and compressed air definitely do NOT act like gunpowder.

OK HERE WE GO!
The mechanics of the marker delivers a metered dose of propellant (CO2, compressed air) behind the paintball. Then it is up to the barrel to keep the propellant behind the paintball and to guide the paintball to the intended target. There are 5 things to consider when looking for a new barrel to accomplish these two tasks: 1-MATERIAL TYPE and COATING, 2-BORE SIZE, 3-HONING, 4-PORTING, and 5-LENGTH.

Barrels are usually made from metal of varying types. Earlier versions were made from brass but brass is heavy, soft and tarnishes easily. Stainless steel barrels are good looking, very durable, tarnish and scratch resistant, but heavy and expensive. Aluminum is very popular because it is light and inexpensive, but it too is soft and must be anodized (a hard coating to strengthen the aluminum).
The anodizing is another reason the aluminum barrels are so popular. The anodizing can be done in any color combination and manufacturers can add Teflon and/or ceramic particles (slick stuff) to the anodizing to produce a very slick and durable finish. Barrels made from alloys like titanium are supposed to be the best: ultra slick, perfect bore, incredibly light, virtually indestructible...and yes very expensive. Your barrel needs to be as slick as possible. Brass and stainless steel can be polished to a mirror finish and aluminum can be anodized with Teflon or ceramic to produce a slick finish. This slippery finish reduces paintball compression, friction and increases your range.

The bore size of a barrel means the actual size inside the barrel. If you purchase a small-bore barrel, you will have to shoot small-bore paint. Small-bore barrels work well in colder weather because paintballs shrink. If you buy a large bore barrel, you will have to shoot large bore paint. Large bore barrels work well in high temperature/humidity conditions because paintballs swell. Under normal conditions a large bore barrel will distort the paintballs less, will be less likely to break the paintballs and will possibly increase range.

Honing is a process where a special brush runs through the barrel and finishes the inside. The honing is supposed to remove burrs, scratches, and imperfections in the barrel. There are two types of honing: Flex-honing, which most manufacturers use, and stiff-arbor honing which is supposed to be the best at perfecting the bore size of the barrel.

Porting in a barrel has two functions: reducing the turbulence in front of and behind the paintball. When a marker is fired, the gas rapidly expands and propels the paintball out of the barrel. As the paintball moves forward, it compresses the air in front of the paintball because the paintball is accelerating faster than the air in the barrel. This compressed air in front of the paintball creates turbulence and can cause the paintball to act wildly after it leaves the barrel. On a barrel with porting, the turbulent air can harmlessly escape, allowing the paintball to fly correctly. Now the other function of the porting. As that gas rapidly expands and propels the paintball out of the barrel, the rapidly expanding propellant behind the paintball makes a "POP" noise that can be quite loud. On a barrel with porting, again, the propellant can harmlessly escape and thus reduce the noise from the paintball leaving the barrel. Any amount of porting in your barrel will help, especially if your current barrel has no porting.

A longer barrel does NOT mean greater accuracy.... that is an illusion. When your marker is fired, the propellant accelerates the ball for 6 to 8 inches down the barrel. The rest of the barrel merely guides the paintball and reduces the noise. Excess barrel length only increases friction and decreases velocity and accuracy. 12 to 16 inch barrels from the same manufacturer are usually similar in design and accuracy. The larger issue is your own style of play and personal preference.

A high quality, well-machined barrel will improve your accuracy and range over a stock barrel, no matter the length. Russel Maynard had this to say in a recent APG article, "For maximum range you must match the barrel to the marker...The barrel should not be so long that the paintball begins slowing down before it leaves the barrel...After a paintball exits the bore the propulsion effect of the gas ceases, the paintball stops accelerating. There is nothing you can do to make the paintball in flight go faster. What is controllable though, and therefore critical, is the acceleration of the paintball while it is still inside the bore. If the paintball is still accelerating as it leaves the barrel, you get slightly more range. If the paintball is slowing before it leaves the barrel, you get slightly less range. "Russel Maynard,"Y2K Theory",APG, March 2000 pg. 153

So, you see that shopping for a barrel can be quite confusing. There are lots of things to consider when purchasing a new barrel, including the price. BUT, one thing rings consistent with any barrel, even an 8" non-ported stock barrel. PAINT TO BORE MATCH is the most important issue in regards to accuracy. Paintballs vary in size depending on the manufacturer, grade, age, and humidity. If your paintball to bore match is too tight, you will break paintballs more often. If the paintball to bore match is to loose, propellant will slip past the paintball and cause poor accuracy, velocity fluctuations, and possibly breaking paintballs more often. Remember that if you break a paintball in your barrel, it must be thoroughly cleaned or you will not have any accuracy. Paintball to bore match is very critical to the accuracy of any barrel and, with a little experimentation, research, and patience, you can find the right paintball for the barrel of your choice.