Tippmann 98c
Smart parts teardrop 14" barrel
brass eagle red dot sight (dot on the lens, not on the target)
mounted 2AA mini-mag with pressure switch
Recommended Paintballs:
Draxxus blitz
Diablo Dusk
most medium bore-size
Strengths:
extremely accurate
relatively quiet
good distance
Weaknesses:
accuracy decreases if a ball is chopped
Review:
Well, Iv'e been playing paintball for quite a while now, (close to three years now), and I've fired lots of guns, with lots of paint, through lots of barrels, and I've gotta say, "God bless Smart Parts." This is probably the best barrel I've ever used, definitely the best for its price range.
A good buddy of mine bought this barrel for his spyder E-99 a few months before I did, and from watching him fire and firing it myself, I was pretty convinced. I had also read a good bit of reviews on this barrel by fellow tippmann user's. So I went out and bought it for myself, and went out into the field.
The first thing I had to do was tune my velocity, (this is KEY when using any barrel, even a stock barrel). Once I got the right setting, (which I found to be about 9.5 turns out, for you fellow 98c users), I was getting a flat trajectory for about 40 yds, with about a 3-5 inch grouping. At about 70 yds, I was getting a good 6-8 inch grouping with very little compensation for distance. After sighting it in, I was able to convince my brother to put a mask on and go out in my yard, just to test it. At around 35-40 yds I was able to take single shots and nail his mask, and when I fired a burst, I got a good 4 out 5 hits on his chest, and this was while he was moving across my yard at about 25-30 yds from me.
When I started playing games with it, it was like a dream. I was shooting kids from so far away that:
1.) I was at such a distance that I wasn't even in their range of shooting back, and
2.) Their team members couldn't locate me because I was able to fire from so far that they wouldn't see me until at least after I had fired a few times, but they still couldn't shoot back.
Aside from sniping, I also tend to get crazy in paintball and run kamikaze missions. In these situations I seldom get the chance to stop running, and even while I am firing on the run, the ball never seems to whip or dive. In other words, I've never used a barrel that I liked more than the teardrop.
The key elements in accuracy is the barrel, the paint, and the velocity. Factors such as wind are uncontrollable and affect everyone equally. This barrel, with medium bore-size paintballs should do the trick. (Note: Brass Eagle, Viewloader, and Blue Streak paint should never be used with ANY barrel, no matter what size it is, unless it is one's desire to spend their game time with their head down running a squeegee through their barrel while the other players better quality paintball are flying over them.) Other than that, getting the velocity to just the right setting should give accurate shots from excellent distances allowing you to take out your opponents before they even detect you, which is never a bad thing.
As far as sound goes, do not listen to anyone who says that any gun or barrel is silent. Such a thing does not exist. But there are definite differences in loudness. Compared to other barrels I've used this is one of the quieter ones. Loudness also depends on velocity, and I keep mine almost maxed out, so it is still pretty quiet, quieter than most anyway.
Conclusion:
To conclude, I am most impressed with this product, and, as I once heard it put, "I would recommend this barrel to Jesus himself." I give it a 9 only because I do not believe in the perfect product. Perfection is only what works best for one person in one situation. But if you want to attain almost-perfection, I think this barrel is a good place to start.
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Monday, July 5th, 2004 at 5:18 pm PST
Dispute: Barrel has no bearing on range. Unless you have a flatline or apex barrel system, 285 fps is 285 fps. That's all there is to it, your gun may shoot quiet and accurate, both of which the barrel influences, but the range is not affected by teh barrel.
I agree that this barrel dose not shot any farther than any other barrel.
But it may have may more accuratecy further out so you have more effective range than other barrels.
Last edited on Thursday, April 13th, 2006 at 11:39 am PST
actually, the smoothness of the inside of a barrel has a small effect on the range of a paintball. if the barrel is rough on the inside, it will cause friction between the barrel and the ball, slowing it down. a smoother barrel causes less friction and therefore less resistance. however small these changes may be, they do exist.
Hi, I'm here to yell at you. YES there is a range increase depending on the barrel. Although a longer barrel will not increase range, a more efficient barrel will. The better the fit around the paintball, the better the air efficiency. And if there's more air (effectively) behind the round then...
Well children?
There IS MORE POWER and therefore more range. Take a physics class on pnuematics and get back to me. And remember, we were not arguing over a velocity increase, only if a barrel can provide more range. Hope you've learned something, and be sure to read my other lessons around the site.
P.S. I have this barrel and it is possibly one of the best I have ever had or used, including my apex.
Dispute: i think anyone will agree that accuracy with ANY barrel ever made, ever, will decrease if you chop paint. you probably shoulda gave it a 10/10
quote:Originally posted by CaffeineBoy actually, the smoothness of the inside of a barrel has a small effect on the range of a paintball. if the barrel is rough on the inside, it will cause friction between the barrel and the ball, slowing it down. a smoother barrel causes less friction and therefore less resistance. however small these changes may be, they do exist.
Okay, I will give you that.
The only thing is, you chrono this difference out.
Say you have two differnent barrels.
1 smooth
1 smoother
The smoother one is on your gun and it's velocity is at 280.
Then you put the less smooth one on, the velocity is at 270 now.
You decide to use this barrel, and you chrono it to 280.
let me drop some knowledge on you. while most barrels accuracy decreases with chopped balls, the smart parts teardrop barrel's accuracy is blown into itty bitty bite size peices. it is more likely that the ball will curve back and hit you than the intended target (thats obviously an exageration, but you get the point). what this guy is saying is that the teardrop barrel takes chopped balls worse than others. i know this because i have a teardrop barrel. and a little more knowledge for you guys to take away from this, the better the barrel the better the range, tighter fit = better air efficiency which = better range, think about it!!!
