In my opinion-Anything
But I have used PMI Premiums and Marbs so far
Strengths:
APEX simply are not paint picky=better scenario gun
Weaknesses:
Big Barrel End
Review:
I am convinced of this after playing all day in a scenario game yesterday that I am better off with the Apex than I was with my Flatline. Dont get me wrong Flatlines are still very effective but this is a few things that I saw. (yes I owned both but sold my Flatty to buy this Apex)
Apex could shoot farther
Apex was very accurate
Apex is NOT paint picky
No weird shots or wingers
Apex Does not break balls.
APEX simply are not paint picky=better scenario gun
I ran most of the day on Setting 4-5 which is the basic flatline mode. When i need that extra OOmph I simply Upped to the Superflatline mode. I was shooting at one guy and I was on setting 4 My balls would drop just before the got to him. I flippped my switch up and Poof 3 shots later he was out. It was 200 ft. or more. The balls the and another guy were shooting at me did not break Several hit my vest and barely bounced off. I was suprised mine broke on him.
One thing I didnt use was the bunker busters and wrap shots. I didnt feel the need to use them. I really dont think these tyoes of trick shots will really come into play that much. I would see someones but sticking out behind the tree and aim and hit it. Why worry about the curve?
Quite a few people had Apex barrels out there and all of them that I talked to love them.
I never saw one ball wing to the left or right the way some do with the flatline. Some of the Flatlines out there broke paint. Were were using PMI Premium.
I have only shot the Premiums and Marbs through mine but I cant see any paint that will break. I am gogin to try some scorch and cheaper balls in a few days.
What I dont like about the apex? The end is to big. Its kind of hard shoving that barrel through cracks and shooting since the end is so darn big. I could sit the lip of my flatty between a whole in a barricade and fire away. Its not easy to do that with a Apex but i think its a small price to pay.
Update:
I have and use a response trigger and it handled it just fine. I watched people on the field using cockers and other high fire weapons and they were also ddoing great with no ball breaks. Its like a normal barrel. Much more reliable than the flatline at high rates of fire. Yes ther are 8 clicks the closer the nob is to you the more normal the barrel is. At the 1 setting the barrel is a very accurate normal barrel click 4-5 is Flatline. the last setting is super flatline. You simply twist the barrel to have the shot curve in the direction you want. You can do the same thing with the flatline. But there is a more noticeable curve with the apex.
Conclusion:
Buy it if your going for a no hassle non picky barrel. Point and shoot and click for distance.
Rating:
10 out of 10
Last edited on Monday, August 22nd, 2005 at 1:57 pm PST
Thanx for the review.
How does this barrel handle multi rounds bursts or increased rates of fire? RT, E-grip, etc. Did you, or anyone reading this, experience a certain rate of fire not being handled as you hoped?
Also, just so I follow, there are 8 levels for various ranges (Flatline distance but more accurate, what is dubbed as Super Flatline, plus others) Each of those levels can be adjusted for hooking right or left around trees/targets and can send paint dropping over the top of bunkers?
Yes, you can get the Apex barrel to make your shots turn left or right, or hook down. The shroud on the end of the barrel twists. Turn it right and the balls curve right. Turn it left, they turn left. Turn it all the way upside down, they will go straight for a way and then hook down. If it's turned right side up, which is the normal position, your balls will shoot flat for a very long distance without curving. Besides being able to twist, the shroud also has a sliding switch you move back and forth to adjust the amount of back spin on your shots. Check out btpaintball.com. It describes all of this in detail.
Thank you for your superb review. I would like to know one more thing. What is the influence of velocity on a barrel performance??? What is optimum velocity for Apex barrel, which you have??? I´m asking, because I have flatline barrel and there is big problem with ball breakage at the distant targets because of the low actual velocity of the ball... yes, it goes far, but too slow, to be harmful, it just float the air.. Do you have same problem with Apex barrel??? Thank you for you answer.
About the rte of fire thing........ at high rates of fire performance will not frop because of the barrel. Performance drops because of poor feed, detents or inconsistant velocity. I have tested this. Plus if you think about it..... why would the rate of fire cause the barrel to chop? It would be one of the reasons I listed above.
quote:Originally posted by m98customsniper About the rte of fire thing........ at high rates of fire performance will not frop because of the barrel. Performance drops because of poor feed, detents or inconsistant velocity. I have tested this. Plus if you think about it..... why would the rate of fire cause the barrel to chop? It would be one of the reasons I listed above.
why? because the faster you shoot, the more chance of the ball to get chopped when the ball gets into the end of the barrel. and since the end of the barrel suddenly curves the ball, it has a higher chance of chopping.
