Stock Barrel, Smart Parts All American, J&J ceramic, JCS 8" and 10"
Marker Setup:
Spyder TL+, CO2 - stock except :
32 degrees medium striker spring, light valve spring
drilled out VA (3/16")
filed down striker
Palmer M Stabilizer
CP bottom line
Recommended Paintballs:
I've put about 2-3 cases each of diablo HEATs and DXS bronze through it. Both shoot perfectly through it. No breaks yet
Strengths:
Short length
intimidating looks
Weaknesses:
cleaning the shroud is an exercise worthy of Sisyphus
price
Review:
As stated by other reviewers, it looks so superbad that James Brown couldn't touch it with his funkiest Apollo gig.
No... that's not a silencer on it. It's a shroud. My therapist neighbor reminded me just yesterday that it's not a silencer when she came storming out as I was plinking a few balls in my shed. It's noise is apparently not conducive to hypnotherapy sessions 150 feet away, across a parking lot, in another building.
At 120 bucks this barrel is not cheap. There are cheaper, more accurate barrels out there - like the J&J. But these guys are a specialty manufacturer. You want cheap? Buy a barrel from a manufacturer who sells 50,000 units/month.
Cleaning the barrel is easy. Just like cleaning any other barrel. What is not easy is cleaning the inside of the shroud and the baffling material between the barrel and the shroud. The material resembles air conditioner filter foam. If you're at home, you can just unscrew it in 30 seconds and dunk the material in water - problem solved. But doing that in the field, while being shot at is... well .... impractical at best.
What I love about this barrel, besides it's looks is it's length and balance. The length is perfect for snapping out fast, firing off three well aimed shots and snapping behind cover again. And it balances my marker perfectly for a lightning fast draw. That's why I like it and keep using it.
The enlarged shroud makes for really easy sighting with the feed tube indentation on the Spyder. Looking down the breach, tilt the marker 45 degrees counterclockwise, line up the center of the indentation with the end of the barrel and you could fire a shot into your buddy's barrel at 50 yards. Okay, it's not THAT accurate, but it's as accurate as the Smart Parts AA or the J&J ceramic on my marker - 4" groupings at 50 yards. It's the ONLY good, reliable, sighting system I've ever encountered for that engineering abomination known as the slant feed on older Spyders.
Would I buy it again? If I had had the chance to use it first, I'd probably say "It's cool! but ..." and go on using my old faithful J&J.
Conclusion:
I'll give it an 8 out of 10 for the length, balance and accuracy. Only it's price and cleaning keep it out of the perfect 10 catergory.
