-Stock barrels (9" and 10")
-Rental barrel upgrade (12")
The 14" is MUCH more accurate than stock barrels, not so big of a difference over the 12". It is quieter, though.
Marker Setup:
Smart Parts Vibe
14" CP One-Piece Barrel
Strengths:
Low-price
Selectable bore size
It's a barrel
Weaknesses:
Looks
Paint on barrel is cheap
Review:
When it comes to barrels for paintball markers, there are only three things to consider: length, bore size, and price.
(Length) Mike@TechPB suggests 12-16" for optimal performance. Shorter barrels are inaccurate; Longer barrels cause too much friction and slow the ball down.
(Bore size) Mike@TechPB suggests always over-boring your barrels. A perfect paint-barrel match will always be best, but accidentally under-boring is a problem. Your shots will be much more consistent if you over-bore. Go with .693 bore size.
(Price) The CP One-Piece barrels are $30 from the manufacturer. This upgrade is essential and well worth $30.
One complaint is that the paint chips easy on my barrel. I read the same thing about the J&J Ceramic barrels, though. I guess you get what you pay for there. Also, the barrel tends to come loose during play. There is an O-ring on the stock barrel that isn't on my CP, so it shouldn't be an issue after I transfer that O-ring.. ;) Also, this barrel isn't the best-looking.. I thought it would be uglier from the picture (I don't really like the tip), but it doesn't look bad at all on the marker.
And always keep in mind that, no matter what any barrel claims, they will all perform the same (even the Tippmann Flatline).
Conclusion:
9/10 just because the paint chips too easily. Get this barrel or the J&J Ceramic. They're both $30 and well worth it!
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 8:49 pm PST
