sniping

[xtraownage]

what is the best gun in the $200 and under range for sniping and what would be the best barrel for that?

[tryggerhappy]

ok Possibly a Pro/Carbine or Model 98 custom with flatline barrel system. Both are built like friggin tanks and accually work. :)

[DontKillWhitey]

Flatline is basicly the only barrel that will shoot farther then any other barrel. So if you want distance go with a m98 w/ flatline.

[ZeroHawk]

Ya i would definetly recomend the Flatline. The sniper on my team has one with a scope ;) . The first time i shot one i was incredibly amazed. VERY long distance.... till the point where balls usually drop or curve on normal guns it continues for another 50-100 feet.

[xtraownage]

thnx guys

[Head Hunter]

Tippmans are a good product. No Question.

The Flatline is a LONG Barrel.
Don't plan of being an effective player on the speedball field. And you can't switch barrels back and forth if 5 minutes easily.

You can't crawl very well in the brush or turn around with a long barrel in heavy brush either.

The Flatline is a Gas Hog. Plan on carrying lots of air or CO2 on you.

Take it from a sniper that put a 20 inch on an Autococker with 10 inches of porting and a zilencer over it.

Contray to popular opinion, the Flatline IS NOT:

'More accurate' NOR will it
'Shoot farther'

than any other quality barrel paint match.

Once the ball leaves the barrel the barrel cannot affect the ball. The ball has the same drag coeffient regardless of what barrel you use.

Velocity drops at the same rate. The distance you can effectively get a break is the SAME with any barrel. Need proof? Use an air system for chrono consistency.

Chrono the Flatline at 300 fps at the muzzle. Move the chrono to 30 yards, put a box in front of it so you don't break it, and fire 10 shots just over the top of it so you get a velocity reading.
Do the same with a stock barrel. Compare the average velocity for 10 readings on each.

There goes the farther theory.....

Spin on a paintball is impairs accuracy significantly. Even the $100/case tournament grade paint is NOT round. So any spin will make a ball move off course over more than the same ball without spin. Need Proof?

Put a scope on a tippman. With a flatline, shoot a 20 shot group on paper at 40 yards. Put the plain vanilla stock barrel back on and repeat a 20 shot group at 40 yards.

The stock barrel will have a smaller average group than the flatline. We did it and used the $80 / case tournament grade paint to minimize the paint issue. The stock barrel group was 2/3 the size of the flatline group.

There goes the "More Accurate" theory...

But most people's definition of 'more accurate' also includes hitting what you are aiming at more often.

That a Flatline will do.... Because of the flat trajectory, it forgives YOUR errors in aiming WRONG at different distances 20-40 yard out. So you hit what you are aiming at more often. That is a good thing and the Flatline unquestionably works very well in that respect. That why people think it is 'more accurate' and 'shoots farther'. It is because they MISS LESS at different distances.

What you lost in 'true accuracy'is more than made up by compensating for how much you would miss your target with a stock barrel.

It has a distinct tactical advantage you can exploit on the field. You can fire through a 8" high hole in the brush that the guy you are firing at cannot return fire through with his ball arcing. While he is figuring that out, you hit him. My favorite use of a flatline was popping ankles in a cedar thicket. I could make them dance and they could not return fire under the branches.

The Flatline is the only system in paintball where a line of sight aiming device such as a scope or Red Dot might be effective.

I even made a flatline for my autococker. It works but the autococker is simply significantly more accurate (group wise)with a straight barrel than the flatline. I WANT a 9" group at 40 yards and not a 20" group. I can hit a facemask every time at 40 but would miss 60% of the time with a 20" group. I'd be lucky to hit a torso and at 40 yards, it would bounce rather than break. It breaks on a facemask at 40 yards.

So I went a different route. The good old reliable auto range finder. It tells you how far away your target is and shows you exactly how far to elevate your marker to put one on his facemask with the first shot. The sighting system is very accurate and quick to use.

I've extended my range to the 50-60 yard sniper shot by adding full auto to the autococker. I can send out a 8 shot burst in one second. One of those balls in that 15" pattern will find the face mask and break before he can duck. If you are holding still and within 50 yards of me, you're dead!

I went to a 16" barrel with 10 inches of porting with a zilencer over it. Much easier to maneuver in the heavy cover and playable on the speedball court with the zilencer off of it.

The bad news is you can't buy an autorangefinder.
The good news is you can make it yourself for a couple of bucks and a LOT of time to calibrate it.

E-mail me and I'll send you the plans:

www.ahcp@worldnet.att.net

Let me know which plans you are asking for. I have many do it yourselfer projects including the full auto conversion.

[Sid]

Originally posted by xtraownage
what is the best gun in the $200 and under range for sniping and what would be the best barrel for that?

As Head hunter said, the flatlines are great distance wise, but they lack in accuracy.

Without a doubt, if you're playing woods and stricly recreational pball, get a Phantom pump. They are amazing. I had no Idea how accurate they were till I tried it. If you want something that is one shot kill, get the Phantom. Plus you can use 12 grams keeping the thing extremely light, and get upwards of 30 shots. Very very nice guns!

If you could get out and try one, I know you'd be satisfied.

[snipinhick]

I SECOND THE PUMP IDEA!!

but try all the types of pumps you can.... the phantom is great, but due to the fact I didn't get the chance to try one myself before purchase I am selling it or trading it for a sniper 2. that's just a personal preference.

[Ulnari]

I agree with the phantom as well, but must say that "sniping" sucks. Go out and be aggressive, its the best way to go.

[Sid]

I prefer the more unpredictable approach. I don't limit myself to one style of play. If all I am is an aggressive player, people know exactly what I'm going to do every time. Same with the sniper situation. I think there is a time and a place for the different roles.

However, if you have your group of buddies, and your role is to be the sniper, great. There isn't anything wrong with specializing, you just need the right environment to flourish.

[TheZephyr]

Phantoms are really nice for sniping. Sometimes in woods games, myself and a friend work as a two man sniper team. In one game with Phantoms, we took out ten guys each with angels, impulses, and autocockers.

My tl+ isn't bad for sniping either, I usually get several sniping kills per game, the SP AA helps. I wouldn't really recomend it for the serious sniper, but i like to play speedball and front occasionally, so I need the semi auto.

[Thor the Mighty]

phantoms are really nice for accuracy but if you are at a field, and everyone else around you has simi auto guns, you're not giong to want to have a stock class gun. if i were you i would a) get the m98 flatline and stay in the back the whole game and shoot and waste your paint for people up front who need YOU to cover their butts or b) buy a good simi auto gun and go up with your team and have someone else blow their money covering a team with a wall of paint that will probably never hit anything

that is my input

[vasmir]

You're not going to enjoy what I'm about to tell you, but as a fellow paintball sniper, I feel compelled to tell you.

I will tell you that over the few years that I have been playing, I have found out that all markers are basicly the same in accuracy and range. Well, except for those 20 dollar wallmart guns. Most of the differences come in things like regulators, that influence precision, and barrels, which influence range. You can be accurate with any weapon, and it only takes one thing: experience! Trust me. Get a gun you'll be comfortable with and after training with it, you'll be more than a compatent paintball sniper.

If you want access to a pretty popular forum for snipers only drop me a PM.

[Blacksheep]

Head Hunter...I need to ask, what Physics class did you take?

You see, the backspin of the Flatline Barrel modifed standard trajectory and energy. The spin adds centripital force on the ball because the outside of the ball is spinning faster than the inside.

So, yes, the Flatline adds range.

Accuracy is good out to about 45m (effective) with proper paint and tuning. I can put a shot group together on a mask-sized target at about 30m consistently with Marbilizer and a 280fps chrono. The spin doesn't affect accuracy too much either. It won't be as accurate as a Bigshot, but as I said, masks at 30m is decent with open sights.

As far as the Stock Barrel, good luck hitting a target from 20m with that.

[vasmir]

As I proud owner of the flatline, I am compelled to agree 100% with Blacksheep.

Head Hunter, try using the product first before you bash it.

[HotelSecurity]

Some advice for you as well. All the suggestions up to now have been perfect so I don't need to add onto them. Tippmans are great to build your "perfect' gun off of and the flatline barrels rock. Enough of that.

"Sniping" in paintball is a difficult term. I like to think of it more as sharpshooting. You need to be careful in a woods game that the patrons know you're helping to eliminate players at longer distances, as opposed to just sitting there and hoping someone will walk by. The latter is very frowned upon and is seen a an unskilled newbie. The former can be an important part of woods play.

Know the value of when to shoot. Sometimes I see people in the distance with my 4 power scope, but I know I have no chance in hell of really hitting them, or even if I hit them that there would be a high percentage chance that the balls would bounce off. DO NOT take these shots unless you're very confident you can get a hit. Use that time to maneuver, because chances are that you're out of the other guy's range too.

As a paintball "Sniper" you'll probably want a scope. It's best to be able to fire without one, but you have many scope options. I have a 4 x 20 power scope for observation, as most scopes for firearms and BB guns are not made for paintball and great compensation must be made to hit anything with them. For a cheap, traditional scope that'll mount of a regular 3'8, try a Tasco 4 power airgun scope. You can pick them up for about 20 bucks and they're cheap enough not to mourn a loss if they break. Red dots are also popular, as many airgun red dots are sufficient and very cheap. I suggest you read up on parralax before you use either of these scopes. Finally come the "optical illusion" scopes and the low end "fiber optic" sights. Find what's most comfortable to you. Remember, to a degree it's more important to be good at maneuvering and fire discipline rather than taking a shot, as paintballs can miss, but good tactics and greatly improve your chances at a hit.

[Captainmorgan]

acctually, the flatline does fling paint a little farther...by that i really do mean a little but its not accurate. just buy a spyder or something and get a nice barrel....smart parts, dye...just not a flatline....flatlines aren't accurate...you need special tools to take it off...cant usre a straight shot....really heavy....you need really good paint with the flatline...and if you dont hold the gun level the balls will curve because it ends up putting side spin on it.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by Captainmorgan
acctually, the flatline does fling paint a little farther...by that i really do mean a little but its not accurate. just buy a spyder or something and get a nice barrel....smart parts, dye...just not a flatline....flatlines aren't accurate...you need special tools to take it off...cant usre a straight shot....really heavy....you need really good paint with the flatline...and if you dont hold the gun level the balls will curve because it ends up putting side spin on it.

The flatline can be very accurate if you install it correctly. If you get aligned right and have the screw tightened right then it can be very verry accurate. And a Spyder with a good barrel cannont match the distance and accuracy of a Flatline. I must say though, don't use a flatline in speedball!!!

[Magnus55]

Old thread guys. Check the dates "11-09-2001". I doubt that Head Hunter is still around on the forums to debate with you.

[Blacksheep]

I blame Vasmir for brining it back up...

[vasmir]

Originally posted by Blacksheep
I blame Vasmir for brining it back up...

Yes, and you too also posted in direct reference to headhunter's article of "11-09-2001"on the same date as myself, the 22nd.

And, why need to blame me for anything, or anyone for that matter? I mean, not only is this thread already inactive and dead, but after I publicly declared that I agreed with a point you made, you felt the need to unduly blame me for something? What's the beef?
(and I mean that in the nicest sense)

[Blacksheep]

It was sarcastic...I'm sorry if I offended you, it was said only jokingly.

[vasmir]

haha

ok sorry I couldn't tell