Why is a 12in stock barrel worse than a 12in Boomstick or something of the sort

[dubis07]

Why are most upgraded barrels better than the stock at the same legnth? Besides noise, arent they all just as accuate? They are both circular and smooth on the inside. Help me out.

[holyhandgrenade]

Length has nothing to do with accuracy. My 8 inch shoots just as well as one of my 14's. It has to do mostly with paint to barrel match, if people would get a good match with a stock barrel it would actually shoot quite well, my stock cocker barrel does. However, alot of aftermarket barrels are better in how smooth they are, and how exact the bore diameter is. Both of these increase accuracy. Then you have the step bore aspect also, generally two piece barrels shoot better than one piece because of this. Lastly how light they are in some cases. A Ti boomstick is alot lighter than a normal one, and therefore costs more.

It mostly comes down to how well the barrels are made.

[SPPaintball]

Originally posted by holyhandgrenade
Length has nothing to do with accuracy. My 8 inch shoots just as well as one of my 14's. It has to do mostly with paint to barrel match, if people would get a good match with a stock barrel it would actually shoot quite well, my stock cocker barrel does. However, alot of aftermarket barrels are better in how smooth they are, and how exact the bore diameter is. Both of these increase accuracy. Then you have the step bore aspect also, generally two piece barrels shoot better than one piece because of this. Lastly how light they are in some cases. A Ti boomstick is alot lighter than a normal one, and therefore costs more.

It mostly comes down to how well the barrels are made.

True... but it also has to do with the porting on the barrel. The different styles of porting will put a different spin on the ball, and some styles of porting are said to be better than others.

This is porting
http://www.hunt101.com/img/117974.gif (http://www.hunt101.com/?p=117974&c=564&z=1)

[UTLadiesMan]

Pretty much what HHG said. Stock barrels may not be perfectly round, they definately aren't perfectly smooth, and being one pieces, the ball is touching the porting as it's leaving. (usually the least smooth area)

It may look smooth and all, but there's a wide degree we can't see with our bare eyes.

[radishboy]

Originally posted by holyhandgrenade
Length has nothing to do with accuracy. My 8 inch shoots just as well as one of my 14's. It has to do mostly with paint to barrel match no, it doesn't , if people would get a good match with a stock barrel it would actually shoot quite well, if by quite well you mean exactly the same as it would have been with any paint that was smaller than the diameter of the barrel, then yes, you are correct. my stock cocker barrel does. However, alot of aftermarket barrels are better in how smooth they are, you got one point and how exact the bore diameter is. Both of these increase accuracy. just one. actually Then you have the step bore aspect also, generally two piece barrels shoot better than one piece because of this. Lastly how light they are in some cases. A Ti boomstick is alot lighter than a normal one, and therefore costs more.

It mostly comes down to how well the barrels are made.


length, porting, paint to barrel match, they all mean next to nothing. the main factors in barrel accuracy are:

quality of the barrel: how well its honed, how consistently its honed

quality of paint: i cant stress it enough, better paint = better accuracy.

consistency of propulsion: if you're shooting co2, or have a bad reg, your accuracy is going to suffer. a flux in your reg will cause a flux in your accuracy.

[Radius]

radishboy has it. Paint is the limiting factor, you can have an absolutely perfect barrel but it won't fire all that well because the paint is NOT ROUND!

It might look round, but take your handy micrometer and measure them. It all depends on how it cuts through the air and how the deformities on the ball react in the air currents.

[i like tictacs]

Originally posted by SPPaintball


True... but it also has to do with the porting on the barrel. The different styles of porting will put a different spin on the ball, and some styles of porting are said to be better than others.

This is porting
http://www.hunt101.com/img/117974.gif (http://www.hunt101.com/?p=117974&c=564&z=1)

false

[radishboy]

Originally posted by SPPaintball


True... but it also has to do with the porting on the barrel. The different styles of porting will put a different spin on the ball, and some styles of porting are said to be better than others.

This is porting
http://www.hunt101.com/img/117974.gif (http://www.hunt101.com/?p=117974&c=564&z=1)

the only reason one type of porting is "better" has nothing to do with the performance of the barrel. angled porting = easier to clean.

and porting lets air escape the barrel, how can that put a spin on the ball if the air is just escaping out of holes behind the barrel? its like trying to drink form a straw with holes in it.

[paintballer42o]

doesnt rifling also have to do with it?

[radishboy]

Originally posted by paintballer42o
doesnt rifling also have to do with it?

it has something to do with how hard it is to squeegee your barrel, thats about it.

[UTLadiesMan]

Originally posted by paintballer42o
doesnt rifling also have to do with it?

http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb273.gif






(and I will admit, I was one of those newbs once... granted it was like 9 years ago)

[LAMANTEthePBguy]

Can anyone elaborate more on the whole why paint/barrel match is useless. I havent gotten around to searching the paint/barrel forum for it.

[holyhandgrenade]

Based of all my empirical evidence paint to barrel match helps quite a bit...

[Evil_Kat]

On the subject of rifling:

I have had pretty good luck with Armson pro-series barrels and use one on both my Rainmaker and my 'mag. I know that most players tend to discount the effect of the sallow rifling in paintball gun barrels. However I've done side by sides with other barrels and the Armson tends to perform as well as or beter than many other options. So draw what conclusion you will.

Grabted one of the reasons I chose the Armson ewas to have something a little bit different than what everyoe else swears by.

[whizzit]

So paint to barrel match means next to nothing? Only quality? Whatever, either thats wrong or its on a case to case basis. I use cheap zap paint and I get pretty good accuracy with it.

What good quality paint are you talking about anyways?

[ShadowWalker]

Originally posted by holyhandgrenade
Based of all my empirical evidence paint to barrel match helps quite a bit...

Paint to barrel isn't all that important. Obviously you shouldn't use a .681 ball in a .692 barrel and visa versa. But if it isn't perfect, thats ok (given that the ball is smaller than the barrel).

[UTLadiesMan]

Originally posted by ShadowWalker
Paint to barrel isn't all that important. Obviously you shouldn't use a .681 ball in a .692 barrel and visa versa. But if it isn't perfect, thats ok (given that the ball is smaller than the barrel).

You've never used a cocker then... If the balls are even moderately smaller than the barrel then your velocity can fluctuate all over the place.

[ShadowWalker]

Originally posted by UTLadiesMan


You've never used a cocker then... If the balls are even moderately smaller than the barrel then your velocity can fluctuate all over the place.

I had an omen before my mag. Omen's=closed bolt. My bro and 3 or 4 friends all have cockers. I don't see how the velocity fluctuation just effects cockers. The match will keep balls from rolling out in closed bolt guns, but that isn't the issue here.

[UTLadiesMan]

Originally posted by ShadowWalker
I had an omen before my mag. Omen's=closed bolt. My bro and 3 or 4 friends all have cockers. I don't see how the velocity fluctuation just effects cockers. The match will keep balls from rolling out in closed bolt guns, but that isn't the issue here.

It affects all closed bolts. If the paintball doesn't stick in the same place in the barrel every time, then the amount of time it has to accelerate fluctuates and thus so does velocity and your consistency goes to hell in a handbasket.

Few weeks ago, friend using paint that was a bit too small went over the chrono 280, 283, 278, 240, 280, 285, 237, etc... It doesn't happen everytime, just depends on how the paintball lines up. Of course, the smaller the paint is compared to the barrel, the more it fluctuates and the more often it does so. Larger paint causes more barrel breaks and gas efficiency problems. Short story, it does matter. Yeah, close enough works fine on average... but it still does matter.

[Assass!n]

In my experience, accuracy mainly depends on...
the quality of the barrel,
the quality of the paint,
and the consistancy of the gun.

I use a Pipe, which is a very high quality barrel, and usually shoot either RPS All Star, Zap Chronic, or Severe Cyclone/Hurricane. I always use a .695 or .693 bore with the Pipe and my accuracy is always excellent. but whenever i use something like primer or midnight, my accuracy degrades a little bit. So i dont think its really dependant on paint to barrel match if your using high quality equipment.

[ShadowWalker]

I also have a pipe kit and did more or less the same. The thing is, ever since i got the replacement from evil it has been sitting there unused because my stiffi is superior. Either way, with the larger back i never noticed an accuracy difference, just between paint quality.

[DirtMcgirt]

if you don't own a closed bolt marker you shouldn't own a barrel kit unless you you enjoy spending a stupid amount of money.