98 Custom Flatline Scratches

[Loren1711]

Alright.

Last night I completely took my gun apart to give it a detailed cleaning. When I took the flatline barrel off the gun and looked thru it to see if there was any debris in it, I noticed many scratches on the walls of the barrel.

I was just wondering if this is going to be a problem with ball breaks, accuracy, etc.

Also if it is going to cause a problem what should I do about it?

What could some of the causes of these scratces be, rocks or something?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Loren1711]

Anyone know what is going on, or what I should do about it?

bump...

[Superandy12]

I think they may be there to give the ball backspin. Are the scratches mostly on the top?

[Coenen]

You don't need to bump threads, this forum is usually busy enough that questions get answered within a few hours, or a day.

To answer your question, that is completely normal. That roughness coupled with the barrel's curve is what works to put the backspin on the ball and create the extra range that the Flatline provides.

[Superandy12]

thats what I thought, it aint broke dont fix it.

[Loren1711]

Oh okay.

Sorry about bumping it, this is the first time I have used these forums.

Alright thanks for the info, and I won't do anything to change it.

Thanks

[Stan the HitMan]

yes it is form bead blasting, when they are making a flaltine they bead blast it to a certain boare for maximum performance, the roughness causes that little bit more friction on the curve to make the backspin work.

[ghilliesnipe]

The sandpaper like roughness is from the bead blasting. The scratches are either from residual paintball shell that needs to be cleaned out or from wear on the barrel.

Take the barrel off and put a little dish soap in it while plugging the bottom of it with your hand. Put some warm water in the barrel and sorta shake it. Let the water go out and then run hot water through the barrel to thoroughly rinse it. NEVER use a straight shot squeggie through it. It will scratch the heck out of it. If during a game a ball breaks in it, then you can use a battle swab. Let the barrel dry. If there are still scratches in it, it is from wear. Eventually, the barrel will wear out and will need to be resandblasted.

Read the stickies. There is a nice presentation on how to calibrate the 98c flatline in there by Stan the Hitman. There is also some decent info on the barrel there too. If you still have questions, I can help you, but not until you read the stickies and do a search. Stan the Hitman also knows a great deal about the flatline. Read everything you can on it.
Good luck