Rifled Barrels?

[Etfren]

Do rifled barrels shoot any more accurate or further than a standard barrel? I have some friends that have been convinced somehow (probably by real guns) that having a rifled barrel would improve accuracy. I personally think a standard barrel will work better, otherwise all the barrel manufacturers would be making rifled barrels right?

[HungryHippo7735]

Rifled barrels actually have poorer accuracy than a smooth bored barrel. What happens is that when the paintball is shot out of a rifled barrel, the shell spins, but the paint inside stays stationary, which offsets the balance of the paintball, and thus produces poorer accuracy. Rifled barrels are more of a marketing scheme to get noobs to buy inferior products. You should tell your friends to stay away from them.

[Etfren]

None of them are planning on buying, they just think they would be better. Now I can finally shut them up.

[Zaunji]

Also they are a nightmare to clean. Your friends probably though they are good becuase they are thinking of real guns... that fire bullets... that are solid and have no liquid inside.

[Etfren]

Thats what I told them and they wouldn't listen.

[eddyydde]

yea thats what one of my friends think too

[DarkeWolf]

on an actual firearm that fires bullets, barrel length and the grooving of the rifling can make definite and drastic changes to the performace.
in paintball? Nah, it's just a marketing gimmic.

[reneirwolf878]

When we're talking about bullets, yes rifling helps. Paintball are filled with liquid, spinning can actually hurt accuracy.

You should also mention that most modern battle tanks use smooth-bore barrels nowadays too.

[amargio1]

I could write a volume on accuracy but this is it in a nutshell.
clean barrel well machined (dye)
good paint
low-kick gun (big one)
good reg (sidewinder etc.)
hpa
:)

[Stan the HitMan]

I have found straight rifled (to make sure the paintball has no spin) are very accurate barrels, spiral rifling I have not experimented with enough yet, but intend to in the future in controlled environment just to get accurate results on what they do and what they don’t.

[DarkeWolf]

You should also mention that most modern battle tanks use smooth-bore barrels nowadays too.

Yeah, but modern tank guns use a sabot round. ;)

[TheSpy11]

Rifling does nothing (good or bad) for performance. Stick to standard barrels.

[slingshot66]

The rifled barrel I've seen and the one I have are straight rifled.
It is very accurate. It doen't put any spin on the ball. It keeps the ball from spinning. It is a lot better then my barrel kit. If I had found it earlier I wouldn't of spent so much on a barrel kit.

[Ebonclaw]

To counter this, the Armson stealth barrels are well noted for thier accuracy...and their normal (spiral) rifling.......
I would tend to say that rifling has little to no effect on paintballs as a whole from my experience (and yes, i have used straight rifled barrels...couldn't tell a lick of difference than normal ones).

[m98sniper15]

To counter this, the Armson stealth barrels are well noted for thier accuracy...and their normal (spiral) rifling.......
I would tend to say that rifling has little to no effect on paintballs as a whole from my experience (and yes, i have used straight rifled barrels...couldn't tell a lick of difference than normal ones).

Your right, I have use both straight rifled barrels and smooth bore. I have to say that there is really no difference. There is a little more range due to less friction on the rifled barrel but thats it.

[reneirwolf878]

Your right, I have use both straight rifled barrels and smooth bore. I have to say that there is really no difference. There is a little more range due to less friction on the rifled barrel but thats it.
So spinning a ball more thru a pipe puts less friction on it? Hate to say it but doesn't sound like any physics I know.

To be quite fair rifled barrels aren't bad....until you bust a ball. They have a much tougher time self cleaning than a smooth bore.

[Evil_Wayz]

So spinning a ball more thru a pipe puts less friction on it? Hate to say it but doesn't sound like any physics I know.


No. Spinning is bad when it involves paintball, period. Spinning a paintball through a smooth barrel causes two different types of friction, one from the entire circumference of the barrel making contact with the paintball, and then a sideways force that goes against the horizontal of the force of the air. With a rifled barrel, because less of the barrel is actually contacting the paintball in terms of surface area. And since the rifling is straight, there is no force that acts on the paintball besides the force of the air behind it. I imagine that a spiral curved barrel would negate any positive effects of having less contact area because of the same opposing force.