The Flatline Barrel System is the first barrel to put back spin on paintballs. It not only increases accuracy and distance, but it also has a flat trajectory.
Product Availability
The Tippmann Custom 98 Flatline Barrel is newer, so it should be commonly available, both new and used.
Places to Buy
No Stores
Sponsored Links
Write a review and share your thoughts with other paintballers.
Ok this is a great barrel for wood land games and other s like it
it is pretty accurate up until it get s alittle out there the balls start to go up
If you know how to install it right it is worth the price
Weaknesses:
a little pricy
there are morons out htere that give this barrel a bad name becuase the force the adapter for the barrel in and it messes up the reciever and the adapter
and the shoud causes some problems with closeing your feed tube you may need to cut it alittle bit with a knife
Conclusion:
the people hwo buy htis need to know the correct way to install it
here is the correct way
1. take you reciever halves apart
2. insert the adpater for the barrel perfectly at 6 o'clock
3. put the reciever halves together
4. take barrel out of the shroud
5. line up the barrel correctly with the adapter
6. then tighten the adater onto the barrel
7. put the shroud on
now you will have no problems with all balls going right or left!!
so if you can put it in right and play woods alot it is worht the money
-Distance is unbelievable
-With the shroud it looks intimidating.
Weaknesses:
-Accuracy is terrible
-Overpriced
-Too prone to outside forces (wind, weather, etc.)
-Too long
-Incredibly hard to install
Conclusion:
This barrel has too much hype surrounding it and is not worth the money. Sure, it gives unparralled distance, but at what cost? Not to mention the arduous task of installing the damn thing, what a pain. I have spent over 6 hours adjusting this barrel and still cannot get the accuracy I paid for. Do yourself a favor, get a boomstick or J&J ceramic.
Ask yourself this question: "Do I want accuracy, or distance?"
1.It makes the gun look cool
2.Shoot straight and far(some times)
3.Quiets the gun a little
Weaknesses:
1.Can't shoot through a break at all the balls wont go staight until you take it to a hose.
2.Too big for offence
3.Price is way to high
4.The barrel cove feels cheap
Conclusion:
This barrel is ok it is not worth the price. It makes tippmans look good but thats about it because there so inconsistent with their accuracy. They are too big to move in brush with if you get one you had better be a hardcore deffence player and snipe. If I were you I would get a smartparts or dye instead Don't make the same mastake I did.
1) It looks sick. Some people tell me the foregrip the barrel is housed in looks bulky and ugly, but I scoff at them. The foregrip just adds an extra rest for people that like to hold their weapons like rifles, and the barrel is about 14 inches long coming out of the barrel adapter, the same length as most other barrels. As for ugly, the foregrip makes the marker look something like an assault rifle. For someone who exclusively plays outdoors like myself, I'd prefer a more military oriented marker instead of a bright red or shiny blue Kingman or Cocker. Kinda looks like a Pro/Carbine with the 98's foregrip. Only thing bad about it is that if a cop sees you with it he might shoot you, but only an idiot would be flashing it in public.
2) Range, baby, range. Like I said, I play only outdoors; I HATE speedball, so the ability to hit my opponents from an extra 80-120 feet really makes a difference. The first game I had the opportunity to use it I tagged someone 200 feet away... I thought I missed, but he ran off the field with his hands up with a big splat on his chest. My friend with his souped up Spyder TL barely made it half as far in range.
3) Extremely accurate. Well, in some cases this is true. But for some reason, the ball dips then flies back up at about 50-60 feet. This isn't bad however, because if your aiming at someones chest at that range, it will backspin up and hit them in their mask.
Weaknesses:
1) Assembly. OK, who's idea at Tippmann was it to release the instructions without pictures? It wasn't too hard to put together, and I was realitively unexperienced with the assembly of the Model 98 when I got the Flatline.
The Flatline barrel has several guiding marks on it. If you can't figure out how to line a notch with your front sight post, you have bigger problems then installing your Flatline Barrel System.
But, for those still struggling to install the barrel, this can be easily remedied as Tippmann has full color instructions on installing the Flatline on their website.
2) Its expensive. Its one of the most expensive barrels they make for the Model 98, but let me assure you, if you play outdoors or in large arenas, its the best barrel you can put on any gun. Even at short ranges I consistantly best my frieds and their Dye Boomsticks, which are about of comparable cost with the Flatline.
3) You can't shoot poor quality paint through it. Unless of course you want to clean the barrel out every 5 rounds you shoot through it. However, since all I shoot through my Flatline is Marbilizers, I haven't had much of a problem with this.
4) Its somewhat difficult to thread a barrel squeege through the curved barrel and its a mother to dissassemble to clean out the inside of the gun. Then again, you really shouldn't have to open your gun up unless you dropped it in mud.
5) Its somewhat hard to get used to using it. Most people are used to just pointing their gun and shooting at a target, but with the Flatline you have to hold it perfectly straight or the ball will curve. Some people don't like this because in the heat of a firefight they could accidentally cant their weapon and make balls fly everywhere. However, with enough time behind the trigger and disipline this problem is easily solved.
Conclusion:
Overall it may seem like there is only 3 positives to the barrel and 6 negative sides, the negatives aren't as bad as they seem. Its hard to put together, yes, but you can recieve better instructions on installation from www.tippmann.com. Its hard on the wallet and so is having to buy premium paintballs, but the performance the barrel brings is well worth it. Why spend $1,400 dollars on an Angel LCD when you can drop $300 dollars into a Model 98 Flatline and shoot the guy with the Angel 100 feet before he can return fire? Anybody who posted negative reviews of the Flatline is either: A "high-end" Electro-Pneumatic gun owner who thought he could rule the field if he dropped $900 dollars into his gun that got spanked by someone with a lowly Flatline, or somebody with the Flatline barrel with not enough intelect or patience to put it on his marker properly.
Well i got to admit...it gets excellent distance....i outshoot every other barrel at the game i went to but theres only one downside...the accuracy
Weaknesses:
The accuracy is horrible...u aim down low and the ball goes flying up high...you aim high and the ball go extremely low....the balls curve so much that it takes at least 30 shots to hit some one frome a long distance...the accuracy of this barrel is worst then the stock...
Conclusion:
I wouldnt recomend getting it...the price is WAY to high and the for the perferomce it is terrible...a very bad barrel to get for yor M-98 users out there...and dont be too happy if you get one...you may have the distance but you certainly dont have the accuracy....you can dodge all the shots that are comming toward you...wouldnt BUY!
Shoots far.
I was across the field from some hotshots with 'Cockers and they couldn't hit me. I just stood there in the open shooting at them. They were scared as hell and dove for cover.
Weaknesses:
The shroud. Don't put it on. It's dead weight. Without it you can lean the barrel on top of bunkers without exposing as much of your hopper, and you can stick the barrel through holes. Even though it looks goofy, I would definately go shroud-less.
Conclusion:
I shoot Team Colors through mine and it works great. I got it for Christmas. I also have a SP All American, but this is better. It shoots just as accurate, only farther. I break paint every once in a while (about once or twice a day) but the range is worth it. Rapid firing will not break paint, that is baloney. I would recomend this barrel to anyone who wants some good range and accuracy. Oh yeah, anybody that says that your balls curve up is full of doodoo. I play speedball with this badboy and it happens to work JUST FINE!!!!!! later dudes.
This barrel is good if you like to hide and shoot from far away. The balls have so much backspin that somtimes if you aim straight for a persons leg you might end up hitting their head.(good thing) Thank god for that flip-down elbow. You'll need it.
Weaknesses:
You might have to adjust to the rate at which you fire. If you shoot fast, you are going to break balls like crazy. If you try to shoot through the breaks, the balls will either go off to the side or break some more. The more they break, the deeper you dig yourself into the hole. Sqeegying isn't that bad if you get used to it. Again, the elbow that flips down helps alot because there is no way you can take the barrel off on the field with the shroud on.
Conclusion:
This barrel is very good. It is also pretty accurate. The BAD section is only long because it takes a while to explain. This barrel has minor things that you can adjust to. Hey why shoot fast when you can hit em in at least 2 or 3 shots.
This is a very good barrel! I love this barrel. the first time i shot it at the field the ball kept on going and going and twice the distance of any other gun. I usually lose sight of the ball before i see gravity take its toll since it goes so far. Its very accurate on non windy days.
Weaknesses:
Rapid fire is hard to pull off. Cleaning sux... heavy and long as hell
Conclusion:
I used this once so far and this barrel is amazing! Its different from all barrels on the market. I own a flatline and a carbon fiber and love both but i would have to say on any large arena i would have to convert my carbon fiber to the flatline. This is a great barrel and i would recommend it to everyone. Dispite what i wrote in my bad section its easy to get used to. So i have to give it a ten.
I have had this barrel for some time now, I have played in tournies with it and yes it preformed well. I DO NOT use the sheath that comes with it, it is difficult to install and gets in the way of breakage if you experiance it. As long as your velocity is under 290FPS you will have an accurate barell with the most distance in the market, also make sure it is clean, if there is paint in your barell the balls will curve like mad.
Weaknesses:
Nothing.
---Keep the barrel clean and = no problem
---Keep velocity UNDER 290FPS = no problem
Conclusion:
Great product-well worth money-follow 2steps in the "bad" section and it will NOT underpreform.
P.S. I just summed up what I said in the Good section in the bad section, there is really nothing wrong AT ALL with this barrel.
The Tippman isn't mine but it is my uncles and last week he did not play so I used his gun and now i'm buying me one. I normally shoot a spider with an armson stealth barrel and i love it as far as accuracy but for serious range i would reccomend it. The best thing about it that it carries its speed so far, my little brother was fussing at me because i wouldn't let him shoot it, he complained about the pain, all paint guns shoot the same speed when the ball exits the barrel but the flatline carries that speed and because it does carrie the speed the ball does bust when you pop someone from 100 yards away and you should see their faces when they are just standing there and they feel something hit them and didn't even know that they were being shot at.
Weaknesses:
Only bad thing is the price but it is worth every bit of it
Conclusion:
When I used it, I was shoot BLACKS POWERBALLS and they shot perfectly straight. It doesn't compare to any other barrels. I would definetly reccomend it.
I talked to the guy at the pro shop in my area and he said that he hates it, he said that the only barrel to shoot was an armson and that the flatline would shoot off to one side or the other if it is held sideways, but what nut walks through the woods holding his gun sideways anyway.
