Barrel Info./Rant
By: k_smith05
Just a few of my thoughts about why I can't stand it when I hear, "My cocker shoots farther than your mag." And, "Longer barrels are more accurate..."

1. Why I don't like 2 piece barrels: They are basically gimmicks! They're also known as "stepped" barrels because the second piece is a "step" bigger than the first. Because of this, the paintball doesn't touch the second half at all and is only as good as it's first half. To prove this; if you use an RP Premium paintball that is .687, it will be guided by the .688 first part of the barrel, but not the .720 second part of the barrel. Basically for a 16" All American, this makes for an 8" barrel with a fancy 8" silencer. The porting in the second portion drastically reduces the sound of the 'gun, but at it's quietest, you'll still hear the internal mechanisms of the gun moving around during shots. This is the case for any barrel. AA Teardrops are just newer fancier AA's. They'll shoot the same because a 16" AA Teardrop has the same first section as a 16" Regular AA. On top of this, 2 pieces are usually hard to shoot clean after a ball break.

2. Why I don't like heavily ported barrels: They reduce efficiency! This can be demonstrated by putting a paintball in an unported section of barrel and blowing it out. Easy huh? Now try blowing it out of the middle of a ported section. Out of breath? Thought so! This is because the energy of your blowing is leaving the barrel through the holes (porting) and isn't effective. By making your barrel inefficient, the porting forces you to use more CO2 or Nitrogen to propel the paintball to the same velocity of X fps. Thus more efficient barrels (with less porting) will give you more shots per fill.

3. Paint/Barrel Matching: If you match your paint size to barrel size, you'll make your gun more efficient and accurate. If the ball is too small for the barrel, then it will take more gas to propel it and be more likely to spin off target. If the ball is too big, then it will be squished through the barrel and be likely to break. If the ball fits just right, then it will take the least gas to propel, and shoot more on target.

4. Range & Accuracy: Longer barrels aren't more accurate, they're just easier to point and aim. Therefore, if you know how to aim a shorter barrel, you'll be just as accurate. Range is determined by this formula --> Mass x Velocity = Distance (Range), so your "X" ounce paintball going 300 feet per second makes the ball go "Y" feet before it drops, or something like that. You'll have to do the math out with a calculator to get the right answer, but I'm pretty sure that that's the right equasion.

5. Links:
Barrel Test
Physics of Paintball
Barrel/Paint Match Chart 1
Barrel/Paint Match Chart 2
FPS to MPH converter