Picking the Right Paintball Barrel

The single quick and easy way to improve your marker performance is a new barrel, now don't get me wrong the barrels being packaged with new model guns are much better than they used to be both in appearance and function but a new barrel can really be a game changer mainly because of all the variation out there. First let's talk about barrel length, most barrels packaged with markers are around 9 inches for entry level markers which can be a bit too short for most players and added length will give you more accuracy to a point the butter zone is between 14 to 16 inches in length any longer will actually diminish accuracy due to friction and a longer gun can make it more difficult to maneuver. Here is my short list for particular barrels I like and what they will actually do to your gun. Now these are all good barrels and not one is better than the other and that you should pick one according to what you want out of your marker.

Smart Parts
These are my personal favorite barrels because of their quality, durability, and performance. These barrels are built out of anodized aluminum and coated in ceramic and lined with Teflon to give you a super smooth and near frictionless interior to reduce friction on the ball. Using this barrel I have noticed that my shots became more accuracy down range than with the barrel is was originally packaged with. Also I like appearance and Smart Parts barrels come in a variety of colors and styles so you will find a great barrel no matter what your criteria or type of play and at a low price of around $30.00 each, they are a bargain. If I have one complaint is that these barrels I found to be a bit heavier than the J&J barrels.

J&J Ceramic
These barrels performance wise are probably the best performing budget barrels on the market. Built similarly to the Smart Parts barrels they are made of aluminum and coated in ceramic and lined with Teflon to give you a super smooth and near frictionless interior, and at only $30.00 each a near perfect barrel. The only problem I have with these barrels as oppose to the Smart Parts barrel is that I found that Smart Parts are a bit more durable and that the J&J barrels would chip and scratch slightly faster than the Smart Parts barrel. But on performance they can't be beat.

Flatline
If the marker you bought was a Tippmann or BT (Ben Tippmann) this is the only barrel you need to buy. This is the only barrel on the market that is curved instead of straight and is so for a very important reason. When a ball is shot out of a standard barrel it instantaneously begins to drop due to gravity but the Flatlines curved barrel implies backspin on the ball which causes it to rise when it leaves the barrel and when that meet gravity it allows for a flatter trajectory and an almost unfair increase in range giving you almost a 100 foot advantage over someone without this barrel. But there are a few drop backs to this barrel one being that it is quite larger and heavy than similar straight barrel and they aren't cheap starting at $80.00 a piece. But be warned these barrels are only made for Tippmann and BT brand paintball guns and will not screw onto any other marker.

Stiffi
These are a bit on the expensive side starting around $100.00 but if you want something that is lightweight they don't come any better than this. Unlike other barrels that are made of aluminum these barrels are crafted from carbon fiber. This allows for a barrel that only weighs 52 grams so if you think that your gun is a bit too heavy this would be a barrel that is worth looking at. Performance wise this is the only barrel I have used that fires consistently under full auto when using CO2. Aluminum barrels have a tendency to change their diameter due to temperature and may cause inconsistent firing especially when using CO2, Carbon Fiber doesn't which leads to more consistent shooting.

Now this article has been geared toward players that are new to the sport and just want to get a little more bang out of their marker so this has feature barrels that are worth looking at and budget barrels, I encourage you to go to your local paintball store they are filled with very knowledgeable and will help you in the future.

Source List
http://www.actionvillage.com/AVI-Paintball/Paintball