Posted by: Ben "Pump Scout" Kohnen on September 07, 2003 at 20:53:37

: : Do step bore barrels really offer any additional performance over regular ported barrels? I mean, do the boomsticks and jj 2 pieces of the world really give us more for the exorbident prices they charge for them? I hear all over the place that 2 peice step bores are more accurate,ect ect... but how can they be if thier design disregards the very thing that gives traditional ported barrels an edge over non-ported barrels? Heres my understanding of it: A traditional ported barrel, by design, offers a solid portion - for acceleration, and a ported end section that vents off the gasses that pass by the ball and cause unwanted, accuracy degrading spin. Spin is reduced or eliminated by friction, contact between the ball and the ported section of the barrel. ( Smart parts used to say porting reduces "turbulence", but it actually reduces spin.) So, if friction is the key to reducing spin, than how can step-bore barrels increase accuracy if there is no friction between the ball and the ported section? How can a step-bore "guide" the ball if any contact between it and the bore is uneven or nonexistent? : But waitaminute, you say, the top teams all use boomsticks, freaks and the lot, how could they be wrong? Maybe step bore barrels are accurate enough ( or bling enough) to avoid consumer outrage, but only because they have the benefits of a short barrel, that being a shorter acceleration portion which, I guess, incurs less spin simply becuase it is shorter. The only real drawback to short barrels is a hit in gas efficientcy. Maybe we are paying more for less barrel! Ive shot paint through a few boomstick-esque barrels on different guns, I think they perform pretty well, but not $100 more so than any other traditonal ported barrel. So why are they so popular? : "Sorry" in advance for ranting, but I think there is a conspiracy afoot... The top teams are going to use whatever is provided to them by their sponsors. Case in point: LA Ironmen will not be seen ANYWHERE shooting a gun fitted with a Freak. DYE wouldn't stand for it... they give their team Boomsticks to shoot. I'm also a believer that a fairly solid one-piece barrel will be better for overall accuracy than a two-piece unit. The two-piece and stepped barrels have full contact with the ball for all of about six inches. Is that REALLY enough to shoot straight? Not from my understanding. Eight to ten inches is what I've always seen is best. So why the rash of steps and two-piecers? They're popular because the "top teams" use them, and they're "pretty". If LAPCO fielded a team shooting BigShot barrels, I'm reasonably sure we'd start seeing more LAPCO barrels on rec players' guns. One other thing to consider from the manufacturer's point of view is that a two-piece barrel is going to be cheaper to make. You only have to have the back part be perfect, the front can be anywhere from .70 to .75 and nobody's going to care. The backs tend to be made from stainless steel, or in some cases, more exotic metals, and those are more expensive than aluminum. More to follow at a later time, probably. This is a sore topic to me, dating back to the early 90's, in the days of the original Smart Parts barrels. Yes, I blame them for the two-piece barrel garbage that's out there now, among other things... but that's another argument and topic. Ben Kohnen, Limited Pump Paintball Fan of solid barrels. No steps, no huge front ends! www.geocities.com/limitedpump

Follow Ups: Confused about your contradictory posts.... Razorpb 16:40:53 09/11/03 (3) You bet, here's how it went Ben "Pump Scout" Kohnen 18:42:20 09/11/03 (2) I feel the same way about Palmer, thanks. Razor NT Razorpb 14:44:22 09/15/03 (0) Understood, thank you. Razor (NT) Razorpb 14:42:33 09/15/03 (0) Post a Followup Show your name as: DefaultRealnameBothNickname E-Mail address (eg: joeschmoe@aol.com): Show your e-mail address? DefaultYesNo Your Password: Don't have a password? CLICK HERE - Forgot your password? CLICK HERE Subject: Subject:Message: : : : : Do step bore barrels really offer any additional performance over regular ported barrels? I mean, do the boomsticks and jj 2 pieces of the world really give us more for the exorbident prices they charge for them? I hear all over the place that 2 peice step bores are more accurate,ect ect... but how can they be if thier design disregards the very thing that gives traditional ported barrels an edge over non-ported barrels? Heres my understanding of it: A traditional ported barrel, by design, offers a solid portion - for acceleration, and a ported end section that vents off the gasses that pass by the ball and cause unwanted, accuracy degrading spin. Spin is reduced or eliminated by friction, contact between the ball and the ported section of the barrel. ( Smart parts used to say porting reduces "turbulence", but it actually reduces spin.) So, if friction is the key to reducing spin, than how can step-bore barrels increase accuracy if there is no friction between the ball and the ported section? How can a step-bore "guide" the ball if any contact between it and the bore is uneven or nonexistent? : : But waitaminute, you say, the top teams all use boomsticks, freaks and the lot, how could they be wrong? Maybe step bore barrels are accurate enough ( or bling enough) to avoid consumer outrage, but only because they have the benefits of a short barrel, that being a shorter acceleration portion which, I guess, incurs less spin simply becuase it is shorter. The only real drawback to short barrels is a hit in gas efficientcy. Maybe we are paying more for less barrel! Ive shot paint through a few boomstick-esque barrels on different guns, I think they perform pretty well, but not $100 more so than any other traditonal ported barrel. So why are they so popular? : : "Sorry" in advance for ranting, but I think there is a conspiracy afoot... : The top teams are going to use whatever is provided to them by their sponsors. Case in point: LA Ironmen will not be seen ANYWHERE shooting a gun fitted with a Freak. DYE wouldn't stand for it... they give their team Boomsticks to shoot. : I'm also a believer that a fairly solid one-piece barrel will be better for overall accuracy than a two-piece unit. The two-piece and stepped barrels have full contact with the ball for all of about six inches. Is that REALLY enough to shoot straight? Not from my understanding. Eight to ten inches is what I've always seen is best. So why the rash of steps and two-piecers? They're popular because the "top teams" use them, and they're "pretty". If LAPCO fielded a team shooting BigShot barrels, I'm reasonably sure we'd start seeing more LAPCO barrels on rec players' guns. One other thing to consider from the manufacturer's point of view is that a two-piece barrel is going to be cheaper to make. You only have to have the back part be perfect, the front can be anywhere from .70 to .75 and nobody's going to care. The backs tend to be made from stainless steel, or in some cases, more exotic metals, and those are more expensive than aluminum. : More to follow at a later time, probably. This is a sore topic to me, dating back to the early 90's, in the days of the original Smart Parts barrels. Yes, I blame them for the two-piece barrel garbage that's out there now, among other things... but that's another argument and topic. : Ben Kohnen, Limited Pump Paintball : Fan of solid barrels. No steps, no huge front ends! : www.geocities.com/limitedpump [ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ WARPIG Tech Talk - High End Paintguns ]