this "absolute" about barrel length has a kernel of truth but is mostly bunk. it's a misconception touted by people who haven't done the physics, and because it seems to make sense, people repeat it. the fact is, like shartley said earlier, there's much more to accuracy than just a barrel. consistency is absolutely the key. i like the palmer reg, but if you're running hpa, it doesn't make as much of a difference. the most important thing a palmer (or any secondary regulator) will do when you're running hpa is reduce your pressure.

here's an example: most hpa tanks are preset to 850psi output. if you have a palmer stabilizer on your marker, you can adjust it down to 650psi, which will run your A-5 just fine, and get you more shots out of the tank.

that being said, a palmer is a MUST if you're running co2. an expansion chamber doesn't do jack compared to the stabilizer, because you can't adjust output pressure. all an expansion chamber does is effectively increase the volume of your tank by providing a big open space for liquid co2 to vaporize before it reaches the valve in your marker.

however, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when the excrement hits the turbines and you're pumping out 15 bps, this minimal area for expansion gets rapidly filled up with liquid co2, and it ends up in your valve anyway.

(takes a breath) anyway, back to the barrel thing - there are a lot of variables that affect whether a barrel is going to increase perfomance or just be a long metal tube on the front end of your marker. do some research, check out the "what barrels?" thread, and decide for yourself. the fact is, a barrel has to be matched to an individual marker (as shartley said, you can put an adequate barrel on a consistent marker, and vice versa) and an individual player's playing style.

the only advice i have is this - stay away from an overly ported barrel. the claims of turbulence reduction are pretty spurious, given that a paintball's not a .308 round.

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