Man! All you mid west guys have all the fun.

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Palmer Brass/ Apex, Broadsword Vest, T4 Offset Hopper, Dogleg (original slab), A5A2 Foregrip, 114/4500 (Fits in my vest!!) NCStar 45mm Rad Dot < gonna make it work yet!
Glenn Palmer of Palmer-Pursuit.com
Best paintball field in Northern Virginia (or maybe all!) www.warplaypaintball.comCheck my review. PBReviews

I was actually just thinking about all the different barrels in my kit, and why do I need them. I never had much luck with my 98c Flatline, and the stock 12" was not very impressive on the gun (shot OK - looked stumpy). My 14" J&J Ceramic was quiet, easy to clean, and fairly accurate (even better after I upgraded to air). After converting and modding that 98c to a mil-sim sniper I bought a 23" CMI (yes I said 23") and I couldn't believe how accurate at a distance it was. However, try lugging around that marker or doing a snapshot with all that barrel out in front of you (not very practical). I bought an old style Wisper 14" which needed an adapter, but it was worth the expense in look and effect (straight and long with almost no report).

I own two electros (Ion) that I'm in love with. The 16" Linear barrel is un-real. Of course everyone has had some experience with the Freak, pros/cons are individual; performance is great. In fact my current A-5 set-up is the 3 piece Freak back (for A-5 obviously) with the 1.5" slotted tip from Whitewolf Airsmiths. At a mere 8" this barrel is loud, proud, and dead-on both close in and at a distance. With the E-grip ripping the paint out, the report sounds seriously intimidating.

I voted 14" as a matter of practicality. Not too long, not too short. In reality it is more like, "whatever you need to get the job done." IMHO

I like a 12", because it suits my style of play. usually i'll use my flatline given that i thinkits the best advantage an a-5 has over any other marker, but my alternate barrels for every maker i've owned have always ended up being 12", i've owned 14" and a 16" but never had any benefit making them better, and my 12" at least was shorter and was less over all length to stick out from behind a bunker, but was long enough to manipulate bunkers, brush, air, pallet or tree, doesn't matter. I've never noticed a huge difference in accuracy to make any thing from 10"-16" any better than one another.

to each his own when it comes to barrels

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98% of paintballers...eh, who cares

If I had to pick a length based on preferance and not performance I would go with a barrell the length of the field.....That way you could barrell tag the other team as soon as the game starts.

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Driller

Demo.. Shoots Down whats Up, Blows Up whats Down

BTW, this quote was taken from Palmer's (FYI, if you have been under a rock, he is the guy everyone thinks makes the best paintball barrels & mechanical markers around, & was "in the game" with Bob Long, the Tippmanns and Youngblood...) web site, in regards to his world famous brass, eleptical hones barrels.

http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/techpages/barrels.htm

The only other factor that I feel needs to be addressed in barrel selection is that of length. The variable that effects the decision of what length to use is temperature averages. As temperature raises, the gas is under higher pressure and is able to expand and accelerate faster, making a short barrel useable, but anything under approximately eight inches becomes counter productive in all but extremely warm conditions. On the other hand, colder weather slows down the expansion process and requires a little longer tube to allow things to get up to speed without wasting much of what is released by the valve. A barrel that is too long will also yield unfavorable results due to the extra gas needed to keep the ball moving past the point where desired velocity is reached. Too much gas generates a muzzle blast that effects the ball after it has left the barrel. Who knows what direction a ball will take when the gas blows past it outside of the guidance of the barrel. In most cases, 12" should be considered as the maximum effective length for a paintball barrel. The pressure options from a regulated high-pressure system will also affect the choices for "optimum" barrel length in much the same manner.

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'07 Proto Matrix Rail (all composite changed to aluminum)
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Deadlywind Carbon-Fiber barrel w/ SS Freak insert kit
Halo-B V35 board, Rip-Drive, & Bone boost battery pack

Not sure if this has been said ( didn't want to read all the pages, ) but always take into consideration the marker length when either asking or recommending barrel lengths. If measuring from the grip, an A-5 with a 12" barrel is the same overall length as a Tac One with an 18" barrel.

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-J

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I finally did it. I jumped on the Palmer's wagon. I bought a 12" black unported. I also use a 8" Lapco bigshot for a backup. Paint is no longer a problem. This barrel will shoot just about anything. I can't get over the accuracy of the barrel. I have sold all my other barrels. I would recommend this barrel to all my friends but then I would not have the advantage. I like that it just looks just like a plain barrel but look out. I am almost driving tacks w/ field paint and w/ no breaks. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

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You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Gandhi

Before voting watch this-Link #1 & Link #2!

*Measurements are approximate and derived by taking a measured on-gun length and subtracting the measured total length of the barrel*

A-5 effective length = Barrel length + 9.25"
A-5 overal length = Barrel length + 10"

E-Mag effective length = Barrel length + 4"
E-Mag overal lenth = Barrel length + 7"

Similarly for a Pre-2K Autococker +4" and +7"

Edit - Point being, these guns are rediculously long with "standard length" barrels. Personally I still like my 18" AA hanging off the nose of my A-5. However the 8.5" TASO Pro-Series I just recieved a few weeks ago will definately make the gun easier to work under most circumstances. 14" on just about any other gun though is about right for how I like to play, and I don't end up ramming the thing into stuff too!

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Marker made of brass eh? Been done...

**Glances at PGP on my desk**

According to a couple of techs I've talked to at Tippmann and some testing of my friends I believe the 14" barrels is about the longest you want and give the best velocity and preformance. The test was done on aluminum barrel so I don't know about carbon fiber barrels. I imagine the longer the barrel the greater the friction loss.

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