Paintball Barrels

I am writing this article due to the overwhelming amounts undereducated people that are looking for that perfect “sniper barrel”. I have thought about this topic for sometime and created thoughts on how to buy your next or first barrel.

To start off let me say THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SNIPER BARREL!! Let me tell you how accuracy in paintball works, then I will move on to how to shop for a barrel that suits your needs.
(Points taken from Special Ops Paintballs article on the ambush sniper http://specialopspaintball.com/positions/asn.asp )


1. Buy premium paint- please only buy the cheap Walmart stuff for practice.

2. Use a balanced air source- Unchecked Co2 will not give you great accuracy. Maybe with a palmer stabilizer, but if you want more balls on target get high pressure air or HPA for short.

3. Internal consistency of gun- If you are using a tippmann gun get a good spring like the maddmann spring kit. If you have an autococker then get a good regulator, ect.

4. Ergonomics of paint gun/ light paintgun- Example, in the specialops DVD on the basics of woodsball, Special ops showes what a woodsball paint gun needs to do. It needs to snap to the shoulder right on target. However in the speedball world paintguns need to be able to sap right or left to lean around bunkers. For woodsball your gun needs to balance just like a military firearm. If that means going remote or changing your 20 oz Co2 tank to a lighter 9 oz then so be it, adding a forgrip, or even adding a stock to the back of your gun, ect. I hope you get the point.

5. AIM and use a gun sight. A red dot sight, scope, or good iron sights will work. However please put your sight in a spot were you will not need to strain your neck to look through the sight. If that means puting the sight onto a raised sight rail so be it. If you cannot see out the sight because of your hopper is in the way either move your hopper with something like the stove pipe for the cyclone, tac cap, 45 degree hopper connector, Q loader, ect, or use a off set sight rail.

6. Practice makes perfect

7. Barrel- I saved this for last for a reason. Most barrels are not going to out shoot each other except for stock barrels. In barrels accuracy depends on paint to bore match, and length. I say length because an 8inch barrel will not out shoot a 12 or 14 inch barrel of the same make.
In the world of “switch barrels”, many companies make barrels that will conform to the size of the paintball at any time by switching out the backs. Example, I go to my local field and buy a case of pmi field paint. The bore size of the paint is around .684 but my barrel has a diameter of .689. If I had a switch kit I could swap the back bore champer for something as close as I could to .684. Well in my pretend switch kit I have a back size of .685, which would work. So I screw on the back to the front and almost have a perfect paint to bore match. ( fronts will usually have a bore size of .691). This is another technology that helps paintballs reach the desired impact point. This is not a cure all for inaccracy.

To transition, There are so many barrels out there to choose from it may take you hours to waid through the endless amounts of posts on forums discussing the greatness of this barrel or that barrel.

I am writing to tell you not to buy a barrel baised on accuracy. Yes I did just tell you not to buy that wiz bang one of a kind accuracy barrel. ( If you have doughts just re-read everything that I just told you, that came from spec ops, about accuracy. Then think and come to the conclusion that I am right, because I am right.) anyway

Here is the criteria that I have come upon to base your first second or third barrel purchase on.
1. For what purpose am I going to use this long stick like thing for?
2. How much am I going to spend on this pipe anyway?


1-Are you going to use the barrel for quiet kills, long rainge shots, cool looking milsim guns, testing the latest wiz bang barrel, cqb, cqc, a very light setup? Let’s break this down.

In the position of ghost flanker one must first move ahead with his squad. Once contact is made the ghost flanker moves to the far left or right and either attacks from the rear, or flanks of the enemy. A ghost flanker needs his gear kit tuned for one thing “stealth and concealment”. Also a ghost flanker will need to crawl to his target to be stealthy. “He will need a ultralight sniping gun. Heavy guns make it too hard to crawl so try to lighten your paintgun with a lighter barrel. The barrel a ghost flanker would most likely need a stiffi barrel. The stiffi barrel is relatively quiet and very light.

A milsim paintballer on the other hand will want his gun to look like another real gun. So the milsim paintballer will most likely want a barrel designed to look like real firearm or a opsgear barrel.

Someone in the position of sabre that flanks, surrpresses, and maybe even runs point will not need to be stealthy like the ghost flanker. So it would be a waist of money to buy something that is quiet when he will be shooting strings of paint.

The position of heavy gunner and heavy rifleman really only has one barrel choise. He will be laying down massive ammounts of paint at long ranges to cover his buddy’s butts. The flatline barrel is the only barrel that can reach out and touch someone at 150 feet and is most suited to the task at hand.

2- Your average Joe just getting into the sport will most likely be price hunting. So he may look to the j&j ceramic or even a lapco barrel as his first barrel.

The next time you ask the question is this barrel accurate, take a step back and look at your gun. Evaluate to see if it meets the accuracy criteria. Then ask yourself do I realy need this barrel. What will I be doing with it. It would be a waist to buy a stiffi but find you are the type that runs and guns. It would be better to buy something like a j&j and not waist your money. In the process of running and gunning you wont be aiming in the first place.

If you have any comments/concerns pm/email me pbairsoftsnipe@gmail.com

Written by Matthew Stevens (ghilliedupsniper, m4c4, a2m4m60) on 8/5/06. Proud member of OSOK paintball sniper forum.

I don't know about some people but 150 ft is all the farther you engage and hit someone from? I have hit people with a J&J from 50 yards in thick cover. I think that it may be that most dont arch their shots. well anyway i digress.

So whats your point? Most snipers are going to set up ambushes and shoot at about 5-50 ft. I said long range because somepeople use the flatline for suppresive fire.

I just got an A5 Stealth and I am disapointed that I can not see down the sights without straining. I do not want a scope or red dot. I want to stick with iron sights. What iron sight do you suggest i get? I was looking at this one. Will it work?
http://www.specialopspaintball.com/s...T=107202301406
I also plan on getting a Tac Cap or a hopper offset adapter.

This is my current "Stock" setup
A5
Flatline
CAR Stock

I sujest the opsgear offest hopper to begin with. Why? The way it is made. Or just grab a tac cap.

As for the iron sights, I would suggest a m16 front sight post and a carry handle. This will let you line up the sights increasing your accuracy. I think only using one point of reforance will not give you the best porformance.

-my 2cents

The only stock I know of that doesn't require a rasied sight rail is the Dogleg. The Commando type stock with the side cutout is supposed to be ok too. If you have more money to spend, the OPSGear G36 shroud has a built-in carry handle and a rear sight and rasied sight rail.

Sorry to help with the sidetrack of this thread.

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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 run my stock from the bottomline using a JCS folding stock. it allows me to see down iron sights/my red dot without having a raise rail. also im not straining to tilt my head and pressing my goggles against my stockt o get on target. overall i think it has better ergonomics than your standard rear cap stock.

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SilentDeath12886's Compilation of A-5 Projectshttp://www.a5og.net/5-photo-gallery/...tml#post125307
The E-bolted A-5http://www.a5og.net/5-mods-upgrades/...tml#post108414
The X7 egrip retrofitted A-5 http://www.a5og.net/5-mods-upgrades/...tml#post122941
The old A-5 http://www.a5og.net/showthread.php?t=5009
The 98c backuphttp://www.a5og.net/showthread.php?t=5893

Is there a simple off set iron site for the A5? I have a X7 hopper which is off set to the right but as with most my mask keeps me from using the sight. I need it 2" to the left.