How to choose a paintball barrel

aintball barrels: The parts of the paintball guns are grip, trigger, barrel, air-system, cocking knob (some of them have it, others- don’t), rear sight, ammo feeder and front sight.

A paintball gun barrel is where paintballs are expelled. It is necessary for the inside surface of a barrel to be smooth and well polished. Otherwise, friction will occur between the barrel and the moving paintball.

What about the material of barrels? There is no precise answer. It's whatever a manufacturer decides. Having a smooth inside surface has nothing to do with it. But if a barrel is made of stainless steel, then everything will be perfect.

Another characteristic of paintball gun barrels is their length. The longer the barrel, the more friction occurs between the barrel and the paintball. And consequently more air pressure is needed to force the paintball out of paintball barrels.

So, the standard length of paintball barrels is 12-15 inches (30 cm. – 33 cm.) Porting. This is the word that stands for the holes in the barrel. Many people think that this will make the paintball gun shoot better. Paintballs need time to speed up in the barrel, so NO a shorter barrel does not equal a faster shot. Barrel porting IS beneficial and DOES not slow down the ball. It improves accuracy by equalizing the pressure on both sides of the ball (front and back).

The really good barrels have only a “band” of holes at the end of the barrel. These will silence the sound of your shooting and reduce the friction without reducing the power of the shot.

As there is a large variety of barrels, there are many differences between them. They differ in size, shape, porting, material, bore, rifling (for design of the inside surface of the barrel) and many others.

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