TECH
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The number of shots available in a CO2 cylinder depends on the cylinder's size, outside temperature, and marker efficiency. The following chart represents an average marker firing CO2 on a 70 degree Fahrenheit day.
The number of shots available in an N2 cylinder depends on the cylinder's size and marker efficiency. The following chart represents an average marker firing nitrogen or compressed air. The rule of thumb on the number of shots is 10 shots per cubic inch for 3000 psi cylinders, 15 shots per cubic inch for 4500 psi cylinders, and 17 shots per cubic inch for 5000 psi cylinders.
The Autococker is a modification of the original pump markers of the past, and has had many fine-tuned changes, but the basic function remains the same. The Autococker fires from a closed-bolt design utilizing a ram, regulator, and 3-way valve to fire and re-cock the marker. The Autococker has been labeled the most accurate marker in the world by many players and is one of the most commonly seen markers on the tournament scene.
A blow-back marker works like this: When you pull the trigger, the trigger moves a sear and releases the hammer. The hammer is connected to the bolt and pre-loaded with a spring. When the sear releases the hammer, the hammer and bolt are moved forward by spring pressure. The hammer then contacts an exhaust valve and releases an air charge through the bolt and accelerates the paintball out of the barrel. At the same time, the excess air then "blows back" or re-cocks the hammer and bolt. From here the whole cycle starts over again.
An electro-pneumatic marker works like this: When you pull the trigger, the trigger contacts a micro-switch. The micro-switch then sends a signal to the computer which in turn controls a solenoid valve. The solenoid valve in an electro-pneumatic marker controls the firing and re-cocking sequences and can operate much faster than the traditional blow-back marker. The computer can also be programmed with multiple firing modes or many other high-end options.
Now I know what you are about to say. Some blow-back markers have electronic triggers and multiple firing modes. This is true, but the electronic trigger frame doesn't change the characteristics of the marker. It only electronically releases the sear by way of a micro-switch, computer, and coil set.
Ah, the $64,000 question. The answer is yes (or no if you only plan on shooting people from a few feet away). There are many factors weighing in on what barrel to use. Are you looking for accuracy, distance, or both? Do you shoot multiple brands of paintballs or only one brand? Do you care if the barrel is quiet? Does your style of play dictate what length of barrel you need? These are just a few of the questions to ask yourself when looking for a barrel.
Here are the differences in barrels: bore size, length, porting, rifling, and material.
Bore Size - Why does it matter what bore size your barrel is? Simple, all paintballs are not the same size. And even if you shoot the same paint all the time, temperature and humidity will alter the size of your paint. If your barrel bore size is too small, it will increase the friction inside the barrel thus dropping your velocity or it could simply break paint. Too big and you will lose velocity and accuracy because the air will escape around the paintball.
Length - The general consensus is the best length barrel for most is in the 12" to 14" range. It is said that high-pressure markers need 6"-8" of uninterrupted bore length to effectively accelerate the paintball to it's proper velocity and low-pressure markers need 8"-10" of uninterrupted bore length because they are slower to accelerate the paintball to it's proper velocity. Now what I mean by "uninterrupted bore length" is the bore distance before the barrel porting begins or the bore diameter changes. The next 2"-6" or so is where the porting comes in to decrease the turbulence, guide the paintball and reduce sound. Anything longer than this, most agree creates unneeded friction which starts to slow down the paintball. Bottom line, high-pressure markers can effectively use shorter barrels than low-pressure markers.
Porting - Porting is a series of holes drilled in the barrel. They can be drilled in a straight line or a spiral pattern around the barrel. Porting does two things: increases accuracy and quiets the marker. Porting increases accuracy to a degree by decreasing the turbulence behind the paintball by allowing air to progressively escape out the holes. This escaping air also makes for a quieter barrel than non-ported barrels. But too many ports can allow too much air to escape thus affecting velocity and range.
Rifling - Rifling is under much debate. Some barrels have spiral rifling and some have straight rifling and some have no rifling. The debate is which flies straighter - a spinning paintball or one that isn't. My opinion is the less a paintball spins the straighter if will fly and here is why. No paintball is perfectly round and they all have seams. If a paintball is not perfectly round then it is not perfectly balanced. What happens when you impart a spin on an unbalanced object - it wants to wobble. This along with drag and lift causes the paintball to veer off it's course.
Material - Barrels are made from brass, stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic, and carbon fiber to name the majority. Brass is heavy and soft and can be damaged easily but it can be polished to a bright shine. Stainless steel is also heavy but very durable. Aluminum is the most popular because it is cheap, light, can be polished, and/or anodized in any color or pattern. Ceramic and carbon fiber barrels claim to be self-cleaning (if you break paint, just fire a few shots and the barrel will clean itself) and are light.
So in conclusion, there is no "1" barrel that will shoot all paintballs the most accurate. There are just too many factors affecting the distance and accuracy of paintballs. So take a little time and evaluate those factors and decide what barrel best fits the current conditions. This will more likely mean that you will need multiple barrels of varying bore sizes or a interchangeable barrel system like the Smart Parts Freak System.
An agitator loader uses a paddle to "agitate" the paintballs inside the loader to keep them from becoming jammed while gravity feeds them into the marker's feed neck.
A force-feed loader uses a mechanism within the loader to "force" the paintballs into the marker's feed neck. This force-feed technology keeps a constant flow of paintballs into the marker thus sustaining higher rates of fire.
All markers use air pressure from an air tank or 12-gram cartridge to fire a paintball. The velocity of the paintball leaving the barrel is usually 250 to 300 feet per second. There are two basic types of markers - semi-automatics and pumps. Semi-automatic markers have a paintball loaded into the marker automatically after the marker fires. The marker can shoot paint as fast as the player can pull the trigger. Pump-action markers have a manual pump mechanism that loads the paintball into the gun. The player must pump-load after every shot. A hopper mounted to the marker feeds a paintball into the marker. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer slides forward pulling the bolt over the exhaust valve while pushing the exhaust valve forward to the chamber. Air shoots out the chamber, through the exhaust valve and through the bolt. This process in turn accelerates the loaded paintball through the barrel and to its target.
