The barrel of the gun is the part of the gun that the projectile exits from. There are different options for paintball gun barrels with pros and cons for each type. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to the question-“Which is the best paintball gun barrel?” Different situations, paintball guns, and personal preference make it difficult for a simple answer. The best thing to do is to become educated through research and talking with other paintball gun shooters to learn what will work best for you.

Paintball gun barrels come in different materials. The materials include copper, stainless steel, and aluminum. Each of them has some benefits and drawbacks depending on how you use and shoot your paintball marker. Brass is the slickest material but it is heavy. Since brass is soft, it will require more maintenance than other paintball gun barrel materials. Stainless steel isn’t as slick as brass, but it is close. It is heavy and hard to manufacture, but very durable. Aluminum paintball gun barrels are nearly as slick as stainless steel but much lighter. Aluminum is the least expensive to manufacture.

There are single and two-piece barrels. A single barrel will be made out of one type of material. The two-piece barrels combines different paintball gun barrel material. It is common for the base to be stainless steel and the tip to be aluminum. The paintball will have lower friction upon acceleration. With an aluminum tip, the barrel will weigh less and the shot sounds will be more muffled.

Considerations when choosing the right paintball gun barrel:

• FRICTION
  This is the resistance between two objects, the less friction that a paintball has with the barrel, the faster it will move through the barrel. With less friction you will use less gas and have less paintball breakage. Friction is an advantage in some systems, like the Tippmann Flatline, that relies on friction to cause backspin on the paintball, which will increase the range.
• LENGTH
  A longer barrel doesn’t necessarily guarantee a longer range. A 16 barrel will have more range than a 12, but that is the peak. After 16, the barrel length may actually cause the ball to loose velocity. A barrel system like Tippmann Flatline utilizes backspin, so it is the system, not the barrel length that affects range. A longer barrel will be quieter and can be used to move brush out of your way.
• PORTING
  this is when holes are drilled from the inside of the barrel to the outside of the paintball gun barrel. Its function is to effectively reduce noise. As noise is reduced, so is gas efficiency because air is released through the ports instead of being used to continue propelling the paintball out of the barrel. A barrel with ports will need more gas to have the same range in a barrel with no ports.
• ACCURACY
  besides being a skilled paintball marker shooter, the following will affect accuracy-paintball and barrel match, paintball consistency, velocity consistency, and stability of the gun. Paintball match is very important. There is the Smart Parts Freak Barrel system that has interchangeable backs so that you can always match paintballs with the barrel. Putting the paintball in the barrel and seeing what happens can test if is a good paintball/barrel fit. If the paintball rolls out or you are unable to blow the ball out (without excessive strain), then it is not a good fit.

Before purchasing a paintball barrel, put it on your gun and see if the weight and size is still easily maneuverable. Getting the right paintball gun barrel will assure accurate shooting out on the paintball gun field.

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