Top Barrels Available. Tests and Review Inside!!!!!
There has been a lot of interest in barrel reviews on some of the best barrels on the market. I have been fortunate enough to be able to do this review. This will be a long in depth review so it will be updated over time until completion. The barrels I have and will be testing are:
I am 25 years old and live on Long Island. I have been in the industry and playing paintball for over 10 years. My older brother has worked as a ref and ran a local store for a couple of years where I would always hang out. I have reffed as well. I have played in many states in the US ranging from NY to California and have practiced with many professionals. Besides my paintball life I also have a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Research, Development, Design, Manufacturing and Testing are all things I am extremely interested in so I am happy to do this review. If there are other tests or info you would like to see here please post and let me know.
Overview:
The general criteria most people associate with a great barrel is quality manufacturing, lightweight, quiet, variety of bore sizes, new features and good looking. You will notice I do not mention the most accurate. The reason for this is that barrel construction and design itself is not a major factor in accuracy. Paintball accuracy is mostly due to two factors. The first being quality of paint. Roundness, consistency in manufacturing, seams, dimples, etc. Obviously that does not have anything to do with the barrel you are shooting. The second, which does pertain to barrels, is how much spin it will put on the ball leading to curves and hooks affecting accuracy. This is caused by bore size. Tighter bores cause more spin, which cause more curves, which causes worse accuracy. So as bore size goes down accuracy goes down. There are clear and concise tests already done that show this, and I have done it myself and came to the same conclusion. The results are easily repeatable. I have not seen any clear and concise testing showing otherwise by anyone. All of these barrels (as well as most on the market) are available in a variety of bore sizes so that is a non issue. Another consideration is velocity consistency. This is due to paint as well as the regulators on the gun. This will affect accuracy in the Y-axis. Overboring and underboring are most consistent (least Y-axis discrepancies) while bore matching is less consistent.
**Side note this thread is not about overboring, bore matching, or underboring. I only mention why this barrel test is not taking accuracy into consideration.
How to interpret Data:
Here are some general guidelines when looking at barrel construction and seeing how each change will affect performance.
Bore Diameter: Switching to a smaller bore will lead higher chronograph readings which gives better efficiency. Opposite is true as well regarding going to a larger bore.
Bore Length: A longer control bore length will lead to higher chronograph readings which gives better efficiency. Opposite is true as well regarding going to a shorter bore length.
Tip Diameter: Switching to a smaller tip diameter will lead higher chronograph readings which gives better efficiency. Opposite is true as well regarding going to a larger bore.
Overall Barrel Length: Generally longer barrels are slightly quieter and more efficient.
Porting Area: Generally more porting area makes a barrel quieter. It also makes it less efficient.
Porting Location: Generally more gradual even spaced porting makes a barrel quieter. The closer the porting is to the breech the more likely it is to vent air used to propel the ball which can hurt efficiency. The later the porting is in the barrel can help increase efficiency.
Decibels: Generally lower decibel is quieter. Decibels are a little tricky. 3dB increase is roughly twice the sound pressure level. As for perception of loudness, it is not the same as sound pressure level. A rough rule of thumb is that an increase of 10db SPL is about twice as loud. 20 Db gain would seem to be about 4 times as loud. 40 Db gain would seem to be about 16 times as loud.
Barrel Marketing, Features and Advertising:
(Info taken from their respective websites)
Dye Ultralite:
Built from 6061 Aluminum with type II anodizing, the UL is both lightweight and durable. The Original DYE barrel, set the standard for accuracy and quality nearly 20 years ago. The UL carries on that tradition of performance and reliability. The UL was developed specifically for the Ironmen, to quickly adapt to different paint sizes and weather at events. The Ultralite provides the ability to easily change barrel length and bore size to match your particular performance requirements.
Multistage Precision Honing - All barrels go through the same multi-phase precision honing method. This highly protected, proprietary process yields a 6-micron mirror finish that is the most accurate and consistent finish available in paintball. The Multi Stage Precision Honing removes all imperfections in the barrel’s surface. This ensures the least amount of air turbulence, which eliminates ball spin and improves accuracy.
Steady Port Pressure Porting - Dye’s trademark muzzle port design is another key feature that gives Dye barrels unparalleled accuracy and such a low sound signature. With so much performance and versatility engineered, there is no question why it has been the preferred choice of professionals around the world for over a decade.
Two Piece Construction - To piece alignment is a critical factor in a barrel’s true accuracy. The self-centering compound angled surfaces ensure proper back-to-tip mating by eliminating tolerance variations and thread wear from the equation. With Two Piece Construction you will have confidence of knowing that every back and tip combination in your kit will be as straight and true as a one-piece barrel design.
Disruptive Deathtouch:
The Disruptive Deathtouch Barrel was built around our proven Balance barrel. Our balance barrel does have the best balance of efficiency, accuracy, sound signature, and consistency. Has full inner bore measuring 8 inches and our patented porting design we are proud to introduce the Deathtouch Barrel.
Double male threaded control bore back.
Reverse threaded tip
Compatible with Planet Eclipse Shaft4
Scientifically calculated step porting.
Squeegee milling designed to keep paint out of your porting and allow you to tape your barrel in the rain and still be able to use your porting.
One of the longest barrel backs in the industry (with an inner bore measuring a full 8.0 inches)
Precision honed to a 6 micron surface finish
Barrel ramping technology (We designed a beveled ramping area in the first stage of the barrel which allows you to shoot incredibly fast virtually eliminating Breech to Barrel breaks)
One of the lightest aluminum barrels on the the market. (Weighing in at 100 grams 15" and 95 grams for the 13")
Furious Lotus:
Furious doesn’t have just one spot where they list out the features of there barrel and there website is so outdated that I will just list what I found scattered around.
Internal mirror finish for zero drag
Reduced sound signature for stealth applications
Scientifically calculated porting design for awesome accuracy, minimal noise and superb air efficiency
Lightweight (average 113g)
Angled porting for maximum efficiency
Hard honed inside for low drag
Lapco Fuse:
8 inch control bore (NOTE THIS IS AN ERROR. IT IS 8.5")
Reverse threaded tip so that you can unscrew the whole barrel without also loosening the tip. Useful for pump players where the pump handle makes removing barrel backs difficult.
FUSE backs sized in .680, .683, .687, .691
Compatible with Planet Eclipse Shaft 4 backs and tips
Eclipse backs available in .681, .685, .689, .693
Combine with a full eclipse kit for a total of 7 backs
14 inches long with tip
12 inch tip coming soon…
One piece kit also coming…
Five rows of progressive two-step porting.
Quiet, and cleans out very well.
Minimal excess material for a light weight, but strong barrel that is thin enough to not interfere with pump handles.
Barrel fluting reduces weight, helps porting clean out better, and is a useful grip surface for removing the barrel.
Attractive hourglass shape at middle joint, and at the back.
Critical 100g:
The Critical Paintball 100G barrel is the lightest aluminum barrel available. With a weight rivaling a carbon fiber barrel without any of the draw backs of a carbon fiber barrel. The aluminum 100G barrel can be squeegeed with any barrel swab on the market unlike a carbon fiber barrel that may have its fibers caught on a squeegee causing permanent damage. The 100G won't unravel or de-laminate and it can be anodized any color unlike carbon fiber.
Weighing only 100 grams it is 30% lighter than the leading aluminum competitor.
The micro honed 7 inch control bore has been optimized to provide the most accurate shot while providing the most efficiency possible.
The two piece design cleans itself very quickly in the event of a broken paintball returning most of its initial accuracy in only a few clearing shots.
The unique porting pattern reduces the sound signature (up to 2 db) when compared to the leading competition.
Available in 14'' and 16'' tips.
Made in the USA
Macdev Shift:
The Shift kit is the lightest all alloy barrel available today. It also uses an expansion of the highly successful MacDev porting for quiet operation.
The kit includes an autcocker threaded back, 14" tip, and 4 bores (0.681, 0.685, 0.689, 0.693).
This is where the data gets very tricky. The idea was to eliminate as many variables as possible and make sure all barrels were 0.688/0.689. Unfortunately upon measuring the barrels a lot of them came in not as advertised.
Dye Ultralite:
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.688”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.689”
Barrel Front Bore Diameter: 0.700”
Disruptive Deathtouch:
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.688”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.692”
Barrel Front Bore Diameter: 0.700”
Furious Lotus:
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.689”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.691”
Barrel Front Bore Diameter: 0.695”
Lapco Fuse:
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.687”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.690”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.691”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.695”
Barrel Front Bore Diameter: 0.704”
Critical 100g:
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.692”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.694”
Barrel Front Bore Diameter: 0.702”
Macdev Shift:
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Advertised: 0.691”
Barrel Back Bore Diameter Actual: 0.693”
Barrel Front Bore Diameter: 0.704”
Discrepancy in bore size from advertised from least to most:
Dye Ultralite: 0.001”
Critical 100g: 0.002”
Furious Lotus: 0.002”
Macdev Shift: 0.002”
Lapco Fuse: 0.003"
Disruptive Deathtouch: 0.004"
Comparing the Lapco Fuse in 0.691 (0.695 actual) and the Lapco Fuse in 0.680 (0.683 actual) there is a 15.3 fps difference. It is hard to say which is the exact order of efficiency on these barrels because they are all different bore sizes but it can be estimated with the data here. Just some notes. The Furious does get really good efficiency but not because of the angled porting they claim. It is because it has a much smaller tip than the rest at 0.695" and the porting is much later in the barrel.
If I had to put the efficiency in order I would say:
Best Efficency to Worst:
Lapco Fuse
Disruptive Deathtouch
Furious Lotus
Critical 100g
Dye Ultralite
Macdev Shift
ALL of these barrels are very nice in their own way. Depending on what you are looking for will decide which is best for you. There is a ton of information to take in here and is included in my overall feelings even if not directly mentioned.
Dye Ultralite:
Get this barrel if you want a super high quality, do it all barrel. Most everyone knows the Ultralite and since it is so common it is easy find different tip lengths, colors, and bore sizes. It has been the go to barrel for literally decades and there is a reason why. It does a lot of everything right. It is the most quality manufactured and is the second quietest barrel. Only downsides are it is the heaviest in the test although it's really not that heavy, and that features wise it may be behind the times with no new innovative things but it is just a great overall barrel.
Disruptive Deathtouch:
Get this barrel if you want a super quiet barrel packed with features and is lightweight. This barrel is the quietest in the test and it is noticeable. It is the second lightest in the test. It is also packed with the most features like double male threaded control bore back, reverse threaded tip compatible with Planet Eclipse Shaft4, squeegee milling designed to keep paint out of your porting and allow you to tape your barrel in the rain and still be able to use your porting, and barrel ramping technology to eliminate breech to barrel breaks. Only downsides are machining is slightly sharp and it is a 15" barrel which may or may not bother you. Depends on your preference for barrel length.
Furious Lotus:
Get this barrel if you want an all around great shooting barrel that consistently ranked highly in every test. Third lightest barrel and third quietest, but by very slight margins almost doing better. It just shoots really good and I think it is because of that smaller tip diameter. I am not a fan of their marketing at all and I only ended up with this barrel through a trade. The youtube videos claiming most accurate in the world and zero drag inside as well as the outdated site with downright wrong information really turned me off to them but I am giving an unbiased review. After using the barrel though it really is nice. I think if they changed their marketing a little they would sell way better than they do now since what they do makes a lot of people skeptical. Overall though one of the best shooting barrels in the test.
Lapco Fuse:
Get this barrel if you want super high quality barrel with a long control bore for efficiency and a lot of features. The only barrel to come close to the quality of the Dye barrel. Lapco makes top notch stuff. Also packed with tons of features like the Disruptive. Overall it is a great barrel but it got edged out in a couple of categories by such slight margins. A little heavier than the lightweights, a little louder than the quiet ones but it does everything good. No real drawbacks to this barrel.
Critical 100g:
Get this barrel if you want a real lightweight barrel. It is noticeably light when you screw it on the gun. It is a good shooter aswell. Drawbacks are it is louder. This barrel is the most straightforward. Kind of plain design with not many features but its light and shoots nice.
Macdev Shift:
Get this barrel if you want a barrel where you can change out inserts so if you had a custom anno or lasering it wont be effected by changing bores. It consistantly ranked towards the bottom. It is not a bad barrel but pretty much every barrel had better overall results.
My Ranking
The Disruptive Deathtouch and Furious Lotus are the two top barrels. Depending on your application another one might be better for you. If you are looking for a recommendation please post up some info on yourself and what you are looking for and I would be happy to make a recommendation.
Hey Jinx18, I have a few barrels I can contribute with: Deadlywind, Lucky15, CFBoomstick. I love the format in which you've presented everything, very professional. If there's any way I can help out, please let me know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinopaintball
IMO, Still missing a few though, BL, PE, Freak, CP, ect.
Bob Long barrels are made by CP...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seksirojo
no deadlywind?
This is a very expensive, time consuming, comparison. He's already bought 6 barrels... cut the man a break.
Hey Jinx18, I have a few barrels I can contribute with: Deadlywind, Lucky15, CFBoomstick. I love the format in which you've presented everything, very professional. If there's any way I can help out, please let me know.
Bob Long barrels are made by CP...
This is a very expensive, time consuming, comparison. He's already bought 6 barrels... cut the man a break.
bob long barrels are made by CP, but not nearly identical. The Bob Long backs are male-to-male threaded, as opposed to CP's male-to-female. Bob Long Tips also have much more porting than CP counterparts. Longer control bores in Bob Longs when compared to CP's as well.
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