Paintball

[HP_Lovecraft]

People have done study, after study, and found no proof at all. All that exists is anecdotal. And there are anecdotes for every gun ever made.

There is a reason why there are no closed-bolt guns on the market anymore. They are more complicated, and more expensive to produce. They offer no gain, but are slower, and require more maitenance. Yet, they are cool which is attractive to many.

There was a short time when the local field owner got his hands on an IMP Sniper. It is basically an open-bolt blowback conversion of a Sniper. We were bored, and did a side-by-side test of the Imp Sniper, compared to an Autococker. When using the same bolt, barrel, and paint, they shot identical. (Though the IMP came from the factory with a backspin bolt, so it which ever gun used that bolt did in fact shoot farther).

nick

[Brewtt]

I shoot slow. So...

I really prefer closed-bolt guns because the ball is already sitting in the barrel ready to go. Tee only things that act on the ball when you pull the trigger once are the air and the barrel.

In an open-bolt gun the BOLT slams into the ball forcing it into the barrel before the air and the barrel take control of the ball.

It's not a big difference really... but I notice when firing one shots and very slowly. This difference is totally negated at any decent rate of fire.

The above refers to my preference in mech guns. This being said I prefer Vikings when it comes to electros.

[Mr. Furious]

Originally Posted by Brewtt

I shoot slow. So...

I really prefer closed-bolt guns because the ball is already sitting in the barrel ready to go. Tee only things that act on the ball when you pull the trigger once are the air and the barrel.

In an open-bolt gun the BOLT slams into the ball forcing it into the barrel before the air and the barrel take control of the ball.

It's not a big difference really... but I notice when firing one shots and very slowly. This difference is totally negated at any decent rate of fire.

The above refers to my preference in mech guns. This being said I prefer Vikings when it comes to electros.

Very true but with a closed bolt gun if the barrel /paint match is not perfect and snug the ball can roll into the barrel part way due to the momentum of the bolt pushing. It can also move up(or out) of the barrel due to movement of the gun or player commonly associated with paintball games. That's why it's so important to keep the barrel tilted up and pause between shots when chronographing a closed bolt and why shots can seem very inconsistent and often "bloop" when a closed bolt is in play and the barrel is too big for the paint. Because lots of the paint these days is crappy, rarely round and barely consistent in size a nice snug barrel fit is very hard to accomplish and can cause a lot of frustration. I used to love the consistency and consistent shot placement of my Shocker Sport and Autocockers but since returning to paintball and finding how lousy the paint really is these days I decided that overboring an open bolt gun was a much better alternative to spending a lot of time finding the "perfect" insert for my closed bolt and then breaking the misshapen or oversized balls in the barrel or having the tiny ones roll out when I wasn't expecting it.

Basically if you don't have the availability or cash flow to put excellent quality paint in a closed bolt gun, you will have more frustration and less success with it than you will with a slightly overbored open bolt gun. I loved the way my Shocker shot and it was the most consistently accurate tack driver that I ever owned but that was back in the late 90's through mid 2001 and the paint we had in my area at that time was always excellent in regards to roundness and consistency of size from bag to bag. I tried some closed bolts when I got back into paintball last year and found that the magic was gone becuase the paint is so crappy. Yeah, it's cheap and I can shoot more but now I HAVE to shoot more because it's so crappy.

[Brewtt]

PPS Wedgits negate much of the problem with "roll forward" of crappy paint in closed-bolt guns like my Blazers for example.

My Lapco one-piece barrels are sweet tits on my closed-bolt cocker threaded guns... with decent paint of course.

[himurax13]

Originally Posted by Mr. Furious

I tried some closed bolts when I got back into paintball last year and found that the magic was gone becuase the paint is so crappy. Yeah, it's cheap and I can shoot more but now I HAVE to shoot more because it's so crappy.

Amen brother ...