Paintball

[casper]

For all these years I have used my phantom and in countless conversations with mike I have never asked about it.The tip on the stock phantom barrel is the only internally modded (or fluted??)barrel I think.Is this contributing to accuracy??I have always mean't to try the stock cci barrel out on another platform but never have.
Thoughts??

[THE-SHOOTIST]

The first Phantoms weren't 'relieved' or ported in any way.

Historically, it was found that when a slip-on muzzle brake was installed on your gun, it allowed the ball to 'hook less at the end of its flight'. Did it actually do this? After serious experimentation, I found that it actually did, and used a muzzle brake on my Phantom all the time. Muzzle brakes became all the rage, and everyone was putting one on their gun. Then came porting.....

A couple companies 'claim' to have been the 'First' to offer ported barrels, most notably Smart Parts. These ideas seem to spring up all at the same time, so whoever gets to the patent office is credited, despite the fact that others may have been doing it experimentally months or years prior.

Pollard Associates: Steve Pollard was a member of the 1987 New Hampshire Wild Geese World Championship team. There were SEVERAL very clever and innovative machinists on this team. Jim Anderson, invented the 'Short Change' lever operated plunger which was designed to fit into the Daisy trigger frame of the NelSpot 007. This invention had a lot to do with the Geeses' championship. Jim also made muzzle brakes for everything.

Steve Pollard left the team and ventured out on his own in late '88. He began experiments with small amounts of ports in the barrels of his guns, the 'Vulcan' and the 'Triton'. Very few of these unique Bushmaster clones were made. They're easily identified by the muzzle of the barrel was cut on a 45* angle. The trigger frame had a 'brass knuckle' sort of hand guard rather than a trigger guard, and the pumps were crazily milled. The barrels also sported 3 to 4 holes of increasing diameter, which were counter-sunk for aesthetic effect on either side of the muzzle. These preceeded the spiral drilled Phantom Unibodies which Smart Parts released several months later.

Smart Parts bodies were real Phantom bodies from CCI, which were drilled spirally from just in front of the pump handle to the muzzle, polished and (their quote not mine) covered with the 'Smart-Tuff Coating' which was claimed to be some sort of "Miracle Lubricating Coating" which allowed you to shoot father, and 'shoot your bore clean' if you had a break in the barrel.

Did it do this?

Well they were VERY quiet, almost no signature whatsoever when you shot them. The porting it was claimed, allowed the venting of the bore infront of the ball, making longer, straighter ball flights. The porting also allowed any rain to enter the barrel, ruining any benefit of the porting. Muzzle brakes did the same without allowing any rain into the barrel (!?)

After Smart Parts released the Phantom bodies, they began making barrels for anything with a removable barrel, all with their 'Patented Spiral Porting' and the 'Miracle Smart-Tuff Coating'.

WGP also began porting some of their stock barrels, and other barrel makers jumped on the bandwagon, J&J, ACI, TASO, as everyone wanted a 'ported' barrel.

Mike Casady, being the extremely intelligent man that he is, looked into all this porting and found it robbed you of shots per ounce, that it was detrimental in inclement weather, and that a muzzle brake would do the same without any negative effects. In other words, he didn't give in to the HYPE.

He simply experimented, and built an integrated muzzle brake in his barrel. Others followed his lead (LAPCO) to some degree.

I apologize for this long-winded post, and I hope it offers an explanation of your question.

[CJOttawa]

Originally Posted by THE-SHOOTIST

The first Phantoms weren't 'relieved' or ported in any way.

Historically, it was found that when a slip-on muzzle brake was installed on your gun, it allowed the ball to 'hook less at the end of its flight'. Did it actually do this? After serious experimentation, I found that it actually did, and used a muzzle brake on my Phantom all the time. Muzzle brakes became all the rage, and everyone was putting one on their gun. Then came porting.....

A couple companies 'claim' to have been the 'First' to offer ported barrels, most notably Smart Parts. These ideas seem to spring up all at the same time, so whoever gets to the patent office is credited, despite the fact that others may have been doing it experimentally months or years prior.

Pollard Associates: Steve Pollard was a member of the 1987 New Hampshire Wild Geese World Championship team. There were SEVERAL very clever and innovative machinists on this team. Jim Anderson, invented the 'Short Change' lever operated plunger which was designed to fit into the Daisy trigger frame of the NelSpot 007. This invention had a lot to do with the Geeses' championship. Jim also made muzzle brakes for everything.

Steve Pollard left the team and ventured out on his own in late '88. He began experiments with small amounts of ports in the barrels of his guns, the 'Vulcan' and the 'Triton'. Very few of these unique Bushmaster clones were made. They're easily identified by the muzzle of the barrel was cut on a 45* angle. The trigger frame had a 'brass knuckle' sort of hand guard rather than a trigger guard, and the pumps were crazily milled. The barrels also sported 3 to 4 holes of increasing diameter, which were counter-sunk for aesthetic effect on either side of the muzzle. These preceeded the spiral drilled Phantom Unibodies which Smart Parts released several months later.

Smart Parts bodies were real Phantom bodies from CCI, which were drilled spirally from just in front of the pump handle to the muzzle, polished and (their quote not mine) covered with the 'Smart-Tuff Coating' which was claimed to be some sort of "Miracle Lubricating Coating" which allowed you to shoot father, and 'shoot your bore clean' if you had a break in the barrel.

Did it do this?

Well they were VERY quiet, almost no signature whatsoever when you shot them. The porting it was claimed, allowed the venting of the bore infront of the ball, making longer, straighter ball flights. The porting also allowed any rain to enter the barrel, ruining any benefit of the porting. Muzzle brakes did the same without allowing any rain into the barrel (!?)

After Smart Parts released the Phantom bodies, they began making barrels for anything with a removable barrel, all with their 'Patented Spiral Porting' and the 'Miracle Smart-Tuff Coating'.

WGP also began porting some of their stock barrels, and other barrel makers jumped on the bandwagon, J&J, ACI, TASO, as everyone wanted a 'ported' barrel.

Mike Casady, being the extremely intelligent man that he is, looked into all this porting and found it robbed you of shots per ounce, that it was detrimental in inclement weather, and that a muzzle brake would do the same without any negative effects. In other words, he didn't give in to the HYPE.

He simply experimented, and built an integrated muzzle brake in his barrel. Others followed his lead (LAPCO) to some degree.

I apologize for this long-winded post, and I hope it offers an explanation of your question.

Shootist: that is one of the most interesting posts I've read on the topic. Thanks for taking the time.

[resistance16]

Wow!! And now I know.....And knowledge is power!!!

[THE-SHOOTIST]

Originally Posted by CJOttawa

Shootist: that is one of the most interesting posts I've read on the topic. Thanks for taking the time.

No, thank you CJ!

[sniper97]

Nice post Shootist! I always enjoy reading post by you old school guys in the know!

[ant]

Thanks for the info, I've been wondering about that for a while. As to whether porting effects effeciency, there's no argument that excessive porting ( porting that begins before the ball reaches max velocity in the barrel) would effect efficiency, surely on longer barrels a good compromise wolud be reached between longer, straighter filghts; efficiently and sound signature? In the same way that a muzzle brake would be more advantageous in shorter barrels.

That was a question by the way.....:-)

[-=ArchAngel=-]

Damn Shootist. That post just made my day. Very informative and very interesting post.

[super_stanchy]

Originally Posted by THE-SHOOTIST

that it was detrimental in inclement weather

mike is 20 min out of portland oregon....

inclement weather is 300 days a year

less porting the better around here!

[Greenmtnphantom]

I was curious so I sent Mike an email. The grooves in question on the ID between the ports are, according to Mike, to cut down on the "pop" of the ball leaving the barrel.