Rifling barrel for first strikes?

[uv_halo]

The fins of an FSR do not extend out beyond the OD. If you look closely at an FS rounds, the wall of the tail (where the fins attach) acually tapers towards the rear, and the fins get taller as they go rearward (while keeping the same OD).

The carmatech spline system 100% firmly engages the equator of the FS rounds.
The rifling (land and groove) pattern used by LAPCO, Hammerhead and, PE all engage the hemisphere. How much is dependent upon the bore match. That being said,Even when FS rounds came out, they weren't tight in the hammerheads, and they still worked (as shown by controlled accuracy testing).

[uv_halo]

latches109 It wasn't my bench setup (@cockerpunk may remember more) so, forgive me for not remembering the specifics (Vice/Clamp/etc) but, the marker was fixed to the bench.

[KMDPB]

Messaged you

[rawbutter]

If you want some hands-on experience, I've got a First Strike Scout you can borrow. I have both the stock barrel and a Hammerhead rifled barrel to go with it, so you can do some testing on your own. I did bring the Scout to the Stafford field last time we played there. I don't remember if you were there or not.

This is video that convinced me to buy a rifled barrel. As others have pointed out, there isn't a HUGE difference between stock and rifled, but the pattern of the rifled shots has less side-to-side variance. That seemed important to me. If you're shooting at a person, well, people are generally taller than they are wide. So a tighter horizontal grouping seemed important to me. Actual gameplay is different, however. Usually people are hiding behind cover with only their mask and gun exposed, so perhaps the tighter horizontal grouping is pointless, especially on a small field like ours that has so many low branches that long distance shots are practically impossible.

Anyway, send me a Facebook message if you want to borrow the Scout. I'm probably not going to use it again until we start playing again in October, so you would have plenty of time to mess around with it.

[SR_matt]

honestly I will say with good and consistent round ball even, I noticed a much more consistent placement, especially when you have a barrel break. I won a hammer head barrel back in probably 2005 or so, never would have considered buying one but free was free. Once I used it that thing got put on my pump and hasn't been off since. I know people argue rifling cant work on paintballs but I know side by side I have seen the paint fly differently compared to smooth bore. With any bad balls or after a break all of the shots went down and to the right instead of all over the place.

I really don't think its snake oil as I have zero investment in my barrel so no reason to want it to work better, but the long distance shots I could pull off with that were better than any other just bore matched smooth bore (granted this was the days of chronic and good marbs).

Honestly I will probably pick up a 686 rifled PWR insert at some point just for S's & G's to try with round ball just to see (I know you're "not supposed to" but this is MCB, we don't care what something was designed to do we care what it can do).

[latches109]

I vote you should rifle it because that would be fun, and unless they are hooking out of our barrel won't make a measurable different in your game. I play with FS players on the field and seem to shoot them out just fine with roundball. It does not seem like an advantage because I have never been hit with a FS round. I have been hit by plenty of sim rounds, those hurt.

[coyote]

You're discounting the variance in size and weight between FSRs. They are inconsistent from round to round just like paintballs.

Many players assume that there is some sort of match grade quality to first strikes. I suggest that is flawed thinking.

I know a handful of FSR players the mic and weigh their rounds to improve the quality of their shooting.

I think if you're going to test the affect of a rifled barrel you need to match the rounds to the bore.

[Toestr]

I remember seeing videos of the Carmatech Nemesis barrel when it first came out that showed FSR did actually slightly engage the rifling and that was a big deal. Then I remember later hearing something about First Strike decreasing the bore size/QC going downhill on the rounds and the barrels no longer engaged.

[markdem]

As much as i like that idea, i have too little time. The wife already bitches at me for playing with guns too much.

Also, i believe each gun performs differently with different paint/barrels/pressures etc. Tests should be performed with the intended gun

[coyote]

I never used different lengths. My default preference for paintball is 14 inches. That was what I used on my Hammer 7.

[Seajay]

Thanks! Do you think barrel length has an impact? Longer equals more time to spin stabilize before being impacted by gravity, wind, ext...?

Length only impacts consistency. My 9" nemesis shoots better on my Phenom than my 16" hammerhead, which shoots better on my Spyder.
Low pressure higher volume, versus higher pressure lower volume.
Is the bore matched all the way through or only the first couple of lengths of the barrel?

My personal finding is that ~275 fps gave me the most consistent shots, because my FPS consistency was +- 3 on my markers at that setting.

Just like paintballs you need the volume to push a longer barrel. If the rifling is like a Lapco which is fairly tight you only need 6" of barrel to rotate the FSR a whole rotation.
The rifling on my hammerhead rotates the FSR less than a full rotation on a 16" barrel, I'm pretty sure anyways, but it is enough.

[KMDPB]

To answer the OP.

My anecdotal experience is rifled barrels make a small positive impact at 100 plus feet. I used a hammerhead kit on a Hammer 7 with a non magnifying red dot type optic.

I have used other platforms for a few shots (FN303, CCM SR, custom Automags). I don't have enough trigger time to offer an A vs B comparison. None felt practical for my style of play. For performance I would chose Bill's SR, but I don't like the size for playing paintball.

Thanks! Do you think barrel length has an impact? Longer equals more time to spin stabilize before being impacted by gravity, wind, ext...?

[Trbo323]

Why has nobody done a legit bench test yet? markdem is in a really good spot to do one if he can remain unbias.

Clamp marker down. Shoot 50 or so FSR, possibly even using part of that nice shop there as part of the range just to decrease the amount of wind drift. As long as all 50 hit a target, say a large piece of plywood, at range, don't move the marker, take the barrel off and rifle it. Flip plywood over and repeat.

If the rifling has an effect it should be measurable in a decreased area that all the shots land on the board

How many people spewed that smart parts' low pressure is more accurate rhetoric was true? Testing is possible.

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[coyote]

To answer the OP.

My anecdotal experience is rifled barrels make a small positive impact at 100 plus feet. I used a hammerhead kit on a Hammer 7 with a non magnifying red dot type optic.

I have used other platforms for a few shots (FN303, CCM SR, custom Automags). I don't have enough trigger time to offer an A vs B comparison. None felt practical for my style of play. For performance I would chose Bill's SR, but I don't like the size for playing paintball.

[Seajay]

I'd be pretty annoyed if you ramped me just because I was shooting FSR.

FSR out of a barrel cronoed at 280fps is 280fps.
A paintball out of a barrel cronoed at 280fps is 280fps.

As you called out the difference is that FSR carry that velocity further, and there is some stabilization that let's you land them more consistently.

I could shoot 1 or 2 FSR or I could use a APEX tip to launch a hopper of balls the same distance. You still need to play paintball, which usually means not standing out in the open.
It's really not a big deal, just another way to play.