Paintball Myths - Part Four

Here's the fourth in the series by Billy Goodman on Paintball Myths:

Longer barrels shoot better/with more accuracy

Again, this is an attempt to apply firearms principles where they don't necessarily apply. On rifled firearm barrels, more length can equate to more spin, a more stable trajectory, etc. Paintball gun barrels aren't really even barrels in the same sense, and would probably be more properly termed "launch tubes" (which I think Glen Palmer has referred to them as..)
For paintball guns, the barrel only needs to be long enough to allow the ball to accelerate up to speed. What actual length of barrel works best is determined by valve timing and operating pressure of the particular gun. Any length beyond what is needed to get the ball to speed only provides added friction, which slows the ball down. In other words, a barrel that's too long will have to have more gas to overcome the friction effect to accelerate the ball up to a given speed, making that barrel less efficient.

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