The Barrel Compendium!

There is a lot of discussion about barrels going on lately, and there seems to be some confusion. Since there are not as many people posting here lately, I just wanted to toss up a quick post to try and help - it is by no means completely comprehensive, and is just meant to provide general information. If you have anything to add, or find that something is completely inaccurate, post! The aim is to have a thread that can serve as a valuable resource where there is clear information about the oft misunderstood part!

So, onwards!


Barrels - What do you need to know?

For some unbeknownst reason there is a shroud of mysticism around barrels in airsoft; people believe there to be some magic or secret involved in getting superior performance. All a barrel does is serve as a channel for a BB leaving the hop up chamber, accelerating as long as their is air behind it - that's it. So if that's all, then why is it seemingly so complicated to choose? Therein lies the problem - there are a lot of options out there, and plenty of things to consider:

- Marketing/Brand name (some brands build upon a reputation of solid quality, others make you believe they have)
- Build Quality (please note that apart from the barrel not being bent, the important part is inside the barrel - it doesn't matter if it's super shiny inside, if it's mountainous on the inside)
- Build Material (some materials are more durable than others, and as a result your mileage will vary depending on what your barrel is built out of i.e. brass does not last as long as stainless steel etc)
- Bore (possibly the most misunderstood - this is how wide or narrow the bore of the barrel is, and whether it is smooth or rifled)
- Length (...obvious, or at least I hope it is )
- Barrel window (this is where the hop up mound sits - on some barrels it is ridiculously small, and on others it is arguably too big)
- Packaging (this one is more important than you could possibly imagine)


When a BB is fired the hop up applies backspin, and the BB (is suspected to) rides along the roof/top of the barrel until it exits the muzzle and goes on its merry little way down-range. Of course that is in perfect circumstances, and this is airsoft so perfection is not exactly attainable. Imperfections in the barrel cause the BB's path to deviate from the top, and also cause more vibrations (more on this later) - the smoother the bore, the less the BB's path is interfered with, the less violent the vibrations are and the more consistent your shots will be. Brass is a notably weak metal - yet virtually every gun ships with a brass barrel; why? It is weak yes, but it is also cheap. Your BB's will scratch the inner surface of your barrel, which over time will result in impeded performance - this is not as severe as in RS shooting, but it is still worth considering...especially the premium on some of the market's brass barrels. Typically speaking you will pay more for a stainless steel barrel than you will for the likes of aluminium one, but the barrel will be much more durable.

Durable yes, but remember that it still needs an adequate finish...and we're back to quality. Material is important, as without sufficient strength, your consistency will not last...however you still need a good smooth surface! A lot of companies will use coatings to ensure a smooth surface, and that's fine...but the coating wears off and then you're right back down to the same problem. So since surface quality is so important, why does it get so little time? It is difficult to quantify. How do you measure smoothness, and how can you talk up your brand with it? "Our barrel makes Johnson's Baby wipes feel like sandpaper" - doesn't really cut it. The consumer wants clear measures of worth...like diameter; enter the tight-bore debacle from stage left.

The bore of the barrel obviously affects performance, but it is not a ranking - having a 6.01mm tightbore is great...if you need a 6.01mm tightbore, and know what it actually does. Otherwise it does not make your gun any better or worse than another. Generally speaking the way it works is the wider the bore, the better the range but poorer the consistency. It is widely accepted that 6.04mm is the best diameter for range and accuracy combined, especially in anything over 455mm long; the barrel does not vibrate as much from the BB bouncing around, and as a result you get superior consistency over tighter barrels, better air seal than the 6.08 while still having good range. 6.02mm & 6.01mm were designed to provide greater precision (hence why you use precision ammo) in smaller lengths - once you go over 455mm you will get adverse performance from tighter-bore barrels due to excessive vibrations of the barrel which increases your 'flyer' ratio i.e. BB's whisking off in odd directions. 6.03mm is the all-rounder - you don't need to be as stringent with your BB's, range and accuracy are good, and so is the air seal, hence why it is the most supported. Then there are of course the likes of the Orga barrel, which I have had absolutely no experience with so cannot comment, and the TK Twist type barrel. The TK Twist has a bore of around 6.1mm, and uses a form of rifling to give the BB an air cushion which stops the BB from hitting off of the sides of the barrel. Range gains are noted with this system, but only really on semi-auto and at 1 joule. Personally speaking I have never found the cost to justify the performance gain, weighing in at twice the price of a standard tight-bore...which is where budget comes in; can you afford/justify the 'best', even if it is only marginally more effective than one at less than half of the cost? Only you can decide that!

There is a belief in airsoft that the longer the barrel, the better the accuracy. This is not the case. You need a barrel long enough that the BB leaves the muzzle stable, though stability can be achieved in other ways (ensuring the volume of the cylinder matches the barrel, using heavier BB's etc), and that's really it! It is well documented that Tokyo Marui pistols out-range many rifles - barrels of under 100mm are decimating ones of 363 - 509mm, how? Simply put, because length is not that important! Once again generally speaking the longer barrel will improve consistency, but that's really it. Even then that is contingent on the aforementioned inner-surface quality of the barrel. Where length definitely enters the equation is in the likes of tight-bores; when going over 455mm there is no point in using anything tighter than a 6.03mm as unless the barrel is firmly in place (i.e. cannot move around at all inside the outer barrel), you are not going to see any marked improvement - in fact you are more likely to see adverse performance. The inner surfaces of your barrels are not perfect, and by increasing the length you are increasing the amount the BB is bouncing around when hitting this imperfections - this causes the barrel to vibrate, which will affect your accuracy as the muzzle will be moving. But once again, that's really it!

The last few things to consider are quite nominal; the barrel window size only becomes important when you're looking for absolute performance. If the barrel window is too large, then when the spin is applied the BB can hit the end of the window, and bounce around more. If it is too small, the hop up mound won't get as much leverage and you risk tearing the hop up rubber. It is very nit-picky though. Something of much greater importance is how they are packaged - remember that these barrels are made a long ways away, and have to endure countless overworked people transporting them; the box their in is going to be kicked, crushed and stood on. You need the barrels to be well protected. Some barrel packing is better than others, with the likes of Vanaras and Madbull being on top, and with companies like Deep Fire, JBU and Prometheus really falling short of the mark. You just want as much added security as possible. Finally you have brand/marketing to contend with - some companies are very good at getting you to believe that their products are better, purely down to the merits of buzz words and gullible people. You have to remember that a lot of people upgrade their guns without having ever tested them in the first place - a new AEG will have its stock barrel and hop removed most of the time before it has even been fired, and then the great range and accuracy is attributed to the upgrade parts. These people share their success story, and others buy into it.



Why upgrade your barrel?

You should only consider upgrading your barrel if you notice something is lacking in your rifle. Please note that barrels on their own do not affect your range - range is determined by the hop up rubber, nub and chamber. Your barrel simply guides the BB down range, allows the BB to accelerate, and hopefully puts as few lumps and bumps in its path as possible, thus improving consistency. You change out the barrel if your current one is poor quality, or if you want to improve your gun's consistency. The higher the precision of the barrel (notice I have not said 'bore'), the better the results. Prometheus would probably be the best barrel for me, however their cost is rather substantial.

What barrel should I choose?

Personally I believe that a good 200-400mm 6.01mm tight-bore barrel is optimal for CQB engagements due to the high level of consistency achieved. I would however rank a good 6.03/6.04mm tight-bore superior for longer engagements. For single shot guns, it is worth considering the TK Twist.

What about 6.02mm barrels?

Honestly I just don't see the point in them. I have found no improvement in consistency over a 6.03mm, whereas there is increased risk of jamming. If you're going to up the risk of BB jams, you may as well go full-hog and go for the 6.01mm and gain greater consistency at shorter ranges. If you're looking at shooting longer ranges, then stick with the 6.03mm. Simply put, they're fine...just a little pointless.




...I'm pretty tired now, and that's all that I can think of. If anything else comes to mind I'll add it in So yeah, hopefully this helps someone at least