Intermediate and professional paintball players understand the need for the best paintball barrels. The paintball barrel is an integral part of a paintball kit that can help you stand out.
A great paintball barrel improves the performance of your high-end paintball gun. It enhances your shot accuracy, reduces noise, and much more.
Therefore you’ll need to invest in a good paintball barrel for better shooting performance. There are several paintball barrel brands and models; picking the best from them can be tricky.
This guide lists the 12 best paintball barrels in the market and tips on picking the best. Read on to learn more.
What Is The Best Paintball Barrel?
The Smart Parts Freak XL paintball barrel is the leading and most reliable paintball barrel on the list. The barrel has amazing features, including longer control bore, additional length, amazing design, and a faster threading system.
Comparison Table
All these features make the Smart Parts Freak XL a great choice for both professional and intermediate players. The Smart Parts Freak XL paintball barrel is surely worth the price.
Best Paintball Barrel You Can Buy Today
1. Smart Parts Freak XL Barrel Kit
(Best Paintball Barrels in Different Colors)
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The Smart Parts Freak XL barrel kit is one of the most popular barrels in the market. The Smart Parts Freak XL barrel system is a better version of its predecessor.
Some of the enhancements made on this paintball barrel include additional length (3 inches), better design, and a faster threading system.
The additional length enhances the Freak XL performance, while the faster threading system makes removing and cleaning the barrel easy.
The Smart Parts Freak XL Barrel kit has a longer control bore. It enhances its efficiency and reduces sound signature and operating pressure.
You’ll also love that this paintball barrel comes in eight different colors and two porting options. However, there are complaints that this paintball barrel has no cap, affecting accuracy. However, there are complaints that this paintball barrel has no cap, affecting accuracy.
2. DYE Precision GF Boomstick Barrel
(Best for Professional Paintball Players)
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The Dye Precision GF Boomstick is one of the Dye Company’s best barrels. The barrel offers great accuracy and doesn’t compromise on sound. It also has other excellent features.
Dye Precision GF BoomStick consists of glass fiber and stainless steel. It comes with a two-piece barrel which offers considerable power and accuracy. One piece (insert) is made of stainless steel, while the other is from high-quality glass fiber.
Its vent design (porting system) is steady and offers stable pressure build-up when you aren’t using the gun. This means your gun will be silent while still offering power and speed.
You’ll love how comfortable the barrel is. It’s so comfortable that a player of any skill level can use it. Professional players mostly prefer the barrel because of its durability and accuracy.
Most beginners hesitate to buy this paintball barrel because of the price. Not all beginners are willing to invest in something so expensive while still learning the game.
3. Tippmann Sniper Barrel
(Best for Accuracy)
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Tippmann brand has a mission of making high-performance, innovative and durable paintball accessories. The Tippman A-5 Sniper 14-inch barrel is one of their high-performance products.
The Tippmann A-5 Sniper 14-inch has accuracy and greater distance than standard barrels. The Sniper barrel is polished on the inside and outside, which adds to its performance and precision.
The Tippman barrel is ideal for players who use sniper-like tactics or love shooting from long distance. It’s the ideal choice for your best paintball sniper rifle.
In addition to its long-distance shots, the barrel’s design minimizes noise. If you like shooting from concealed positions, you’ll get amazing results using this barrel. Its low-profile sound won’t give you away.
It comes in two sizes, 14 and 16-inch. So if you love long barrels, this is the most ideal for you. Like others, this model has beginners in mind, but it’s quite expensive for newbies.
4. GOG Carbon Fiber Freak in-Line Barrel
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(Best Lightweight)
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Many paintball players love the GOG Carbon Fiber Freak Barrel because of its lightweight and ultra-durability. The barrel has true spiral porting that provides amazing strength.
It’s highly recommended for tournaments as it offers amazing results. The barrel features carbon fiber 1-piece construction plus solid aluminum threads. This makes it compatible with most inserts.
The other thing you’ll love about this one piece paintball gun barrel is its optimal position. It a so has an extra-large spiral porting that minimizes noise.
The barrel isn’t long and will make your paintball gun lightweight and easy to handle. It has a bore diameter of 0.689 inches which is standard size.
This barrel is expensive, but you won’t have to purchase inserts separately. They are all available on one purchase.
5. Gog Freak Jr Paintball Barrel
(Best Low-Cost)
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The GOG Freak Jr paintball barrel is low-cost and one of the most versatile GOG models in the market. The barrel allows you to upgrade your paintball gun with three inserts.
The GOG Freak Jr paintball barrel is available in three different bore sizes. Therefore you can adjust it to match various paintball sizes.
The barrel also delivers great accuracy and has quiet firing. It’s possibly the quietest paintball barrel in the list.
It has high-grade aluminum that offers a wonderful aesthetic. It’s long-lasting and thus will withstand harsh paintball field conditions.
Overall the barrel is a great affordable option for beginner players that need long-term investments.
6. J&J 14ʺ Black Tippmann 98 Ceramic Barrel
(Best High-tech)
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The J&J 14ʺ Black Tippmann 98 Ceramic Barrel uses the most advanced technology in the industry today.
You’ll love this paintball barrel if you love high-tech equipment. Its most advanced technology will ensure you get great performance.
Teflon impregnation and ceramic coating reduce friction. This barrel consists of aluminum with the highest industry standards.
The ceramic and Teflon make this barrel the most durable. It’s also lightweight, quiet, and accurate. However, the barrel is a bit complicated, making it hard to clean.
7. Deadly wind Fiber-X Carbon Fiber Autocker Threaded Paintball Barrels
(Best Ultra-light Option)
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The Deadly wind Fiber-X Carbon Fiber paintball barrel is a three-layer build. Its interior layer is slick and smooth; this ensures that your shot accuracy isn’t compromised.
The 2nd/ middle layer is fiber (multi-directional) with a multi-vector pattern. This paintball barrel is high quality and can thus withstand rough terrain and use. The Fiber-X paintball barrel has a cleaning swab, making it easy to clean and maintain.
You’ll need an auto cocker (thread adapter) to use the barrel, i.e., fix it to any paintball gun. This barrel model is great but a bit costly.
As an entry-level player, you’ll love this barrel because it is easy to use. You can also change the barrel to take different types of shots.
8. Tippmann 98 Custom Pro Paintball Barrel
(Best Easily Customizable)
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The Tippmann 98 Platinum series barrel is durable and easily customizable due to its aluminum material. It’s the best paintball barrel to start with for entry-level players.
It has the best features, such as accuracy and high performance. This eliminates the need to arch your shots.
The paintball barrel has a quick thread design that seamlessly connects to the paintball gun. The Lippmann barrel also features patented technology that creates backspin for precise shots and increases shot range by 100 ft.
The paintball barrel also includes an extra Picatinny rail that enables it to work with non-platinum series 98s. For maximum accuracy with this Tippmann barrel, you must properly align it after installation; if not, the paint will veer right or left.
Lastly, you must use higher-quality paint to prevent ball breaks in the barrels. However, the paint shouldn’t be too brittle or too hard-shelled.
9. Dye Precision Ultra lite Boomstick Paintball Barrel
(Best Lightweight)
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The Dye Ultra-lite Boom-stick barrel is a favorite among top professionals. Players love the paintball barrel for its micro-honed finish that offers incredible accuracy.
The Dye Ultra-lite paintball barrel is of aluminum lightweight construction and has a two-piece interchangeable design.
The Dye’s design is quiet and amazing, making it famous in the barrel market. It offers next-level precision quality shots that other barrels can’t match.
Amazingly the barrel comes in various colors, i.e., pink, olive, red, blue, clear, and black. All you have to do is choose the color that you like. It’s also available in different bore sizes.
Overall the Dye ultra-lite paintball barrel is high-performance, and no barrel in such status is lowly-priced. Therefore you should be willing to spend some extra dollars for this great barrel.
10. LAPCO Bigshot Assault DYE Dam/Auto cocker Rifled 15″ Paintball Barrel
(Best Cool Paintball Barrel)
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The LAPCO Bigshot is a better version of the regular LAPCO Bigshot. It features an extra porting and threaded muzzle tip. The extra porting reduces your paintball gun’s sound, while the threaded muzzle helps you to mount the barrel tips easily.
You’ll love that the barrel’s main material is high-grade aluminum, which makes it durable and lightweight. The paintball barrel exterior is bead blasted to offer a micro rough, non-reflective surface. It also has a deep penetration finish.
LAPCO Bigshot Assault barrel’s thickness and size are consistent and concentrated. This eliminates the visible wavy lines that are so visible in lower-quality paintball barrels.
Overall the LAPCO Bigshot paintball barrel has amazing features, making it a little pricey. But it’s the ideal barrel if you want something great and don’t mind spending extra dollars.
11. Carmatech Engineering Nemesis Rifled
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(Best for First Strike)
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The Carmatech Engineering Nemesis Rifled paintball gun offers maximum performance. The paintball barrel comes in various lengths ranging from 6 to 20 inches.
It also accommodates AC and A5 threads. The paintball barrel uses Carmatech’s Stable Flight Muzzles, but you can also use the 7/8-20 three tips. This Carmatech barrel has forged aluminum.
Therefore it’s lightweight and hyper-strength. For starters, the Nemesis paintball barrel has a unique patent-pending rifling system.
It makes the barrel more efficient than others. Plus, it increases its projectile muzzle RPM to 12,000 RPM.
12. GOG Paintball Freak Barrel Insert
(Best for Professional Players)
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The GOG Paintball Freak Barrel Insert is another high-performance barrel from the GOG Paintball Company. The paintball barrel has a three-piece system that suits the needs of professional paintball players.
You can change the relevant barrel components to make them suitable for any setting. All parts of this barrel are interchangeable for all situations.
The paintball barrel is also available in different lengths and colors. Plus, it’s multi-compatible with other GOG products.
However, like other GOG paintball barrels, this barrel is slightly pricey. But it’s a great option for anyone that needs a high-performance paintball barrel.
Why You Need The Best Paintball Barrel
Many things make a good paintball gun barrel, including weight, material, construction, etc.
You’ll need the best paintball barrel in the market because it offers next-level performance. It means better shot accuracy, better range, less noise, and durability.
However, remember that most high-end paintball gun barrels are quite pricey. But this shouldn’t worry you if you’re after performance and durability.
How To Pick The Best Paintball Barrels?
Choosing the best paintball barrel isn’t easy, especially if you’re a beginner player. There are several brands and models out there. Each barrel brand has unique and powerful features; therefore, selecting the best is much harder.
However, this buying guide section has all the information you’d need to choose the right paintball barrel. Read on to learn more.
1. Material
The paintball barrel material is one of the most crucial factors you need to check out. Paintball barrels have different materials, which include brass, aluminum, carbon fiber, stainless steel, etc.
Aluminum is the most commonly used material because of its lightweight and durability. However, this doesn’t entirely mean that aluminum is the best.
Each material has some advantage over the other. So picking a paintball barrel depending on the material is up to your personal preferences.
Here is more information on some of the commonly used materials. It’ll help you make a better purchase decision.
Aluminum barrel
There are several reasons why aluminum is the common material for paintball barrels. Aluminum barrels are lightweight, cheap to manufacture, and can be easily anodized. It is also quite durable and doesn’t need regular maintenance.
Stainless Steel Barrels
It’s the 2nd most commonly used material for barrels. Stainless steel barrels are much heavier than aluminum but lighter than brass. However, stainless steel is way harder than aluminum, making it durable.
Its extra weight also reduces the recoil amount in the barrel after the rapid shooting. It slightly increases the shooting accuracy. The horning inside the stainless steel barrel causes a lower friction coefficient.
Carbon Fiber Barrel
The carbon fiber barrels are by far the lightest on the market. Besides being lightweight, carbon fiber barrels are usually quiet and highly durable.
Being lightweight means that the overall weight of your paintball reduces. It’ll be easier to move on the paintball field. However, note that the lighter the barrel, the more the accuracy is affected.
Brass
It’s the least popular material in paintball barrels, but this doesn’t mean it’s bad. Brass paintball barrels are high-performance and quiet. However, it doesn’t offer the most accurate shots, but it’s still exceptional.
On the downside, brass is prone to scratches and is the heaviest material. It also corrodes quickly over time, and you’ll have to put extra effort into cleaning it.
2. Barrel Length
The paintball barrel’s length is important because it determines the distance the paintball pallet travels. A longer barrel offers more distance, but a shorter barrel offers more accuracy.
The recommended/ best length is about 14 inches. There are a variety of options when it comes to lengths. It all depends on whether you need distance or accuracy.
3. Bore Diameter
Others refer to bore diameter as bore size. It’s also another crucial factor to consider when choosing a paintball barrel. The standard bore diameter in most paintball barrels is 0.68 inches.
But picking a barrel with the ideal bore size isn’t easy. It’s because the size of paintball pellets does vary. The variation can be because of the gun type, changing temperature, and humidity.
Also, using a too-big or small barrel will affect your performance. A paintball with a larger barrel won’t offer you great accuracy and trajectory. On the other hand, a smaller barrel struggles to release paint and might jam the gun.
4. Interior Finish
Your barrel’s interior finish is also a critical factor to consider. You should pick a barrel that has a smooth and polished interior.
It prevents the paintball from being dragged across its surface. Continuous dragging reduces the shot’s accuracy and barrel lifespan.
5. Sound Signature
Many paintball players believe that barrels have little effect on shot accuracy. According to them, the shot will be okay if the paint properly matches the bore. But the barrel affects accuracy, and you’ll only notice this by upgrading your barrel.
The best way to reduce the sound signature of your marker is by upgrading the barrel. Choose one that has a porting. You can also reduce the sound signature with longer barrels.
6. Threads
Always check the barrel package labels to learn about its threads. The paintball barrel threads are quite an important factor to consider.
You should be keen on them since even the slightest difference can cause problems. Types of paintball barrel threads include Spyder, Auto-cocker, Phenom, and more.
If you’re a beginner with little thread knowledge, you should check the thread models and their compatibility with the barrel. But if you choose the wrong thread, you can always use the thread adapter.
7. Noise Level
No paintball player needs a gun that is so noisy since it’ll always expose them. You’ll need a less noisy paintball to have the edge over your opponents. The paintball barrel plays a huge role when it comes to the level of noise.
The barrel porting is the major thing that impacts the amount of noise your paintball gun produces. The ports are holes cut on the paintball marker to allow passage of trapped air.
If the trapped air efficiently exits through the porting, you’ll experience a decrease in noise and an increase in short accuracy.
How To Improve Your Paintball Barrel Accuracy
1. Keep Your Barrel Clean
You should always keep your paintball barrel clean. Dust and paint usually get stuck on the barrel’s inner part, slowing the paintball velocity or increasing turbulence. All these are bad for paintball guns’ accuracy.
2. Proper Barrel Porting
The paintball barrel porting is crucial in increasing the gun’s accuracy. Extra air pressure in the paintball barrel helps stabilize the paintball. It leads to smooth and accurate shots.
3. Use Good Quality Paintballs
If the paintballs you use aren’t high-quality, you shouldn’t expect great paintball accuracy. Poor-quality paintballs aren’t completely spherical and will have a bad surface finish.
It might slow down your shots, or they won’t be straight. Therefore it’s best to buy good quality paintballs to make accurate shots.
4. Use Correct Barrel Bore-Size
The barrel bore size does affect the shot quality. You should always choose a barrel that has the right bore size.
If the bore size is larger than the paintball, they will freely wobble inside the paintball barrel. This might lead to shots going in the wrong direction.
On the other hand, a small bore size will slow down the velocity of the paintball. Or the paintballs might break inside the barrel. So, choose a barrel with the right bore size for your paintballs.
What Is A Paintball Barrel Kit?
The best paintball barrel kit is a crucial investment for any paintball player. It’s responsible for shot accuracy. A good paintball barrel will ensure your best paintball gun achieves maximum performance.
You should know how a paintball barrel works to be able to buy the best and most effective. This section comprehensively talks about the paintball barrel and how it works.
How Does a Paintball Barrel Work?
The paintball is an organic object affected by the conditions surrounding it. The paintball’s shell consists of cornstarch or gelatin material. These materials usually change with humidity and temperature.
A paintball’s shape, size, and structure do constantly change. Paintballs do swell up during humid or warm conditions. The paintball’s shape becomes brittle during cold and bouncy when there’s heat.
Generally, in the afternoon, paintballs will have a different size, consistency, and shape than they were in the morning. You should know that how the paintball fits in the barrel influences its accuracy.
If the paintball is too loose, this will negatively affect the loudness, air efficiency, and loudness of your shot.
If it’s too tight, then the paintballs will constantly break. The breakages will be more during cold or if the paintballs are brittle.
The paintball barrel kit offers various barrel diameters. This allows the player to match their paintballs to a particular barrel easily. There are different barrel kits, including one-piece barrels, two-piece designs, etc.
The barrel kit is so easy to use. All you need is to put the paintballs you’ll be using at one end of the barrel.
If they easily roll through, it means the bore is too large. It means you won’t get great accuracy, the marker will sound larger, and you’ll lose air efficiency.
If the paintball won’t fit without some force, it means the bore is too small. Therefore the chances of paintball breaking during shots are high.
You’re good if you find a paintball that fits in the barrel without rolling. But here’s something you should do to confirm it’s the best fit. Blow one end of the barrel with your mouth.
You’ve found the most ideal if the paintball rolls out from the other side without bursting a lung.
The paintball that matches your inner diameter will give you maximum consistency and accuracy. Plus, you won’t have issues with the paintballs breaking, or they’ll reduce.
How To Clean A Paintball Barrel
Cleaning the paintball barrel isn’t a hard task. A clan paintball barrel is essential as it helps keep your shots accurate.
There are two ways in which you can effectively clean your paintball barrels. They include using specific paintball barrel cleaning tools known as barrel swabs.
1. Clean The Paintball Barrel Using Hot Water
The first way to clean your paintball gun barrel is by running hot water through it. This process will remove most paint results from broken paintballs. You’ll experience better shot accuracy after using this cleaning method.
Hot water also dissolves any dirt and paint in the porting giving the barrel a clean look. But if there’s old paint that can’t come out of the porting, you can use a toothbrush. Use it to scrub the paint from the barrels inside gently.
A toothbrush is great since it doesn’t remove the paint job. It means that there’ll be no major scratches in the barrel.
2. Use a Barrel Swab
A barrel swab is an important tool to help you maintain your paintball gun barrel. Some brands include the swap in their packaging, or you can separately purchase it.
Most players do carry the barrel swab to their paintball games. The barrel squeegees are small, light, and foldable.
Therefore they are easy to carry in your best paintball pants pockets. Plus, most paintball pants have a squeegee pocket.
The barrel swabs are available in different designs and effectiveness. Some are strictly rubber strings with ribs. You can pull them through the barrel and remove any dirt or paint.
The common barrel swabs feature a rubber disk; you can remove most paint by using it as a polisher. If you want a great clean, remove the paintball barrel before using the swab.
You can do this if you’re not in the middle of a paintball game. This way, any excess paint won’t penetrate the gun breach as you push the rubber barrel or disk.
Step-By-Step Guide On How To Clean Your Paintball Barrel
Use both cleaning techniques on your paintball gun barrel if you want stellar results. You get the cleanest look ever. Here are the steps on how to clean your paintball barrel.
- Detach the paintball barrel from the gun by unscrewing it.
- Use the paintball barrel swab to remove any dirt or excess paint from the barrels inside. Push the dirt completely from one way to the other side.
- If you have a rubber barrel swab, you should use it first. The barrel buffer and rubber disk will push excess paint to the porting.
- After this process, the barrels inside will be clean, but the porting will still have excess paint. Run hot water through the barrel to remove excess paint from the porting.
- Vigorously whip the barrel to remove water from the inside. Ensure the barrel is completely dry before firing your paintball gun. It’s because water can cause inaccurate shots/ firing.
What Are The Parts Of A Paintball Gun?
The paintball guns are available in different designs. No matter the type of paintball, they all have this part, but there might be slight variations. Depending on the marker type, these are the basic parts that you should know.
1. Barrel
The barrel is one of the most important parts of any marker. That’s because, with the wrong barrel, your paintballs won’t fire right. There are essential things you should consider when it comes to paintball barrels, including length.
The article has comprehensive information about them. The paintball gun barrels are also among the easiest parts to replace.
2. Body
The body has the mechanics of a paintball gun. It’s what makes the electro-pneumatic, mechanical, and pump paintball gun.
The paintball gun body has five parts: the trigger, firing chamber, safety, venturi bolt, and cocking knob.
You cannot upgrade the different body parts of your paintball gun. But you can get a new body with upgraded components.
3. Compressed Air Tank
There are two types of compressed air tanks, which are CO2 and HPA. The CO2 tanks have been standard for quite a long, but companies are currently phasing them out.
That’s because they are low-quality and damaged paintballs. On the brighter side, guns with CO2 tanks are cheaper.
The HPA or High-Pressure Air tanks utilize compressed air. They are hard to fill and bulkier, but it doesn’t damage the marker.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Do You Know If You Have The Right Bore Size?
There’s a test that’ll help you know whether your bore size is wrong or not. Here is how to do it.
Put your paintball in a vertically-placed barrel; if it passes through, the bore size is too big. You have the ideal size if it gets stuck in the barrel and can get out with a small air puff.
What’s the Ideal Barrel Length?
Today there are many barrel lengths and sizes in the market. However, the best paintball barrel length should be 12 – 14 inches.
Paintball barrels in this length range offer better agility. It’s because barrels within this range can easily move.
Can You Use a Paintball Gun Barrel With Inserts?
Yes, you can use the paintball gun barrel with inserts. There are times when you must use inserts. For example, there’s humidity in certain temperatures, storage conditions, and elevation. Inserts are crucial as they make your bore adapt to different paintball use.
How to Clean Paintball Barrels Properly?
Manufacturers recommend regular cleaning of paintball barrels. The good part is it isn’t difficult to clean paintball barrels.
All you need to do is push any debris or residue inside the barrel. You can use different tools to do this.
Is It Difficult To Install a Paintball Gun Barrel?
No, the installation of paintball barrels only takes a few minutes. However, the flat liner barrel can be tricky to install if you’re a beginner.
But if you follow the steps well, it’ll be just fine. You can use YouTube videos; they are detailed. However, ensure your paintball gun and barrel are compatible.
Bottom Line
The article lists the 12 best paintball barrels ideal for beginners, intermediate and professional players. All the paintball barrels on the list are high-quality and have amazing features.
The paintball barrel is essential in paintballing as it boosts the paintball gun’s performance. Therefore you need to make a great purchase decision to stand out from the rest in the paintball game.
