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The Truth................

Robbo

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Jul 5, 2001
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OK, so you guys know the truth about barrels guns, trajectories range and all that sometimes confusing stuff.
All the time, I hear people claim their gun shoots further or more accurate than any other and the truth of the matter is vastly different from what they are claiming.
All barrels are made on centre lathes, they are honed and polished on centre lathes, the point being that all barrels are designed and manufactured to be accurate.
It is impossible for a barrel that has been manufactured on a centre lathe to be anything but accurate as long as certain manufacturing procedures were followed.
Every single barrel I have ever seen has met this criterion.
The main determinants in accuracy are the paint used and the person firing it, no argument.
The paint in some circumstances, if it has been sitting around for a long time, could well have ‘settled’ with the denser elements of the fill aggregating toward the bottom of the ball.
A paintball tends to be more accurate in its trajectory if the fill inside is homogenous, i.e. it is well mixed up. So always shake the paint up if you think this has happened.
So I am saying, if the paint is OK, then the accuracy is now in the hands of the person aiming the gun.
So, the subject of accuracy has now been explained, well not entirely, as I will explain in a minute.
As for range, there are certain things that have to be acknowledged, first, if the velocity is the same, the paint, windage, trajectory and spin, then no matter what gun or barrel you fire that paintball from, the range is going to be exactly the same.
Any other assertion puts paintball outside of the realm of modern day physics, I know some of you will want to contend this but I’m afraid, in cold, hard terms, you are wrong, wrong and wrong again.
So much bull**** is talked about these two areas that I begin to wonder whether anybody has listened to their science teachers at school.
Spin can affect the ball’s range but this is at a cost of momentum and as we should know, that loss in momentum translates into the ball being less likely to break at those greater ranges because of the reduction in kinetic energy on impact.
Once again simple physics.
But how does all this confusion come about?
In my opinion, there is nothing more powerful than witnessing or experiencing something yourself.
A good friend of mine called Kain, who happens to be an extremely bright guy as well, swears blind that Cockers have a greater range.
He is well versed in mathematics, basic engineering and science principles.
We discussed the topic at length and in the end we both agreed to the very things I have already said in this post.
But at the end of the conversation, he added, ‘But Pete, I still ‘think’ it has a greater range’. And herein lies the answer to all this, Kain, whilst on one hand acknowledging the truth also acknowledges that he ‘feels’ it to be wrong.
As I said before, experience is a powerful and ‘hard to ignore’ teacher.
Kain, as well as myself and virtually every other paintballer ‘thinks’ that his or her gun, his or her barrel, performs better.
And this is what gives the paintballer confidence and as we all know, confidence can affect performance.
So, one guy picks up his gun, and because he is confident is more accurate than were he to use his friends set up which is different.
So what he perceives as a more accurate gun is merely confidence in his equipment translating itself into a better performance from the player, i.e. him being more accurate.
Once again, this subtle mind trick will have its devilish way when concerning range, for some reason this distortion of reality also occurs.
So in a sense these bull****ters are correct but not for the reasons they suggest.
So far from having to embrace the idea that paintball has somehow broken free of the reins of science, we are merely being made aware of just another human frailty, that of the power of the mind over reality.
I mean, every time I look in the mirror, I see a lean, mean, loving machine…what greater proof do you need than that ? :)
I hope this has been of some help !!!
Robbo
 

Duncster

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Jul 7, 2001
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Pete,

I'm not much of a physicist (don't even know if I can spell it right...), but wouldn't other factors, such as the quality of the bolt which could apply a slight spin on the ball, or the way the barrell is attached to the gun, like the Automag, for example, where the barrell wobbles for england cos of them o-rings??

I was gonna re-phrase all that, but can't be arsed....

later!!

dunc.
 

Robbo

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Hey Duncster

Originally posted by Duncster
Pete,

I'm not much of a physicist (don't even know if I can spell it right...), but wouldn't other factors, such as the quality of the bolt which could apply a slight spin on the ball, or the way the barrell is attached to the gun, like the Automag, for example, where the barrell wobbles for england cos of them o-rings??

I was gonna re-phrase all that, but can't be arsed....

later!!

dunc.
Hey Duncster,
As you rightly point out, a poorly designed bolt can affect the spin imparted on a ball but the order of magnitude of that effect is about the same as pissing in the ocean.
All bolts are designed and manufactured with symmetry in mind.
That said, disordered gas flows can impart a force on a paintball but it would have to be many times greater to affect the range or trajectory.
As for the barrel being mounted correctly, once again you are correct but if the barrel has been manufactured on a centre lathe with those qualities I mentioned then there is no reason why the barrel should sit 'off line'.
That is of course as long as the thread in the gun is OK.
But these are faults you are talking about, so really they are outside the remit of this discussion as we are concerned with guns and barrels that have no faults and their alleged differences in performance.
You may well be suggesting that there are inherent small differences in manufacture along the lines you mention and if so, these manufacturing differences are so small as to be deemed negligible.
Barrel wobble should never happen if the 'O' rings are of the correct type so the point is somewhat academic.
I hope this clear this up !
Robbo
 

Paul (fusionUK)

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Jul 9, 2001
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Hopefully this one will remain clean! I guess its made a good start by the original post being fact and not fiction

Really though what is there to discuss? anyone who doubts any of it really needs to take some basic physics and stop believing in the cocker fairies :D
 

Robbo

Owner of this website
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Originally posted by Buddha 3
Pete, remember what I said about cogninitive dissonance? Same thing again. People tend to think that whatever they own is the best, and any rationalisation is simply ignored. Great post, somehow this discussion keep's rearing it's ugly head.....
Hey Bud,
I think this will always come up because people will always tend to believe what they 'think' they experience, and in most cases rightly so.
But sometimes, as we have seen, our senses play tricks on us and make us believe things that are just not true.
The whole idea that all barrels and guns are the same is counter-intuitive but nevertheless it is true (within practical reason).
But I think you are damn right about your 'cognitive dissonance' line of thinking, after all, we all fall victim to that at times :)
Laters Bud
Pete
 

Bob Long

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I'll tell y'all something, you don't worry bout physics, psychics and nuthin' when youre hunting grizzlies and timberwolves. Ya just trust your gun and your instinct.

It's clobbering time!