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Underboring with fragile paint

Gee Tee

1/2 man - 1/2 pogo stick
Mar 21, 2007
3,172
786
148
Dartford, UK
I always match or slightly underbore on closed bolts to prevent rollouts. Bore size less important on open bolts if detents are up to scratch, but I still only go up a little on size.
 

Dusty

Don't run, you'll only die tired....
May 19, 2004
7,606
2,407
348
46
Northern Ireland
For the perceived and actual benefits it's really not worth the risk.

If you underbore and break paint, you've wasted the extra few shots gained from lowering pressures by having to "shoot through" the break and clean your barrel again. Markers are so efficient now it's really academic. I personally try to guarantee the paint actually leaves my barrel by
1 - using good paint in the first place,
2 - slightly overboring
3 - shooting an Angel, which has broken less balls in 2 years than anything I remember.
 

Orion3

Active Member
Jul 12, 2009
157
7
28
From what I've read and from my limited experience (I've had no breaks shooting 3 cases of claymore) underboring shouldn't break anymore paint than overboring.

I've just never done it with tourney grade paint and wondered if anyone had?

When I finally get my hands on a new shaft 4 kit I'll give it a go; and if the lack of breaks continue I shall underbore going forward. Purely from consistency standpoint - not overly fussed about efficiency as I'm currently using an Ego.
So far, what I have found is that when underboring my shot-on-shot consistency is better than when I overbore. My assumption is that underboring seems to reduce the ball to ball variation (all the balls are larger than the barrel) whereas when I overbore some balls fit snugly whilst others have some room to spare as they are shot and some have even more space between the ball and the barrel.
 

BDN

Active Member
May 24, 2008
215
23
28
NW England
Changed barrel from 691 to 687; reduced the operating pressure a little, more fps consistency, slightly quieter, rarely broke a paintball in the barrel. Believe tournament players go for overboring to reduce/avoid wasting time cleaning the barrel during play...
 

Liam92

#16 Reading Entity
Nov 4, 2009
2,370
587
148
Glasgow, Scotland
following these discussions the past few days i underbored very slightly with rps premium last night and it was getting pretty nippy, had one barrel break but even at that it cleared pretty quick.

long story short: it works
 

cowface

Team Rampage
Oct 9, 2001
1,598
47
73
38
northamptonshire
recently i was playing super5ives with a .689 bore on tournament grade paint . 1st game, i had over 10 chops , changed it to .693 , = no chops so its what i use now
 

Orion3

Active Member
Jul 12, 2009
157
7
28
recently i was playing super5ives with a .689 bore on tournament grade paint . 1st game, i had over 10 chops , changed it to .693 , = no chops so its what i use now
Chops or barrel breaks?
When you got back off the field and cleaned up properly was there paint inside the gun (before the barrel)?