Making your paintball gun shoot further is simple and can be done on just about any setup. The easiest ways to make your paint go the distance are:
- Increasing your velocity
- Use a barrel that adds a backspin to the paint
- Switch to First Strike Rounds
- Use higher quality paint
Table of Contents
Increase Your Velocity
The easiest way to shoot farther is to increase your velocity. Just make sure you are within the legal field limits and not shooting hot. If you are shooting at 260 feet per second (fps) and the field limit is 280 fps, by increasing your velocity you can gain some extra distance.
There are many ways to tweak your velocity and it can be different with each paintball gun, but check out the article I wrote on different ways to increase the speed:
https://www.paintzapper.com/make-your-paintball-gun-shoot-harder/
Use a Barrel That Adds a Backspin
Regular paintball barrels are straight tubes that guide the paint to fly out as straight as possible. But if you use a barrel that is designed to apply a backspin, it will provide you with a flatter shot trajectory and additional “float” distance.
The two barrels that are commonly used to help shoot further are the Tippmann Flatline barrel (for the 98 Custom and A5) and the Empire APEX 2. These barrels impart what is known as the Magnus Effect on the paintball, which provides lift and allows it to fly straighter for longer. You could increase your range by shooting at an angle and add an arc to the improved flight pattern.
The downside to these barrels are that in exchange for extra range, you sacrifice some accuracy and consistency. Peak accuracy and range with these barrels are usually achieved at 275 fps. Any higher than that, accuracy really starts to drop or you run the risk of breaking paint.
The APEX 2 barrel comes as a full barrel or as a barrel tip, and can even attach to Freak barrels with the right barrel front. By using them on regular barrels, you get the advantage of accuracy for shorter ranges and when you need the range you can adjust the APEX ramp for the backspin you need.
You can pick them up for a great price on Amazon and Ebay.
Flatline for the Tippmann A5 – https://amzn.to/2pwOoes
Flatline for the Tippmann 98 Custom – https://amzn.to/31uBxql
Flatline for the Tippmann 98 Custom Platinum – https://amzn.to/2Bo3IN1
APEX 2 – Click here to go to Ebay
Paintball Barrels That WONT Increase Range
Round paintballs will not follow the same ballistics as a bullet. Things like rifled barrels and longer barrels will have no effect on maximum range and little to no effect on accuracy for a regular paintball (matter of fact you might loose accuracy).
Here are some common paintball barres that will not increase your range or help you shoot farther when using regular paintballs:
- Rifled Barrels
- Longer Barrels
- “Compression” Barrels
- Barrel Kits
- Ported Barrels
- Unported Barrels
- Any “Sniper” Barrel (not including Flatline and APEX Barrels)
- Carbon Fiber Barrels
– Rifled Paintball Barrels do Not Increase Range
I constantly get asked “Do rifled paintball Barrels increase range” and the answer is no. Rifled paintball barrels do not make paintballs fly farther, the paintballs will shoot just as far as any other smooth bore barrel shot at the same velocity. Instead, rifled paintball barrels may actually lower your accuracy and reduce your effective range.
– Longer Paintball Barrels Do Not Increase Range or Accuracy
Another question I get asked is “Will a Longer Paintball Barrel help me shoot farther?” Longer paintball barrels will not increase the range or accuracy of a paintball, they will fly just as far and straight as a shorter barrel shot at the same velocity. Using a longer barrel may actually reduce your efficiency as you will need more air to push the paintball out of the longer barrel.
Use First Strike Rounds
If you really want to go the distance with high accuracy, use First Strike Rounds (FSR)! These guys fly way further than a regular paintball and maintains extreme accuracy even at long range!
In order to use these to their fullest potential, you will want a paintball gun that is either magfed or breach loaded and equip a rifled barrel made specifically for FSR. If you have a setup tuned specifically for FSR, you can effectively play the roll of a sniper on the paintball field and take everyone out before they close in on your position.
There are some downsides to using FSR. Lots of fields wont allow you to use them for regular recball games or even use them at all. It can be hard to find a field that allows them near by you. For example, my closest fields that allow them are 2.5 hours and 4 hours away from me. The trip is still worth it to use them during scenario events!
First Strike Rounds are quite expensive when compared to regular paintballs. A case of 2,000 paintballs for $60 is $0.03 each round while a case of 250 FSR for $85 is $0.34 each round. That is an increase of more than 10 times the cost per round!
They may be more expensive, but just being able to one shot another player who can’t reach you is very satisfying and just can’t be beat!
If you want to learn more about First Strike rounds, check out my full breakdown of what they are and how far they can shoot by clicking the link below:
https://www.paintzapper.com/fsr/
Use Higher Quality Paintballs
Maximum range is what most people reference when they talk about how far you can shoot a paintball. However there is a more important stat to be aware of, effective range!
Effective range is dependent on how far you can shoot before the majority of your paintballs either miss or bounce off the target. The quality of the paintballs are the primary factor for accuracy which is the primary factor that determines your effective range.
If you use lower quality paintballs, your accuracy can and will be diminished. If your paint is curving all over the place, the chances of hitting your target is heavily reduced. So you may be able to throw paint just as far as everyone else, but you can’t land a shot then your actual range is reduced.
If given the opportunity pick up fresh, quality paintballs. They may shoot as far as everyone else, but will maintain a tighter grouping and allow you to hit those far off targets easier.