[8bitninja]

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

The difference is more likely due to the changed weight of the pistol affecting your handling of it.
Honestly at 25ft, groupings really don't mean anything at all, and if you're not using a gun vise, ESPECIALLY on a pistol, then the groupings are highly subject to your own personal skill.

That's the thing... the groupings vary enough to almost rule out the individual skill bit. I didn't stabilize the silencer any more than I did without it so the vast increase in accuracy is an interesting find in my uncontrolled experiment. I do hear the lack of controls makes some results suspect. I'm leaning towards the stock barrel is rubbish... though the "free" extended barrels can't be that much better so the only variable left is length. Again, in a very broad sweep of considerations.

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

Barrel length doesn't matter because a) the hopup is applied at the very start of the BB's travel, and b) the rate at which the BB becomes centered in the barrel is proportional to the initial gas pressure generated.
What that means, is a gas pistol with a 5" barrel shooting 1j is going to perform the same as say an MP5K with a 5" barrel shooting 1j on a ported cylinder.

So would the WE G26 barrel be so short that adding any length of barrel allows for the air to stabilize the BB further... or something like that? The alternative theory is that the extra 80-100mm is the difference between a tighter and loose grouping. That is, if I step back 200mm would I see the same spread using a longer barrel? I need to try. Of course, the spectacular groupings using the TM G27 and short 6.02 is astonishing for me when compared.

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

Okay so now range and accuracy have nothing to do with barrel length, since once the BB is centered in the barrel, it is centered, and no extra amount of barrel will ever make it any MORE centered than it already is. Depending on your initial pressure it could be centered in the first half inch, or the first 4 inches.

Barrel bore has nothing to do with range or accuracy either. Since the BB never actually touches the barrel wall, it just rides a cushion of compressed air down the barrel. So the size of the bore doesn't matter as long as the BB is still riding the air cushion.

I remember in my travels the debates (or fact?) where a moderate quality tightbore will allow for greater accuracy at short distances, sacrificing long range. Just a general comment.

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

When we talk about accuracy at range.....
Your gun is dead accurate to 160ft, like we're talking groupings the size of a quarter, but it has trouble hitting a volkswagon beetle at 240ft. Now think about this really thoroughly; do you think the accuracy loss between 160 and 240ft has to do with your barrel? Or do you think it has something to do with the BB and the hopup?
Factually, your barrel only makes your gun accurate within the first 50ft or so. Beyond that, hopup and BB weight take over.
Because the BB quite literally flies itself to target (the magnus effect turns it into a little wing), it's weight and the stability of it's backspin are what make up the bulk of your accuracy at long range. The rest of it is how rigid your barrel group is, fps consistency, air bubbles in the BB, various outside factors. But the majority of the performance is dictated by BB weight and backspin.

This, I already subscribe to and understand :smile:

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

Simply put:
-If your BBs fly straight, then flay out wildly in random directions, you need to use heavier ammo
-If your BBs fly straight, drop gently, but the flight path varies slightly left to right, you need better BBs or more likely a better hop rubber. Sometimes this can be caused by the slack in all your parts (like the inner barrel being loose in the outer barrel, etc)
-If you get better range with a .25 than you do with a .28, you need a better hop rubber that puts more backspin on the BB
-as a rule of thumb, to select BB weight, keep increasing the weight of the BB until you start losing range. So if you run .30s, then gain range on .32s, then lose range on .36s, then you should use .32s, or upgrade your hopup to use .36s

Thanks for the summary. This is how I came to my other thread about velocity... I am all for shooting 0.28 if it increases potential accuracy. The TM rubber should be ok to start with 0.28 but only testing will tell. However, at some point the other inefficiencies some into play and you need better valves, seals, longer barrel (?) to ensure the BB is propelled at a reasonable (?) speed.