Phreaking phantom barrel questions

[moving_target]

Tldr version.
is a 6" phantom barrel long enough to be freak bored?


Longer version.
Just got a DSP and wanted to run a freak (or other) sizing system in it and was originally going to look for like, an 8" freak barrel or something of the sort so the barrel would be a little longer than the pump handle for the *aesthetic*

Anyways, that's not available on phantom online and I'm not running a 12" barrel on a pistol (this time)
So the question then becomes can I freak bore the phantom barrel that I got with the DSP or do I have to go another route?

Alternatively, would the deadlywind freak system (fibur or w.e) fit inside of the DSP pump handle? I'm just not sure on the OD on that one.

Also last concern. Do phantoms have any problems with freak inserts sticking on bolts like the tippmann platform did? Didn't think so but figure since I already look like a rambling idiot might as well ask one more dumb question.

[Flounder]

Some answers:

you can bore a 6 inch barrel for inserts. The bore and insert will be into the porting on the end of the barrel but it does work ( I have one on my micro phantom)

the OD of the DW barrels is less than the stock barrels. It will have a larger gap around the pump handle. I am not sure about the threaded portion of the barrel fitting through the slide.

On Ohantom bodies the insert is locked in on a ridge inside the body. This prevents it from being pulled out of the barrel like the SL68 type of barrels.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Honestly just get a the ASP detent mod or Freedummy detent ring. You won’t see much of a difference between a tight bore Vs stock bore on a short pistol setup.

You can bore the short barrels. But most of the insert benefits are negated by the real short barrel (efficiency and rollouts). But you still get the negatives of a freak bore. (Barrel will still have the oring groove making it weaker at that point, and it will never shoot clean after a break) paint will get behind the insert and weep paint until it’s completely broken down and you clean both the insert and barrel.

Properly fitted orings on an ASP mod would fix rollouts and double feeds without the negative effects of the freak insert mod. Or the printed detent rings Freedummy makes work Phenomenal. They just Drop in front of the barrel just like the standard CCI barrel rings.

[moving_target]

Thanks guys

[Siress]

Honestly just get a the ASP detent mod or Freedummy detent ring. You won’t see much of a difference between a tight bore Vs stock bore on a short pistol setup.

You can bore the short barrels. But most of the insert benefits are negated by the real short barrel (efficiency and rollouts). But you still get the negatives of a freak bore. (Barrel will still have the oring groove making it weaker at that point, and it will never shoot clean after a break) paint will get behind the insert and weep paint until it’s completely broken down and you clean both the insert and barrel.

Properly fitted orings on an ASP mod would fix rollouts and double feeds without the negative effects of the freak insert mod. Or the printed detent rings Freedummy makes work Phenomenal. They just Drop in front of the barrel just like the standard CCI barrel rings.

I agree with most of that, but accuracy is improved by having the insert and that matters to me. The o-ring grooves are not necessary. I don't think any of the CF barrels have them except maybe one in the aluminum threaded adapter. My phantom bored barrel+body do not have them at all since there's not enough material. The insert has a tight slip fit and then gets sandwiched between tapered bores instead, so you have to be gentle when threading it on. It has never damaged an insert, Al nor SS.

I took a different approach than the ASP mod. Since the body needed to be machined anyway, I opted to bore the body out to take the freak insert up to the bolt face. This also requires cutting down the two screws that would interfere. Fewer parts to worry about, and no more crap traps in the bore.

[Chuck E Ducky]

The newer fixed bore phantom barrels have a smaller more usable overall inner bore that makes a difference. I think they are like a .681-.682ish now stock. I have a hard time telling the difference in accuracy if the paint fits and it’s not rolling out. It’s usually about the same for me. I run a freak bore on one marker for efficiency mainly I only shoot good paint threw it. If I get crappie paint I run a fixed bore and let the detents do there job. I also opt to just run ASP detents on fancy Ano phantoms so i don’t mess up a matching barrel set. The older barrels can be bored I had one before a “Cbore” was a thing and I used it for years. But it is thin at that oring groove. You could always chop it off and rethread and bore for freaks but a short barrel might not have the room to do that. Also with a DSP style handle it may not matter as it’s protected by the handle mostly.

Whatever way you decide to skin the cat ASP detents are worth there weight in gold on any setup.

[moving_target]

I think for now the play will be to get freedummy detents and go from there. Cheapest and least permanent option.

If I stumble across another 8" phantom barrel that's freak bored I may grab it so I have options, but I have a feeling that will be highly unlikely lol

[Chuck E Ducky]

Definitely the cheapest option they hold up well to just be careful when removing and re installing the barrel and they will last a long time.

[Jonnydread]

I agree with most of that, but accuracy is improved by having the insert

You think so? I had a C-bored barrel on one of my Phantoms and I didn't notice any difference with it vs. dummy detents or ASP. I love how the stock barrels on Phantoms shoot so I try to change as little as possible about them and they always shoot great for me.

[Surf2Live]

I think for now the play will be to get freedummy detents and go from there. Cheapest and least permanent option.

If I stumble across another 8" phantom barrel that's freak bored I may grab it so I have options, but I have a feeling that will be highly unlikely lol

I saved you the trouble of stumbling around and sent you a message about an 8" DW for a Phantom.

[Siress]

You think so? I had a C-bored barrel on one of my Phantoms and I didn't notice any difference with it vs. dummy detents or ASP. I love how the stock barrels on Phantoms shoot so I try to change as little as possible about them and they always shoot great for me.

If you have quality paint, yes. I have only seen maybe two boxes of quality paint in the past ~10 years, though only ~20 boxes I've rifled through since I don't get to play much these days. With lesser quality paint, it's hard to tell much of a difference because the barrel doesn't have enough influence over performance to compensate. For example, if you shoot a ball shaped like an oval the aerodynamics are going to dominate and that thing is going to tumble chaotically. Same is true for all of these paintballs with flat seams that you can see from ~10ft away.

Back when I had nothing better to do, I spent dozens of hours dedicated to testing accuracy at the chronograph range waiting on players to show up. We had some garbage paint available in those days, like Brass Eagle, JT... but we also had a weekly shipment direct from Nelson thanks to the speedball teams in Atlanta ordering a pallet every week. It spoiled me on paint quality.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I feel like barrels don’t really change much other then sound sig looks and how the marker points. I do like a one piece barrel over a 2 piece or more. I got a pump PB tight stick that with good paint really shoots noticeably nicer then some of the other barrels I use. But nothing beats the stock barrel on the Phantom. Freak or unfreaked stock barrel is the way to go. I have tried all kinds of barrels on the Phantom including cocker threaded ones with my round head body.

To me it is paint that makes the biggest difference. No barrel is going to make bad paint shoot good. It’s only going to make good paint shoot better even that is a questionable difference. I feel like I’m chasing my tail trying to find a better barrel with the next latest and greatest snake oil sales pitch. But I fall for it every time lol I can’t help myself I buy them all.

[Siress]

There's a 'paintball selection and storage' link my sig where I've laid out everything I could think of regarding paintball quality. It'd be cool if someone did something similar for barrel selection...

[Cunha]

The deadlywind barrels for phantom (not the newer fiber X) fit under standard pump handles. The back piece is correct diameter, and you can make a band with low friction tape to support the front portion. This is how my phantom is setup and I really like it. I just hope the threads never break off at the O ring channel like phantom freaked barrels can if you are unlucly. I do have a spare but its still scary.

[moving_target]

what kind of low friction tape would you recommend?

[Carp]

If I stumble across another 8" phantom barrel that's freak bored I may grab it so I have options, but I have a feeling that will be highly unlikely lol

Has a CCI 8" C-bored barrel...