What happened to 12 inch barrels

[Psycho91]

So what happened to companies making 12in barrels or offering 12in fronts for their kits, there's a lot of cool looking barrel systems out there but literally no one makes 12 inch barrels any more it seems like, yeah I could always chop one down but then the end would look like shit

[iamthelazerviking]

Maybe the idea that longer means more accurate, or the ability to "push into" air bunkers or something I've heard like that. For me, it's the visual aide of a 14-16" barrel, at least on a sniper platform.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Definitely for me its sight picture. I find with the longer barrels I can aim them more effectively quicker. Giving the perception of being more accurate. I know I definitely hit more shots with longer setups, especially at range or on moving targets. I don’t think one is more accurate over the other I just think for me they are easier to aim.

[maggot]

airball is what happened

[Quickling]

I remember my first 16” barrel. It was a splash all American that I bought at the 1998 Skirmish world record game.

Up until then I had always run an 8” stainless steel Check-it barrel. Which was great at my home field which was 75% woods ball and 25% speed ball on a wood pallet field.

i honestly thought I was going to snap that AA barrel I half cause I banged it off of everything. It was stupid long and I couldn’t manage.

In college everything was air ball and if the barrel did hit anything it was soft and I didn’t notice so I never cared.


I think a 16” looks the best on a marker but I think the majority of my barrels are in the 12-14” range.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

That 8in stainless steel Check It Dragon Series 2 piece is still my favorite cocker barrel. I like a short barrel.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I feel like a lot of companies are going for longer control bores these days. I think this is naturally making barrels a lil longer.

You can get Deadly wind barrels made any length you want for just about any fit.

I personally prefer a longer barrel I find them much easier to point shoot quickly. I guess it depends on the field though. Some small tight fields, I can see a short barrel being an advantage. For me the slower I play the longer I want my setup.

[glaman5266]

airball is what happened

Bingo. The market & the players decided that to push into an inflatable you needed a longer barrel. 16" was deemed too long (though not unusable) and 12" was deemed too short. With tourney ball/airball being all the rage pre-2008 this is what happened.

Though there is something to be said for sight picture for some people, being that 14" is a good length.

I prefer 12" barrels because I don't normally play airball. My sight picture is good with a 12" and I can move around easier behind a hard bunker with that than with anything longer. But I have no qualms with running a 14" for airball. It does help in that particular application.

[The Hobbit]

What advantage does a 14-16 in barrel give you in this scenario over a 12?

[Psycho91]

I prefer 16 inch on my open class pumps but that is because it's easier to aim, on anything else I prefer 12 inch or less on semi or electric just throw a couple out and compensate once I know the marker it's just point and shoot though

[glaman5266]

@The Hobbit
Inflatable bunkers can be leaned or “pushed” into, making your visible profile smaller to your opponent. A longer barrel allows this to be easier and more effective. Just use the barrel to move/squish into the inflatable and you’ll have a shot while keeping your profile down.

[Trbo323]

I wouldn't be surprised if the move to 8" backs played a roll as well. 8" back only leaves 4" for porting on a 12" barrel

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[Psycho91]

Ehhh who cares about porting IV shot a lot of little barrels with only an inch of porting and not one time did I ever think man I need more porting on my barrel 😂

[El Super-Beasto]

My favourite set up was a Mini with an old large bore 18" SP AA and a pocket hopper and a 13ci tank. When I can run again I'll use similar goofy setup.

[tyronejk]

It sounds like you have a good reason to buy a lathe and carefully chop one down.

[wunderbarsafari]

I have a lapco fuse 12” tip for my M170r.
PE makes a 12” “operator” barrel.
Dye tips still pop up often.
DW will make whatever length you want.
Lapco still has new big shots in 12”.
I think the ID Stellas can be configured in shorter lengths.
If you want to chop one down, I did a stock PE shaft tip easily with a pipe cutter. I’d recommend that. Probably a few stock Etha2 barrels out there to be had for cheap.

[nerdcore]

Had this same conundrum a few years back. My used S6.5 came with a 12" stock barrel, but I could never find more of the short backs. Bought a few Stella backs with the Shank front and Arrow tip, so total length is 12". Saved the normal 14" Stella front for airball.

Also wanted dedicated 12" barrels for the semi fleet. Bought a couple old (and cheap) ones: 32 Degrees Nightstick, and a Z-Force. Thankfully hung onto a 12" Progressive for the Ions. Repurposed the CCM barrel.