Airsoft barrels.

One item that will contribute to the overall accuracy formula of any AEG/GBB/BAR/Pistol is the barrel.
Inner barrel diameter, material used to make the barrel and length of the barrel are some of the contributing factors that can improve accuracy in your Airsoft rifle.


Barrel length.

When it comes to barrel length, longer is more accurate right?????? WRONG. All the research that I have done has indicated that AK length inner barrels (roughly 18”) have the best accuracy to length ratio. Now I know that is a bold statement and people will not agree with me but from experience I have found that barrels in the rough area of 18’’ are the most accurate. Just make sure you match your barrel length to the correct cylinder to get the proper air volume mix. (Read my post on cylinders if you don’t understand)

My test AEG was a Magpul PTS Masada running a full length cylinder. I had 3 barrel lengths that I tested for not only 400FPS but 450FPS DMR.
Inner barrels were all Prometheus 6.03 stainless steel barrels (roughly $70-$100+ each)
318mm
380mm
469mm

After gaming each barrel multiple times, I found the 380mm inner barrel to be most accurate out of the 3 test barrels. (using the same hop up rubber)
BB’s used were BB BASTARD .28’s

I found that the 469mm barrel just couldn’t reach out and touch someone at extended ranges. The bb’s almost appeared to gently float out of the barrel. Since then I sold the 469mm inner barrel and to this day I still use my CQB and carbine length barrels in game.


Barrel material.
When the piston is released and it slams into your cylinder head a lot of vibration is reverberated throughout your AEG. Stiffer and harder materials in your inner barrel will improve your accuracy because less vibrations will travel down your inner barrel. Understand, this is something that might improve your accuracy slightly. It’s not going to be the difference between making that 200FT one shot hit or not.

I have seen inner barrels that are made from aluminum, brass or stainless steel. I have had a lot of success from stainless steel inner barrels that all my current AEG,GBB and BAR setups have.


Barrel inner diameter.

There are a lot of different inner barrel diameters. And there is a lot of talk as to what diameter is considered the best for accuracy and range. We all know that the most common Airsoft bb is 6mm in diameter. But most BB manufacturers hold their diameter tolerance at 5.95mm + or – 0.01mm. It should go without saying that you can’t shoot a 5.95mm bb out of a 5.94mm inner barrel, the bb will jam.
Some inner barrel diameters I have seen in the past range from:
5.98mm
6.01mm
6.02mm
6.03mm
6.04mm
6.05mm
6.08mm
6.23mm


Keep in mind that tighter barrels will yield higher FPS since more air is pushing on the bb and not blowing out the sides of the bb itself. Tighter barrels will require frequent cleaning because any spec of dirt or debris can cause jamming in your barrel.

The newest thing on the market is wide bore barrels. Back in the day tight bore barrels were all the rage. 6.01.6.02 and 6.03 barrels were considered the more accurate of barrels. Now there are companies marketing that their 6.08 and even 6.23 barrels will yield better accuracy than tight bore barrels. Their theory is that with a wider barrel the bb will ride a cloud of air out your barrel not making contact with the inner surface of you barrel. And that tight bore barrels causes the bb to rattle inside your barrel before it exits.

Wide bore barrels will yield slower fps because more air will escape around the bb rather than pushing the bb behind it.

I am a firm believer of Prometheus 6.03 stainless steel barrels and PDI 6.01 stainless barrels. Thus far I own 3 Prommies and 2 PDI barrels. I find that the 6.03 inner barrels gives me plenty of range and accuracy. But of course each barrel will work differently with each setup so it’s up to the user to see what will give you the best performance.

If you have any questions please post away.

ah yes, good old AK 455mm, agree 100% with the choice, if I can find a way to stuff that 455 in "any of my guns from 330-400 FPS they go in, even a couple of my DRMs too.

I have been having very good sucsess with my DMRs with longer barrels, my SVD has a 550mm barrel 6.04 and at 435Fps it is out of this world for range and accuracy, it out ranges any Gun I have ever had by 20-30ft at 450 or less.

I try to use stainless steel barrels if I can, I find some brass barrels leave too much plastic residue in the last 1.5 of the barrel causeing a hop effect (use a 243cal. brissle brush made of "nylon" not brass or steel! in the end of your barrel and watch the white flakes fly!).

I love to use a 6.01 dia when I can, but with all the brands of BBs out there and now Bio BBs to boot, a good 6.03 or 6.04 is the best comprimise! to avoid jams and mis feeds. I find.

How short of a barrel is bad? Cause my gun has a 275 mm barrel and i find i can usually hit shots at about 150ft max. Should i invest in a longer barrel? It is a 6.04 mm tightbore on a g&g tr418 light.

How short of a barrel is bad? Cause my gun has a 275 mm barrel and i find i can usually hit shots at about 150ft max. Should i invest in a longer barrel? It is a 6.04 mm tightbore on a g&g tr418 light.

define bad? my 290FPS TM Glock 17 has a 98mm (no not a typo 98mm) 6.01 PDI barrel and im getting 130FT range out of it with .25's

find a setup that works best for you. My first purchase into airsoft was a G&G m4 CQBS max which is a small tight compact m4. I purchased it because I liked the fact that it was compact and maneuverable. if I tossed in a 450mm inner barrel I would loose all the characteristics of the gun in which I purchased it for.

that AEG (which I still have today) has a 300mm prommy 6.03 and is shooting at 400FPS. I'm getting great accuracy out of it and max range is roughly 230FT (witnessed by char).

so no there is no bad barrel length per say. it depends on what you want out of your AEG.

I think he was getting more at the idea of range, and how barrel length might effect accuracy.

IMO, Range is effected more by BB hop RPM and Velocity, chrono a gun with a 300mm vs 455mm if their both the same FPS why will one shoot further than the other? not in every case the longer 455mm will shoot further! if the 300mm has a better hop influence (better rotation) it could easily shoot a BB further!

I try to stick to one type of barrel (6.03) and one hop rubber, with those to being equal and the same BB weight moving at the same speed, I find the longer barrel will shoot further than a shorter (provided your cylinder volume matches your barrel!), I believe this is due to BB stabilization ie shorter barrel the BB has less chance to get it's feet under it before it excites the barrel and is totally on it's own.

I have a SVD with a barrel over 500mm shooting DMR, with the same weight BB (.30) out of any of my other DMR's the SVD will shoot an other 30-40ft straight line no problem.

I throw whatever size barrel was originally in the gun (less it's an M4, then I build the look, then install the barrel. The way I see it, if I have a silencer, then I'm going to use the negative space instead of wasting it), then R-hop it so I don't have to worry about anything. I'm lazy like that

I enjoy Prometheus 6.03 barrels the most, namely because of the build quality that backs them up. They usually come great out of the box, they are well made, they feel good, they are weighty, and I have confidence in the Prometheus line of products (their QC tends to be top notch, as I find in a lot of Japanese companies out there). I have yet to have a bad Prometheus Barrel, and they are very good for R-hops (not the best, but I've had good results so far on my L85 and AK74M, both of which have Prometheus Barrels of 509mm and 455mm respectively.

There are a few other brands I do like as well (I don't use them anymore since Prometheus is something I like swearing by), but I did use them and saw great results out of them.

Guarder 6.02mm Barrel
Systema 6.04mm Barrel
Deepfire 6.03mm Barrel (it was cheap, but it worked when I was spraying and praying)
King Arms 6.08mm Barrel

Still looking around for a PDI 05 barrel to check out, but in due time since they are so expensive to get. As well as the new Prometheus Delta Strike Wide Bore barrel. I heard that their hop-up windows are crazy huge.

I think there is a component of: widebore vs. tightbore, translating into max range vs. accuracy. I've been doing some testing on and off the field with a few Orga Magnus 6.13 barrels in my PTW as compared to stock Systema. FPS loss is noticeable - no big surprise here. That being said, as it turns out, I value consistency (straightness) of BB flight path within effective range, over achieving further maximum range at the cost of a losing some accuracy - though this is based entirely on years of figuring out my personal preference of how I like my guns to shoot.

My credit card wasn't very happy with the thought of ordering a PDI 01 for PTW, so I haven't yet gotten around to trying one of those out. I don't have a lot of experience with anything 6.01 or smaller, so I can't speak for going that tight of a barrel. I'm a little curious to see if barrels this tight experience further decreases to range, and whether or not this affects effective range in the same manner as well.

Another factor would be the consistency of the bore... I don't think that was touched on yet, though IMO this does play a fairly large role in how a barrel alone affects performance.