To Flatline, or not to Flatline?

My will to resist blowing my bonus check on paintball gear has dimished to almost nothing, so of course, I've been shopping around the 'net for markers and associated gear. I've pretty well settled on a Tippmann A5 as my marker platform; however, there's a ton of options for barrels out there. One I'm seeing alot of is the "Flatline" barrel. I've probably read 50 reviews so far, and I'm pretty torn. While I certainly don't mind blowing the cash on more distance and accuracy, it seems this isn't everyone's experience with the barrel. Some people are complaining about inaccuracy, others about massive paint breaks. There are recommendations from several reviewers on how to address these issues (like using pressure regulators and tips on barrel alignment), but I was wondering if anyone in this community either has used or is currently using this barrel or, barring that, if you know people who have and whether those people would or wouldn't recommend the barrel. I've also been looking at a standard Lapco Bigshot 12" as well, but the Flatline seems like the superior woodsball barrel system - if it works as advertised.

While I suspect I'm going to pursue more mods down the road, I'd like to get as much "right" as I can on a good woodsball gun on my first shot.

i have a A5 (witch is for sale) but it has a Apex on it its the same thing but is cheaper and it can be put on different barrels like the Lapco bigshot with the apex tip witch is 80 and the big shot its gun but with the apex you can curve the ball left right up and down!!! so you can also adjust how much spin is on it so you could just turn it off!! i would say go with the apex you can get like a M-16 or just a regular barrel its up to you.

I haven't used either but I'd also look into the Apex barrel system. That seems to be more popular at field 51 than the flatline.

-Mike

Thanks for the tip on the Apex. I'll take a loot at that tonight!

Yeah, I'm reading some excellent reviews on the Apex system. It's also led me into more research into Hammerhead barrels and the like. It's amazing how vast the gear field is, and varied in price. $2,000 markers? Wow.

first what look are you going for with the A5, that will make the difference in the barrel you are going to use. Apex it a very good barrel, so is the lapco. just try to keep the barrel lenght under 14 inches, unless you need the lenght for the look of the marker.

I used a Flatline on my 98C for over a year and I absolutely hated it... Plus it's a pain to install/uninstall...and when you break/chop, the only way to really clean it out is to open your gun up, take the barrel out, run hot water through it, and then put the barrel back in, and then close your gun back up. Running a squeegee through the flatline is almost pointless..it doesnt help one bit as the paint stays between the grits of sandpaper. Also, a rubbery film begins to build up along the top of the barrel as the day progresses, due to the paintballs dragging against it to create backspin...

It's a horrible barrel system, I'd really suggest staying as far away from it as you possible can.

If you're looking for accuracy, I would suggest the Smart Parts Linear barrel. You can snag one for about 40 bucks, and they're really accurate. I can hit a shoe box 8/10 times from about 100 feet in my back yard with my 16".

The Field has Apex barrels in stock for the A5 - 30.00.

It's my first choice.

I started with the Flatline from a A5 package deal... tried it for a couple w/e's, my ' personal' experience was "eh". Picked-up the Apex from Norman for my A5, my immediate reaction to the DISTANCE and ACCURACY was, " Oh, SNAP!" Way more fun w/apex feature too... Then to step it up a notch, I swapped the Apex barrel for a LAPCO Bigshot 8" and swapped the tip...freakin' sweet. Try an Apex, they are pretty inexpensive...(and Norm's got 'em)...