marksman A5

First off, forget about the red dot. It's not going to help.

I would recommend the JJ Ceramic if you're looking for accuracy. If you want range, look into the Apex. If you want to combine both, buy a JJ, Apex tip, and adapter. The dogleg stock is up to you. You're not going to pick people off from a distance.

AZSniper101 wrote: PS please do not flame me if I accidentally use the forbidden Sn*per word

I will, violently. There is nothing that even closely resembles a sniper in paintball, and by calling yourself one, you do all the military snipers that sacrificed for their country dishonor.

thejudge wrote: Snake. calm down. Ther is no need to take offense to the term. the term "sniper" in paintball can simply mean ambush.  No one is trying to put down anyone in the military.

Then why don't they say "ambush?"

Its really not considering no one sat down thinking that they just wanted to make someone mad.  I will be the first to admit that a sniper in war is nothing like a "sniper" in paintball.  That is obvious.  If anyone takes offense to the term I will personally apologize right now for it.  Snake no one is trying to make you mad.  so from now on lets just call it ambush and there will be no problems.

Oh boy, come on guys, how many "sniper-debates" have we had in the past month. I don't really want to go searching through all the old posts to just copy and paste everything into this one. Instead, try to help the kid figure out what it is he wants out of his marker. It's one thing to go after the spec-ops trolls that tend to pop up every once in a while, but our AZSniper101 even edited the post to "marksman" which, as we've said in the past, is enough of a neutral ground to stand on.

As for the question at hand. If you're looking to get the greatest accuracy out of your marker, then paint-to-bore match is key. Thus, investing in a barrel kit with various-sized inserts or backs is advantageous. However, kits can be very expensive and a lot of players have found that there are about 3 really good all-around barrels out there that give increased accuracy without breaking the bank.

Those 3 barrels would be the J&J Ceramic series, the LAPCO Bigshot, and the CP 1-Piece.

The J&J is rather nice due to the fact that it is a machined aircraft aluminum barrel that is lined with teflon impregnated ceramic. Some people will try to tell you that they "chip" easily or that they "shatter." neither of those statements are true in the slightest. I've owned J&J ceramics since I had my first pro-lite and they've never even been damaged through all the years of play. They usually run between 12"-14" (which is the ideal combination of muffling effect and efficiency) and are rather quiet. The teflon also not only decreases drag, but also allows the user to "shoot clean" any breaks in the barrel (about 8 shots after a break you regain 90% accuracy) which is great for those tight situations where you don't have time to squeegee your barrel out. J&J's tend to run a medium to small bore size.

The lapco big-shot is another fine barrel that runs slightly larger in bore diameter and is machined from pure bar-stock aluminum for the finest quality with the highest possible polish to the interior. If you look down my LAPCO barrels, even after 10 years of heavy use, they all have a mirror finish to this day. The slightly larger bore size gives you more choice in paint. However, they tend to be a bit louder as they do not use successive porting but rather use a "muzzle break" style ring just behind the tip. It's still quieter than a stock barrel, and far more accurate.

Finally, CP's barrels are machined by LAPCO for them. So you're still getting lapco quality but with a linear successive porting design giving a little more stealth. I do believe they are limited to 12" in length though.

As far as increased distance, only the APEX and Flatline barrels will increase distance with the spin they introduce to the ball in flight. Their accuracy at range as well as the lack of kinetic energy at the end of their trajectories leave something to be desired. i.e. you get more range, but most of the balls at that extended range have so little energy left that they don't break on target reliably.

As for HPA, I always encourage players to make that step. As for stocks. I can't stand them. I suggest playing with one on a friend's marker or a loaner before actually buying one as you might be wasting your money.

I reccomend the All Star or the Elite.  I like elite (3 front lengths) because of different styles of play but the all star is nice so that you can have 2 front lengths.  I would reccomend going straight through J&J's site though just because of cost.  Shop around and you should find some good prices.

I have decided to go with the J&J EDGE ELite barrel.  What tip lengths should I get (12, 14, 16) or (10, 12, 14)

Good lord, people...  This rookie clearly did his homework before posting, so leave him alone.

A quick thought or sights - the red-dots are worth trying.  Many people find them useless, but others swear by them for quick target aquisition.  You have to try for yourself, but they take a bit of practice to get used to, so don't jump to any conclusions.

If you do go with a red-dot, it may be worth spending some bucks on a nicer one.  You certainly want a powered one, and the brigther the dot the better.  Larger size can help limit tunnel-vision.

But mostly it is preference.

Also, if you like shooting at a distance while patiently waiting, a scope may be useful.  That's right, I said it - scope. Not for aiming - they are useless for that.  But for target location and identification.  I play with a scope occasionally, and that significantly cuts down on the number of times I shoot at treestumps.  In the woods it can be hard to see what is what, and a scope can help with that.

But for both sights and scopes, you will have the problem of cleaning them when they getshot.  I recommend clear covers that you can remove and clean, but that you keep on while playing.  The covers will reduce the performance of your sight/scope a little, but will keep them functional after a hit.

Welcome to the forum.