All you will ever need to know about the Flatline Barrel

The Tippmann Flatline Barrel

The Tippmann Flatline barrel is one of the most popular upgrades that owners purchase for their Tippmann A-5, 98 Custom, or Model 98. The Flatline barrel is curved slightly, and the inside has a course texture, in order to put a backspin on the paintball. This backspin causes the paintball to fly flat instead of in an arc, which can be very helpful both for aiming and playing in the woods where trees often make it impossible to arc your shot.

Performance: Most owners of the Flatline barrel find it to be a valuable and powerful addition to their Tippmann. However, there are several issues that Flatline barrel owners should be aware of:

Distance: The barrel adds about 100 feet to your range while maintaining accuracy. Some owners report that paintballs will not always break if you hit someone from that far away, but with other barrels the paintball won’t break either – because you can’t even reach targets that far. At least with the Flatline, you have the chance of tagging someone from extended distances and can use the shoots as suppressive fire while someone on your team makes a move further upfield.

The “Slow” or “Floating” Effect: Don’t be fooled by people who say Flatlines shoot balls slowly. Because it comes straight at you instead of in an arc, it is very difficult for enemy players to judge how quickly a ball from the Flatline is approaching – it seems to just float in front of them and then, wam!, tenths of seconds later they’re hit.

Paint: First, the barrel is very sensitive to the quality of paintball that you shoot and performs best with expensive paint. To get great backspin, choose a paint with a small bore size and a dry, textured shell. If the paintball is misshapen then it is more prone to breaking, and thin shelled paintballs may also break due to the friction that the Flatline puts on balls in order to make them spin backwards.

Velocity: The Flatline barrel is also sensitive to the velocity at which paintballs are being fired out of your Tippmann. Most owners have found that if the velocity is set at around 280 to 285 feet per second, then the performance is best. If the velocity is too high, then not only does accuracy suffer, but paintballs also begin to chop in the barrel.

Maintenance:The Flatline barrel system can be difficult to clean quickly on the field. Getting the barrel off when it is installed according to Tippmann’s specifications requires taking the receiver of the paintball gun apart before being able to twist the barrel off. However, many enterprising owners have found that barrel removal is very easy if the bolts holding the receiver are kept loose (but take care that they are not loose enough to fall out and get lost). Mechanically inclined owners have also replaced the stock receiver bolts with other bolts that are quicker to remove. In any case, most owners have found their Flatline barrel to be worth the extra hassle.

One common maintenance mistake that Flatline barrel owners have made is to oil the inside of the barrel. Do not do this.

The Flatline barrel is specifically engineered to be rough in order to “grip” the ball and cause it to backspin. Water and a clean squeegee are all that you need to properly clean the Flatline barrel.

Conclusion: The Tippmann Flatline barrel system is a powerful upgrade that increases both distance and gives your paintballs a flat trajectory instead of an arced one. However, to truly benefit from the barrel, an owner will have to be mindful of the quality of paintballs that he/she shoots and the velocity that he/she shoots them at. The careful owner will find the Flatline to be an important part of their game.

My Flatline barrel isn't shooting like it used to!

This is for long time Flatline owners who have shot more cases of paint through it then they can count, and it's just not performing as it was when you first bought it.

Well fret no more!
Tippmann Sports in Fort Wayne Indiana will re-sandblast your flatline FREE OF CHARGE!
That's right you Flatline Freddy's, you too can have your beloved barrel picking off those out of range targets once again!!

Just send your Flatline barrel to the follwing address:

Attention: Service
Tippmann Sports LLC.
2955 Adams Center Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46803

Be sure to include your contact information so they can arrange payment for shippment back to you (otherwise it's free).
And pack your barrel properly to avoid and mishaps during shipping.

For further infomation call Tippmann Toll Free at 1-800-533-4831

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did you write this? cause its good!

Brown-nosing will get you nowhere!! :evil:

jk.

This is a great post. Everything is spot on. love my flatline! :)

Would you be able to mod an Apex to fit on a flatline? Lmfao...

I've wonder that haha ... i'll try it when i get home

I'm guessing not.
Bit pointless, cos the ball would be getting forced into a spin...twice.
I'd imagine it'd kill your velocity...
Be funny to see though.

It would look pretty cool too, you gotta admit. Wonder how much spin you can get on a ball before it just completely messes up haha.

Could just make a fake suppressor for the same look w/ no hindrance of performance

That's true, . I don't have a flatline to try it though.

I'll try it today and post up a picture

Alright cool can't wait to see :)

I suppose it would add extra spin wouldn't it ....hahahaha
Sounds like it could all go horribly wrong.

Finally got a pic. Crappy phone pic :| but there's my suppressor on it. I can't wait to get my eotech in and go a little more light and low profile >

Looks cool dude! Have you fired it yet?

Not yet will tomorrow. thanks!

Alright can't wait to hear the results!