Paintball-gun barrel modifications that increase repeatability and accuracy

Abstract

An improved paint gun barrel for use in conjunction with available paintball maker guns that fire thin-skinned ball with contents varying from paint to pepper compounds. This improved barrel assembly features three major improvements. The first uses of a non-floating bore bushing that is manufactured using precision and tight tolerances, which provide alignment and consistency. The second is the use of chamfers to center and align the firing path of the gun. These chamfers force said bore bushing against and center it to the breech face of the marker gun while aligning the firing path by centering the muzzle-end subassembly to said bushing. The thin-skinned ball is projected, by a force of gas, down a tightly fitted bushing. This bushing is held in suspension rigidly by the compression between the maker gun itself, and the subassembly members. This compression combined with the use of chamfers force a consistent, rigid and perfect alignment along the paintball's firing path. The third is a method of selecting the bore bushing for proper size and fit given factors of temperature, humidity and the paintballs available to the end user. The combination of these improvements increases the firing distance and accuracy while reducing the exposure to paintball ruptures within the system. Such a combination has not been achieved prior to this invention.

1 . A paintball gun barrel whereby the inner bore diameter exists at the breech-end of the barrel, such that the inner bore is actually or substantially against the breech face of the marker gun, and is incorporated in such a way that said inner bore is rigidly held within the barrel itself.  
   
   
       2 . A paintball gun barrel according to claim #  1  incorporating a tight-fit inner bore diameter of a length of approximately 5 inches with the balance of the barrel at a greater inner diameter allowing the paintball to float on a cushion of air after reaching maximum velocity.  
   
   
       3 . An improved paintball gun barrel system comprising: 
 A. a breech-end subassembly, comprising: 
 i. a breech-end outer barrel 
 1) made of a highly-rigid material intended to maintain the alignment of the breech-end barrel subassembly to the marker itself with inner bore of said outer barrel is held to a precision that minimizes the play between it and the bore bushing, such that no lateral flexing shall occur;  
 2) with a manor of connecting the barrel system to the breach-end of the marker gun; and  
 3) with a manor of connecting the muzzle-end of said barrel subassembly to the muzzle-end subassembly, substantial enough to hold the total assembly rigid and true.  
 
 ii. a bore bushing designed such that the bore bushing is inserted in the breech-end outer barrel from the breech end to then be forced against the breech of the marker itself, comprising: 
 1) an inner and outer diameter tube with precise diameters that allow the bushing improved registration throughout;  
 2) said bore bushing is held fully against the marker breech face by the compression on the bore bushing from the marker breech face and the muzzle-end subassembly; in a manner to maximize the propellant energy discharged at time of firing, and which reduces the possibility of ball rupture due to its precise fit and alignment;  
 3) a larger diameter step, at one end of the bore bushing, that keeps the bore bushing from sliding fully into the breech-end outer barrel, that allows the user to remove said bore bushing freely without the use of tools, is precisely sized as to assist in centering the bore bushing within the breach opening of the marker; and containing a specific size mark upon said step to permit easy size determination  
 4) a chamfer on the muzzle end of said bore bushing as to align the muzzle-end subassembly to the bore bushing and to the breech face by use of a two chamfer method; said chamfers exist on the bore bushing (muzzle end) and on the muzzle-end subassembly (breech end), said chamfers center and align with contact angles that can be similar or dissimilar.  
 
   B. a muzzle-end subassembly, that comprising: 
 i. a muzzle-end barrel 
 1) made of a material ridged enough to withstand abusive handling, similar to the breech-end outer barrel, and with a manor of connecting the muzzle-end barrel to the beach-end outer barrel;  
 2) with a bore diameter larger than that of the bore bushing to allow the ball already in motion to be unobstructed and floating on a cushion of air while traveling through the muzzle-end subassembly; and  
 3) with compressed gas outlet openings and hole patterns, which allow the gas to exit without disrupting the ball in travel.  
 
   
   
   
       4 . A paintball gun barrel as described in claim #  3  that provides capability of adjusting the fit of the bore bushing between the muzzle-end subassembly and the breech surface by varying the amount of engagement of the muzzle-end subassembly into the breech-end subassembly assuring a tight fit and alignment within the paintball gun inner bore such that the ball, upon firing, is not required to jump a gap between the gun bore and the bore bushing; and does so in a way that compensates for manufacturing tolerances commonly encountered during the manufacture of paintball guns; comprising: 
 A. a bore bushing of adequate length as to make contact against the breech face and the muzzle-end subassembly;    B. precise thread length on the gun barrel sufficient to force the assembly firmly up against the breech surface; and    C. an optional “O” ring, so that the system is resistant to unintentional unthreading, and positioned so that the system is easily adjustable.    
   
   
       5 . A paintball gun barrel as described in the previous claims which can be optimized by use of a bore bushing of a proper inner dimension which can be selected for the size of the paintball intended for use, can be gently pushed through the bore bushing using either a pencil or the user's finger, and can be pushed through fairly easily yet with some resistance.