16 replies to this topic

[earl the bunny]

While searching for a barrel for nerf balls, I discovered this acrylic barrel material at Tap Plastics. I was in a rush and only bought 1 foot and so far it has worked great with my homemade. The price is extremely cheap compared to brass and PETG at only $2.50 for 6 feet! It has a 5/8" OD and 1/16" wall so that makes a perfect 1/2" ID. It is also much more strong and easy to cut than PETG. Like brass, the sizes fit perfectly together.

If you can't find a Tap Plastics near you, you can order online at http://www.tapplastics.com

The link to the acrylic tubes is here.

At the store the people are very friendly. They gave me a green, 4' peice of nerf ball barrel, 1' of micro fitting barrel, and 1' of mega fitting barrel, all for free.

Edited by earl_the_bunny, 13 May 2004 - 05:14 PM.

[Techno-Dann]

Nice. I'll have to look into it. (I live about 10 miles from one of their stores.)

[cxwq]

Awesome link!

I'll be placing an order soon.

Many thanks, bwani.

[IronRhino]

It has a 3/8" OD and 1/16" wall so that makes a perfect 1/2" ID

Am I the only one that makes absolutely no sense to?

[cxwq]

Simple typo. He's talking about the 5/8" OD tubing.

[VACC]

That's a pretty nice find, I'll be very interested to see some range comparisons.

VACC

[Diablo]

I too was confused about the fractions, but I understand that you meant 5/8. Great find, I'll be looking into getting some of this.

EDIT: Maybe the molding materials could be of some help as well? Do you think they may have a material similar to vortex rings?

Edited by Diablo, 13 May 2004 - 03:10 PM.

[LDM]

Wow . . . Great find!

You said that you used it on your homemade. How were the results?

Edited by LDM, 13 May 2004 - 06:52 PM.

[earl the bunny]

I think that the results were about as good as brass or PETG but I am not sure because I never measered the range of either of them. I could not see a real difference, but it sure is better than paying 1.25-2.50 a foot.

There is one downside to these barrels that i forgot to mention before. The barrels are very brittle and can crack easily. My friend's barrel cracked when he dropped it.

Edited by earl_the_bunny, 13 May 2004 - 09:44 PM.

[Vintage]

Is the 5/8" OD small enough to fit in 1/2" PVC? That might help reinforce it.

I think clear barrels are awesome, but it helps the enemy to know when you have a dart loaded. Sometimes, I wave my gun at the enemy without even having a dart in the barrel, just to prevent him from charging before I can reload.

~Vintage

Edited by Vintage, 13 May 2004 - 10:13 PM.

[cxwq]

If it's too tight for SCH40 1/2" you could always go up to SCH80 3/4" which isn't much larger ID.

Or just give it a poly tubing condom like I do with some of my brass barrels.

[Dan Wask]

I assume that condom would have a hole in the tip eh ?

[xedice]

I have been using vinyl to reinforce my protruding brass barrels. It's nice but my vinyl comes tightly rolled up, so when I put it on, there is a curve in the vinyl, and even though the brass is not bending with the curve of the vinyl, it makes the optical illusion my whole barrel is curved. Thats the only real downside. I still like it though because it is easier than reinforcing it by wrapping in electrical tape, epoxy, and pvc.

[Tinkerer]

I used to use vinyl, but now I use pex tubing to attach my barrels.

I really want to try this new acrylic barrel material.

[Formerly Sane]

I placed an order for 12' of tubing from the site. I was only going to buy 6' but the minimum shipping cost is $8.15 for UPS Ground, so if its good I don't want to have to place another order and waste another $8. Does this stuff weigh any more than petg?

*this post has been edited alot.

Edited by Formerly Sane, 15 May 2004 - 03:31 PM.

[Illadar]

So thats what I found in my basment a few weeks ago, mine doesnt seem to brittle though.