13 replies to this topic

[GandalfInArmor]

Hi, this is my first post here. I was somewhat involved in the nerfing community over at NerfOnline last summer, yet haven't touched my guns all of fall and winter. Last week my friends and i dug out our guns and had a blast, so naturally i'm back here, looking for the newest guns, etc. I've already picked up a AT2K and am in the process of modding it. But i was looking around the boards and saw that some people are using brass piping instead of the good ol' PVC. Is there a large advantge to using the brass as opposed to the PVC? i'm assuming that the brass is a bit more expensive than the PVC as well, is it worth the extra cost? Thanks for the advice, i'm looking forward to another good spring/summer full of nerf. Nerf On!

[cxwq]

We use brass (usually 9/16" OD) because it fits 1/2" micro stefans. Micro stefans will get better range than mega stefans or nerf micros, frequently by quite a large margin.

Reference my article for more information about the choices.

Welcome to NH!

[GandalfInArmor]

thanks a lot for the help, but one more Q: does the brass piping still work better than PVC if you don't do the successive barrell enlargments like the one your article explained?

i'm gone for a few months and all these new mods pop up! i feel so lost, haha. thanks for tolerating the questions.

[cxwq]

The main advantage to brass in air guns is that it fits micro stefans well. Micro stefans kill all other ammo types in terms of range and barrel velocity. Get some 1/2" FBR and go to a hobby shop that sells brass to try various sizes and find the best one. It generally runs about $2/foot so it's not all that bad.

In spring guns, the telescoping barrel I described is a way to use brass effectively with slower air delivery. This isn't necessary with air guns at all.

[GandalfInArmor]

ooo alright, i get ya. thanks again. i'll go chek out some of this brass stuff.

[Lord of the Springs]

pvc is alot cheaper though. also keep in mind that it fires both megas (store bought or stefans) and micros (store bought only unfortunately). its easier to cut too.

[Vonoska]

KAK. Brass looks cooler any way FOOL. hah just kidding andrew. whats up?

[cxwq]

pvc is alot cheaper though. also keep in mind that it fires both megas (store bought or stefans) and micros (store bought only unfortunately). its easier to cut too.

Cheaper is good, I'll grant you that.

However, megas suck. Store bought or stefans.

Nerf micros are useful with PVC in spring guns but micro stefans in telescoped brass are better.

Nerf micros in pump guns suck.

Easier to cut is just silly. It's easier to leave the gun unmodded. We don't mod guns because it's easy, we mod guns because we either want to maximize performance or we just get a kick out of the challenge.

Every time a 'best barrel type' thread comes up you bring up these same arguments and they're not particularly valid.

[VACC]

pvc is alot cheaper though. also keep in mind that it fires both megas (store bought or stefans) and micros (store bought only unfortunately). its easier to cut too.

Cheaper is good, I'll grant you that.

However, megas suck. Store bought or stefans.

Nerf micros are useful with PVC in spring guns but micro stefans in telescoped brass are better.

Nerf micros in pump guns suck.

Easier to cut is just silly. It's easier to leave the gun unmodded. We don't mod guns because it's easy, we mod guns because we either want to maximize performance or we just get a kick out of the challenge.

Every time a 'best barrel type' thread comes up you bring up these same arguments and they're not particularly valid.

Until you mod an original crossbow I'm still not buying this "Mega's suck" schtick completely. My crossbow achieves comprable ranges with your Max shot, using megas.

VACC

[cxwq]

It didn't at last year's Armageddon. Has something changed since then?

I'm aware that the horsemen have generally claimed 110' flat with xbows and mega stefans but I have yet to actually see one that will do over 80' flat with megas.

Until I see otherwise, I'm going to continue to believe that 56% greater cross-sectional area + aerodynamic drag = significantly reduced range.

That said, I should have an xbow appear in the mail soon so I'll see what I can do with it.

[Vonoska]

is the brass easily bent though? i mean im in a metals class at school and its seems that brass can be bent fairly easily. what if while running you clip a tree or rock with your gun? wouldnt pvc be more durable? just wondering.

[Nerf Master]

Well yes, brass can be dented or scratched if it's open to rough damage. Though, it's worth that chance in order to achieve the greater ranges that you get with brass compared to PVC. So just avoid smacking your gun into random objects, and you should be fine. You could also easily change your barrel if such an event occured.

[Zero Talent]

Can't you also get some larger diameter piping, like certain brands of 1/2" PVC, or 3/4" PVC, to make a plastic barrel sleeve? Given a one-barrel gun, that kind of thing would probably add to it aesthetically in addition to the obvious structural advantage, and you could even build a silencer into the end (with a second larger pipe, or slightly larger brass). Given, added weight, but the dimensions compared to the weight would still feel right, I'm sure, since most one-shot brass-using guns are often rifles, or have short barrels if smaller. Single barrel modifications of such multi-shot guns as a Super Maxx 1500 are an exception, but most of those guns are preferred with the turret attached.

[cxwq]

Yeah. 9/16" brass fits nicely inside 1/2" PVC.

I've used 5/8" ID poly tubing to protect the barrels of some of my earlier brass guns. It's lightweight and somewhat elastic so it works well for that.

On my more recent guns I haven't bothered because I've never actually managed to damage the barrels on any of my (nine? ten?) brass-barreled guns.