Cheap and avaliable airsoft barrel?

Building or modifying BB, Airsoft, and Pellet type of guns. Show off your custom designs, find tips and other discussion. Target practice only!
The Engineer
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:42 pm

Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:58 pm

Does anyone know where to find cheap and easily avaliable airsoft barrels? (just over .236 ID)
User avatar
hi
Staff Sergeant 2
Staff Sergeant 2
Posts: 1619
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:28 pm

Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:47 pm

go to your local hobby shop. they will have brass and aluminum tubes that work pretty well. take a bb and fit it and see which one fits best. i have one that is nearly perfect. they are used on model planes, but im not sure what for.
"physics, gravity, and law enforcement are the only things that prevent me from operating at my full potential" - not sure, but i like the quote

you know you are not an engineer if you have to remind yourself "left loosy righty tighty"
The Engineer
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:42 pm

Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:21 am

thanks, that is much less expensive than i could find anywhere else. btw, i did check my hobby stop, and the closest thing that they had was just barely to small. it was 1/4 OD with a .014 wall thickness, which equates to a .236 ID. 6mm = 0.23622047244 inch, but are actually just a slight bit smaller, so I thought it would fit, turns out it didn't. It was also only about $1.50 USD for 10 inches.

Because it was so cheap, I had an idea to expand the tube to just the right size. I can put a 6mm stell BB in the end and jam it in. I'll make sure everything is lubed well and keep jamming one after the other in this fashion. This is similar to the way brass instruments and shaped and widened. After a while the aluminum tube will expand to the right size for 6mm airsoft BBs.
peedeeswampmonster
Private
Private
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:36 pm

Sun Dec 07, 2008 8:41 pm

Another thought is to use transmission line. You should be able to buy it cheap at an auto parts place. They should even be able to trim it to whatever length you want. I have not tried it yet, but 6mm pellets seem to fit alright.
User avatar
Gippeto
First Sergeant 3
First Sergeant 3
Venezuela
Posts: 2503
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:14 am
Location: Soon to be socialist shit hole.
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 17 times

Donating Members

Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:00 pm

Go back to where you got the 1/4" brass tube, and get one that is 9/32" with a .014" wall. It works out to ~.253" or ~6.43mm id

That's what I'm using.
"It could be that the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others" – unknown

Liberalism is a mental disorder, reality is it's cure.
dungdue0
Specialist
Specialist
Posts: 113
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:36 pm

Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:30 pm

two words:

arrow shafts
User avatar
Gippeto
First Sergeant 3
First Sergeant 3
Venezuela
Posts: 2503
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:14 am
Location: Soon to be socialist shit hole.
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 17 times

Donating Members

Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:38 pm

All the arrows I can find locally, are assembled with threaded inserts and arrow nocks in place.

This makes checking the id a bit tricky without buying them. :wink:

The one that I did buy and subsequently cut apart to a point where I can no longer return it, (even with Walmart's rather loose return policies) turned out to be a bit over 7mm id.

Not to mention, arrow shafts 36" long are somewhat harder to come by. The English Long Bow being somewhat less popular than it used to be.

You pay your money and take your chances, or you can buy something that is a known quantity.

Your call. :)
"It could be that the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others" – unknown

Liberalism is a mental disorder, reality is it's cure.
Kash munni
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 7:46 pm

Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:39 pm

The Engineer wrote:thanks, that is much less expensive than i could find anywhere else. btw, i did check my hobby stop, and the closest thing that they had was just barely to small. it was 1/4 OD with a .014 wall thickness, which equates to a .236 ID. 6mm = 0.23622047244 inch, but are actually just a slight bit smaller, so I thought it would fit, turns out it didn't. It was also only about $1.50 USD for 10 inches.
Well I can tell you why they didn't fit. You forgot to multiply the wall thickness by two before subtracting it from the OD. You do this because the wall goes all the way around, so you have to account for the thickness on both sides of the BB. So it should have been:

0.250 - 2(0.014) = 0.222in :)
The Engineer
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:42 pm

Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:48 pm

Aha, now I understand. Thanks Kash munni. As I am sure you can tell, math is not my strong point.
Suppressive Fire
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 5:19 pm

Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:06 pm

Was just reading through a bunch of threads about barrels and such
I too have been on the lookout for a cheap barrel alternative because i want to make 2 identicle vortex gun for my little brothers for xmas to replace the cheapo aegs that they have. I just read about the carbon fiber arrows at walmart and i thought the arrow manufactures must have some supplier. anyways i found this

http://www.rcfoam.com/cart.php?target=p ... gory_id=94

this one is
1000mm of 6mm ID by 8mm OD

they also have 6mm by 7mm <about 5 bucks

but at 1mm wall thickness plus the properties of the carbon i think this would make a kick ass barrel and its only like 8 bucks to boot!


and if you want to drop 16 bucks they have 6mm by 10mm!!!!
Post Reply