ICD 98 Desert Fox ICD 'Cats ICD Barrels: Aftermarket Barrel Review    Barrel Terms    Paint to Barrel Matching    Barrel Ports    ICD Barrels    Aftermarket Barrels Basic Airsmithing Links to ICD Resources on the Web

Introduction: ICD Barrels

[Update: I know this info is getting pretty long in the tooth, but with moving to Charlotte and various job dramas I really haven't had time to play paintball in several years, much less add much to this page. I apologize to folks that were expecting more from me, but I do plan to keep this up here in the hope that I will be able to return to the sport in the future...]   While the ICD markers are not tremendously popular, they have been around for a long time. ICD has wisely kept the same barrel mount continuously, so most manufacturers have gotten around to making ICD versions. With the introduction of the Bushmaster 2000 there should also be increased availability of high-end barrels. ICD uses a unique 4 helix fast pitch thread (actually 4 separate threads nested together) to attach the barrel with only 1 3/4 turns while giving a lot of thread contact area.   Like other markers, ICD barrels can loosen during play. This can cause the gun to start breaking balls. A wrap of plumbing PTFE tape will usually stop this problem.

Barrel Terms

The Breech is the inlet where the paintball is inserted when the bolt moves forward. It must be radiused or tapered so that the ball is not pinched or creased on it's way into the bore. Many barrels can use a little additional polishing here. Use some polishing paste and work the inside entry until it gleams. If there is no tapered ramp or radius to guide the ball in, you can try to file one into the breech with a rounded needle file. Be very careful to keep the edges even and finish the interior to a gloss by first wet-sanding and then using polishing paste to finish up. Since the ball is moving slowly when it enters the breech it isn't as critical that it be perfectly perpendicular as the crown.   The Crown is the forward edge of the tube, it must be abolutely perpendicular to the barrel axis and evenly finished to avoid 'kicking' the ball off a straight trajectory as it leaves the barrel. Funsupply has a good article on Crowning Barrels without Tools.   Be careful with your barrels, especially the aluminum ones. A ding in the edge of the breech or crown area can make the barrel break paint or just shoot oddly. This is yet another good reason to use a barrel plug at all times when you aren't actually on the field; to protect the crown! Also, wrap your barrels up in something when they are loose in transport, or use a barrel bag for protection.   The Report is the percussive sound the marker makes when the ball leaves the barrel. To a much lesser extent, sound also comes out of the power-feed and the cocking slot when the gun cycles.

Paint to Barrel Matching

There are several good sites on matching paint to barrel sizes: Bror Jace' Barrel and Paint Guide On Millinium's Paintball Site Miscreant's Original Article on Barrels and Paintball sizing Miscreant's Updated Article at Exodus Paintball Michigan Paintball Outlet's Barrel Selection Guide   Essentially, a tight fit between the ball size and the barrel seals the expanding gas behind the ball and gives better efficiency and shot-to-shot consistency. The problem is that paintballs are not very consistent even within batches made by the same machinery, and can vary quite a bit between brands. Fortunately, barrels are made with different bore sizes, so you can get a better match. The ideal solution, albeit expensive, is to have at least one barrel for each size range of paint, and then test the paint each time you play for the best match. This is how tournament players get better accuracy than the rest of us. If you regularly play with one brand of field paint, then you theoretically only need one barrel. But paintballs also vary in size depending on temperature (smaller at low temps, larger at high temps), humidity (gelatin shells swell as they absorb water), and condition (old, dimpled paint? go to a looser fit and don't expect much accuracy).   A practical way to check paint fit is to try and push a ball into the breech of your (off the gun) barrel with your finger. If it drops straight through you'll use more air and lose some accuracy. If it's tight but still slides that's a good fit, try to blow the ball through to confirm the fit, if you can't blow it out it's still too tight! If the paintball won't fit at all, or breaks, then find another barrel or a different brand of paint.   I'm afraid I gave out more than my fair share of bad information on the ICD Discussion list before I got the real poop on sizes (plus, I was evaluating some new gear with coooold paint at less than 40° F, which made my initial impressions of compatibility with RPS Premium wrong at higher temps). Thanks to Bror Jace and Miscreant for setting me on the true path... Based on the sites listed above, I've added lists of compatible paint brands to the barrel descriptions below.

Here is an attempt to reconcile and interpret the various opinions on paintball sizes.   Small Paintballs [recommended bore size]: Diablo HellFire [.682 to .685] RPScherer All Star and RPS Evil [.682 to .685] Diablo Inferno [.686 to .688] Pro Ball and Pro Ball Platinum [.686 to .688] RPScherer Marbalizer [.686 to .688]   Medium Paintballs [recommended bore size]: Pro Ball Lite [.687 to .689] Zap Pro [.688 to .690] RPScherer Big Ball [.688 to .690] RPScherer Premium and RPS Gold [.689 to .691] Sheridan Ball [.689 to .690] Zap ProSport and Zap Select [.689 to .691] PowerBall [.689 to .691] Brass Eagle Top Brass [.689 to .691] PMI Paintballs [.689 to .691] Diablo Blaze [.689 to .691]   Large Paintballs [recommended bore size]: Nelson Challenger and Nelson Gold [.691 to .693] PMS 1st Choice [.692 to .694] Brass Eagle [.692 to .705]

Barrel Porting

Everyone who makes barrels has a different story about porting, but after reading a lot of posts online some themes begin to emerge. Airgun Designs, manufacturer of the Automag, did a series of high speed photographic studies on paintballs exiting barrels that seem to support the following conclusions: Paintballs are not like water-balloons, they don't flex and wobble as they move down the barrel, or once they clear it. Spin imparted to paintballs doesn't do much below some huge (50,000) RPM, even then the effect is short lived and unpredictable since the liquid interior does not spin, and rapidly slows the ball. Spiral porting looks cool, but doesn't really give meaningful spin to the ball. The paintball does not travel through disturbed air ar it leaves the barrel; any turbulence is behind the ball. Optimum barrel length needed is 8 to 12 inches for best acceleration; Longer barrels start to drag on the ball and actually slow it before exit. Shorter barrels use too much gas to reach 300 fps, and the balls are less stable once they exit. So why use ports? Because of what they really do; they reduce the report from the barrel when the ball comes hurtling out like a 300 fps adult pop-gun. When the gas escapes past a plain crown with no ports, it creates a dense pressure wave, or sound. Releaving the pressure of the gas gradually reduces the pressure of the wave, and volume of the report. The problem is once the pressure behind the ball is reduced it is no longer pushing the ball. So there has to be a happy median where the barrel is long enough (8 to 12 inches) before the porting begins to accelerate the ball efficiently, and long enough through the porting section to quiet the sound, yet short enough to not slow the paintball too much. Urk.   Lengths for barrels below are given for both the unported (effective) measurement and the overall length. The Porting section describes the type of porting and the sizes of holes.   Finally, you are shooting a round ball of low density at low speeds with a paintball gun. Firearm ballistics, and even pellet rifle ballistics, are of little use in describing the behavior of paintballs or improving their accuracy. The very things that make paintball relatively safe to play limit accuracy and range. A better barrel, better paint, and a good paint to barrel fit will improve things a bit, but wind and ball-to-ball variance make it impossible to make every shot. Remember, if round projectiles were accurate, the musket would never have gone out of style.   Left to Right: SmartParts Venturi, SmartParts Teardrop, J&J Ceramic, TASO Pro-series

ICD Barrels

ICD makes an OK barrel, not great, but not worthless. The new barrels benefit from some polishing time.       ICD 10 inch Barrel (Older Style) The original ICD Barrel has a good interior finish and is easy to clean, but it has a loud, cracking report. Length:  8.75 inches unported 10.25 inches overall Porting:  4 slot muzzle brake Material and Finish:  Aluminum, matte black anodizing, multi-stepped at muzzle Bore:  .689 (Medium Bore) Fully anodized tapered breech inlet Best Fit:  Pro Ball Lite, Powerball, Zap, RPS Big Ball/Premium/Gold, Sheridan, PowerBall, Brass Eagle Top Brass, PMI, Diablo Blaze       ICD 10 inch Barrel (New Style) The new ICD Barrel has a rougher interior finish that is easy to polish out to an excellent surface. It is very light and easy to clean, but it has a loud report. Length:  8.75 inches unported 10.25 inches overall Porting:  5 slot muzzle brake, relieved inside to .670 inch Material and Finish:  Aluminum, thin matte black anodizing, .870 inch straight tube exterior Bore:  .687 (Small Bore) Fully anodized tapered breech inlet Best Fit:  Diablo Inferno, ProBall/Platinum/Lite, RPS Marbalizer       ICD 7 inch Barrel (Bobcat) Like the original ICD Barrel, the Bobcat barrel has a good interior finish and is easy to clean, but with no porting it has an even louder report. Length:  7.0 inches overall Porting:  None Material and Finish:  Aluminum, thick matte black anodizing, multi-stepped at muzzle Bore:  .689 (Medium Bore) Fully anodized tapered breech inlet Best Fit:  Pro Ball Lite, Powerball, Zap, RPS Big Ball/Premium/Gold, Sheridan, PowerBall, Brass Eagle Top Brass, PMI, Diablo Blaze

Aftermarket Barrels

Aftermarket barrels are a slippery slope. Kinda like potato chips, it's hard to buy only one. The barrels below were measured using dial calipers and I have used them all, but the sample size was 1 so they may vary from my specs. Barrels for ICD that aren't listed below include the Lapco Aluminum Autospirit (.686, Small Bore), the DYE barrels (.691, Medium Bore), and the Armson rifled barrels (.688, Medium Bore).       BOA 12 inch Tournament Barrel (US$90) The BOA Tournament barrel is very well polished on the inside with rounded interior edges around the ports. One weird thing about the BOA barrel I received was that the wider step behind the threads was too close to the threads so that there was a .06 inch gap at the breech inside the marker (visible through the feed port). Hmm. This can cause balls to break if the paint is a tight fit. I used a Dremel to cut the step back so that the barrel breech seated fully, and also polished the breech taper a little. BOA barrels are also available in a Tight version (.688 bore). Length:  9.8 inches unported 12.2 inches overall Porting:  4 spirals of 9 holes (.10 inch) over 1.8 inches, ends .75 inches from crown Material and Finish:  Nickel plating over brass, black crinkle finish paint on outside, polished nickel at porting to crown, .81 inch diameter straight tube with ring at base of porting and behind threads Bore:  .690 (Largish Medium Bore) Polished and tapered breech inlet Best Fit:  Powerball, Zap, RPS Big Ball/Premium/Gold, Sheridan, PowerBall, Brass Eagle Top Brass, PMI, Diablo Blaze       Check-it Armageddon 12 inch Barrel (US$55) Nice lightweight stainless barrel that looks suspiciously like the TASO Pro-series design with an extra ring of holes behind the bulge. Weird thing: the breech was .01 off-center and had sharp edges, which I carefully filed to an even radius and polished. Hmm again. Miscreant lists the bore for this barrel as .689, but he did not actually measure one. Hmm yet again. Length:  9.8 inches unported 11.8 inches overall Porting:  8 straight rows of 7 holes (.07 inch) over 1.5 inches, ending .5 inches from crown Material and Finish:  Stainless steel, fine brushed finish on outside, .81 inch outside diameter tube with ellipsoidal bulge at porting, .87 section behind threads. Bore:  .694 (Large Bore) Sharp, barely chamfered breech inlet, .01 inch off-center from threads Best Fit:  Nelson, PMS 1st Choice, Brass Eagle?       J&J 12 inch Ceramic Spyder Barrel (US$57) I use this barrel with a Lapco Spyder to ICD Adapter, covered below. Since this barrel is available with ICD threads from Millennium, I've covered it separately here. This is a very lightweight but tough barrel with good accuracy with small paint. Really cool, extremely hard ceramic anodizing impregnated with Teflon. Aluminum/ceramic coatings are made by coating the barrel with an oxide and firing it in an oven. The ceramic actually bonds with the aluminum at the molecular level; it will not chip off IME. I've seen some reports online of J&J barrels not fitting properly; they make a lot of barrels and the ICD 4 helix thread can be tricky to machine. Some work, some don't; if you get a bad one, J&J should make it right. Note that other J&J models, and even other J&J ceramic barrels, have different bore sizes. Length:  8.1 inches unported 11.8 inches overall Porting:  2 double rows of 17 holes (.07 inch) over 3.2 inches, ends .4 inches from crown Material and Finish:  Aluminum, dark grey very hard ceramic coating over brushed finish, etched J&J logo, .83 inch diameter over most of length, .88 inch at ports to crown Bore:  .687 (Small Bore) Shallow chamfered breech inlet Best Fit:  Diablo Inferno, ProBall/Platinum/Lite, RPS Marbalizer       Lapco Spyder to ICD Adapter (US$18 from G3) Millions of Spyder users. What's up with that? Well, because of the user base everyone makes Spyder barrels. The Lapco adapter seems like a great idea and the price ain't too bad. Unfortunately, like most Lapco barrels it's a tight bore so the paint choices are limited. According to Doc Nickel's Review the tight choke can make velocities more consistent. Length:  Extends barrel by 1.5 inches 3.0 inches overall Material and Finish:  Aluminum, gloss black anodizing, knurled grip section around .98 inch diameter base. Bore:  .686 (Small Bore) Fully anodized tapered breech inlet Best Fit:  Diablo Inferno, ProBall and ProBall Platinum/Lite, RPS Marbalizer       SmartParts Teardrop Barrel (US$64) SmartParts Boss Progressive Barrel (US$48) Very quiet and popular barrels. Interior is finished with 'SmartTuff' Teflon-impregnated ceramic coating, slippery stuff with a very slightly grainy surface. Teardrop has identical dimensions, porting, and finish to the less expensive SP Boss Progressive. The Teardrop has more complex milling and is also available in splash patterns. It looks like SmartParts makes all of their threaded barrels as blanks, pre-finished and anodized, since the threads and breech milling are all bare aluminum. Length:  7.65 inches unported 12.0 inches overall Porting:  2 spiral rows of 42 holes progressing from .10 inch to .14 inch over 4.0 inches, ends .2 inches from crown Material and Finish:  Aluminum, gloss anodized, .87 inch diameter mid section, .99 inch base, .93 inch at ports to crown Bore:  .691 (Loose Medium Bore) Bare alloy radiused and tapered breech inlet Best Fit:  Powerball, Zap, RPS Premium, RPS Premium Gold, RPS Big-ball       SmartParts Venturi Barrel (US$89) A mistake from 1995. Expensive and short effective length combined with odd appearance. Too bad it just doesn't shoot very well. Length:  6.25 inches unported 12.0 inches overall Porting:  Very complex. 6 rear facing (.08 inch) holes, 2 spiral rows of 20 holes (.06 inch), skeletonized muzzle brake Material and Finish:  Aluminum, gloss black anodizing, etched J&J logo, .83 inch diameter over most of length, .88 inch at ports to crown Bore:  .689 (Loose Medium Bore) Machined bare aluminum long chamfered breech inlet Best Fit:  Pro Ball Lite, Powerball, Zap, RPS Big Ball/Premium/Gold, Sheridan, PowerBall, Brass Eagle Top Brass, PMI, Diablo Blaze       TASO Pro-series 14 inch Stainless Spyder Barrel (US$55) Another Spyder barrel also available in ICD threads from Millennium. Long and very heavy, makes marker nose heavy but weight also reduces recoil. Polished interior but crown is roughly chamfered and can be improved with the FunSupply Crowning Tweak. Length:  12.2 inches unported 13.9 inches overall Porting:  8 rows of 7 holes (.07 inch) over 1.5 inches, ends .2 inches from crown Material and Finish:  Stainless steel, polished finish on outside, .81 inch outside diameter tube with ellipsoidal bulge at porting, 1.0 inch diameter step behind threads. Bore:  .691 (Largish Medium Bore) Radiused breech inlet Best Fit:  Powerball, Zap, Brass Eagle Top Brass, PMI, Diablo Blaze

Links: Barrel Resources on the Web

Barrels and Paintballs: Bror Jace' Barrel and Paint Guide On Millinium's Paintball Site Ronin's Lapco Barrel Challenge Miscreant's Original Article on Barrels and Paintball sizing Miscreant's Updated Article at Exodus Paintball Michigan Paintball Outlet's Barrel Selection Guide Barrel opinions from Tippman 68 Carbine Owners Spyder Owner Group: Paint to Barrel Matching Guide by Deringer   Barrel Manufacturers: Lapco Barrels and ICD Barrel Adapters G3 Paintball sells the entire Lapco line, D-Lab, AKA, but no guns J&J Performance Barrels Smart Parts Pro-team Products Armson Barrels   ICD Dealers Online: Paintball CyberMall - ICD Parts Skan-Line Sports Paintball Catalog Fun Supply Paintball Millennium Paintball Highland Paintball Wolverine Paintball Highland Paintball

Links: ICD Info on this Site

98 Desert Fox: Main Page Getting Started: Tips for a New Owner    98 Fox Exploded View and Schematic    Classic Fox Exploded View and Schematic Troubleshooting the Desert Fox    Troubleshooting: Air Leaks    Troubleshooting: Cycling Problems    Troubleshooting: Ball Breaks Fox Tweaks and Accessories Regulator Theory and Tuning Trigger Work and Bolt Polishing DIY Dial Velocity Adjustor   ICD 'Cats: Main Page 'Cat Theory of Operation and Differences    Bobcat Exploded View and Schematic    Puma Exploded View and Schematic    Thundercat/Alleycat Exploded View and Schematic 'Cat Trigger Work and Bolt Polishing    Trigger Work    Bolt Polishing    Adding a Rear Trigger Stop Accessories: Aftermarket Parts for the 'Cats   ICD Barrels: Aftermarket Barrel Review Basic Airsmithing Links to ICD Resources on the Web

Disclaimer:   Paintball guns are usually not difficult to work on, but there is some chance that things could go wrong. If you are uncomfortable about working on the mechanisms, regulator of trigger or your marker, Don't Do It! These tips assume some mechanical aptitude and use of the correct tools. If you mess something up, you'll have to replace it.   Most Paintball marker manufacturers offer excellent warranties, and they stand behind their guns. If you have a problem call them.   ICD wants me to make it clear that this is not an official ICD site. Any changes you make to a marker under warranty may void that coverage. Don't blame them, don't blame me. There, that should cover it.   the ICD Official Corporate Website   Finally, Don't use an unsafe marker, and Be Careful with CO2 and Paintballs. Paintball markers are not toys, so be an adult and take responsibility for your own actions...

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