What makes a good barrel? You need a smooth, and true bore. Over the last couple years, it has become almost impossible to not find a barrel that matches that description. Normally, the process used to ensure a smooth bore is micro honing. With aluminum barrels, they would be anodized after the honing process to ensure durability. This technique has worked for years, and still does. One company has started using a process that is supposedly six times smoother and 30% more durable than micro honing. Titanium Paintball has started producing a barrel that uses Hardbore Finishing. Now what else aside from this new technology does Titanium Paintball offer in their new Longbow barrel; nothing other than titanium. That's right, in this one barrel you get the supposedly hardest and smoothest finish available in a barrel and the most durable metal that paintball has seen.

     The Longbow barrel is another member of the trendy two-piece barrel kit club. It is made up of a titanium base and an anodized aluminum tip. Currently the Longbow is available for the Autococker, Angel, Shocker, Impulse, M98, Spyder, Bushmaster, Pro-Lite, and the Blazer. Currently .684, .687 and .689 bores are available. In the next run, the .689 back will be replaced with a .690 with plans to add a .693 in November. The tips are currently only available in a Low Pressure tip or the Tournament tip in 12.5", which features a muzzle break of five rows of small holes two inches long. There are plans for a Sound Suppression tip and a Tournament tip. The Tournament tip will feature six lines of holes for two inches, and then three lines for another two inches. The Sound Suppression tip features porting for an additional two inches but will only be available in 14". The Longbow is available in a veritable rainbow of colors, including black, gold, nickel, blue, red, green, and raw. These colors are available in either gloss or matte (dust) finish. Currently, the barrels are only available in 10", 12" and 14" lengths with the low pressure muzzle break.

      I was very happy to test the Longbow at the Diablo IAO, not only because the .684 barrel fit my paint perfectly (which rolled through my next smallest barrel), but because the Longbow was an absolute delight to use. When I first got the barrel, I gave it the once over with my eye, and it looked great. On the outside it had a very simple look, nothing fancy, or flamboyant. On the inside, it was all business. It was easily one of the nicest, smoothest finishes I have ever seen. You would think it would be harder to get a smoother finish than is found on most barrels these days, but Titanium Paintball did it. Throughout the day, I didn't notice a single break. I saw 'notice' because at the end of the day, the control bore was clean, dry, and looked brand new. However, the tip appeared to have some paint residue in it. With that being said, I didn't notice the slightest drop in performance all day, not one hooked ball. All day, the Longbow was putting paint right where I pointed it ball after ball, like they were connected. I admit, my team and I were a bit worried about me using an untested barrel at IAO, however after the first game, those worries were quickly dispelled, this barrel was amazing.

      At the end of the day, I wanted to see how the barrel performed over the chronograph. I started with the .684 12.5" Longbow and chronographed the gun to 285 fps. The next barrel I tried was a .685 12" Warped Barrel. My velocity immediately dropped to 275 fps. Part of this could be due to the different bore size, but I doubt that .001 inch will make that much of a difference. Lastly, for grins and giggles, I put on my 14" .689 Orracle Barrel. The velocity dropped another 10 fps to 265 fps. Despite being a 2 piece barrel, the Longbow barrel is exceptionally efficient (at least the Low Pressure tip is). Maybe some of the claims about Hardbore finishing is really true. In my day with the barrel, I really didn't have time to test the durability of the barrel, however it can be said that it was designed by players who needed it to stand up to the rigors of playing in a desert so it should stand up to most normal situations.

      In all of my years in paintball, I have never seen a company that is as willing to break their backs to prove the quality of their product as Titanium Paintball. They would take customer after customer down to the range to test their barrel, and the great thing, is that every customer walked away with a smile. It is definitely great to see a company who backs their product so fully. If you are ever at an event and Titanium Paintball has a booth, it is definitely worth while to stop by and say hi, and take their stuff for a test drive. The barrel is plain and simple excellent, it has a nice clean look to it, and top notch craftsmanship. The only thing that is holding this barrel back is its price. The general benefit of barrel kits is to provide a barrel that provides the versatility of multiple barrels (when it comes to paint/barrel match) but at a price lower than purchasing multiple barrels. The Longbow (single back and front) costs $140.00, a two bore set costs $228.00, and a three bore set (one tip, and three bores) costs $299.00. With additional control bores (the titanium pieces) costing $100.00, and additional tips costing $45.00 expanding the capabilities of this set is difficult for all but those with the highest cash flow. This is not to say that Titanium Paintball is marking these barrels up. The cost of machining titanium is extremely high, and so titanium products are priced equally as high. These barrels are absolutely incredible, and if it weren't for the price, I would say would be on top of the market. If you have the money and want the absolute best, I would definitely pick one up, however for the cost, I just cant justify the purchase myself, it doesn't offer that much of a benefit, nor do my playing conditions require the most durable barrel on the market. Currently the Longbow is only available on Titanium Paintball's website, http://www.titaniumpaintball.com.