Bront's Guide to Range

*Please note that this does not deal with any flatline system that puts backspin on the ball. In that case, there is an extra force working on the ball beyond what is being discussed here.

Newton's laws on motion are pretty simple:

A body in motion tends to stay in motion. An object moving in a direction with no unbalanced factors affecting it (Gravity, wind resistance, ect) will continue along it's path indefinitely.

The force that keeps the object going is caller momentum. Here are a few quick formulas for you.

Force = Mass x Acceleration
Momentum = Mass x Speed

So, how does this apply to paintball?

Well, it means that, barring any spin on the ball, that a paintball fired at the same speed will go the same distance out of any marker. So, the same paintball fired out of an Angel and a Stingray, if leaving at the same speed, will go the same distance.

Now, there are ways to increase the distance you fire. You can:

1) Increase the velocity of the paintball: This increases the inertia of the paintball and therefore gives you a longer distance.
2) Increase the mass of the paintball: This increases the inertia of the paintball and therefore gives you a longer distance.
3) Adjust your trajectory.: The angle you fire your marker at will give you extra range depending on the angle. Any angle above 0* (Flat horizontal), up to 45*, will increase your range (In an arc). Note that no gun truly has a flatter trajectory than any other.

Q: Why does it feel like my opponent is out ranging me?
A: Human perception effects how we see things. Objects coming at you often appear closer than they actually are, and objects going away from us will look like they disappear sooner than they are actually done moving. Assuming that your opponent and you are shooting at the same speed, he's not out ranging you unless he's arcing his shots a bit more than you. Chances are, your opponent feels the exact same thing.

Q: Is there any length or type of barrel that will give me extra range?
A: Other than the flatline barrel, which is a much more complicated set of physics to explain exactly how that works, no there is not one barrel that will increase your range, unless you find a barrel that allows you to circumvent the laws of physics.

Q: So what can affect my range beyond speed and mass?
A: Well, paintballs are not perfect, so an oblong or dented paintball could negatively affect your range. Wet paintballs could be effected to, as that adds an additional unbalancing factor. Wind will affect your range a bit, possibly adding or subtracting a small amount as well.

Q: So the length of the barrel will not give me extra range?
A: Barrel length will give you exactly as many inches extra range as it is bigger than another barrel, but that's it.

I'll talk about accuracy and velocity more later. Hope this helps answer a few questions.

Sources:
John McKown's article for paintcheck.com
paintball.com forums
pbreview.com forums