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Madbull "Steel Bull" 6.03 Tightbore Barrel Review/Test.


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Hi there all. 

 

Been tinkering and testing out Madbulls latest offering this morning. Long story Short , its nicely made, fixes some problems people had with the Black Pythons and boosts accuracy. But i know how arnies loves the detail , so lets proceed.

 

The Packaging.

 

One of the largest complaints that i heard about the V2 Black Python barrels was that it came in a weak/flexible plastic tube that didnt adequetley protect the barrel. Seeing as it was made out of very soft aluminium , the barrel could be bent in the post etc fairly easily because of its poor vessel. No longer !

 

CIMG6755_zps8423ea8b.jpg

 

 

LWA sent the item without bubblewrap  , and because of the really solid foam packing and tight fit within the plastic , the item was in still perfect condition after being given the standard abuse by ParcelFarce. Given the steel nature of the barrel , i honestly thikn they should package the aluminium barrels in this foam , and the steel ones in the wee plastic covers. but is nice to have the quality!

 

Once again , Madbull makes some big claims on the rear of the packet ( "Performance Enhance Guarantee" is written on the front). It also smelt of delicous bubblegum when i removed it from the plastic sheath. Thats nice.

 

CIMG6756_zpsba899df4.jpg

 

Construction and Comparison to Stock KA Barrel.

 

From this distance, you cant tell to much.

 

CIMG6757_zps164baa60.jpg

 

The Hop window seems to be slightly narrower but alot better made and finished - the surface of the barrel is far far smoother than the brass.

 

CIMG6759_zps0e6428f8.jpg

 

CIMG6762_zpsbca77b1a.jpg

 

The Barrel is also very nicely crowned with a nice deep and very smooth cut. The Stock King Arms barrel had no crowning.

 

CIMG6760_zpsf7c1fd03.jpg

 

The Barrel is nice and weighty , and cold to the touch - i feel like i would have a very hard time trying  to bend or flex it - people complained at how soft and fragile the Version 2 aluminum Black Pythons were.

 

The largest criticism however of the Black Pythons was the coating however - although this got better after the updated process , it still let the barrel down and wasn't great - especially when companies like Lonex could get it right for a lower price. On the Steel Bull , the polish on the inside is very nice indeed , and when i tryed to clean it no dirt would appear - it was polished to a high standard and it came very clean out of the box. Impressive stuff.

 

Installation.

 

Before i go on , ill let you know which parts i was fitting this barrel into so you can draw comparisons with your own setups. 

 

I had a Prowin CNC M4 Hop unit , an H nub and a Deepfire 3 Pronged Hop Rubber.

 

CIMG6743_zps4328e94d.jpg

 

In case you dont recognise the Bucking , heres a picture.

 

CIMG6750_zps9e994eb1.jpg

 

 A problem with the Black Pythons was that their outer diameter was quite small , and so unless you used a madbull blue , you often needed some PFTE tape or some floss to make it work correctly. Once again , not so with the Steel Bull. It fitted my Bucking and the Prowin Chamber very snugly ( perhaps the bucking a little too snugly - see pic where the bucking is stretched tight over the window) and gave a good air seal. 

 

CIMG6765_zps72ad40f9.jpg

 

Performance.

 

Firstly, using an Xortech X3200 Chronograph and Blaster .20's gave the gun a before and after chrono.

 

Stock Barrel.

 

1: 308.7

2: 312.1

3: 302.2

4: 302.6

5: 303.8

 

AVG : 305.8 FPS

 

Steel Bull,

 

1: 322.1

2: 316.7

3: 319.9

4: 319.6

5: 325.1

 

AVG : 320.68 FPS

 

So about a 15 FPS increase then , which was pleasing.

 

Target Shooting.

 

From a distance of 30 meters , i shot 2 volleys ( separated by 15 seconds ) in semi auto at an A4 sized target from the shoulder - i wanted to keep it vaguely skirmish realistic.

 

Stock Barrel - there didnt really appear to be any clear groupings after the two volleys , apart from one really long line that could have been random. A few fliers just missed the top of the paper as well.

 

CIMG6741_zps50f9eac5.jpg

 

Steel Bull - There were two quite clear groups after that were quite small considering i was firing without a rest. A few fliers hit the paper itself , only 1 0r 2 shots missed the target after i had sighted myself in.

 

groupingsafter_zpsf35a3962.jpg

 

Conclusions.

 

All in all , i am impressed with the barrel. The construction is clearly leaps and bounds ahead of a brass barrel , and improves upon Madbulls Aluminium barrels greatly. Considering it was £41 here in the UK and the Black Pythons are £35 , i see no reason to buy one of those anymore. Looking at detailed shots and reports of the Prommy EG steel barrel , it is clear that this will not be on a par. However , i would guess that this is not far behind , and in terms of performance , will you notice the difference?

 

 

Pros.

 

Solid Construction

Nice Fit with my aftermarket upgrades.

Improved Accuracy.

Packaging the best around for tightbores..

 

Cons.

 

Price is only about £15 cheaper than the Prommy Barrel. Depending on a comparison, this could be a con.

 

Ummm its not Cold Hammer Forged :P ?

 

Thanks for reading, and i hope this ramble was of some use.

 

NorthernAirsofter

Edited by northernairsofter
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Nice review , will be inteterested in a followup and a check for any corrosion 6 months and a few wet games down the line.

 

Ive got a skirmish tomorrow and one a week today, so ill update the thread ! of course , long term is really where the steel should shine.. (pun?) !

Edited by northernairsofter
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  • 3 weeks later...

Have you had a chance to skirmish this buddy? Hows it going now, hows the accuracy?

 

 

Skirmished it twice now ! First outing I was impressed , as in the woods my groupings were certainly tighter. Sadly it's a fairly open site and it was blowy as hell , so can't tell you too-definitely. Then, I changed the rubber for a promy purple, and even though that had barely bedded in, the accuracy was certainly better than with the deep fire rubber , and leaps ahead of the deep fire rubber and stock barrel. It was sadly still fairly windy at the second skirmish, but I managed to hit someone who was lain down aiming at me from 45m away. I most easily noticed the change at home, where I could hit a 5 inch wide birch tree every time that didnt happen before.

 

Sorry for the long winded and petty answer, but until the northern gales diedown I can't have too definite results.

Edited by northernairsofter
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Thats good with me buddy! Which hop bucking are you using? I've got a prommy purple rubber, might end up running the same set up as you as you're having such good results!

 

So my setup now is -

 

Prometheus soft bucking (purple)

H nub

Prowin cnc m4 unit

Mad bull steel bull barrel

 

It's definitely worked great in my King Arms M4A1

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  • 3 months later...

This still holding up well for you? Looking for a tightbore for my Mk18. Will need to cut one down though haha.

 

Yep , performing excellantly ! as soon as i read your comment i went out to the garden and fire 30 shots at an a4 piece of paper from just under 30 metres away. Considering the breeze, the fact i was shooting from the shoulder , that i didnt clean the barrel before and that its been sat in its box for 6 weeks , the accuracy and consistency is certainly still very high as every shot hit the paper. I dont know how that compares to a more scientific test , but it certainly makes your aeg more skirmishable :P

 

For the 40 odd quid , its certainly worth it !

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I would really hope someone would make a direct comparison between all the Madbull barrels. Especially the Ultimate 6.01 vs the Steel Bull 6.03, which are very similar in price. Both shoot apparently better than the Pythons...

 

Well i would imagine that the 6.01 was more accurate at close range , but that the 6.03 would outrange it considerably due to a larger cushion of air for the bb to ride on. But that is mere speculation :P id like to see a comparison too!

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