Bolt Chrono Test III

It's time for Bolt Chrono Test 3!!!

As always this test consists of aftermarket bolts.  This time nine bolts were tested.  Like Bolt Chrono Test 2, the Stock bolt was not used in the comparison.  After all, everyone knows that any aftermarket bolt is better than the stock aluminum bolt.

The Test

For this test a stock Adrenalin Impulse was used.  The setup consisted of the following:

• The entire gun was cleaned and lubed, prior to the test.
• Although fairly new, the Adrenalin Impulse has seen several cases of paint so the reg and all parts are broken in.
• The Dwell was not adjusted once the test started.
• The output pressure on the max-flow was set at 175psi.
• For the test the air source was a Smart Parts Low Pressure Max-Flow compressed air tank running on gun.
• The paint used in the test was a generic "practice paint".  This paint was not consistent in size and in the test results the variance shows.
• The barrel was a 14" Freak with a .684 insert.
• Before each first shot was recorded two clearing shots were taken.
• The bolts were tested in the order listed below.  The first 10 shots were recorded, then the bolt was switched.  After the last bolt was tested, I returned to the first bolt and recorded the second 10 shots.  This was done to ensure that no one bolt go fresher paint from the top of the bag or any other anomalies that might have happened.
• Paint was fed into the marker by an Evolution II.
• The same Chronograph was used to record the velocity of all shots. 

Results:

Average FPS

	Average	Score
Equalizer	277.05	1
IPB Undertow	272.60	2
IPB Werm	269.40	3
DEZign Venturi	264.80	4
MAXair	262.25	5
VooDoo	261.35	6
DEZign Openface	259.30	7
Demonic Roar	251.50	8
Adrenalin	237.90	9

 

The Equalizer had the largest increase in velocity over all other bolts.  The IPB Undertow was second and the IPB Werm bolt was third.

What is interesting here is that in the last bolt test, the Equalizer bolt was third, the top two positions were held by the DEZign bolts.  In this test both DEZign bolts did not perform as well.  I attribute this to the cut of the Adrenalin Impulse.  When installing both of the DEZign bolts it was noticeable that the bolts fit much tighter than the others, possibly almost too tight.

Standard Deviation

	STD	Score
Demonic Roar	3.47	1
IPB Werm	3.60	2
DEZign Venturi	3.94	3
Equalizer	4.32	4
Adrenalin	4.77	5
MAXair	4.97	6
VooDoo	5.14	7
DEZign Openface	5.46	8
IPB Undertow	6.81	9

The Demonic Roar, new comer to the Bolt Chrono Test, was the most consistent bolt, having the least amount of standard deviation.  The IPB Werm bolt was second, followed by the DEZign Venturi bolt.

As I mentioned earlier, the paint I was using was not the best, but I elected to use it anyway as often people do not have the luxury of choosing the paint they shoot. I believe this is the primary reason that the consistency results are as high or poor as they are. 

Best Performance

Taking the scores from Average FPS and Standard Deviation and adding them together we should be able to see which bolt is the best all around bolt from this test.

	Average	STD	Score
Equalizer	1	4	5
IPB Werm	3	2	5
DEZign Venturi	4	3	7
Demonic Roar	8	1	9
IPB Undertow	2	9	11
MAXair	5	6	11
VooDoo	6	7	13
Adrenalin	9	5	14
DEZign Openface	7	8	15

Conclusion

For overall performance, which is a balance between efficiency and consistency, the Equalizer and IPB Werm bolt tied for the top position.  Followed by the DEZign Venturi bolt.

My biggest surprise was that the Adrenalin bolt did not perform well in an Adrenalin Impulse.  In reality the Adrenalin bolt was the least efficient in my Adrenalin Impulse and was the second lowest overall scoring bolt.

Comparing the results of this test to the previous test, it is hard to draw a conclusion as to which bolt is truly better.  While some of the bolts performed consistently well, like the Equalizer the IPB Werm, which had the lowest score in Bolt Chrono Test 2, performed exceptionally well.

Lesson learned: Every Impulse is different.  An upgrade that performs exceptional in my testing might not perform as well in your Impulse.  Keep in mind that there are many variables that can effect how various parts perform in your Impulse.  My tests should be used as a baseline for comparison, not the end all be all decision making factor.

Special thanks to Derrek "SG" Phelps from Team Chill Factor for once again hanging out and recording the numbers while I shoot my Impulse over the chrono.