Barrel Swab

A barrel swab is a maintenance tool specifically designed to clean the interior of a paintball barrel. During play, paintballs may break in the barrel due to brittle paint, mismatched bore sizing, debris, or impact forces. When this happens, paint and shell fragments coat the bore, immediately degrading accuracy and consistency. A swab allows players to quickly remove most of this contamination without disassembling their entire setup.

Swabs typically feature a flexible central shaft or cord and soft, absorbent cleaning heads. The most common design is the foldable or jointed "stick" swab that can be carried in a pocket or pack and flipped straight for use. Another style is the pull-through swab, which uses a cord or flexible line with a cleaning section that is pulled through the barrel from breech to muzzle.

Quality swabs use materials that are absorbent enough to pick up liquid paint and moisture but gentle enough to avoid scratching or wearing the barrel’s internal finish. Players should avoid using paper towels, rigid objects, or abrasive materials inside the bore, as these can damage the polish and reduce accuracy.

In practice, swabbing is usually performed when a player notices sudden inaccuracy, erratic shot patterns, or visible paint at the barrel tip. Between points or during a lull, the player runs the swab fully through the barrel, rotating it slightly to maximize contact with the internal surface. Severely dirty barrels may require multiple passes, and in some cases it is faster to wipe the barrel outside of the game area.

Keeping the swab itself clean is critical. A swab that is saturated with old paint, dirt, or field debris will smear contamination rather than remove it. Players should rinse and dry their swabs regularly, replace worn heads, and avoid laying them directly in mud or sand.