Aftermarket Pistol Barrels

Longinvs

Regular Member
Quantified Performance
Bar-Sto, KKM, Blacklist, Agency, etc. What has been your experience with the different non-stock options for your blaster of choice?
 

user12358

Regular Member
I don't really see much point in aftermarket barrels for 99% of people unless you are looking for threads for a can or comp. My KKM barrels have all been outstanding but I have a Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS with the factory barrel that can shoot high 90s with factory springs, a minus connector and an RMR slapped on the top which is damn near as good as the KKM aftermarket barrels. My SIG factory barrels have also been good for 100s so I have seen no need to replace them.

Is there performance left on the table with a factory barrel? Yeah, there probably is. Will a $250 KKM barrel show you any improvement? If you are knocking on the door of hundos, quite possibly. If not, then you are going to be much better served with case and a half of 9mm in place of that barrel.
 

ggammell

Does not pass up an opportunity to criticize P&S.
KKM barrel in my G4 19 tightened up groups a bit. I’m very pleased with it.
 

BooneGA

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
WARLORD
I have only ever used KKM or Victory 1st. The KKM brought my 19 from a 3-4" gun at 25 down to 2-2.5 with 124gr NATO ammo which it is set up for. For my other pistols I use V1 barrels and have had pretty incredible results with 147gr ammo. If I do my part those are sub 2" guns at 25. Definitely worth considering.

As mentioned above - I was shooting mid 90s on a 25m B8 before going to an aftermarket barrel. For guns like the newer Gen 5 Glocks it might be a waste of money considering how well I have seen them shoot out of the box.

Rick
 

oda175

Member
Ive gotta agree with the majority here- my Gen 3/4 Glocks were not bad barrels- but not at all long line guns; maybe mid 80s to 90s on B8s. Victory 1st barrels made them all mid 90s, or at the very least- more consistent performers. The exception was a factory threaded barrel 19- hammer. Now that Im on my second Gen 5 19- Ive got minimal reason to snag an aftermarket- consistently mid 90s with 115 range ammo. The Gen 5 barrels are achieving much better accuracy than early generations.
 

rudukai13

Pro Internet User
The Bar-Sto barrels in my P320s have been excellent and are absolute tack drivers. They're not cheap, and the guns were more accurate than I'm capable of before getting aftermarket barrels, but I got them for the compensator-specific threading more than anything else
 
Ive gotta agree with the majority here- my Gen 3/4 Glocks were not bad barrels- but not at all long line guns; maybe mid 80s to 90s on B8s. Victory 1st barrels made them all mid 90s, or at the very least- more consistent performers. The exception was a factory threaded barrel 19- hammer. Now that Im on my second Gen 5 19- Ive got minimal reason to snag an aftermarket- consistently mid 90s with 115 range ammo. The Gen 5 barrels are achieving much better accuracy than early generations.

So let's say I want to start messing around with comps. Would you suggest an OEM Glock threaded barrel (G19, G17, G34) or an aftermarket?

All things equal, Glock barrel would be the better buy as it is $75 cheaper than KKM.
 

krax

Regular Member
I'd still go for a quality aftermarket barrel in that case. Theoretically, your shooting should only be improving and you'll either see an immediate difference with a KKM or realized after some time that you and the barrel are working together to tighten your groups up.
 

user12358

Regular Member
If all things were equal, Glock barrel would be the better buy as it is $75 cheaper than KKM.

A big thing to note with these barrels is the difference between having a barrel threaded for a suppressor and having a barrel threaded for a comp. I am including a KKM picture but the same principle applies for PPM and Mayhem comps where you buy the barrel with the comp.

1553342757476.png

As you can see, the suppressor cut barrel protrudes out a significant amount before the threads start. This is done so that the guide rod does not hit the suppressor during cycling, a feature which is unneeded with a compensator. A compensator can only begin to work after the barrel so you have a significant advantage by shortening the amount of barrel actually in the compensator which leaves more room for larger or more expansion chambers, assuming length of the comp is being held constant.

While a suppressor threaded barrel will let you try different comps and be cheaper, they will all be less effective than a comp with a barrel that is cut for it.

Also, as a side note a Glock suppressor threaded barrel is actually slightly more expensive than a Victory 1st suppressor threaded which BooneGA mentioned above as being a very good barrel.
 

regdudedrtyjob

Regular Member
I have had no problems with both KKM barrels I have used in my duty Glock 22. Ran a .40 barrel when that was my agency's caliber of choice, since then we have moved to Gen 5 G17's for all personnel. The second KKM barrel was a 40-9mm conversion barrel, I wanted to keep shooting dept. ammo with the G22 I was allowed to buy after the transition to the Gen 5's.

I can't truly speak to the before and after accuracy on the KKM's but they seemed to tighten my overall groups up. I have been impressed with the stock barrel capability with the Gen 5.
 

oda175

Member
So let's say I want to start messing around with comps. Would you suggest an OEM Glock threaded barrel (G19, G17, G34) or an aftermarket?

All things equal, Glock barrel would be the better buy as it is $75 cheaper than KKM.

Id go with the KKM or another quality aftermarket. My Gen 3 threaded could be the standard- or a one off... At least with the KKM you know what you are getting.
 

weezee

Newbie
Sorry to piggy back here, but I am looking to buy a threaded barrel for my Gen 5 19. For my use, I will be running the pistol suppressed with a Rugged Obsidian 9.

Would I be better served going with a factory Glock threaded barrel, or a Silencerco barrel?

My biggest concern would be any loss of reliability with the aftermarket options.
 

user12358

Regular Member
Sorry to piggy back here, but I am looking to buy a threaded barrel for my Gen 5 19. For my use, I will be running the pistol suppressed with a Rugged Obsidian 9.

Would I be better served going with a factory Glock threaded barrel, or a Silencerco barrel?

My biggest concern would be any loss of reliability with the aftermarket options.

There are numerous aftermarket companies making threaded barrels with the correct dimensions to function reliably in Glocks including KKM and Victory 1st which are well regarded in this thread. I also would note that the Glock factory threaded barrels are going to be the older barrels that were replaced by the Gen 5 "Marksman" barrels. The only real advantage I can see to going with a Glock factory threaded barrel beside the peace of mind from an OEM part is the M13.5x1 LH thread.

The advantage to M13.5x1 LH over 1/2x28, in my experience, is that the O-Ring inherent to the metric thread helps keep the can from walking as quickly. It certainly isn't a cure and having to tighten or at least check tightness on the can every magazine when training is a large reason why I hate having to use pistol cans along with the holsters you have to use with them (a Surefire Masterfire with the stupid automatic light actuator removed is the best option for a holster I have found and still leaves much to be desired).

I would also consider what gun you are using as a host for a pistol can if concerned about a loss of reliability with this pistol. Glocks are notoriously bad hosts both in relative sound and more importantly, reliability with the addition of a can. The most crucial thing that I have found for keeping pistols running with cans on them is keeping the piston and piston housing clean so that it can reciprocate freely and, what is often over looked, making sure the housing slots where the piston teeth fit in are free of debris so the piston can fully lock in at the end of a recoil cycle.
 

weezee

Newbie
There are numerous aftermarket companies making threaded barrels with the correct dimensions to function reliably in Glocks including KKM and Victory 1st which are well regarded in this thread. I also would note that the Glock factory threaded barrels are going to be the older barrels that were replaced by the Gen 5 "Marksman" barrels. The only real advantage I can see to going with a Glock factory threaded barrel beside the peace of mind from an OEM part is the M13.5x1 LH thread.

The advantage to M13.5x1 LH over 1/2x28, in my experience, is that the O-Ring inherent to the metric thread helps keep the can from walking as quickly. It certainly isn't a cure and having to tighten or at least check tightness on the can every magazine when training is a large reason why I hate having to use pistol cans along with the holsters you have to use with them (a Surefire Masterfire with the stupid automatic light actuator removed is the best option for a holster I have found and still leaves much to be desired).

I would also consider what gun you are using as a host for a pistol can if concerned about a loss of reliability with this pistol. Glocks are notoriously bad hosts both in relative sound and more importantly, reliability with the addition of a can. The most crucial thing that I have found for keeping pistols running with cans on them is keeping the piston and piston housing clean so that it can reciprocate freely and, what is often over looked, making sure the housing slots where the piston teeth fit in are free of debris so the piston can fully lock in at the end of a recoil cycle.

Thanks, I didn't know that Glocks were notoriously bad hosts.

This is the barrel that I found:
Gen 5 G19 Threaded Barrel

The description is a little misleading. It says M1.5x28 RH. Looking at the photos, the packaging is labeled M1/2x28 RH.

In either case, I'll look into the other options you mentioned as well.

Thanks again
 

user12358

Regular Member
They aren't. Some of the info you're being given is not very accurate.

Do enlighten us. They are measurably louder when comparing like barrel lengths and ammunition and have more ejection port blow back. They also are more sensitive to piston build up then other designs such as classic P-Series guns and some of the H&K pistols.
 

Yondering

Regular Member
Compared to what, and where are you getting your info? One of the Sig fanboy forums maybe?

The things you claim have not been my experience, or that of other guys I know who shoot suppressed pistols.
 

user12358

Regular Member
Compared to what, and where are you getting your info? One of the Sig fanboy forums maybe?

The things you claim have not been my experience, or that of other guys I know who shoot suppressed pistols.

I apologize, I thought you actually had information to add. I have no reason to be a fanboy of any company as there is certainly nobody paying me to wave their flag and will go wherever the performance is, which believe it or not is why I have a Glock on my battle belt that is only ever rarely replaced with a suppressed SIG. P226s being some of the best hosts isn't uncommon knowledge and the first search I quickly did returned SRI saying as much (http://www.silencertalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=132948). This is one of the redeeming features of an aging platform, and can be easily metered with the correct equipment. It has a lot to do with lock time of the platforms and the reciprocating mass. If you have suppressed your Glocks and like them then have a fantastic time with them, it doesn't bother me in the slightest nor am I disparaging Glock for its designed purpose.
 

PM07

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Gun: Glock 19 Gen 4 MOS , RMR 07 with Victory First threaded barrel and TBRCi Micro Comp.

The Victory 1st barrel has definitely made a difference accuracy wise. I've experienced trackable improvements in accuracy using the V1st Barrel when shooting the same drills and quals vs. the standard Glock so much that I shot my first perfect score on our qual in several years with this combo.
Sample of one and all but I am buying another to put it a different T&E work gun for evaluation by other officers.
 
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