Aftermarket Glock barrels,,are they worth the outlay?

edgy

edgy

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I have been looking at barrels for a while now and wondering if they are really worth using, or is it just because they look so damn cool, let's face it, I may get one just for that :)
I just finished the competitive shooting season out here and had a pretty good year, made some good advancements and most setbacks were mental errors not shooting errors. I've been using my G19 mostly this year, but thinking of going with the G34 next year and there are some pretty cool barrels available for it.
Just looking for some first hand, competition based experience with aftermarket barrels and your opinion on whether they are worth it as far as better results,,, or do you just shoot better because you feel cooler :)
PS- thinking of a ported G34 barrel
 
I'm not a competitive shooter - so for me, a nominal accuracy difference with a superior barrel will be negligible because the gun is still more accurate that I am - if you are more accurate than your gun, then you may see some improvements here.

Other reasons I can think of to switch to an aftermarket barrel:
-Looks cooler
-Lighter weight
-Different rifling to allow shooting of cast lead bullets
-Want a threaded barrel
-Want a different length barrel

I think it would be EXTREMELY rare for someone to "shoot out" an OEM Glock barrel using standard fmj projectiles, so more than likely one of the above reasons.
 
I doubt there is a significant accuracy improvement. Just do a load development for your pistol and find the powder charge that gets the best groups (and meets the PF ).

But:

I changed the caliber of my G22 from 40 to 9mm by using a ported 9mm barrel. In rapid fire there is a very noticeable reduction in muzzle jump and it is easier to shoot faster.
 
Unless it's a caliber conversion barrel, you need a threaded barrel, or your end goal is to look cool, I think your money is better spent on ammo
 
while im not a competition shooter i have 2 glocks that i have messed around with.
my G17 has a ported barrel and i find that i can get on target a lot faster with it.
my G40 i put a longer threaded barrel and put a compensator on it and that really makes a difference especially with spicy loads.
really tames the jump.

but now i have a G19X that has the new gen5 barrel and i find that shoots very nice.
 
jory said:
Unless it's a caliber conversion barrel, you need a threaded barrel, or your end goal is to look cool, I think your money is better spent on ammo
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For sure. You used to be able to get Glock 22s way cheaper than 17s. (Police trade-ins, etc.) So, I've put conversion barrels in them to make them 9s.

But, they are all much cheaper now. I did just drop a 9mm conversion into a Glock 23 last month - but it was because I took it as part of a trade and wanted both calibre options.

Another reason to do it - if you're planning on shooting lead reloads.
 
I don’t think you’d notice any quantifiable increase in performance. I only have one for my Glock 22 to convert it to 9mm, I don’t see any reason why I’d need an aftermarket .40 barrel for it.
 
Thanks guys, exactly the info I was looking for, if I go that route it will be because I like the look, and I am interested in the ported barrels getting back on target quicker
 
They do make a difference, especially ported ones, glock barrels don’t have “tradishional rifeling” they use a polygonal type rifeling they also don’t have a supported chamber which gives case bulge on you’re brass if you reload and don’t use LEE delux dies this is a big problem, any barrel don’t worry about price is a better option, don’t play with recoil springs either there is no difference in recoil.
You’re best bet to be more accurate is lightened striker and a 3.5# striker spring. Shoot 147 gr or 124gr bullet do not shoot 115 through you’re g34 they just don’t group well and the recoil is way to snappy.
Also only use federal primers to have a reliable consistency no light strikes with the 3.5# striker spring ( American eagle bullets)

Glock’s aren’t made to be accurate they are a mud gun feed any Ammo you throw at it and put that bullet on a bad guy.

If you want to see the flatness of a g34 in the right hands visit my instagram page
@quattro_ipsc
 
QUATTROISKING said:
They do make a difference, especially ported ones, glock barrels don’t have “tradishional rifeling” they use a polygonal type rifeling they also don’t have a supported chamber which gives case bulge on you’re brass if you reload and don’t use LEE delux dies this is a big problem, any barrel don’t worry about price is a better option, don’t play with recoil springs either there is no difference in recoil.
You’re best bet to be more accurate is lightened striker and a 3.5# striker spring. Shoot 147 gr or 124gr bullet do not shoot 115 through you’re g34 they just don’t group well and the recoil is way to snappy.
Also only use federal primers to have a reliable consistency no light strikes with the 3.5# striker spring ( American eagle bullets)

Glock’s aren’t made to be accurate they are a mud gun feed any Ammo you throw at it and put that bullet on a bad guy.

If you want to see the flatness of a g34 in the right hands visit my instagram page
@quattro_ipsc
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Thanks Quattro, I will have a look! I’m looking at a Storm Lake with the 4 ports
 
That’s what I run, works great mines all custom if you wait till February it will be posted lol having a custom 2011 build so won’t need the glock to be all done up.
 
QUATTROISKING said:
They do make a difference, especially ported ones, glock barrels don’t have “tradishional rifeling” they use a polygonal type rifeling they also don’t have a supported chamber which gives case bulge on you’re brass if you reload and don’t use LEE delux dies this is a big problem, any barrel don’t worry about price is a better option, don’t play with recoil springs either there is no difference in recoil.
You’re best bet to be more accurate is lightened striker and a 3.5# striker spring. Shoot 147 gr or 124gr bullet do not shoot 115 through you’re g34 they just don’t group well and the recoil is way to snappy.
Also only use federal primers to have a reliable consistency no light strikes with the 3.5# striker spring ( American eagle bullets)

Glock’s aren’t made to be accurate they are a mud gun feed any Ammo you throw at it and put that bullet on a bad guy.

If you want to see the flatness of a g34 in the right hands visit my instagram page
@quattro_ipsc
Click to expand...

I have not seen any "Glock" bulge in brass since the Gen 3's. Glock barrels now support the case as much as any other striker fired pistol does. The Gen 1's were the worst but Glock started changing the barrels with the Gen 2's & 3's. I have used Dillon 9MM dies for the past 25 years with no issues with Glock fired brass. If you ask the right question using Google you will eventually find a picture of the rear of three generation of Glock barrels that illustrate the changes.

To the OP unless an aftermarket barrel is fitted I doubt you could expect any significant improvement in accuracy. You will want to load your 9MM rounds hot to see much change in muzzle rise with ported barrels. You will see some but you likely will see less muzzle rise by spending some money on lessons and ammo ie practice.

Take Care

Bob
 
My glock is a gen 3 and there is still a slight bulge, it won’t matter at all of you are reloading for a striker gun as they also have loose chambers but guys using 2011, Cz shadows, 1911, Tanfoglio will have a problem, as there tolerances are much tighter, the polygonal rifeling the gen4 and previous generations isn’t as accurate, you can expect ( with optic and benchrested) 4”-5” groups at 50 meters and with most after market traditional riffled barrels about half now that doesn’t translate to much or big enough of a difference to most but for competition shooters if you pull the trigger two inches from center then the bullet decides to travel the same direction you were off center it would equal a miss or a delta hit at the minimum. Also even with factory Ammo you will notice a huge help with recoil from the ported barrel you are choosing, but if you reload and use windchester autocomp and 147’s you will notice a huge drop in recoil, also because the ports you will need 4.2gr of auto comp behind you’re 147 to make power factor I run 4.5gr of auto comp as this is the best felt round after testing.
 
Some of the other things to take into account, Agency Arms Premier barrels while still just a drop in replacement have polished feed ramps as well as a polished chamber. Does it make a huge difference? Maybe? I have one in a G3 G19 and LOVE it! think it cycles better than it did before, but it all may be in my head........
 
I load for those pistols you quote and have no found any issues to date. I load about 15K a year. I know there are Glock fired brass in the mix. I think if you examine a few pistols the support offered by Gen 3,4 and 5 Glock barrels is about the same as other pistols. The Gen 1 offered significantly and noticeable less support. I am surprised you see a Glock bulge. You must have an early Gen 3 Glock.

Take Care

Bob
 
QUATTROISKING said:
Glock’s aren’t made to be accurate
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Kinda disagree.... have seen bone stock G22's consistently print factory rounds nearly on top of each other from ranges of 7 to 25mm, in the hands of some shooters. What I would say is they're inherently more accurate than most shooters can hold. And there's no doubt they were created to be reliable.

1CanadaFlag.gif

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NAA.
 
^^^

I think Glocks are made *for anyone/everyone*. So, they tend to be as good as the shooter.
 
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