Match barrels, do they make a difference?

GunGuy34

GunGuy34

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I see a lot of guns being sold with the selling point of a match grade barrel. How much does a match barrel make a difference? Assuming the gun is not bench rested, will the average shooter notice the difference?
 
If you are good enough for the barrel to make a difference... yes it will.

Quality Match barrels are manufactured to be perfectly concentric and very precise.

All the money and the best gun in the world will not give a shooter skill, but they will at least be consistent in shot placement, letting the shooter learn the skills.

That said, "factory" match barrels don't really compare to Shillen, Bartlien, Krieger, etc.
 
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Daver_II said:
If you are good enough for the barrel to make a difference... yes it will.

Quality Match barrels are manufactured to be perfectly concentric and very precise.

All the money and the best gun in the world will not give a shooter skill, but they will at least be consistent in shot placement, letting the shooter learn the skills.

That said, "factory" match barrels don't really compare to Shillen, Bartlien, Krieger, etc.
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let not bring skill into this. lets say its a given. reason im asking is ive recently got into 1911s again and there is alot out there. is paying extra for match barrel gonna make that much difference to be worth the extra money.
 
GunGuy34 said:
let not bring skill into this. lets say its a given. reason im asking is ive recently got into 1911s again and there is alot out there. is paying extra for match barrel gonna make that much difference to be worth the extra money.
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You kind of have to bring skill into it if you're not putting it in a Ransom Rest. The best shooters may notice a difference but the average guy, probably not.
 
WRH said:
You kind of have to bring skill into it if you're not putting it in a Ransom Rest. The best shooters may notice a difference but the average guy, probably not.
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so its kinda like buying a fancy golf ball. the average player wont notice the difference but the pro will. ok so im average so no big benefit for me.
 
i was thinkin it may make the avg shooter better by being a more precise barrel. im pretty accurate with a 1911 anyhow. May have to get one with a match bbl to compare.
 
shueman bbl in my para as well as my last svi


10m all round touching be It 5,10,50 rds
25m can knock down 6 inch plates all day long.

I put 135,000 rds into my para and it still shot better then most factory new guns out of the box

just depends if you "need" it and if you are willing to spend the money.
 
I asked Hickok45 the same question.

"Might on a rifle one is benchresting. On a carry gun for defense, it's pretty funny to me; would never make a difference anybody could notice."
 
But then, if your current barrel is a dog, replacing it with a match (or at least decent) barrel could be an improvement. I suspect you first need to determine which is the weakest link, the gun or the shooter.
 
If you can't shoot better then 2" at 25 yards, you will never see a difference out of a match barrel. You won't see much difference at ranges much shorter then that.

And unless the match barrel was fitted by someone who knew what they where doing....it's a match barrel rattling around in a slide....comparatively...if it doesn't lock up solid, it doesn't matter how good the barrel interior is, as it's never in the same place from shot to shot..

So, probably no, it's not worth extra money...but it does make me wonder why someone changed out the original barrel...did they bulge or split it? Makes me wonder what happened...

Some will drop a new barrel into inexpensive 1911's if they had one that was mediocre but i'm not sure i'd pay extra unless i knew who installed it. If it was a drop in, i certainly would not pay extra.
 
Match hand lapped barrels vs factory stuff today most shooters will not notice differences, only when you clean them and then you will see the differences
 
manitou210 said:
Match hand lapped barrels vs factory stuff today most shooters will not notice differences, only when you clean them and then you will see the differences
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This too. But if you shoot enough cast bullets, you slowly lap the barrel. My springfield loaded would lead a bit for the first 500 rounds or so, but then every time i cleaned it after, it went longer and longer before any leading became noticeable....now i can shoot 1000's of rounds, and no leading builds up. I have a K38 that never leads......at all! it's a keeper...and with 148 gn wadcutters running about 650 fps, will put 6 rounds touching at 25 yards...(well normall 5, then i bugger the last one trying to keep the group LOL)
 
Cocked&Locked said:
If you can't shoot better then 2" at 25 yards, you will never see a difference out of a match barrel. You won't see much difference at ranges much shorter then that.

And unless the match barrel was fitted by someone who knew what they where doing....it's a match barrel rattling around in a slide....comparatively...if it doesn't lock up solid, it doesn't matter how good the barrel interior is, as it's never in the same place from shot to shot..

So, probably no, it's not worth extra money...but it does make me wonder why someone changed out the original barrel...did they bulge or split it? Makes me wonder what happened...

Some will drop a new barrel into inexpensive 1911's if they had one that was mediocre but i'm not sure i'd pay extra unless i knew who installed it. If it was a drop in, i certainly would not pay extra.
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Not sure what your talking about, i was just looking at 1911s and deciding what to buy, I ended up with a springfield loaded but I had been wondering if the match barrel was worth the extra cash that other 1911s were being advertised with.
 
Can you consistently make five head shots in a row (using an IDPA or USPSA target) at 25 yards slow fire? If so, you will probably see some benefit from a match barrel.
 
GunGuy34 said:
Not sure what your talking about, i was just looking at 1911s and deciding what to buy, I ended up with a springfield loaded but I had been wondering if the match barrel was worth the extra cash that other 1911s were being advertised with.
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you often see match barrels put in as an upgrade on 1911's....in the case of a new pistol, that comment doesn't apply
 
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