Well, after much deliberation & delay I decided to order a barrel from KKM after speaking with a couple of trusted sources on the subject.
I will report back after my first range session with the new barrel…
Well…
I finally got to shoot some accuracy drills with each barrel the other night. I started off by shooting the "Dot Torture Drill at 3 yards. All of my rounds fired at the #1 dot hit about 1 & 1/2 inch low/left of the dot. Okay, maybe im off to a bad start and am anticipating a bit, I thought… Dot #2 same thing. I needed to hold 1 & 1/2 inch outside of each dot at about 1 o’clock in order to get my rounds to hit inside of each dot. I ended up shooting a horrendous 37/50 with the KKM barrel. I then installed the stock barrel and I shot it clean 50/50.
I proceeded to shoot a group at 25 feet with each barrel from a supported position. They both shot nearly identical sized groups, but the KKM’s group was nearly 3 inches low and slightly left of my point of aim.
I inspected both barrels for fit to the slide of my M&P9, and the stock barrel actually locked-up noticeably tighter than the KKM did. I am now of the opinion that “Drop-in/Match” barrels are a waste of money at worst, and a crap shoot at best. Unless you have the barrel custom fitted to your specific slide, you dont know what you will get.
That’s a bummer. Thanks for posting the update.
An update on the Bar-Sto barrels: I spoke with Irv this past week about what I have observed regarding accuracy. We both agreed that the dwell time and twist rate are areas of improvement.
I’m hoping to see test barrels within the next 3 months. If fitting and accuracy testing go as planned, you should see barrels sometime before the end of the year.
-Randy
That’s damn exciting. Any idea if they will be drop in or gunsmith fit?
Randy,
That’s good news. I’m on the Bar Sto list of folks that want an M&P barrel when they’re available. I want you to fit it when they’re ready. And…hopefully you’ll have your sear housing and/or locking blocks available by then???
Hi Wayne,
So far, my accuracy testing with the factory barrel has been abysmal. Bruce Gray shot a few 50yd groups with a variety of factory ammo in AL. My 9L would shoot no better than 8" with Gold Dot. CCI Blazer brass was worst, with some rounds not even hitting paper(full size USPSA target). Anyone who knows Bruce knows he can shoot tiny groups if the gun is up to it.
The sear and locking blocks should be out about the same time.
We will be stocking only the M/T or “gunsmith” fit Bar-Stos once they are in production. Due to the tolerance variations between slides and frames, fitting an oversized barrel to an individual gun is the only way to guarantee accuracy improvement.
-Randy
Put me in line for the “full Monty”. Bruce is a good friend and I know how well he shoots.
My M&P9 is about a 6" gun at 25 yards on a great day. It needs some serious work…
Randy, do you know if the 4.25" version of the 9mm is prone to the same issues? How about in .40 S&W?
Wayne,
Will do. I thought you might know Bruce.
-Randy
Accuracy seems to be hit and miss. Some guns are accurate while others like Wayne’s and my personal 9L are less than satisfactory. IMHO the changes in barrel/slide dwell time will improve accuracy the most. From what I have observed, barrels such as KKM and Storm Lake show some improvement in accuracy, but drop ins cannot compensate for the wide range of slide to frame clearances I see in samples here in the shop. I think that is why some guns will show improvement, while others do not.
As far as the .40s, I will let you know. I am working on an R&D .40 now.
-Randy
Randy, or anyone else who might know…
Why is it that the .45 M&P’s seem to be far more accurate from the factory than their 9mm counterparts?
I think the 45 is more accurate for a couple of reasons. One is that it is sprung differently relative to the mass of the slide. I haven’t tested it, but I would bet that if you had a 24 lb or greater recoil spring on a 9mm, even though the gun wouldn’t cycle, the accuracy would improve.
The 45 barrel also has a different twist rate.
-Randy
Makes sense, thanks.
Stay safe,
Nick