Two questions on Glock match barrels
Do they change the point of impact at all? For example, if I have a Gen4 G17 that shoots a bit to the left when the sights are perfectly centered, could a new barrel potentially make it shoot center?
For the barrels were “some fitting may be required”, is this an average person can take on, and if so, where are the right spots that need filing?
Thanks in advance!
I have a Storm Lake barrel for my G22 and it did not change the POI one bit.
It was a drop in barrel so I don’t have the fitting info for you.
It might or it might not, but a new barrel is not the best fix for a POI issue. It’s much easier to just drift your sights.
I stoned the back of the barrel hood until it would fit into the slide. Then I stoned the bottom of the barrel lug until it would fit onto the frame. Then I shot it and kept stoning the barrel lug until it stopped choking. Then I stripped it, cleaned it, lubed it lightly, and put it through the 2,000-Round Challenge, which it passed.
Okie John
There is a potential for changing POA/POI but okie said, using a barrel is not the correct way to adjust for that.
I tried a KKM barrel in my Gen 4 G19 over the weekend and it shifted the POI between 6-12 inches high at 25 yards.
I have a KKM in my gen3 19 and the POI did shift apx 3in down at 25yds. Contrary to popular belief, at least for me with bulk ammo my groups did shrink a measurable amount.
Don’t take offense, but it’s probably you and not the gun.
It’s absolutely not me. 100% guaranteed. I know it’s a safe assumption to make, so no offense taken. I’m far from a pro, but I shoot well enough to know when I do jerk the trigger.
Just for reference, I have a G19 with the exact same setup as my G17, and I am dead on with the G19. The day I first shot the G17, my buddy was with me with his Gen 3 G17 as well. I shot his G17 dead center, and he shot my G17 left. I got the same results when shooting off a rest and offhand. My buddy is a pretty good shooter, so between all this, I think it’s safe to conclude it’s not me. I seriously doubt that I am suddenly doing something differently only when picking up my G17.
Anyhow thanks for the other suggestions. I already have the sights drifted .02 to the right, and now the windage is spot on. Just that I’m not crazy about sights being this off centered. Not a biggie I guess, but this is the only pistol I’ve had where I could visually see the sights off-center so easily, so I’m just not used to it.
It’ll be totally unpredictable. Drift your sights for wind age and change the front sight height for elevation. Hell POI can move inches between different ammo even so zero with your carry load and check your target ammo against it. If you want a match barrel you should do that first because it will most likely move POI again.
I did notice that elevation changed a bit amongst the different ammo I have. They all shot a little high, just to varying degrees. They did all shoot consistently to the left though.
Changing the barrel absolutely has the potential to change the POI. It will be unpredictable as to what the change will be, but it can happen.
I have a KKM for a G17, and the POI is almost 5’ higher at 25 yards than the stock barrel. A taller front sight post was purchased to get it to where I prefer my POA/POI to be.
I have another KKM for a G19, and the POI shift was minimal, just a little windage shift that required a slight adjustment of the rear sight.
Try changing the locking block and or slide lock. Not all parts are exactly the same. They fall into windows of tolerances. Some on the high end, some, low end, etc…
Could there be that much variance with the slide lock or locking block even with OEM parts?
I have 4 Glocks at the moment, and have previously owned 3 others. I have never had any of them have any barrel issues with a standard barrel. It’s most likely the shooter, not the gun. Remember that the 19 and 17 have different triggers due to import regulations. Have you tried locking it in a vice and shooting it? If it is shooting to a different area than you are aiming, adjust the sights.
A new barrel should only be considered if consistency is an issue. IE, if they all hit the same area, but not where you aimed, then the barrel is consistent, you or the sights need the fixing.
I have a barsto in a g19. No shift, gave it to a shop to do.
Not really worth it in my opinion unless there is something specific you want it to do.
I don’t think that there is any large problem with any of the OEM Glock barrels. However, I was getting to the point where I wanted the wring out every bit of accuracy that I can with my Glocks so I went with the drop-in KKM barrel route. Just for reference, I routinely shoot in the mid 90s on a 10 round B8 target slow fire at 25 yards so I know when it’s me, or when it’s not me.
The G19 with KKM barrel shoots tighter groups that the OEM barrel did. I can produce 2" groups at 25 yards, standing, off hand with this gun. The OEM barrel consistently shot about 3" groups so it wasn’t a huge improvement, but I got the KKM barrel at a good price, so it was worth it to me.
Just for curiosity, I took the barrel that the KKM replaced, and put it into another G19 that routinely shoots 3-4" groups at 25 yards. The barrel to slide fit was much more tight than with the original barrel. The results were that this combination produced a gun that shoots 2.5-3" groups at 25 yards.
So yes, there are variations within OEM parts, and if the tolerances stack in your favor, things work out pretty well.
I have the same triggers in my G17 and G19. The first thing I do with any compact Glock is to replace the trigger with a smooth faced one.
This is correct. Purchase a few slide locks and try them out. I wouldnt replace sights or get rid of an otherwise decent barrel until trying this.
Generally this is a right handed shooter pushing the trigger (VS pulling the trigger straight back). So I don’t think there is a barrel issue here.
Depends. What are your mechanical skills? Not everyone should be allowed to own tools. Generally speaking, the fitting is going to be done with a hand file. You might need to remove some off the width and length. If you have never practiced “filing straight” it is a skill that has to be learned over and time and practice.
C4
Before buying an aftermarket barrel, the first thing that needs to be done is to measure the fit between the barrel hood and the slide. Use a feeler gauge for this. If it is over .004 then it is a loose fitting barrel. A drop in barrel might indeed fix your issues. So always know what you are dealing with first before spending money on something else.
If your Glock has after market sights on it, there is a good chance that they could be off. There is really only one real good way to check. Get a vise, some smooth, straight vice liners (http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/vises-accessories/vise-jaws/bronze-vise-jaws-prod380.aspx) and some calipers. Place the slide just below the top lip of the liners. Then, measure with the calipers from the edge of the rear sight to the flat edge of the liner. Then do the same on the other side.
I cannot tell you how many sights we see that “look” centered but actually are not. Most people don’t notice as they either; A. Don’t shoot well enough to tell or B. Don’t shoot far enough to notice subtle sight shift.
C4
I used calipers to measure against a straight edge to the sides of the slights. So when I installed them they were almost perfectly centered (within .001 of each other).
I can accept that I may be pushing the gun to the left, if I did that with every Glock I shoot. However, out of 3 Glocks I have shot in the same timeframe, I only group to the left with my Gen 4 G17. With centered sights on my G19 and my friend’s Gen 3 G17, I was spot on. Thus I am not convinced that I am doing something differently only when I shoot my G17.
Grant, the most filing I have done is fitting sights. Would barrel fitting take much more filing skill beyond this? Thanks for your help!