"Match grade" barrels - Is there a standard for these?

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Various gun makers (Springfield Armory XDM's IIRC) claim that
they use "Match Grade" barrels on their guns.

Is there any kind of generally accepted standards for what make a
"match grade" barrel?

And if some have match grade barrels, does this mean that standard
barrels are no better than a piece of aluminum gutter spout? :-)

SIA

[MoJo]

The only "match grade" barrels that had a standard I know about was the "star gauge" barrels on the M1903 Springfield match rifles built by Springfield Arsenal before WWII. These weren't specially produced barrels but the "cream of the crop" of production barrels. They were identified by a small star stamped on the muzzle.

Modern match grade barrels are called "match grade" but, unless they are specially selected I see no advantage. In today's market you paint it black and call it "tactical" I'm not sure you don't just put some fancy sights on the gun and call it "match grade." Custom built guns and guns built one at a time deserve the name - - - production guns, I think its a marketing ploy.

[marksiwel]

far beyond most folks' capabilities.

thats what most people dont realize, your handgun is fine, the reason you miss at 7 yards is because you stink

[TDDude]

I'll probably get flamed for my lack of knowledge but from what I've read, "Match Grade" means that the barrel twist matches the bullet weight. Sometimes I get the feeling that the marketing folks have overused the “Match Grade” term. I know that a lot of shooters want a 1:7 twist on the AR-15 barrel because it’s usually followed by that “Match Grade” term. However, if that twist is used, the shooter needs to have the heaviest 5.56 bullet he can find in order to maximize the accuracy. The normal 55 gr. bullet won’t perform as well in the 1:7 barrel as it would in a comparable 1:9 barrel or even a 1:12 barrel.

I'm at work so I can't quote sources but faster the twist, the heavier the bullet needs to be in order to be optimally stabilized.

I remember finding an equation in one of my reloading manuals.

That’s why a standard AR-15 with a 1:9 twist will shoot very poorly when a .22 conversion kit is used. The twist rate is way too fast and it causes the .22 bullet to spin too fast. I’ve found that when I’m using my conversion kit, I really can’t hit squat past 25 yards or so. It's still fun to line up a bunch of cans & stuff and blaze away. But if I'm gonna go out and shoot turtles or other small game, I better bring a lunch cause I certainly aint gonna be shooting my supper.

Anyway, I'm sure there are some reloading gurus out there that can correct me but that is basically the gyst of the origins of “Match Grade”. If I have time, I'll pull out the manual of which I speak and clarify.

If anyone has better information, please speak up cause I’d like to know more as well.

[MoJo]

far beyond most folks' capabilities.

thats what most people dont realize, your handgun is fine, the reason you miss at 7 yards is because you stink

That's an awful broad brush you're painting people with.

I bathe and use deodorant - - - I don't stink!

[threoh8]

Unfortunately, for many vendors, "match grade" means the same thing as "deluxe" or "new and improved".
Some do sell barrels which are made to closer tolerances. That, to me, could be called match grade.
There are also barrels that have "match" features - deliberately left oversize in some dimensions for fitting or having special twist rates for specific bullets.

[TDDude]

No.

While you're correct about the importance of the shooter having to match the weight of the bullet (more precisely, its bearing-length (or the section of the bullet which actually makes contact with the rifling)) to the barrel's rate-of-twist, this is beyond the control of any barrel manufacturer. Match-grade implies something inherent to the manufacture of the barrel itself.

Thanks for the clarification. I couldn't remember exactly what I'd read but typically the heavier bullets are by definition longer (since they can't be wider) and therefore usually will have a longer bearing length so at least I was close but I still don't know what to think about the terminology. The more I think about it, the more it seems that the term Match-Grade is now a marketing ploy and should be ignored by the serious shooter. Much in the way that the “Tactical” term has become, Match Grade is now useless.

According to the 1911 article above, the actual Match-Grading is when a good gunsmith will machine a slide to fit the barrel (or vice/versa). If that's the case, how can a rifle barrel be Match-Grade? Will that mean that it’s been properly bedded? Will that mean that the headspace has actually been checked?? Man, I hope not.

To me, the term "Match-Grade" doesn't mean anything and if I see it in an advertisement, I will ignore it as a "pro" in picking a firearm. I’m more interested in expert reviews and other people’s experience.

[GOP]

From what I understand a match grade barrel has to be as uniform from one end of the barrel to the other by no more than 0.0002". In other words, it has to be held to a higher standard than a non-match grade barrel. Other than that, they are all the same. My experience tells me it is mostly a a higher selling price label.