Glock 17 barrel

[MegaWatt]

I'm thinking about buying another barrel for my Glock 17. Trying to tighten up the groups a bit. I'd like to buy one that just drops in without getting a gunsmith involved. I shoot IDPA with it so no ports. I'm looking at the Lone Wolf brand but don't have any info on them. Any suggestions?

[Skiprr]

I've never bought a Lone Wolf barrel, don't know much about 'em, and ain't dissin' 'em. But I don't know how much accuracy improvement you'll see...from any truly drop-in barrel. I'd expect some fitting required of any barrel that would significantly tighten up the gun's mechanical accuracy. I'd have a brief chat with a gunsmith and see what the charge would be to custom fit an aftermarket barrel that you provide. I'll bet it would be less than $150.

There are a number of competition-minded aftermarket barrels out there for Glocks. One well-known manufacturer is Bar-Sto (http://www.barsto.com/). The barrel will run $200.

KKM Precision is another manufacturer, and is a USPSA sponsor, so I imagine you'll find them fairly frequently at the run-and-gun matches (http://www.kkmprecision.com/). A standard barrel will run about $185.

Briley barrels will run about $180 (http://www.briley.com/).

Wilson Combat makes Glock barrels, too (http://www.wilsoncombat.com/a_barrels_glock.asp). About $160.

The Wilson spinoff, Nighthawk Custom, is now offering Glock barrels for $150 (http://www.nighthawkcustom.com/detail.aspx?ID=35).

In my Glock .40s, I really like my aftermarket barrels becasue they're fully supported (removing the six-o'clock support weakness in the Glock factory barrel), and the chamber is tighter, eliminating the typical Glock .40 case expansion.

I don't reload--yet (the way the economy is going, the savings-versus-time value statement will probably start to look better)--but another benefit you'll see from an aftermarket barrel that uses different rifling from the original is that you'll be able to feed it lead bullets if you choose to do so.

In the end, spending a hundred bucks on a new drop-in barrel that you are dissatisfied with may actually be more expensive than forking over $300 for a quality barrel and pistolsmith fitting. YMMV.

[MegaWatt]

Thanks Skiprr, It all makes sense and gives me more to think about. I've looked at some of the websites you posted before. I reload everything I shoot so whatever barrel I go with will have to be compatable with reloads. There's a gun show in Pasadena next weekend so maybe I'll troll through there to see what's offered.

Thanks for the reply!

[tomc]

I'm thinking about buying another barrel for my Glock 17. Trying to tighten up the groups a bit. I'd like to buy one that just drops in without getting a gunsmith involved. I shoot IDPA with it so no ports. I'm looking at the Lone Wolf brand but don't have any info on them. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking about getting one too so I can shoot lead bullets. Everyone I have talked using Barstow and LoneWolf barrels say they are both a much tighter fit than the loose Glock barrels. Since they are tight, everyone has had to have their chamber reamed out so they will feed properly. It's jam-city without reaming.

[ghostrider]

Storm Lake also makes barrels for Glocks: http://www.stormlakebarrel.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I think their drop-in barrels are quite popular. I'll echo a previous comment that you may not see accuracy improvements with anything other than an oversize barrel properly fit by a gunsmith.