Using and fitting aftermarket barrels for pistol projects.

by RK Campbell

I am sometimes surprised by the potential of modern factory handguns. Quality handguns very accurate, well made of good material, and offer impressive reliability. But there is room for improvement. Among them is fitting of a match-grade barrel. Properly fit, a quality aftermarket barrel can considerably improve precision, with less slop and eccentric wear. This allows greater accuracy and longevity over the long run. With custom fitting by a gunsmith, looser tolerance s needed for reliablity for mass production can be reduced, improving accuracy with no loss of reliability and improved wear.

Fit is more than filing the barrel until it can slip into the slide. Even if it results in improved accuracy, imperfect fitting won’t yield maximum potential. The secret is taking care in fitting, being painstaking, and working slowly to achieve the best results. My aftermarket barrel preference are those from…

Read more in the November 2017 issue.

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