Deus Ex Machina match grade barrel and Gunfighter trigger review
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The Glock 19 is probably one of the most widely carried handguns in the world, and as such it only makes sense that we would take a great product and put our own personal touches on it, hopefully improving it in the process. Some people opt for stippling, trigger guard reductions, red dot sight mounting, and the list goes on and on. Some add ons are for looks and others are more performance based.
I carry a Gen 3 FDE Glock 19 during most of the year. After thousands of reliable rounds through it, I thought it was time to make some changes. In my opinion the stock Glock trigger leaves a lot of room for improvement. I decided it was time for a trigger upgrade and why not pair that with a match grade barrel at the same time.
There’s literally a plethora of companies out there that produce aftermarket accessories and replacement parts. It can be quite an undertaking narrowing down what company best suits your individual needs. Almost everyone out there produces quality parts, some better than others. Another factor I take into account is customer service; when I email a company do they get back to me promptly or are they so boutique they don’t bother to respond at all.
During my search I came across a company named Dues Ex Machina (www.customglockbarrels.com). They produce match grade stainless steel Glock barrels as well as aftermarket flat faced triggers and custom Glock slides. The company is run by a gentleman named Benjamin Bunker. Mr. Bunker owns and operates his own law firm that accommodates to gun owners and firearms based businesses. When I read that I thought it was a huge plus. Anyone who can help fellow gun owners or FFL holders in any legal matter is worth taking a deeper look into.
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The barrel. Ok let’s get down to business here, Deus Ex Machina offers barrels for both the Glock 17 and 19. They are stainless steel 416R match barrels that come both threaded and non-threaded. The thread pattern is ½-28 as compared to the metric thread pattern Glock uses. You also get them fluted or dimpled. The machining on them is impeccable. There were no tooling marks to be found nor were there any discernable chatter marks in the dimpling. The roll marks are crisp and clean, and I liked the company logo. Finish comes in two varieties, TiN (gold in color) or black nitride. Deus Ex Machina barrels come with a lifetime warranty as well. Below is an excerpt from their website with all the specs-
•Compatible with Glock generations 2 through 4
•Precision machined from heat treated 416R stainless forgings
•Ready to use, pre-fit drop in
•Oversized lock up are produces greater shot-to-shot accuracy
•Polished feed ramp and bore
•Maximum chamber support and improved feed ramp design
•Diamond turned exterior
•Broach cut rifling and target crown
•Custom relief cuts and engraving on outside of chamber
•1/2x28 threads
•Includes matching thread protector
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The trigger. The DEM Gunfighter trigger differs from the traditional trigger design as this one is flat faced. It’s my opinion that flat faced triggers give you more “control” over the trigger pull itself. They allow the shooter to better position your finger where it should be on the trigger and facilitates more consistent pulls from shot to shot. It also feels more natural during the pull itself.
The Gunfighter is overbuilt to say the least. The shoe itself is machined from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum. They finish it in Mil-Spec type III hard coat anodize, which will provide a lifetime of use and abuse. It is held in place with two 420 stainless steel coil pins. Those pins boast a 550lb breaking strength. Told you it was overbuilt. Each trigger includes a new, hand polished Glock OEM trigger bar which is hand polished and DLC coated.
The trigger exhibited minimal creep to it. When it came to its “break”, it did so very crisply and consistently during the 500 rounds I’ve run through my 19. The reset was short and predictable. I don’t have a Lyman trigger pull gauge available to measure the actual weight of the pull itself but it’s an incredible improvement over the stock trigger.
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Overall I couldn’t be more pleased with the performance of both the barrel and trigger. The correspondence with DEM was prompt and courteous. They returned all of my emails within the same day and answered all of my questions with knowledgeable replies. They were dedicated to getting me what I was looking for to upgrade my G19.
![]()
The Glock 19 is probably one of the most widely carried handguns in the world, and as such it only makes sense that we would take a great product and put our own personal touches on it, hopefully improving it in the process. Some people opt for stippling, trigger guard reductions, red dot sight mounting, and the list goes on and on. Some add ons are for looks and others are more performance based.
I carry a Gen 3 FDE Glock 19 during most of the year. After thousands of reliable rounds through it, I thought it was time to make some changes. In my opinion the stock Glock trigger leaves a lot of room for improvement. I decided it was time for a trigger upgrade and why not pair that with a match grade barrel at the same time.
There’s literally a plethora of companies out there that produce aftermarket accessories and replacement parts. It can be quite an undertaking narrowing down what company best suits your individual needs. Almost everyone out there produces quality parts, some better than others. Another factor I take into account is customer service; when I email a company do they get back to me promptly or are they so boutique they don’t bother to respond at all.
During my search I came across a company named Dues Ex Machina (www.customglockbarrels.com). They produce match grade stainless steel Glock barrels as well as aftermarket flat faced triggers and custom Glock slides. The company is run by a gentleman named Benjamin Bunker. Mr. Bunker owns and operates his own law firm that accommodates to gun owners and firearms based businesses. When I read that I thought it was a huge plus. Anyone who can help fellow gun owners or FFL holders in any legal matter is worth taking a deeper look into.
The barrel. Ok let’s get down to business here, Deus Ex Machina offers barrels for both the Glock 17 and 19. They are stainless steel 416R match barrels that come both threaded and non-threaded. The thread pattern is ½-28 as compared to the metric thread pattern Glock uses. You also get them fluted or dimpled. The machining on them is impeccable. There were no tooling marks to be found nor were there any discernable chatter marks in the dimpling. The roll marks are crisp and clean, and I liked the company logo. Finish comes in two varieties, TiN (gold in color) or black nitride. Deus Ex Machina barrels come with a lifetime warranty as well. Below is an excerpt from their website with all the specs-
•Compatible with Glock generations 2 through 4
•Precision machined from heat treated 416R stainless forgings
•Ready to use, pre-fit drop in
•Oversized lock up are produces greater shot-to-shot accuracy
•Polished feed ramp and bore
•Maximum chamber support and improved feed ramp design
•Diamond turned exterior
•Broach cut rifling and target crown
•Custom relief cuts and engraving on outside of chamber
•1/2x28 threads
•Includes matching thread protector
The trigger. The DEM Gunfighter trigger differs from the traditional trigger design as this one is flat faced. It’s my opinion that flat faced triggers give you more “control” over the trigger pull itself. They allow the shooter to better position your finger where it should be on the trigger and facilitates more consistent pulls from shot to shot. It also feels more natural during the pull itself.
The Gunfighter is overbuilt to say the least. The shoe itself is machined from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum. They finish it in Mil-Spec type III hard coat anodize, which will provide a lifetime of use and abuse. It is held in place with two 420 stainless steel coil pins. Those pins boast a 550lb breaking strength. Told you it was overbuilt. Each trigger includes a new, hand polished Glock OEM trigger bar which is hand polished and DLC coated.
The trigger exhibited minimal creep to it. When it came to its “break”, it did so very crisply and consistently during the 500 rounds I’ve run through my 19. The reset was short and predictable. I don’t have a Lyman trigger pull gauge available to measure the actual weight of the pull itself but it’s an incredible improvement over the stock trigger.
Overall I couldn’t be more pleased with the performance of both the barrel and trigger. The correspondence with DEM was prompt and courteous. They returned all of my emails within the same day and answered all of my questions with knowledgeable replies. They were dedicated to getting me what I was looking for to upgrade my G19.
