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chgofirefighter

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
There's nothing wrong with the stock oem G34 Gen 5 barrel, however, I noticed that the stock oem barrel doesn't lock up solidly like some other match grade barrels. A good friend of mine shoots Barsto barrel and that baby is nice and tight, no rattles, no movement just solid. Any slight movement in the barrel can affect your accuracy to some degree. I've been looking at KKM barrels for my G34, curious if any users that use the barrel for competitive gaming can chime in? Pros/Cons, any improvements over the stock barrel? KKM claims better accuracy than the oem barrels and they are truly match grade quality, personally, I don't know if those claims are accurately? However, having the right equipment, parts can make an overall difference...

Thanks!
 
What kind of competitive shooting?

Having a gun with greater mechanical accuracy than a 34 with an OE barrel is not going to make a difference to your score in most practical shooting situations. A reduction in functional reliability will though, so make sure anything you change runs 100%.
 
I noticed that the stock oem barrel doesn't lock up solidly like some other match grade barrels.
Glock has never made nor claimed to make "match grade" barrels.

The so-called Gen5 ""Glock Marksman Barrel" is just Glock marketing hype for what was originally called the "Glock Marking Barrel ". Its modified polygonal rifling is designed to enable forensic association of fired bullets with a particular weapon.

https://blog.suarezinternational.com/2017/09/glock-marking-barrels.html
KKM claims better accuracy than the oem barrels and they are truly match grade quality,...
There ain't no such thing as a drop-in match grade barrel. :) Such a barrel always requires fitting to the specific pistol.

IMO there are few if any Glock shooters who will notice a difference, regardless of what barrel is in their pistol...except from a placebo effect.
 
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OK, so points divided by time. The KKM isn't going to reduce your time, so let's look at points. You have steel and paper, and steel needs to fall.

In most situations, we're talking about something on the order of a 50 square inch high scoring surface at a distance out to 20 yards. Many of the targets are more open than that, and a few of them are more restrictive. A 30-yard USP is probably about the limit for most club matches.

It's also worth noting that some of the scoring surfaces are geometrically irregular, like diagonal hardcover or danger targets. So what's really being tested is your ability to bring the gun to proper POI rapidly and manage splits and transitions under stress, maybe in awkward positions or strong/weak grip.

On mechanical accuracy, we're talking about a gun that groups about 1.5 inches at 20 yards vs. maybe 1.2 inches at 20 yards. Ya, that's better, but what does it really have to do with how many charlies you shot on a stage, or whether you had make-ups on steel?

I've seen plenty of situations where shooters (including me) aimed basically at an A/C perf and shot 2 alphas, where they would have gotten two charlies with a more mechanically accurate gun.

On very tight/stressful targets, trigger and gun weight make way more difference than the kind of mechanical accuracy delta considered here. And in all cases, what really matters most is how well the specific shooter can manage the gun in his hands.

If you can't properly focus your attention on trigger press under stress, your sights will probably move on the order of 6 inches at 20 yards during firing. If you can, they won't. That's where the action is in terms of precision in practical pistol.

And at the speed end of the spectrum, it's about knowing where the sights are as the gun is transitioning around and flipping, or as the targets are moving.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
OK, so points divided by time. The KKM isn't going to reduce your time, so let's look at points. You have steel and paper, and steel needs to fall.

In most situations, we're talking about something on the order of a 50 square inch high scoring surface at a distance out to 20 yards. Many of the targets are more open than that, and a few of them are more restrictive. A 30-yard USP is probably about the limit for most club matches.

It's also worth noting that some of the scoring surfaces are geometrically irregular, like diagonal hardcover or danger targets. So what's really being tested is your ability to bring the gun to proper POI rapidly and manage splits and transitions under stress, maybe in awkward positions or strong/weak grip.

On mechanical accuracy, we're talking about a gun that groups about 1.5 inches at 20 yards vs. maybe 1.2 inches at 20 yards. Ya, that's better, but what does it really have to do with how many charlies you shot on a stage, or whether you had make-ups on steel?

I've seen plenty of situations where shooters (including me) aimed basically at an A/C perf and shot 2 alphas, where they would have gotten two charlies with a more mechanically accurate gun.

On very tight/stressful targets, trigger and gun weight make way more difference than the kind of mechanical accuracy delta considered here. And in all cases, what really matters most is how well the specific shooter can manage the gun in his hands.

If you can't properly focus your attention on trigger press under stress, your sights will probably move on the order of 6 inches at 20 yards during firing. If you can, they won't. That's where the action is in terms of precision in practical pistol.

And at the speed end of the spectrum, it's about knowing where the sights are as the gun is transitioning around and flipping, or as the targets are moving.
Shooters skills, fundamentals, training and experience can make a difference in all of the above, like I've heard the saying "its not the bow and arrow is the indian behind it" rings true and it's actually a true statement. However miniscule the difference the right equipment will always help, a great shooter can work any firearm and most likely shoot it accurately. But a great shooter with a great platform is a dangerous competitor!
 
Shooters skills, fundamentals, training and experience can make a difference in all of the above, like I've heard the saying "its not the bow and arrow is the indian behind it" rings true and it's actually a true statement. However miniscule the difference the right equipment will always help, a great shooter can work any firearm and most likely shoot it accurately. But a great shooter with a great platform is a dangerous competitor!
Hardware changes will not always help the overall outcome. They only help to the extent the shooter is able to exploit them.

What's primarily being tested is your ability to direct the gun around different stages with minimal rehearsal, under stress and with a time parameter. A difference of 15 or 20% in mechanical accuracy is probably irrelevant.
 
The KKM barrel will be stronger than the OEM barrel and have a little tighter lock up. I don’t know if you will see any difference in your shooting. However, if you choose to get a KKM, you will be getting a top quality barrel.

I have a KKM 40-9 conversion barrel in my G22.4 and an extended 10mm barrel in my G20SF. Both function and look great. No regrets.
 
I have a G34.5 with a threaded KKM barrel - I went with the 1/2x28 so I can run whatever comp/silencer I want, not just theirs. The gun was more accurate than me with the stock barrel, so I really cant say how much better it is now. Subjectively lockup is tighter than OEM. I just wanted a threaded barrel to run a comp. I have not done any matches with it so I cant speak to that. It is the best shooting Glock I've ever shot. With an RMR I almost look like I know what I'm doing at the range...
 

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KKM makes very good barrels but a drop-in barrel is never going to be as accurate as a fitted or semi-fitted barrel Like a Bar-sto.

A friend of mine who is a Glock armorer, However, got a Barsto barrel in a trade for a G21 and it fit in his G21 and was noticeably more accurate than the factory barrel.
 
On a whim I picked up an Accumatch barrel many years ago. I was not happy when it would not drop in, so I did some reading and performed a little filing on the hood to get it to lock up.

I'll be darned if that thing will do touching holes on many USPSA/IDPA targets!!! I mean it is scary how often this happens.

I would call it a fluke most of the time, but I let my wife use the pistol for matches... and she got the *same* results very often. A major confidence builder for her.

She has now claimed the pistol.. LOL... But I get to take it our for exercise.

Not sure about KKM barrels, I have a few that were drop in, but nothing provides the results that crazy Accumatch barrel does!

Sadly, Accumatch has been out of business for many years - Some time between 2011 and 2013 I believe.

Try the fitted barrel method! Sure worked for me!

:waving:
 
Shoot your Glock out of a Ransom rest with the OEM barrel. When you can shoot the gun, off hand, and get better groups than the Ransom did, buy any 'match grade' barrel you want.

A company may vise an OEM barrel and get 1.2" at 25 yds. Then, it'll vise the 'match' barrel and shoot .9" at the same distance. They can legitimately claim it's more accurate, but can a person use that accuracy, effectively, off hand? As I said, earlier...when you can match your gun's Ransom rested, mechanical accuracy, off hand, it might be time to look at a more accurate barrel. 'till then, use that money to practice 'cause you're going to need a lot of it to match a Glock's OEM barrel accuracy.
 
Tight fitting barrels 'feel good'. They give us 'confidence' that it's going to be super accurate. Keep in mind some movement isn't completely undesirable. It's how the barrel is positioned after each lock up, if it has some movement. I can move my Glock barrels, a little, when I put a pencil in the barrel and pry on it, but as far as rattles and movement without force??? I have yet to see that with an OEM barrel in a Glock. I also have the confidence my gun won't choke when the barrel hood gets a little dust in it.

FWIW, I have AW barrels in my G35's...in .357 Sig. They are accurate, yes, and they fit good, but in no way are they so tight the gun won't go into battery when I drop the slide on a new round.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
The stock barrel works fine, what needs to be learned is the game in whatever competitive sports you choose. Fundamentals, transitions, footwork, and the list goes on. Sure a better barrel can "slightly" help but that's minimal at best but many swear by their placebo effect. One thing is for sure, "YOU CAN'T BUY PERFORMANCE" A good shooter will take a stock pistol and outshoot a mediocre shooter with a high end pistol.
 
KKMs are wonderful drop in barrels. I have several and run one continuously in my 20. I like them much better than Lone Wolf, Storm Lake, etc. That said, whether or not it will improve accuracy over OEM is a complete toss up in my experience. The only way to really have something resembling a guaranteed accuracy improvement is to go with something akin to a properly fitted Bar-Sto.
 
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