One of the nice things about the Glock handgun platform is the amount of accessories available, interchangeability between platforms, and reliability. When it comes to accessories for my personal gun I always ask myself if the said accessory will provide any benefit other than looks. As I’ve said in previous articles (about my Glock 17), the only things I replaced/upgraded were the sights and recoil spring. Those two upgrades alone increased my shot-to-shot accuracy. The upgraded sights provided me with a crisper sight picture, and sight alignment. The upgraded metal recoil spring gave me the increased shot-to-shot accuracy because it is metal (it won’t flex or bend), unlike the OEM recoil spring that is a polymer material. These changes allowed me to be more accurate at distances out to 25 yards, but I wanted to push past that barrier and make my gun as accurate as possible out to 50 yards.
I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to match grade barrels. I’ve used them before in Springfield XD handguns and they did improve the grouping at increased distances. The stock barrel that comes with the Glock is far from ‘match grade’, but the damn thing just works. You could shoot rocks through that barrel accurately (not recommended). I’ve always had really good results with the stock barrel out to 25 yards. When you start pushing the distance of your handgun out to 50 yards and beyond is where the match grade barrel outshines the stock barrel.
I’ve seen many brands of match grade barrels from: Lone Wolf, KKM, and Wilson Combat. Recently, I stumbled across a company called Alpha Wolf that makes a match grade barrel for the Glock platform.
Alpha Wolf Barrel (Bottom)
Barrel Features:
- Designed for lead, plated, or jacketed ammunition
- Certified, stress relieved 416 stainless steel
- Button rifles, 3 stage honed bore
- Industry recognized SBN premium coating
- Available in both stock length and threaded for suppressors
- Exacting tolerances allow for a drop in installation
- MADE IN THE USA
The Alpha Wolf barrels are a ‘drop-in’ replacement, meaning you don’t need a gunsmith to fit the barrel for you. The first thing that caught my eye with these barrels was the fluting along the length of the barrel. Not only does it give the barrel a really cool look, but it offers some practicality as well. The fluting allows the barrel to cool faster, and also helps to prevent any build-up of dirt, sand, or other environmental debris.
The range session with my Glock 17 and new Alpha Wolf barrel included several different brands of ammunition (Federal, Minuteman Munitions, Russian made Wolf and Team Never Quit). I wanted to see how the different brands would feed through the barrel and if the Alpha Wolf barrel was as reliable as the stock barrel. The only thing I did to the barrel prior to running ammunition through it was put a few drops of Weapon Shield inside the barrel, and run my snake through it (3 times). The ammunition seemed to feed reliably throughout the range session. In my honest opinion I think the combination of this barrel and Weapon Shield CLP give you a combat reliable option for your Glock.
If you’re in the market for a match grade barrel for your Glock handgun, take a serious look at the line of Alpha Wolf barrels available at Lone Wolf Distributors. They provide a quick, down and dirty option to increase the accuracy of your Glock (groups were cut in half at 50 yards for me!).
