The fact remains that most handguns are more accurate than their user. Most off-the-shelf ammo is also too inconsistent to be super accurate. There is however some merit to barrel replacement.
Rifling and locking faces wear down over time and with Glocks there are plenty of aftermarket options. Glock handguns are loved as much as Ford Mustangs and Honda Civics for their aftermarket support. It’s not uncommon to meet a Glockophile who has spent more money on aftermarket parts than the original cost of the gun. This is in part due to the relative ease with which anyone can modify a Glock. These modifications make shooting fun and result in more trigger time testing out the latest change. So much trigger time that eventually barrel replacement becomes a good idea, or perhaps you’re ready to make the experience a bit quieter with the addition of a suppressor and need a threaded option.
The challenge then becomes determining which of the dozen-or-so options is the best barrel for the money. We’ve tried several different Glock barrels and had four on hand for our Glock 19. When we received the barrel from L2D Combat it was immediately noticeable that the quality was a bit different. This was not a foreign-made wad of metal, but rather steel crafted with the intent of making something better.
Made of 416R steel with a crowned muzzle and lapped rifling, the L2D Combat barrel has more in common with a precision rifle barrel than a handgun barrel. To truly show the differences the video below was created. A barrel alone is unlikely to improve the layman’s accuracy, but by the time you’re ready to replace your barrel you might as well go with the best you can afford. Aftermarket barrels typically cost between $150 and $200. This is a narrow margin that can include a surprising amount of differences in features.
Steel quality, locking face dimensions, feed ramp design, and chamber support are among those differences. One also needs to consider if this is a barrel for supreme accuracy or reliability and generally leaning towards one means sacrificing the other. For a complete visual guide to some of the differences see the video below.
