S3F solutions began when shooter and Army vet Chris Naganuma was told he could never start a business. Seeing short comings in existing firearms components, he set out to create a company based on what he’d do differently. A Veteran and Retired Law Enforcement family run business, S3f has made quite a splash with sponsored 3 gun shooters, a range program and an online retail store.
At S3FSolutions, they say “Accuracy Matters”. Their mission is to provide their customers with barrels that are high quality, consistent hits and cost a fraction of the price competitors charge.
The future looks bright, S3F is moving in to a new West Coast facility in Las Vegas. In 2017 S3FSolutions will continue expanding their barrel line through Glock models and in to other platforms like the 1911/2011, and the MP. S3FSolutions has teamed up with Agency Arms to continue to provide match grade barrels for their popular Agency Arms barrel line.
S3FSolutions has also added a hybrid fiber laser to their line up for greater customization opportunities. S3FSolutions offer’s several preset designs on their barrels for top and full length engravings, but the personalization does not stop there. They also offer complete custom designs for barrels, slides, knives, etc. For Custom engraving questions or quotes please email [email protected].
S3F puts every barrel through a rigorous quality control process; to ensure that each barrel is as close to mathematically symmetrical as possible and meets SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) specifications. All S3F barrels have fully supported chambers and unlike Glock factory barrels, are designed for shooting either factory and reloaded ammunition. With their precise manufacturing no fitting is necessary. New barrels are ready to be dropped straight into your gun.
S3Fsolutions Match Grade barrels are precision machined from certified 416R stainless steel for superior strength and durability. S3F tolerances are some of the most precise in the industry. Multiple quality-control checks allow them to guarantee increased accuracy from each and every barrel. Four column flutes are added at safe depths if selected, which does not interfere with accuracy or longevity of the barrel. With a fully supported chamber all bullet materials and grain are compatible.
Available barrels include Glock 17, 17C, 19, 19C, 21, 24, 34, 34C, 35 and 43 as well as 9mm conversion barrels for the 22 and 23.
Specifications:
- Twist: 1/10
- Quality: 416R Stainless Steel
- Thread size (If chosen): 1/2 x 28
- Thread protector: Yes, In matching finish!
- Fluting: Optional
- Rifling: Pulled broached/ Saami spec 9mm Rifling
- Finish: Stainless Steel, Black Nitride , TiN (Gold)
S3F rifling is pulled-broached. The process of broaching was invented in the 1850’s, but it was only applied to making barrels after the end of WW I. The Broached method uses an increasing-diameter tool which is pulled through the barrel to cut, set and polish the barrel as it is pulled through. A broach has a series of hooks, each a little taller than the one in front of it. The hooks are spiraled out like a little Christmas tree to create the correct twist desired.
Photo courtesy of gunsamerica.com
The disadvantage of broach cutting is that it requires skilled workers to make the broach tools. Lucky for us, S3F has plenty of skilled workers and advances in broaching machines have made this method competitive with other processes. A broach tool is designed for a very specific job and cannot be reused to make a different barrel, say one with more grooves or a different diameter etc.
For each job that has a different diameter or number of grooves, a separate broach tool must be manufactured first. Once the bore is reamed and polished, the broach is pulled through once, and the bore is rifled. Making broaches is expensive and a single chipped tooth can turn a broach into junk.
I carry Glocks and shoot them in competition. While they come out of the box very rugged and reliable, they don’t live up to their accuracy potential without a little help.
Glock factory barrels are hammer-forged forming female type polygonal rifling with a right-hand twist. The Glock process involves beating a slowly rotating mandrel through the bore.
One look down the bore and you can see the difference. The lands of conventional rifling look like the cogs on a gear, polygonal rifling looks like rounded bulges rising from the bore. Because more of the bullet’s bearing surface is in contact with the bore in polygonally rifled barrels, lead bullets smear the bore with a thin coating of lead which can build to dangerous levels. Glock recommends against the use of reloads and lead bullets for this reason.
In 1939, (way before Mr. Glock of Austria developed his pistols) the Germans were faced with the challenge of making a million (literally) machine gun barrels. The Nazi’s had a killer new gun, the MG-42. Shooting 12,000 rounds a minute, it came with two barrels and wore them out like nobody’s business.
German engineers came up with the hammer forging process which made tough barrels fast using a lower grade steel than traditional methods. Win – win. Hammer forged rifling kept the Allies heads down until 1945.
The first thing I noticed about the S3F barrels was they dropped right in to the slide. Accurate match barrels have the reputation of being a little over sized, so I was prepared to do some fitting. My S3F barrel has a slightly tighter fit than the OEM Glock barrels, which delivers a tighter lockup than the stock barrel and chamber itself is a little tighter.
S3F barrels are made using certified 416R gun-barrel quality stainless steel bar stock. They have fully supported SAAMI spec. match chambers for shooting factory or reloaded ammunition. S3F barrels will shoot any SAAMI standard ammo you have.
This is my new G-35 . The Gen 4 is a joy to shoot and it loves the new barrel.
This is the 25 yard group standing unsupported using Armscor USA .40 S&W 180 Grain FMJ ammunition as fast as I could reset and get a sight picture. You notice the groups as soon as you start shooting. They are smaller. If you do your job, they are very small.
I fired 200 rounds of Armscor .40 S&W in a number of drills. The barrel and the ammo got along fine and produced great accuracy with perfect reliability. With Warren Tactical sights and an S3F barrel, I repeatedly put 10 rounds in a single ragged hole at 10 yards with Armscor ammo.
Most barrels can shoot a group with good ammo, but high volume shooters want to shoot the cheapest ammo with the quality necessary for safety and performance. The S3F barrel can make discount ammo run too.
I shot 225 rounds of Ultramax .40 S&W 180 grain lead reloads. They ran great and produced acceptable accuracy. Even though the Armscor produced better groups, I would not hesitate to shoot a match with the S3F barrel and lead reloads if I was on a tight budget. Below is a standard NRA Law Enforcement target shot from 15 yards using lead reloads, slow fire, standing unsupported.
The fit and finish are beautiful on S3F barrels and add a little character to your stock gun. You can see the attention to detail.
No matter how well you shoot with factory barrels, you will get better hits with S3F. The reliability is the same as factory, but now I can shoot reloads and lead bullets if I want and nothing blows up.
I recommend that before you buy a S3F barrel, go shoot the snot out of your factory barrel at some place like the Tactical Performance Center. When your groups start to get smaller, upgrade to a S3F barrel. You will be amazed what a few dollars and a lot of American innovation can do for your shooting.
Want an extended barrel or a threaded barrel for a compensator or a suppressor? S3F is your best option.
S3F invites you to shoot the barrel thousands of shooters, from Pro to recreational already are! You can get S3F barrels here.
