Bar-Sto barrel problems and resolution

Kevin l

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As part of the same effort with AA .22lr conversion kit I posted earlier I bought a Semi-drop in replacement barrel from Bar-Sto. It took a bit of effort on my part, but it eventually worked. Please follow the link below for a review and some insight to what it took to get working properly.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=1239730

Again, please excuse terminology errors...

Thanks,

Kev
 
As part of the same effort with AA .22lr conversion kit I posted earlier I bought a Semi-drop in replacement barrel from Bar-Sto. It took a bit of effort on my part, but it eventually worked. Please follow the link below for a review and some insight to what it took to get working properly.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=1239730

Again, please excuse terminology errors...

Thanks,

Kev

In my opinion, BarSto makes the best barrels so you made a wise choice. Unfortunately you really didn't need an aftermarket barrel to shoot lead bullets or reloads in general.

Glock warns their customers that shooting reloads will void the pistol's warrantee (this warning doesn't mention lead bullets). This is just to cover their ass in case someone blows up a gun. As far as lead bullets are concerned, I have run tens of thousands of lead reloads through several Glocks; 21, 22, 24L, and 17 with no problems. The idea that polygonal rifling is not compatible with lead bullets is pure BS. The first pistol I am aware of that was marketed with polygonal rifling was the HK P9, almost 30 years ago. Why didn't anyone have a problem with this pistol?

As long as you use quality hard cast bullets and keep the pistol clean, you won't have any problems with lead bullets in a Glock, as long as the bullet diameter is correct for the barrel. I did have a problem with a 17 in 9mm. The industry standard .356 lead bullets were giving horrible accuracy. A switch to .357 bullets solved the problem, yielding four inch groups, offhand at 50 yds. I am amazed at how many experienced shooters have bought into this myth.
 
Gammon,

Thanks for the reply. I wish I knew this before, it would have saved me a bunch of time, money, and aggravation. I did read of some earlier barrels with polygonal rifling and wondered the same thing. During my research regarding Glock barrels specifically I only found that all references discouraged the use of cast bullets but never anyone mentioning the diameter as a critical factor for reliable and accurate performance. Could you give an estimate of how often cleaning is required and what bullet diameter you are using for .45?

The mention of shooting reloads was in regards to the partially supported chamber possibly being a danger with hotter loads and cases that have been reloaded and fired often from a partially supported chamber. Being quite the noob here, how significant is this concern?

Thanks again,
Kevin
 
Gammon,

Thanks for the reply. I wish I knew this before, it would have saved me a bunch of time, money, and aggravation. I did read of some earlier barrels with polygonal rifling and wondered the same thing. During my research regarding Glock barrels specifically I only found that all references discouraged the use of cast bullets but never anyone mentioning the diameter as a critical factor for reliable and accurate performance. Could you give an estimate of how often cleaning is required and what bullet diameter you are using for .45?

The mention of shooting reloads was in regards to the partially supported chamber possibly being a danger with hotter loads and cases that have been reloaded and fired often from a partially supported chamber. Being quite the noob here, how significant is this concern?
Thanks again,
Kevin

Sorry, but I sold the 21. I have rather small hands and could never get a consistent grip on the draw. My Glock shooting is now done with a 22 and a 24L. My experience with the 9mm 17 was a friend's gun.

The bullet diameter problem only occured with the 9mm 17. The 21 used industry standard .452 lead bullets and the 22 and 24L use the standard .401 lead bullets with no problems. I clean these pistols every 500 rounds or so and use "Chore Boy" brass pads to get the lead out.

I have loaded ammo for these pistols with IPSC competition in mind and never exceeded the old power factor of 175. That would be a 180 gr .40 bullet at about 1000 fps. Since the power factor has been lowered to 165, I now load the 180gr bullet to about 930 fps. Using these loads I have never had a problem with weakened brass. This doesn't mean such a problem can't happen with extremely hot loads; I would suggest that you use loads that don't overly stress the pistol or the components (brass, etc). The IPSC major power factor of 165 (weight of the bullet in grains times velocity divided by 1000) is a good rule of thumb. Also you must use a quality hard cast bullet. You will notice I have mentioned only my reloads. As I have no experience with commercial reloads I can't comment on their quality or stress on the pistol.
 
I don't think you wasted time or money on the Bar-Sto barrel at all. From your post on installation it appears that accuracy has improved you also have a fully supported and match grade chamber. I have a Bar-Sto barrel for my Baretta 92 and am amazed at one thing,cases fired in my barrel will fit in the chamber with little to no resistance,can"t say I can do that with my CZ,Para or S&W pistols. In fact my 92 factory barrel is unsupported fired brass always had a slight bulge near the case head. Granted buying the barrel to avoid a possible problem and then find out it may not be a
problem makes one think you've been mislead but in this case I think you have a win/win situation
 
I don't think you wasted time or money on the Bar-Sto barrel at all. From your post on installation it appears that accuracy has improved you also have a fully supported and match grade chamber. I have a Bar-Sto barrel for my Baretta 92 and am amazed at one thing,cases fired in my barrel will fit in the chamber with little to no resistance,can"t say I can do that with my CZ,Para or S&W pistols. In fact my 92 factory barrel is unsupported fired brass always had a slight bulge near the case head. Granted buying the barrel to avoid a possible problem and then find out it may not be a
problem makes one think you've been mislead but in this case I think you have a win/win situation

I agree. Bar Sto makes the best pistol barrels in the business. They also stand behind their products. While some barrel makers warn you not to use stainless steel bore brushes, Bar Sto claims that their barrels are hard enough to withstand this sort of treatment. I never stated that buying a Bar Sto barrel was a waste of money, just that an after market barrel isn't necessary to shoot lead bullets. I have Bar Sto barrels in about six or seven of my semi autos and have been delighted with their performance.

You may encounter some problems with Bar Sto, or any other match grade barrel, if you reload. The tight chamber of these barrels makes it necessary to use quality brass. Brass fired in a looser chamber (like a stock Glock) and then reloaded may not chamber in the tighter Bar Sto barrel. A Lee Factory Crimp Die will help, but may not provide 100% reliability. It is best to keep the brass used in these barrels separate to insure reliability.
 
Thanks guys for the insight. This is definitely great info.

I am absolutely happy with the Bar-sto and wouldn't have gone any other way with all the reviews I've read and heard from others. However, I probably should have said more along the lines of I could have put this off until later had I known better. ie, Don't fix what ain't broke, after all my original intent was for cost savings.

BUT, now that I've got it and I'm slowly climbing the learning curve on reloading I've no complaints. So far I've been good about keeping my brass well organized by lot and manufacturer, but as I collect more it's getting tougher.

Thanks again,
Kev
 
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