barrel

Zaffiri Precision P320 Compact Slide and Barrel

  Zaffiri Precision is well known for making aftermarket slides. Starting out with Glock parts and slides, they have moved into doing Sig accessories as well. This includes their Sig P320 Compact slide and barrels. 

  As mentioned, the Zaffiri slide I received was for the Sig P320 compact. This slide would also be great for anyone building a P320 compact off of the Sig P320 FCU. Zaffiri also sent along one of their threaded and non-threaded barrels, more later on the barrels. I was looking for a compact slide so that I could run it on the Strike Industries modular 320 chassis with some accessories that needed a compact slide. I also installed it on a standard P320 compact grip module to see how it performed as a standalone slide.

  The Zaffiri ZPS.2 P320c slide is very nice. You’ll notice that the slide is lightened with, what I like to call, the Zaffiri slide cuts. These slide cuts consist of some small rectangle windows on the side and some angled smaller cuts on the top. It makes for a nice look. Then, as per any slide, there are some rear cocking serrations. A big feature about these slides is that they are cut for an RMR footprint. The slide has bosses to rest the optic on, as opposed to just screw holes. Zaffiri also supplies screws that they say to use for optic mounting. A cover plate comes installed on the slide, in case you don’t want to mount an optic.

  Zaffiri Precision has 4 standard color options for the ZPS.2 P320c slides. They are: FDE, OD green, Sniper grey, and Armor black, which is the one that was sent to me. In the custom line of P320 slides you have a vast selection of colors and patterns. Camo colors only add around an extra $90, total, over the standard 4 colors. The Armor Black is beautiful, probably a testament to the applicators. It’s smooth and didn’t even chip or wear off when installing the iron sights. The top notch machining used to produce these slides, also aids in the fact that the coatings look so good.

  Now let us discuss the Zaffiri Precision P320 compact 9mm barrels. Zaffiri actually sent me both a threaded and non-threaded (Flush and Crowned) barrel. The flush fit was needed for the Strike Modular Chassis, and the threaded is for future add-ons. Both came in a black nitride coating. SS, TiN, and Spectrum are also available. All the Zaffiri barrels have a swirl pattern on the outside. The threaded barrel comes with a thread protector and is threaded ½-28. Both barrels have conventional rifling and a polished chamber and bore. One can definitely tell that the bore and rifling is polished when looking through the barrels. From shooting both of these, they appear to be very accurate. Or at least better than my shooting ability.

  This Zaffiri slide and both barrels performed flawlessly. Both in the Strike Chassis and in a standard grip module. The P320 slide has way more time in the Strike chassis with the standard flush fit barrel. But this doesn’t take away that it works nicely in a grip module. In the Strike chassis, I used it without a slide mounted red dot. When in the 320 grip frame, I mounted up a Swampfox Liberty green dot. The slide functioned great with or without the optic. Lock up with the barrel is super tight. Slide to frame fit is not sloppy. Essentially, in both applications, the performance was good. Plus, the slide and barrel look good, which we all know that looking good is key. 

  If you are in the market for some aftermarket Sig P320 stuff, Zaffiri Precision has what you need. The ZPS.2 P320c slide and barrels are really well machined and just beautiful to look at. But that’s not all, they perform well too. So if you are building out a P320 compact, or just upgrading the one you have, I would recommend that you check out the stuff from Zaffiri Precision.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Compact Sig P320 slide with RMR footprint optic cut

Target Market:

Anyone building or upgrading their P320

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Slide:

  • 17-4 Stainless Steel

  • Black anodized cover plate

  • Supplied optic mounting screws

  • RMR optic footprint cut

  • Tighter tolerances

  • Made in USA

Barrels:

  • Fit: SigSauer® P320 Compact compatible – Drop in fit – 9mm

  • Twist: 1:10

  • 416R Stainless Steel

  • Stress relieved and heat treated to RC 40-42

  • Target crown and oversized lock up area.

  • Fully supported chamber (SAMMI spec) and improved feed ramp design

  • Conventional rifling with a polished chamber and bore to perform well with lead, plated and jacketed bullets

  • Finish Options: Stainless Steel, Black, Titanium Nitride TiN (Gold)

  • Large “ZP” Logo machined on the Port Side of the lockup.

  • Made in USA

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

FDE, OD Green, Sniper Grey. Custom cerakote colors are also available

What others are saying?:

Nothing found as of publishing

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found as of publishing

Price point:

MSRP:

Slide = $349.99

Barrel = $169.00 - $179.00

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Zaffiri Precision

Our Rating:

Pros:

Slide:

  • Tighter tolerances

  • Excellent machining

  • Custom options

  • RMR footprint cut

  • Made in USA

Barrel:

  • Polished chamber and bore

  • Coating options

  • Threaded barrel has thread protector

  • Made in USA

Cons:

  • Slide fit could be slightly tighter

  • Cover plate machining doesn’t match slide machining

Score: 9.00 Amazing

Favorite Link:  VIRIDIAN RFX 35 REVIEW  

Expo Arms Patrol Series AR Upper

  Expo Arms has recently gotten into the AR-15 upper receiver market. They have a few options for pistols, SBR’s, and standard AR configurations. This particular upper is their Patrol series with a 16” barrel and A2 flash hider. If you didn’t know, Expo Arms is the in-house brand for Primary Arms and is sold exclusively through them.

  The Expo Arms Patrol Series is an everyday use AR-15 barrelled upper receiver. These do not come with a bolt carrier group (BCG) or charging handle. However when you order the upper, Primary Arms gives some drop down menus with discounted add ons, such as a BCG. The Patrol Series comes with a bunch of good specs: A 5.56 chamber, 1:7 twist nitrided 4150 cmv barrel, mid-length gas system, A2 flash hider, T-marked upper receiver, and a 15” M-Lok handguard.

  Barrels are an important part of any AR system. On 16” barrels, like this one, I like mid-length gas systems. They are smoother feeling and put less wear on components then a carbine length gas system. Being that the barrel is also salt bath nitrided, it will have a good lifespan and keep corrosion away. Expo Arms uses a SOCOM profile on the barrel. I like the profile as it gives strength and consistency without being heavy. Of course the muzzle is threaded and comes with an A2 flash hider installed. The barrel consistently shoots under 1 MOA for me with 69 grain match rounds. 

  Expo Arms uses their own T-marked upper receiver. This is a standard forged version made from 7075-T6 aluminum. It has a round style forward assist and a standard mil-spec port door. The whole upper is nicely machined and anodized. 

  To cover the barrel, and give you something to hold onto, is the 15” M-Lok handguard. This is a very nice, useful, no frills handguard. It runs a full top rail that is not sharp. The sharp parts of the rail have been deburred slightly. Along the other portions of the handguard are M-Lok slots. These M-Lok slots are every 45 degrees around the handguard, not just the standard of every 90. It’s a clamp on style handguard, but also has some anti-rotation tabs to keep it from rotating. I’ve never had a problem with these style handguards rotating on me, but the tabs are a nice addition. I really liked the Expo Arms handguard, I’d even consider it as a stand alone item. 

  If you’re looking for a good quality AR upper, the Expo Arms Patrol series might just be it. It has a lot of nice features for the price. In fact, I am still amazed at the 0.75” group I shot with it. Definitely go check out the Expo Arms series of stuff over at Primary Arms. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Quality 5.56 AR Upper receiver at a fair price

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a 16” AR upper

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 7075-T6 forged aluminum MIL-SPEC upper

  • 5.56 NATO chamber

  • T-Marked

  • 16" Patrol Series Nitride barrel

  • 41V50 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel barrel

  • SOCOM barrel contour 

  • Mid-Length Gas System

  • 1:7 Twist Rate

  • 15" Expo Arms Patrol Series M-LOK Handguard

  • A2 Flash Hider

  • No BCG or Charging handle

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Various

What others are saying?:

Nothing as of publishing

Link to other reviews:

Nothing as of publishing

Price point:

MSRP = $349.99

Retail = Check Primary Arms for sales

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Nitride Barrel

  • T-Marked upper

  • M-Lok handguard

  • Full top rail

  • Accurate

Cons:

  • Doesn’t come with BCG or CH (options are available)

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense Nero Review

Faxon 10.5" lightweight barrel, gas block, and comp

  I was looking at building a lightweight AR pistol, using off the shelf parts, that wouldn’t break the bank. Part of what I needed was a lightweight barrel. Faxon Firearms had exactly what I was looking for with their 10.5” pencil profile barrel. As a bonus, Faxon threw in their slim profile muzzle brake. So off to assembly I went.

  When the Faxon barrel first arrived, I weighed it on my scale. There’s a few reasons for this. First, I wanted to know the actual weight. The barrel alone weighed in at 14.53 ounces, so not even a pound. The same barrel in a 16” weighs about 20 ounces. Second, this Faxon barrel comes with a gas block, but no gas tube. Because I figured I wanted a total weight, I weighed it with a gas tube and the supplied gas block. Total usable weight was 16.26 ounces, so essentially a hair over a pound. Speaking of the gas block, a really cool thing about it is the pre-drilled hole so you can pin the gas block on with the supplied pin. The gas block also has set screws on the bottom to tighten it up. Having a pinned gas block is especially nice if you are expecting any type of hard use situations.

  The Faxon pencil barrel specifications are pretty standard. This one has a pencil profile. It is made from 4150 CMV steel, has a 5.56 NATO caliber and is 1:8 twist button rifled. Faxon QPQ Nitrides the whole barrel for corrosion and wear resistance. Because it’s a pencil profile, Faxon uses a 0.625 gas block diameter. Being a 10.5” length, it uses the carbine length gas system. To quality control their barrels, Faxon magnetic particle inspects them so that good barrels get sent out to the user and bad ones don’t. Lastly, the barrel is threaded the standard ½-28 and has a recessed target crown.

  Faxon also sent me one of their Slim 3-port muzzle brakes. This particular muzzle brake has an outside diameter of 0.620”. It screws directly onto the barrel threads and comes with a crush washer. The small outside diameter of this brake makes it possible to remove the gas block without removing the muzzle brake. This can be especially nice if you have to pin and weld a muzzle device on to meet a legal length. It is 2.125”’ long, so it will bring a 13.9” barrel to the legal 16” length. I however am using this on a pistol, so no need to pin and weld. When installing the 3 port muzzle brake, be extremely careful as the metal is softer than I realized. I rounded the corners of it with an open end wrench trying to time it properly with the supplied crush washer. Make sure your wrench is on the solid portion, not over a port. That crush washer is stronger than any I have seen. Besides my error in installation, the 3 port design actually works very well. I was a little hesitant due to the smaller size, but it performs as well as other 3 port comps I have used. It actually tamed the little 10.5”’s recoil down some. Now it is loud, but all compensators like this are. The slim brake also only weighs 1.12 ounces.

  The Faxon Lightweight barrel combo serves its purpose. I put it through some use during a “range day.” This is a training style match that the local club has. The barrel and comp both performed well with zero hiccups. Now that can’t be said about the shooter. I also did some accuracy testing at 100yds. The barrel averaged about 2-3” groups with normal ammunition. As expected, as the barrel heated up a little, the groups would string some, but I included it in the group sizes, so you can tell it’s not terrible. For a 10.5” barrel, the accuracy is fine for me because I don’t expect to use this pistol past 100 yds anyhow. 

  If you are looking into a super lightweight barrel, definitely check out the Faxon line of barrels. They are one of the few that come with a pinned on style gas block. The 10.5” barrel and gas block were just the lightweight stuff I was looking for. While you are over at Faxon, don’t forget to look at the slimline comp too.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Short lightweight barrel with a pinned gas block

Target Market:

Builders wanting a super lightweight barrel/gas block combo

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Barrel:

  • 4150 CMV

  • Button Rifled 

  • 5.56 - 1:8 twist rifling

  • 10.5" Pencil profile

  • Carbine length gas system

  • QPQ Salt Bath Nitride finish

  • 1/2-28 threaded muzzle

  • .625" gas block diameter

  • Gas Block Journal Length: 1.1"

  • M4 barrel extension

  • Magnetic Particle Inspected

  • 11-degree Target Crown

  • Barrel weighs 14.53 oz

  • Weight with gas block and gas tube is 16.26 oz

  • Pin on gas block

Comp:

  • QPQ Salt Bath Nitride

  • Thread: 1/2"-28 TPI

  • Weight: 1.12 Ounces 

  • Length: 2.125 Inches

  • Outer Diameter: .620”

  • Caliber: .223/5.56

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Different lengths and calibers 

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at FaxonFirearms.com

Top shelf quality. As a toolmaker I can pin a gas block but for the money it's not worth me setting up to do it. Beautiful work

Link to other reviews:

Closes I could find was for the 16” pencil barrel - HERE 

Price point:

MSRP:

Barrel - $195.00

Muzzle Brake - $59.99

Retail: Probably a little cheaper if you can find the same combo

I need it now! Availability:

Faxon Firearms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Super light

  • Pinned gas block

  • Optional muzzle brake that matches barrel

  • QPQ Nitride finish

Cons:

  • Accuracy 

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link:  Gun Guys Garage

Tactical Kinetics Complete G19 slide

  When I think of Tactical Kinetics, I typically think of barrels. After all, they refer to themselves as "the barrel guys." Well, they have branched out into making Glock style slides for gen 3 pistols. You can have these slides either stripped or complete. A complete Tactical Kinetics slide is what arrived in my mailbox. 

  Speaking of a complete slide. When Tactical Kinetics say complete, it means complete. It comes fully assembled with their slide completion kit, and one of their excellent Glock barrels. Complete slides can be had either with a threaded barrel, or without. This one came with a threaded one, which includes a knurled thread protector. As a finishing touch, the slide also comes with sights. The sights on this slide were standard 3-dot white ones. The sights are made from steel, unlike factory Glock sights. They are nothing special, but having them makes it a complete ready to use product. My only complaint is that the slide is not cut for any kind of pistol optic. 

  The Tactical Kinetics slide also has some features some shooters might want. The slide has some very nice front and rear cocking serrations. They are angled and straight at the same time. What I'm saying is that the top portion of them is angled forward and the lower portion is more vertical. These serrations are cut pretty deep toward the top, and then less deep near the bottom. I really appreciated how deep the cut was near the top. I was always able to get a good grip on them. Having the slide serrations cut deep like this, can help with getting a better grip on them, with muddy hands, or if mud and dirt get packed into them. The slide also has a slightly recessed cut on the sides. This cut probably reduces a little weight, but really it just makes it look better. However, there are some slight machine marks in this area. They won't hurt anything at all, just noticeable up close. 

  The slide is also a "closed style." By closed style, I mean there are no extra cuts for dirt to enter into the internal part of the slide. For a carry gun, I think this style works better. It won't prevent everything from getting into the slide, but it will help. 

  To protect the slide and barrel, Tactical Kinetics nitride finishes them. The black nitride finish is well done and smooth. The slide is also a hardened stainless steel, adding to the durable finish. Between the hardened stainless steel and the nitride coating, the slide should last a very long time. 

  I won’t go too much into the barrel, as there is already a review HERE for one of their G17 barrels. But I will mention that it is a very nice barrel that locks up nicely to the Tactical Kinetics slide. It is made from 416R stainless steel, has a 1 in 10 twist, and is button rifled with 6 grooves. This particular one is threaded ½-28. If you need a stand alone barrel, these are a great option.

  As usual, I used the TK slide on a few different pistol frames. As expected, the slide to frame fit was excellent. I would say almost match grade. It fit very snug at first. Probably taking about 50 rounds, or so, to get it to cycle 100%. It now lives on a Polymer 80 OD frame. The slide works well with the Polymer 80 frame. Plus, it’s lines look good with the Polymer 80 platform. Using an 80% frame and the Tactical Kinetics slide gives you a complete pistol for around $500. The whole combo is quite accurate. I didn’t put it on paper, but on steel it was really good, as one can see the splatter marks from the hits. 

  Tactical Kinetics has done a fine job with this complete slide. It has everything you would want in a basic slide. All you need to do is put it on your frame, and you’re ready to go. Not having an optic cut is a bummer, but that’s the only negative for the complete slide. Everything in and on the slide is top quality and all of it is made in the USA. Go check out Tactical Kinetics for a Glock slide, or any number of their great barrels. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Complete Gen3 G19 slide

Target Market:

Primarily builders of Glockish style pistols

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Front and rear cocking serrations

  • Made from 17-4 stainless steel 

  • Heat treated 

  • Threaded 416 SS black nitride coated barrel

  • Thread protector included

  • Standard 3 dot sights

  • Fully assembled

  • Black nitride finish

  • Made in USA

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Non-threaded barrel or stripped

What others are saying?:

Nothing found, they are pretty new as of writing

Link to other reviews:

Ditto

Price point:

MSRP = $395.00

I need it now! Availability:

Tactical Kinetics

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Complete with sights

  • Nice cocking serrations

  • Threaded barrel with thread protector

  • Glock Gen 3 compatible

  • Made in USA

Cons:

  • Machining marks

  • No option for a red dot optic

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link:  Atibal Optics

Faxon 10/22 barrel

  Faxon Firearms has been making quality barrels for some time now. They recently entered into the rimfire barrel market with their 10/22 barrels. Faxon has three different barrel contours to choose from as well as two types of fluting options. There are also three different coating options to choose from. I opted for the flame fluted standard profile in chameleon PVD.

  The Faxon 10/22 barrel has a bunch of features not provided on the factory Ruger model. Most notably is probably the addition of Flame fluting. Faxon does a unique style of fluting as one of the options. As one can guess, the fluting looks like “flames”. If you get the “Chameleon” PVD coated barrel, the flutes are actually a different color than the rest of the barrel, which actually makes the flames look a bit more realistic. Since the barrel is PVD coated, the look of the coating will vary from barrel to barrel. This particular one is more of a lavender to blue fade with the flutes being a yellowish orange color. Some are more a blue to green fade. Fluting, both standard and Flame, provides better cooling of the barrel by providing more surface area for the barrel to give off heat. More important to me, is that on a rimfire barrel, it reduces the overall weight. In this case, the Faxon barrel is 0.4 lbs lighter than a factory Ruger 10/22 barrel. Faxon’s pencil profile reduces the weight by another 0.4 lbs, so a 0.8 lb reduction total. The Chameleon barrel sent to me weighs 1.4 lbs total.

  When manufacturing the rimfire line, Faxon uses all the same quality materials they use in their other barrel lines. The Rimfire barrels are made from 416-R stainless steel bar stock, in Cincinnati, OH at the Faxon plant. The barrel is given 6 groove rifling with a twist rate of 1:16. The 1:16 is pretty standard for 22 rimfire barrels. They then cut a recessed target crown into the muzzle. The muzzle is also threaded ½-28” to a depth of 0.625”. A thread protector and spacer is also included. The spacer is to be used on muzzle devices that use the 0.400” depth instead of the 0.625” depth. Faxon rimfire barrels are also magnetic particle inspected for flaws and then heat treated and coated. Currently all of the Faxon Rimfire line barrels come in a 16” length.

  When looking into 10/22 barrels, one typically finds “bull” style barrels. Faxon has those now too. But the standard profile is really nice if you're not into those “heavy” barrels. The Faxon Rimfire barrel has a tapered profile. It goes from 0.912” after the chamber down to 0.600” before where the muzzle threads start. This is pretty close to the Ruger’s standard barrel profile. The Faxon does fit in my standard 10/22 stock. It may not fit all of them, but it fits mine fine. Faxon also gives the Rimfire line a “Sporting” chamber. This gives the Faxon 10/22 barrels the ability to feed almost all the .22lr ammunition out there. I personally would have liked to see a slightly different chamber used, something like a “Bentz” for a little better accuracy. But I understand why Faxon went with the normal “sporting” chamber. 

  I ended up mounting the Faxon barrel to a stock Ruger 10/22 action. The barrel fit about the same as the stock barrel I removed. Meaning it slid into the receiver easily with little side to side movement. I then proceeded to mount it in an Enoch Deep-Six chassis. I opted for a chassis because I felt that a regular stock would not do the Faxon Chameleon barrel justice. The barrel looks really good mounted in the chassis. The chassis is also lighter than some wooden stocks, making this barrel/chassis combination very light. 

  After essentially making a complete different 10/22 than I had started with, I headed out to the range. Since ammunition availability is scarce, I rummaged through my stores of .22lr ammo. I found around 8 different types of plinking ammo, but no match ammo. I figured plinking ammo would be fine for this test. Especially since I don’t consider the Faxon barrel to be a true match barrel. Yes, the barrel is very high quality, it just doesn’t have a match chamber. I shot the various “cheap” 22lr ammo, through the barrel, at 50 yards. All but one of the major brands seemed to group around 1 - 1.5”’s at the 50 yard mark. I started with 5 shot groups and then moved to 10 shot groups. I was really pleased with how well the Faxon barrel shot. My factory barrel shot around 2 - 3” groups with these kinds of .22lr ammo. So as far as accuracy is concerned, I think the Faxon is good to go. If someone were to take the time and figure out which ammunition their barrel prefers, I would expect better results than what I had.

  If you’re looking for something different in the 10/22 game, look into the Faxon Rimfire barrels. They aren’t necessarily cheap, but they are excellent quality and made in the USA. With all the different options, you can get extra lightweight, fluted, flame fluted, coated, etc. I’m very pleased with the quality of the barrel along with how it stands out from everyone else's boring barrels. Go give the Faxon Rimfire line a look if you’re building a 10/22 or just looking for something different.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Lightweight 10/22 barrels

Target Market:

10/22 owners or builders wanting a lighter, more accurate barrel

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Chamber: .22 LR Sporting

  • Flame Fluted

  • 416-R Stainless

  • Weight: 1.4 lbs

  • Length: 16"

  • Twist rate: 1:16

  • Chameleon PVD coating

  • Rifling: 6 Groove

  • Target Crown: Recessed

  • 10/22, non-takedown

  • Taper - 0.912" after chamber, .600" before thread shoulder

  • Muzzle Thread: 1/2x28

  • Thread protector included

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Straight fluted, Pencil, Heavy, all in black, gold, or chameleon

What others are saying?:

 5 stars at Faxon Firearms

Great barrel

Barrel came in fast and well packed. Looks better in person. Fits like a glove no issues setting it. Shoots great but I only have 150 rounds through it so far.

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found

Price point:

MSRP = $175.00 - $355.00

Retail = $355.00 as tested

I need it now! Availability:

Faxon Firearms or your local Faxon dealer

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Lightweight

  • Looks great

  • Accurate

  • Threaded to 0.625 length 

  • Thread protector and spacer included

  • Fits standard 10/22 stocks

  • Lifetime guarantee

Cons:

  • Price

  • Sport chamber

Score: 7.50 Good

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Tactical Kinetics AR15 Barrel

Tactical Kinetics is an aftermarket or OEM barrel manufacturer. I had not heard of them until I talked with them at Triggrcon. They produce all of their barrels, in house, from start to finish, in Tennessee. Currently they are offering AR15, AR10, and Glock style barrels. I was sent a 7.5” AR15 barrel for review, partly because that was the length I was looking for.

  What drew me to Tactical Kinetics was the all in house manufacturing. In my opinion, other barrel manufacturers buy barrel blanks, and then machine them for the intended purpose. Tactical Kinetics starts with a bar of raw steel, either 4150V grade Mil-spec B-11595E Chrome Moly Vanadium (CrMoV) or 416R stainless steel. They precision air-gauge and button rifle the barrels for accuracy. Drill appropriate size gas holes in them, if needed. Then thread, profile and heat treat them as needed. All in the USA.

  As mentioned, I received a 7.5” barrel from Tactical Kinetics. It is beautiful, to say the least. Superbly machined and Black Nitride coated. It came in a medium profile and chambered in .223 Wylde, with a 1:7 twist. It is made from 4150 CrMoV steel. Because it is a 7.5” AR barrel, it has the gas port drilled for a pistol length gas system and uses a 0.750 diameter gas block. The barrel is not dimpled or drilled at the gas block. The barrel extension is also installed, as it should be. The barrel extension is the M4 style. Being a .223 barrel, the muzzle is threaded ½-28. There is not a recessed, or target crown on the muzzle, most likely because the intended use is to screw a muzzle device on it anyhow.

  I installed the Tactical Kinetics barrel in an AR15 pistol. Installation was easy, as expected. I did use a Velocity Precision adjustable gas block. Mainly because this pistol may get suppressed. I first ran the gas block wide open, just to see how the pistol worked. Because Tactical Kinetics drills the proper gas port size, the pistol ran flawlessly with a standard buffer weight and BCG. I then adjusted down the gas block. I was pretty happy with the way the barrel helped make the pistol function.

  I may have been made fun of, but I did check barrel accuracy at 100 yards. So I mounted up a 3x9x40 scope and headed out to the range. Yes, it looked like a sci-fi weapon, but what else was I suppose to do to check the accuracy. Well, as expected, the barrel shoots. I was consistently getting 1.5” to 2.5” groups, off of a rest, with cheap plinking ammo. I did also shoot some 75 grain reloads I had, they shot a ¾” 3 round group, and then the flyer opened it up to 1.6” 5 round group. For a 7.5” 223 barrel, I couldn’t be happier with the accuracy. What am I really going to shoot at 100yds with a super short barrel anyhow? I even ran some 50 grain loads through the barrel to see if maybe they wouldn’t stabilize, but they shot fine.

  The short barrel makes for a real nice maneuverable rifle. I also put this barrelled upper on my SBR. Wow, what a dream this thing is to move from target to target. Then, I shot a steel plate match with a .22lr conversion kit in the Tactical Kinetics barrel. It also shot great with the slightly smaller .22lr bullets. What can I say, I like this barrel.

  Just because this is a short AR barrel, don’t rule out Tactical Kinetics for your next barrel purchase. They machine them from start to finish and even have reasonable prices. I’m happy with the performance of this barrel. Go give them a look at https://www.tacticalkinetics.com/

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

In house made AR barrel

Target Market:

AR builders or OEM manufacturers 

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • SAAMI spec .223 Wylde chambering

  • 1 in 7 twist rate

  • Button rifled

  • 7.5”

  • Pistol gas length

  • Uses .750” gas block

  • Medium profile

  • M4 extension

  • Black Nitride coated

  • 4150 CrMoV steel

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Different Lengths, chamberings, and profiles. Also Glock barrels

Link to other reviews:

Gun World

Price point:

MSRP = $92.00

Retail = $87.00 at Tactical Kinetics

I need it now! Availability:

Tactical Kinetics

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • 100% made in house

  • .750 gas block diameter

  • 1:7 twist

  • .223 Wylde chambering

  • Accuracy

  • Proper gas port size

  • Made in USA

Cons:

  • Non recessed crown

Score: 8.50 GREAT

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Favorite Link:   Black Bag Resources

Blacklist Glock Ultra Match Barrel

 If you’ve been around the aftermarket Glock seen for awhile, then you probably have heard the name Blacklist Industries. They make barrels and a few other parts. Blacklist sent me a G19 drop in Ultra Match barrel for review. I opted for the Chameleon color.

 First things first. This Blacklist barrel is great looking. Almost enough to just set it around and look at it. Blacklist has a great attention to detail. So much, that the barrel comes in its own little padded hard case. With a patch and some stickers. The “Blacklist” logo is engraved on the outside of the chamber area. The caliber and model are marked on the hood of the barrel. All of the barrels have column fluting, which are straight cut flutes down the length of the barrel.

 The barrel fit in my Grey Ghost slide was a little bit tight. Not enough that the firearm doesn’t function. But tight enough to cause some finish wear around the hood area. This of course is good because a tighter barrel fit gives better accuracy. It is bad because the pretty chameleon finish wears off some. Since the barrel is made from 416R Stainless Steel, the wear is only cosmetic.

 The Blacklist barrel has the normal features. It is “drop in” and runs a full supported SAAMI spec chamber. This allows it to run any 9mm load, including +P. I really like how Blacklist uses broach cut rifling in these barrels. Besides being an accurate way to rifle barrels, it allows the use of all the common bullet materials including lead. The muzzle end has a recessed crown to help protect that rifling. The 9mm version is a 1 in 10 twist rate to better stabilize the heavier bullets like the 147 grain ones.

 Let’s get into how it shot for me. All of the ammunition used was your run of the mill target variety. All targets were shot at 15 yards with the pistol rested on a bag. They are 5 round groups. So probably not a perfect test, but useful for real accuracy. My best group was 1.75” with Aguila 115gr. The worst was around 2.75”. I really was impressed with how well the Blacklist barrel shot most of the ammo I ran through it. There were a bunch of groups right around 2” as you can see in the pictures.

Aguila 115gr

Remington 115gr

Sellier & Bellot 115gr

Buffalo 115gr

Sig 115gr

Speer Lawman 124gr

  If you are thinking about getting a replacement pistol barrel, check out Blacklist Industries. This is a really nice barrel. Now, if you are in a hurry, don’t be. These take around 6-9 weeks to get after ordering. Are they worth the wait? That is a personal decision, but I would say so. Plus sometimes, online retailers have them in stock. This barrel shoots just as good now as the day I received it.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Match grade Glock barrel

Target Market:

Shooters wanting better accuracy or builders of Glock style pistols

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 416R Stainless Steel

  • 1 in 10 twist

  • 9mm

  • Drop in

  • Pulled Broach rifling

  • Full supported SAAMI chamber

  • Column flutes

  • Gen 1-4 compatible

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Stainless Steel, TiN (Gold), Armor (Black)

What others are saying?:

From Blacklist Ind. 5/5 stars

WORTH THE WAIT.
Serious attention to detail, presentation, packaging and build quality. Customer service is second to none (also, hilarious). Getting better groups at the range. And the presence it brings to my G19 is well noticed. I learned that the barrel travels to several states around the country for each phase of manufacturing, I like that; shows the research behind finding out who does what best. You can feel/see the American pride, that is so lacking in the industry lately

Link to other reviews:

Brian Enos’s Forum

Price point:

MSRP = $219.99

Retail = $209.99 at AIM Surplus

I need it now! Availability:

Blacklist Industries or AIM Surplus

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Drop-in

  • 1 in 10 twist rate

  • Broached rifling

  • Accuracy

Cons:

  • Delivery time

  • Finish wear

Score: 8.50 Great

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Favorite Link: US Tactical Supply

Faxon Firearms Glock Barrel

 It seems as if everyone is getting into the custom Glock barrel making business. Faxon Firearms is no exception, or is it? Faxon has been making rifle barrels for some time now. What’s the next logical step, pistol barrels, of course. Faxon was gracious enough to send me 2 of their Glock barrels. One for a G19, and then one for a G17. We will mainly be talking about the G19 barrel.

 The G19 barrel that came in was the TiN (titanium nitride) one. This coating gives the barrel a great looking gold plating. Not only does it look good, but it should last a lifetime. Not only does the barrel have Tin coating, the Tin coating is actually done over a QPQ salt bath nitride. These “Match Series” barrels are made from 416-R Stainless Steel. Faxon also does a flame style fluting on the outside of the barrel. On this type of barrel, I would have to hear some really good data as to why, except that it looks good.

 These barrels are what they call “Drop in”. Yes, it did drop into my slide without any fitting, and I would expect it to for almost any slide. Because it has tighter tolerances than a stock barrel, the lock up is tighter and the fit in general is better. According to Faxon, it has a 9mm SAAMI chamber. It doesn’t mention a “match” chamber. The barrel also runs a 11 degree target crown. Faxon uses a conventional button rifling. This means that you can shoot any type of bullet out of it, including lead. The lock up was nice and tight. The barrel has very little, if any, noticeable movement front to back or side to side. There are some wear marks around the barrel, but that is to be expected. I guess those tight tolerances are working correctly without being too large to cause problems.

 I want to mention difference that I noticed with this barrel. The hood of the barrel (the top part that fills up the ejection port) has a tapered cut at the front. This allows the slide/barrel to unlock more smoothly, at least in my opinion. Other “match” barrels that I have are just squared off in this location. After a little use, they show a wear mark, but the Faxon barrel does not.

S - Sig 115gr. 3 rounds shown, other 2 rounds are covered by tape measure

 Now that I’ve bored you with the details, how does it shoot? My answer would be good. I tested accuracy with 7 different ammunition manufacturers. These groups were shot at 15yds with me resting the pistol on a bag. I used a Polymer 80 frame with a Grey Ghost Precision slide. The 5 shot groups ranged from just under 1.5” to around 7”. I also shot the same ammo through a different barrel and the 7” stuff was just as bad. Most of the groups averaged around 2.5” - 3”. This barrel has worked great from the first round and on up. The best group was with Sig 115 gr Elite ball FMJ, and the worst group was HSM 124 gr. I know this is not a Ransom rest accuracy test, but I thought it was more practical and probably gives a better idea of real world accuracy.

A - Aguila 115gr

L - Speer Lawman 124gr

H - HSM 124gr

B - Buffalo 115gr

R - Remington 115gr

 If you are in the market for a new, or replacement Glock barrel, look into Faxon. Besides the one here, they make different color options and threading also. Plus, they are made 100% in the USA in Faxon’s production facility. A great barrel option for Glock style pistols.

 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Drop in match grade barrel

Target Market:

Pistol shooters wanting a better barrel

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 416-R Stainless Steel

  • SAAMI chamber

  • Conventional rifling

  • 11 Degree target crown

  • Button rifled

  • Flame fluted

  • 1 - 10 twist for 9mm

  • Salt bath nitride coating inside and outside

  • TiN PVD coated

  • Made in USA

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Threaded, Black, Chameleon

What others are saying?:

AJ M. at Faxon. 5/5 stars

G19 Barrel

this barrel is awesome, lockup is great and fit and finish are top shelf

Link to other reviews:

AmmoLand

TFB

Price point:

MSRP = $199.00

Retail = $189.00 at Rainier Arms

I need it now! Availability:

Faxon or Rainier Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Drop in installation

  • Tin gold coating

  • Flame fluted

  • Conventional rifling

Cons:

  • Non-match chamber

Score: 8.5 Great

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Favorite Link:  Freedom Flag Products




 

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