Blacklist Barrel Test and Review

[Pilot172]

I tested a Blacklist match grade barrel side by side with the stock OEM barrel in my G19. The Blacklist barrel hands down was more accurate than the stock barrel from a basic bench rest. All groups were tighter and some were amazing. I shot mostly 147gr JHP at 880 fps and 1 group of 124gr FP plated bullets at 1040 fps. The Blacklist did well with both.

I used Mas Ayoob’s method for determining accuracy. He does his accuracy test the same way each time. His own words: “Each five-shot group was measured once for all the hits, and again for the best three, the latter measurement having proven over the years that it will come very close to what the same gun/load combination will deliver for all five shots from a machine rest. Most shooters can shoot from a benchrest a whole lot more easily and less expensively than setting up a Ransom machine rest, and this lets more readers see how close their own gun comes to the one the gun writer tested. All groups were measured from furthest shot to furthest shot, center to center of the bullet holes, to the nearest 0.05 inches.”

Here is the data. I shot 6 groups with each barrel, 5 shots each.

Stock Barrel, 15 Yards, 147gr JHP (Best 3 / All 5): 0.88” / 2.08”
Blacklist Barrel, 15 Yards, 147gr JHP (Best 3 / All 5): 0.35” / 1.62”

Stock Barrel, 25 Yards, 147gr JHP (Best 3 / All 5): 1.87” / 4.10”
Blacklist Barrel, 25 Yards, 147gr JHP (Best 3 / All 5): 1.23” / 2.73”

Blacklist Barrel, 15 Yards, 124gr FP (1 group only): 0.40” / 1.7”

The Blacklist was noticeably better in every group shot. At 15 yards, the best 3 holes were touching most every time. It also met the match barrel claim of under 2” groups at 25 yards. It actually averaged 1.23” at 25 yards which is great! That being said, the stock barrel held its own with respectable groupings and also did under 2” at 25 yards, but the 5 shot average was much larger. The stock barrel definitely seemed to “wander” more, as seen by the 5 shot groups. The hits were spread out more. The Blacklist always had tighter and more consistent groups with the best 3 always very close.

The Titanium Nitride (TiN) gold barrel looks great with the black slide. Previously, I wasn’t crazy about the gold color, but then it grew on me after looking at some pictures, so I decided to get that color. TiN usually costs about $50 more, but Blacklist does not charge extra. One negative about the TiN barrel is it gets dirty fast. The good thing is you can see the spots you missed when cleaning it.

The Blacklist barrel has a fast 1:10 twist which is pretty much required to stabilize the heavy 147gr bullets. It also did well with 124gr plated bullets. I actually called KKM Precision first and asked for a 1:10 twist barrel. They said they only go down to 1:16, and that’s custom. Stock is 1:20. They did confirm for a 147gr bullet, that the best twist is a 1:10 twist, the 1:16 would be marginal, and the 1:20 would not work at all. I don’t understand why they don’t make a 1:10 twist as the 147gr is probably the most popular weight in competition.

The Blacklist barrel has 8 flutes on it, which looks nice but also reduces some wanted weight. The stock barrel weighs 3.6oz and the Blacklist is 3.4oz.

Reliability. The barrel ran 150 rounds without an issue. Time will tell if it’s 100% reliable.

I am very happy with the Blacklist barrel. Will it make me a better shooter in competition? By law of averages it should. By how much, I don’t know. We’ll see this season how it goes.  Of course your skill level has to be up there to take advantage of the additional accuracy. I feel the stock barrel did quite well and is more than good enough for competition. However the Blacklist match barrel was definitely tighter in all groupings, enough so that I’m very glad to have bought one. I plan to get one for the G34 next and do a similar test. One note on my G34, I shot 3 groups with it at 25 yards. It averaged 1.50” (3/5) and 2.67” (5/5). That’s pretty good for an OEM barrel! It still did not beat the Blacklist barrel though. The extra sight radius may have helped some too, even off a rest. I suggest before buying a match barrel, you do some serious testing of your stock barrel. You may have ended up with a really good one, or one good enough for your needs.

5 stars for the Blacklist barrel. It has everything going for it. It proved to be noticeably more accurate, is reliable (so far) and also looks great.  I know some disagree with match barrels or the need for them.  I spend a ton of money and time competing and I'll take any advantage I can.  If you want to get that last little bit of accuracy out of your gun, there's no doubt you need a match grade barrel to get there.  Yes a hand fit barrel may be better yet, but may also be too tight and therefore unreliable.  This barrel fit tight and the groupings were almost twice as good over stock.  What more can you ask for?

 

 

[mksm2016]

Thanks for providing your feedback. Hopefully. someone will do a test with all the new barrels for Glock against the best in the market such as KKM, Barsto or Zev.

[Pilot172]

6 hours ago, mksm2016 said:

Thanks for providing your feedback. Hopefully. someone will do a test with all the new barrels for Glock against the best in the market such as KKM, Barsto or Zev.

They just did a test with all the major barrels and 3 different bullet weights.  Bar-Sto was not included though, probably because they require fitting.  Blacklist was #1 with 147gr.

 

http://www.victorygunblog.com/blog/barrelrace17

[darkvibe]

Do they make the barrel or do they buy the barrel and machine their name in the side?

[Pilot172]

2 hours ago, darkvibe said:

Do they make the barrel or do they buy the barrel and machine their name in the side?

I know KKM stopped making them for Blacklist about 2 years ago.  I don't know if they make their own now or through a third party.  I thought I read somewhere that it was still through a third party.  Blacklist has their own tolerances and design requirements which make them different than say the KKM barrel when KKM made them.

[3GDad]

Great review.  I'm very interested in one. I checked their website but do not see a 40-9 conversion barrel for a G35, they had a 40-9 conversion barrel for the G23 but not for a G35, also didn't see a straight 40 cal barrel for the G35, wonder why, and if there are plans to release those in the future. I am interested in those 2 options.