Who makes the best 1911 barrel?

[m1normando]

I have always received superb accuracy with Bar-Sto, Nowlin(also longevity), Briley, Kart and more recently Schuemann and Infinity barrels are outstanding. Proper fitting, is obviously paramount for getting the best out of any barrel.

[Dwain C. Baer]

I really like Bar-Sto, but also Kart. Both barrels have proven to be excellent performers in my Colt and Springfield .45ACP pistols, and I've experienced no problems with either

[Dwain C. Baer]

Apparently I can only vote for one...

[pjb45]

There is a back story to Schuemann and Infinity barrels. Wil and Sandy had a great relationship for a while. Mike has done an excellent job with Schuemann barrels and was an excellent squad mate.

My SVs have Schuemann and Nowlin barrels. My Nowlin has more than 50,000 rounds and is still gnats a#%#^%! accurate. I would have five more of his barrels if but my smith and i prefer a different cut.

My Schuemann barrels are accurate.

There is a Kart in my single stack 40. My new SS SV will have a Schuemann in it.

In terms of chrono, the Nowlin and Kart are extremely close to each other. My Schuemann is just a tad slower.

If I was to buy another barrel, it would probably be an Infinity or Schuemann.

So to define BEST is just not possible because there were no quantitative criteria, as a consequence all our responses are rather subjective.

Pat Kelly probably provided the best synopsis .

[grayguns]

We've had occasion to work with most all major makes of 1911 barrels over the years, and I've formed some pretty definite opinions regarding what we prefer around here.

There's no question that most any well-fitted barrel of decent quality will shoot. By that, I'd say most any individual barrel will group well with some specific bullet type and / or load. In my opinion, the best barrels will group a variety of loads well, and a few really well.

Beyond that, what we look for is durability in both external fitted surfaces and internal bore quality. Some barrels shoot great for about 20 minutes, it seems, and then it's over. One day about 18 years ago I went to the range with Aaron Bush, who was keen on testing a new .38 Super race gun (equipped with an ECM-rifled barrel) with 115's at major. At 10:00AM he was making a 177PF, and getting some good groups. By noon, his load chono'd at a 165 and the thing shot like crap, owing to a burned-out leade. As another example, a close friend and former Bianchi champion would come to me around May Day each season with a bag of Open parts, a frame & slide set and a mover base with which I'd build up a fresh Cup gun. The barrels made by his sponsor always shot well for 5 or 6 thousand rounds of practice before the rifling leades would burn out. By the time he'd trained up, what started out as a 1.5" gun wouldn't hold 3".

It's not fair to say all such tubes will fail sooner than expected, but for this reason we avoid using ECM and hammer-forged barrels. I favour BarSto barrels for most all applications. There may be individual barrels that shoot better when new, but it's been my experience that their tendency to maintain accuracy over time is of greater benefit than the potential gain of a fraction of an inch better group with some load or another...and the most accurate 1911-system pistols I have built were all around BarSto's, FWIW. Certainly, the BarSto I ran in my X5 AllAround for Bianchi this season was and remains a great performer; after about 8,000 rounds of training and at the match, it still groups very, very well. I have every expectation that I'll be able to run the same barrel all next season as well, with no real fear of it going soft on me. That counts for a lot in my book.

-Bruce

[eastern_hunter]

Was digging around in my goodie box and found a new, never fitted, long 38 Super Lissner bull barrel marked "World Shoot VII" I think it is one twisted for heavier bullets. I have two single column frames from the old days cut for Clark ramps.

Was thinkin' this barrel would make a good starting point for a suppressed 1911 using 147 gr projectiles.

Would that be a terrible use for an old piece of history?

[eastern_hunter]

Need to correct a typo ... but can't edit the post for some reason.

Barrel is marked:

"LISSNER 38 SUPER

IPSC WORLD

SHOOT VIII

VENEZUELA"

[Service Desk]

Need to correct a typo ... but can't edit the post for some reason.

Barrel is marked:

"LISSNER 38 SUPER

IPSC WORLD

SHOOT VIII

VENEZUELA"

It would be a 1:16" twist..... that was the standard for all of his barrels. The current owner / maker does them in 1:10, 1:12, 1:14, 1:16, 1:20, 1:24, 1:32 and even 1:40 if you need a super slow twist.

[bonglee0507]

KKM for me! it outshot my schuemann

[djeffers]

Sorry, time to interject a little humor.

I only buy Magic barrels! Magic barrels took me from unclassified to GM in less than 50 rounds! Delta Miks are no longer a problem, now with magic barrels, it is three Alpha ( oh yea, only the first two count). Anyway, no fitting required, just drop in and it works like Magic!

[cybrosh]

The German Lothar Walther

Edited February 16, 2013 by cybrosh

[ltdmstr]

Built a lot of 1911s over the years. Had the best luck in terms of accuracy and longevity with Bar-Sto and Nowlin. Also used a lot of Kart barrels for the Bullseye guys and had good luck with those.