KKM barrel for G17. Stock or extended length?

[wiiawiwb]

I have a G17 and am going to buy a KKM barrel for it. I reload and shoot lead bullets. In my G40 MOS, the first thing I did was put a KKM barrel in it and it is the most accurate handgun I shoot.

So, I will order a KKM barrel for the G17 but can't decide whether to get the stock length or extended length barrel (6"). It will be used mostly at the range although it might be used occasionally hiking in a chest pack.

I'm wondering if there is any benefit of an extended barrel (I can't use a threaded barrel in my state) and how the balance might feel with the extra weight at the nose.

Any thoughts?

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Barrel length has no real effect on a gun's accuracy. How well the gun's barrel locks up with the slide, offering a consistent relationship between the barrel and sights with each shot, is the key factor.

A longer sight radius (the distance between the front and rear sight) can make a gun a bit easier to shoot accurately -- but the sight radius isn't increased by using the longer barrel alone -- you need a longer slide, too (with the front sight farther away from the rear sight).

The only real advantage of a longer barrel is slightly improved round performance (typically higher velocity) and you might not see a big difference even then with only a slight increase in barrel length.

You might want to consider selling your Glock 17 and looking for a good price on a used Glock 34 -- which has the longer barrel and some other nicer features. The Glock 34 has a lightened slide (a good bit of metal is removed from the front of the top of the slide* so that it balances much like the Glock 17.) But you might not see a big difference in accuracy, even then. Both the Glock 17 and Glock 34 are pretty darned accurate in stock condition.

You say you can't use a threaded barrel in your state. (Are you sure about that?). I ask, because unless you mount something on a threaded barrel (like a suppressor/silencer) it shouldn't be illegal. (That said, your state may be different than many other states.). It's not the barrel that generally causes legal concerns, but what's mounted on the barrel using those threads.

*Just reread this reply, and noticed that I wrote BARREL rather than SLIDE in the first version; I corrected my barrel "error". Duh

 

[johnmcl]

I'd recommend you go with the stock length.

It is sight radius length that is most helpful to accuracy, and not barrel length. While, as Walt pointed out, an improvement in velocity will be seen, but I do not think it enough to warrant the extra inch of steel hanging out front. I'd also think that the balance would be different, but not enough to matter. A third point is that the longer barrel may impact your holster selection.

 

[DeadEye9]

I would suggest stock length as well. As was already mentioned; barrel length really doesn't effect accuracy much in pistols. From a rest my 3-3.5" guns shoot just as well as my 4-5" guns. The only real benefit you would see from extra barrel length is increased velocity and therefore energy. If this was a 10mm or something to be used for hog hunting, etc I would say go extended because that extra energy could be worth the length. For a target gun though it's not really necessary. I'm not a bullseye shooter myself, but I find a stock Glock 17 to be remarkably accurate as is so the length is fine. I suppose I only really need "combat grade" accuracy though since I shoot steel and action pistol type stuff, but I can hit plates reliably out to 100+ with a stock Glock, so ive never replaced a barrel for accuracy. If your going for groups or bullseye points though I can see the benefit of a traditionally rifled "match" barrel. Still stock length should be fine though. I have one extended barrel for a Glock; a 9" for my G20. It isn't much heavier than a factory piece but it does change how the pistol shoots a bit, and is just unwieldy. Not something I would reccomend for anything outside of a threaded barrel to run a can.

 

[M1key]

I third or fourth (?) the stock length. Mine is wearing one right now. It shoots Ranger T into an inch at 10-12 yards for me. The barrel started out as a 6-inch and got whittled down as I went from a 17L to a 34 to a 17. It shoots and handles the best now, IMO.

M