PistolGear XD-40 Semi Drop-in Barrel Review - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

**Hooz** · 03-17-2008, 08:01 AM

I've been wanting to write-up my experience with PistolGear's semi drop-in barrel for a while now, but work has been conspiring against me. So today, as I'm sitting here killing time at a client's site, I figured I would throw something together.

Before I get too far into this I should post a bit of a disclaimer. Scott did not pay me for this review or anything of the sort. I got no free barrel, no gift certificates, no nothing... And I'm still a little bitter about that!

A while ago, I asked Scott about the availability of the (then) upcoming XD-40 semi drop-in barrels. I was informed that they were still a couple weeks out, but Scott offered to send me one of the final production samples to try in the meantime. All that he had on hand at the time was a 5" barrel (I had a 4" gun) but I was eager to try it out, and I don't mind the extra inch of barrel sticking out the front of the gun (the 5" barrels do work in the 4" guns without any issue). So a few days later I had the barrel in my sweaty hands.

My initial impression of the barrel was very good. Up to this point I had only ever used EFK barrels, so I compared it to the few EFK barrels I have on hand. The craftsmanship of the PG barrel was at least as good, with a bit better "finish". EFK makes a nice barrel, but the PG barrel was a little more polished (both figuratively and literally). The design of the two barrels is similar, but there are a few minor differences including the "locking points" and the rifling. The PG barrel seemed dimensionally different than the EFK barrel in a couple key areas (where it rides the locking block and the lugs that lock into the top of the slide), so I was interested to see how it would fit and, ultimately, how it would shoot.

In the past, I have had to do quite a bit of fitting on the "drop-in" barrels that I've used. I was pleasantly surprised when I dropped the PG barrel in my slide and it went back together without a hitch. Although it was a bit tight, the gun manually cycled perfectly. While I'm sure that some people will have to do some minor fitting, PG says that their barrel will "drop-in" to 90% of all XDs. It fit my gun perfectly, but I took some files with me on my first range trip, just-in-case... I never needed them.

At the range I shot all the different types of ammo that I had on hand. The mix consisted of 165gr Speer Gold-dots, 180gr Blazer Brass and some 165gr Speer Lawman. I had two FTEs in the first two magazines (180gr Blazer Brass), but I've experienced the exact same thing with other tightly fitted "match" barrels, so I put a few drops of oil on a few key areas and kept shooting. After a few hundred rounds I could feel the barrel settling-in, and I had no other problems (FTE, FTF or otherwise) for the remainder of the 450 rounds I put through the barrel (over two range sessions). It should also be noted that I never cleaned the barrel during my testing.

Other than the cool factor of having a stainless barrel in your gun, the main purpose of an aftermarket barrel is increased accuracy. On that front, the PG barrel delivered. Shooting for groups at 20 yards off a sandbag (180gr Blazer Brass), I noticed a marked improvement over the factory barrel. With the factory barrel I was pretty consistently shooting 4" groups. I'm no bulls-eye shooter, but my best group with the factory barrel was right at 3.5" (Not too bad!

). Shooting the same ammo from the PG barrel, I was able to shoot a best group of 2.75" and the average for the rest of my groups was right at 3"! That is roughly a 25% increase in average accuracy with the barrel as the only variable! Not too shabby for my crappy eyes and factory sights at 20 yards!

All told, I was pretty impressed with the PG barrel. The price is right ($135 with FREE SHIPPING), the fit and finish are top-notch and the accuracy was excellent. I've seen better results with gunsmith fitted "match" barrels, but for a simple do-it-yourself upgrade, you'd be hard pressed to find a better value than the semi drop-in barrels from PistolGear. I've since sold the XD-40 (I'm not a huge fan of the round) and I'm sending the barrel back to Scott, but I WILL be ordering another one for my XD-45 Tactical in the VERY near future.

I apologize for not posting pictures, but I am posting from my laptop and the pictures I have of the barrel installed in my XD-40 are on my workstation at home. When I get back this afternoon I'll add them to this post.

**XDONBOARD** · 03-17-2008, 08:20 AM

Great review, thanks!

Diverdown · 03-22-2008, 06:01 PM

I am looking at the same barrel. What is the difference between this semi drop in and match barrels?

**Ed Ely** · 03-22-2008, 06:08 PM

Hooz, good write-up and great review
of what appears to be a great barrel.

Ed

**Hooz** · 03-22-2008, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diverdown

I am looking at the same barrel. What is the difference between this semi drop in and match barrels?

The match barrels are even more oversized and require custom fitting (and cutting and crowning) by a competent gunsmith. The semi drop-in can be handled by most anyone, and a small file (nail file) is all that should be needed for custom tuning (if any is needed).

Diverdown · 03-22-2008, 08:59 PM

Thanks very much HOOZ. I imagine a drop in will work well for a slight upgrade from OEM.

Noel

**Old School** · 03-23-2008, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diverdown

Thanks very much HOOZ. I imagine a drop in will work well for a slight upgrade from OEM.

Noel

Our Drop-In barrels will be an improvement over stock. If you want the greatest improvement, having the Match barrel fitted to your gun will offer the greatest results.

Both Springer Precision and Canyon Creek have each fitted several barrels to date. They both do a great job.

OS

03-17-2008, 08:01 AM	#1
Hooz XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hilliard, OH Posts: 1,826	PistolGear XD-40 Semi Drop-in Barrel Review I've been wanting to write-up my experience with PistolGear's semi drop-in barrel for a while now, but work has been conspiring against me. So today, as I'm sitting here killing time at a client's site, I figured I would throw something together. Before I get too far into this I should post a bit of a disclaimer. Scott did not pay me for this review or anything of the sort. I got no free barrel, no gift certificates, no nothing... And I'm still a little bitter about that! A while ago, I asked Scott about the availability of the (then) upcoming XD-40 semi drop-in barrels. I was informed that they were still a couple weeks out, but Scott offered to send me one of the final production samples to try in the meantime. All that he had on hand at the time was a 5" barrel (I had a 4" gun) but I was eager to try it out, and I don't mind the extra inch of barrel sticking out the front of the gun (the 5" barrels do work in the 4" guns without any issue). So a few days later I had the barrel in my sweaty hands. My initial impression of the barrel was very good. Up to this point I had only ever used EFK barrels, so I compared it to the few EFK barrels I have on hand. The craftsmanship of the PG barrel was at least as good, with a bit better "finish". EFK makes a nice barrel, but the PG barrel was a little more polished (both figuratively and literally). The design of the two barrels is similar, but there are a few minor differences including the "locking points" and the rifling. The PG barrel seemed dimensionally different than the EFK barrel in a couple key areas (where it rides the locking block and the lugs that lock into the top of the slide), so I was interested to see how it would fit and, ultimately, how it would shoot. In the past, I have had to do quite a bit of fitting on the "drop-in" barrels that I've used. I was pleasantly surprised when I dropped the PG barrel in my slide and it went back together without a hitch. Although it was a bit tight, the gun manually cycled perfectly. While I'm sure that some people will have to do some minor fitting, PG says that their barrel will "drop-in" to 90% of all XDs. It fit my gun perfectly, but I took some files with me on my first range trip, just-in-case... I never needed them. At the range I shot all the different types of ammo that I had on hand. The mix consisted of 165gr Speer Gold-dots, 180gr Blazer Brass and some 165gr Speer Lawman. I had two FTEs in the first two magazines (180gr Blazer Brass), but I've experienced the exact same thing with other tightly fitted "match" barrels, so I put a few drops of oil on a few key areas and kept shooting. After a few hundred rounds I could feel the barrel settling-in, and I had no other problems (FTE, FTF or otherwise) for the remainder of the 450 rounds I put through the barrel (over two range sessions). It should also be noted that I never cleaned the barrel during my testing. Other than the cool factor of having a stainless barrel in your gun, the main purpose of an aftermarket barrel is increased accuracy. On that front, the PG barrel delivered. Shooting for groups at 20 yards off a sandbag (180gr Blazer Brass), I noticed a marked improvement over the factory barrel. With the factory barrel I was pretty consistently shooting 4" groups. I'm no bulls-eye shooter, but my best group with the factory barrel was right at 3.5" (Not too bad! ). Shooting the same ammo from the PG barrel, I was able to shoot a best group of 2.75" and the average for the rest of my groups was right at 3"! That is roughly a 25% increase in average accuracy with the barrel as the only variable! Not too shabby for my crappy eyes and factory sights at 20 yards! All told, I was pretty impressed with the PG barrel. The price is right ($135 with FREE SHIPPING), the fit and finish are top-notch and the accuracy was excellent. I've seen better results with gunsmith fitted "match" barrels, but for a simple do-it-yourself upgrade, you'd be hard pressed to find a better value than the semi drop-in barrels from PistolGear. I've since sold the XD-40 (I'm not a huge fan of the round) and I'm sending the barrel back to Scott, but I WILL be ordering another one for my XD-45 Tactical in the VERY near future. I apologize for not posting pictures, but I am posting from my laptop and the pictures I have of the barrel installed in my XD-40 are on my workstation at home. When I get back this afternoon I'll add them to this post. __________________ XD-9 Tactical : XD-45 Tactical Member: IDPA, USPSA, ASSA, NRA, GOA Last edited by Hooz : 03-17-2008 at 08:06 AM.

03-17-2008, 08:20 AM	#2
XDONBOARD XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 3,367	Great review, thanks! __________________ Michael XD-45 compact XD-40 sub-compact XD-9 sub-compact I'd rather have my XD and not need it, then need it and not have it.... I hereby certify that the person described hereon has been granted the privilege of carrying a concealed weapon in compliance with Arizona revised statute 13-3112.

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03-22-2008, 06:01 PM	#3
Diverdown XDTalk Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: seattle Posts: 51	I am looking at the same barrel. What is the difference between this semi drop in and match barrels?

03-22-2008, 06:08 PM	#4
Ed Ely XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: 37.65N -84.76W (Elev. 932 ft) Posts: 7,524 Blog Entries: 1	Hooz, good write-up and great review of what appears to be a great barrel. Ed

03-22-2008, 08:59 PM	#6
Diverdown XDTalk Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: seattle Posts: 51	Thanks very much HOOZ. I imagine a drop in will work well for a slight upgrade from OEM. Noel