[DMWyatt]

I notice that on a standard barreled XD there is about 1/4" of daylight above the barrel. I assume that i's there for the sake of reliability and to lessen drag. My questions is: does a match barrel decrease that gap, and if so, are there any real improvements in an XD's accuracy if equipped with a match barrel or is it a percieved benefit?

 

[Trackready]

this gap is there because the nature of a tilt-lock barrel system, a "match" barrel will fit the same.

 

[DMWyatt]

this gap is there because the nature of a tilt-lock barrel system, a "match" barrel will fit the same.

That's not necessarily true. There are plenty of other weapons that work on this principle that don't have such an obvious gap. if I remember correctly, my Glock was a lot tighter at the muzzle than my XD is. Also, from what I've seen the tolerances on the XDM are much tighter at the muzzle. This could be more likely a side effect of having more of the barrel protruding from the front, but that's what brought me to the original question.

 

[NDB_MN]

I've noticed that too. My PX4sc has a completely tight fit and it's a tilt-barrel too.

 

[Joeywhat]

Clearance at the muzzle really makes no difference in accuracy.

You will see some gains in accuracy through a match barrel. That's assuming you can shoot the XD well to begin with.

 

[powder river]

If a barrel has a lose fit at the muzzle then you will get a random shotgun pattern. If the fit is too tight then the pistol will string vertically. The muzzle end of the barrel locks at the bottom of the bore of the slide. The gap that you are looking at will still be there with a M/T barrel. There needs to be some gap at the top in order to remove the barrel from the slide.

 

[DMWyatt]

If a barrel has a lose fit at the muzzle then you will get a random shotgun pattern. If the fit is too tight then the pistol will string vertically. The muzzle end of the barrel locks at the bottom of the bore of the slide. The gap that you are looking at will still be there with a M/T barrel. There needs to be some gap at the top in order to remove the barrel from the slide.

How much more accuracy can a match barrel facilitate as opposed to a factory barrel?

 

[mhillsing23]

How much more accuracy can a match barrel facilitate as opposed to a factory barrel?

I guess my question would be, what are you trying to do with your XD? Bullseye, IDPA, punch paper, etc.

I know that I am not more accurate than my XD.

 

[powder river]

How much more accuracy can a match barrel facilitate as opposed to a factory barrel?

That is a hard question to answer. How accurate is the factory barrel? What match target barrel are you planing on using? How is the match barrel fit to the pistol? If the barrel is not fit properly you could see a reduction in accuracy. The gains can be significant. 11/2" at 25 yards is very doable with the XD platform.

 

[DMWyatt]

That is a hard question to answer. How accurate is the factory barrel? What match target barrel are you planing on using? How is the match barrel fit to the pistol? If the barrel is not fit properly you could see a reduction in accuracy. The gains can be significant. 11/2" at 25 yards is very doable with the XD platform.

The factory barrel is grouping somewhere around 3" from a sandbag rest @ 25 yards. Are there any manufacturers of match grade barrels that you would suggest over others? I'm not looking into a plug and play solution necessarily. I have no problem sending off to be fitted.

 

[powder river]

Bar-Sto makes the best barrels that you can buy (I'm only slightly bias). If you are only getting 3" groups with the factory barrel, a well fit match target barrel will a big improvement.

 

[DMWyatt]

Bar-Sto makes the best barrels that you can buy (I'm only slightly bias). If you are only getting 3" groups with the factory barrel, a well fit match target barrel will a big improvement.

Hey thanks for the input!