I recently tested a Blacklist match grade barrel side by side with the stock OEM barrel in my Glock 19. They also make them for the M&P 9, 9C, and Shield. The Blacklist barrel hands down was more accurate than the stock barrel from a bench rest. All groups were tighter and some were amazing. I shot mostly 147gr JHP at 880 fps and 1 group of 124gr FP at 1040 fps. The Blacklist did well with both.
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% or not.
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. 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.
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. If you are looking to get that last little bit of accuracy, this barrel can do it.
