Well, it surprises me that S&W hasn't offered to buy the gun just to be rid of the problem.

I have no idea what causes these pistols to be less than acceptable shooters. 4-inches at 25-yards may be a reasonable expectation, but it still is way "too reasonable" for me. I am looking for 2-inches, give or take a little, so I have about resigned myself to buying an aftermarket barrel. I don't see it happening another way.

It occurred to me to try to build a fixture to hold the barrel to test it out of the gun, just as a matter of curiosity, but I think far better minds than mine are at work on this project. If Bar-sto cannot figure this out, I doubt there is anything I could do to help. They expect to have a product available to the general public around March-April (2013) and they are working with others in the meantime to get initial production out in the field and tested. I am in no hurry so I think I will just put my M&P9L in the drawer for a while and wait to see what happens.

In the meantime, I think I will drag my M&P.45 out of nightstand-retirement and shoot it a bit this winter. Should help to teach my old brain how to handle these "new" designs.