Was on the telephone with S&W asking about the 442 Pro series finish so I also asked bout the mim barrel. The barrel comes in as a blank and is finished/machined for forcing cone, threads, EJ rod pin housing, and rifling..... he said it goes through 3 or 4 stations and 5 or 6 operations in the finishing process. The barrels have been found to be very accurate and without any issues.