Accuracy is here: Fitting the Apex barrel myself.

[agksimon]

Got it thanks agksimon, I think I going to go head and order the Gunsmith.
Now that its been 6 months with your Apex barrel, you still enjoying it, any issues with it?

I bought the first one available, the day they were released. They had issues with 147 grain flat point FMJ, in that they would seat against the chamber front and made it difficult to impossible to extract a live round. This has been corrected with the later ones. I could have sent mine in to be fixed, but I did it myself by putting a very slight bevel in there and it now works fine, with no loss of accuracy.

 

[Caliper]

Just curious, is there enough material in the barrel hood of the gunsmith fit barrel that it could be used as a 9mm conversion barrel for a M&P 40 and have a tight fit?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Randy Lee]

Just curious, is there enough material in the barrel hood of the gunsmith fit barrel that it could be used as a 9mm conversion barrel for a M&P 40 and have a tight fit?

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Unfortunately the answer is no. We should have a conversion barrel within a few months.

 

[HP1]

I finished my Semi Drop in Fit. Took nothing off "A" Coated "B" 3 times in the blue and filed it off 3 times so it required very very little taken off. "C" only needed a whisper taken off.

Now I want to get the barrel treated in Nitride. As this thread is fairly old I have to assume this may be a more common request. What would be the estimated cost and a reasonable place to have it sent to?

As I read the threads on the Apex dropin I understand that eventually my perfect fit will wear down. Will having the Nitride done prevent this from happening?

 

[TAROMAN]

I know little about nitrocarburizing, but wonder if the thickness of it (if it HAS any) might affect the barrel's fit?

 

[HP1]

I know little about nitrocarburizing, but wonder if the thickness of it (if it HAS any) might affect the barrel's fit?

It a molecular change more than adding although I think it may add .000something.

Of note Wendy of Apex said it will nullify the warranty although as soon as I used a file on the barrel it was 100% mine and cant be sent back.

H&M Said the cost will be $100 and about a 15 day turnaround.
Below is the POC
Adam Rittenberry
Firearms Division Coordinator
H&M Metal Processing
330-745-3075

I was happy with the vast improvement of the Apex over the Stock one and shot 80 rounds through it before I sent it off today. Ill post a pic when I get it back and let you know if the fit is affected.

 

[Rett Skutt]

Thanks for all of the info agksimon!

I realize this thread is over a year old, but I will be putting a Drop In Barrel in my M&P Pro next week. It's cold in Michigan, but I love shooting and ringing metal. So much fun, especially at 25 yards.

Thanks for the heads up on the - "I found that dry erase marker worked better for me, than Dykem, as it doesn't dry in place and shows a mark better."

I'll try the dry erase marker first, and if it doesn't work; then the Blue Dykem. I never really liked that stuff in all the years I worked as a Mechanic/Welder/Machinist. I works, but the smell always gave me a headache!

BTW - My 9mm Pro is not as loose as yours before you replaced the barrel. But I love making the gun better. That Apex Forward Set Sear and Flat Faced Trigger were perfect for me.

Take care, Thanks again for the info.

 

[Rett Skutt]

I live in Michigan and it's finally turning cold. If we don't get another warm spell, it'll be March, before I do any more shooting.

I can tell you, if you do a proper installation (watch the video a lot), you will eliminate the gun as the source of flyers. Then, it's up to the shooter.

One other note: The barrel lug fit will be exerting more pressure on the slide, than it did with the factory barrel. Use a good gun grease on the slide rails and the lug.

Hi,

How did you determine the proper amount of pressure required to release the barrel from the slide?
Additionally, How did you determine the correct amount of pressure to allow the slide to go back into battery after a slow release forward?

In the videos Randy Lee mentioned 2lb or so for each of these pressure points. I find that hard to duplicate. I fitted mine, and it seems okay. The barrel will hold in the slide when right side up, until I tap it with my finger. I do not have to press down hard.

The slide will hold back off battery, until I hold the gun in firing position and do a little muzzle down flip. It then slides into battery.

Any thoughts?

Take care and Thanks in advance,

 

[Angus46]

That should be about right. How is the dwell time and lock up? Does it stay locked up as you move the slide back. Should stay tight for about .5 to .6. Also the hood fit is a real critical one. Should be basically no play when you drop the barrel into the slide befor you put the spring on it.

Have you shot it yet?

 

[Rett Skutt]

That should be about right. How is the dwell time and lock up? Does it stay locked up as you move the slide back. Should stay tight for about .5 to .6. Also the hood fit is a real critical one. Should be basically no play when you drop the barrel into the slide before you put the spring on it.

Have you shot it yet?

Hi Angus,

Thanks for the response. The lock up is as you describe. Stays tight for about 1/8 inch? or so when I slowly pull the slide back, then the barrel drops down. I did not measure this distance accurately, but will tonight when I get home.

The hood fit is tight. No play front to back or side to side when installed without the spring. The barrel also stays in place when spring is removed, and turned right side up. I can place the slide (with the barrel in it) on the table, and then finger tap the barrel on top to release it. Seems okay.

I have not shot it yet. I will tomorrow. We had snow and rain today. A bad icy mix here in Michigan, not to good to drive on. I wanted to also wait until I received some feed back from the folks here on the forum and Apex tech support. I didn't want to damage the gun or anything during live fire.

As for Apex. Wendy did get back with me today as well. She stated that my install was near perfect. I'll see tomorrow. If anything, the Pad dimension might be a little tight (in my opinion). According to her, if it does not go into battery during live fire; then the Pad height/dimension will need some slight adjustment. She also stated that a couple of hundred rounds will "marry" the surfaces in. I'll get back here tomorrow to let you know how it goes.

Thanks again, and Take care,

 

[Rett Skutt]

How is the dwell time and lock up? Does it stay locked up as you move the slide back. Should stay tight for about .5 to .6. Also the hood fit is a real critical one.

Hi Angus,

Just got home. Man the roads were bad from Grand Rapids to Ludington. A lot of slide offs. People just can't seem to slow down with obviously bad roads. Go Figure!

Anyway, I measured the Slide distance just before the barrel drops off the hood. Your .5 to .6 really threw me off. I could not determine what unit of measure you were referring too.

I thought from memory it was about 1/16 inch or .062 or so. I measured with a Digital Vernier Caliper .071 to .075 of an inch. Hard to measure because there are no real reference points. Everything externally on the gun is curved or sloped.

Does that make any sense?

Take care,

 

[Angus46]

Sorry about that, I didn't pay attention, typing too fast and forgot a zero. Pretty important one at that! .050 to .060 should be about what you get. I used a vice and a dial indicator on the front of the slide. If you are anywhere near .071 that is great. Look at the factory barell, it unlocks almost immediately.

I agree about the pad, If it goes into battery from slide lock with no issues you should be good to go. Sounds like it fits perfectly into the slide. Only other thing to check would be if it springs in the slide. So upside down, barell in the slide no spring. Push down on the barrel and see if there is movement or it pops back. Shouldn't be any. If there is work with Apex about how to remove some of the material on top of the barrel. The key to this and all the fitting process is to slooooooow... which it sounds like you did based on how it fits.

It will probably loosen up just a bit after shooting, mine did. At first I had to push the slide forward from a striker reset when dry firing. Now will basically slide into battery with a little shake. Wish it would have been a tad tighter initially. However, accuracy is great and now about 500 rounds into new barrel and trigger set up, zero failures!

 

[Ballenxj]

Slipped up to the club this morning and bench rested some shots at 25 yards.
<----snip---->
I had problems seeing the sights, but was able to group the AE 147 into less than 2.5 inches. It was remarkable, as this was the first time with no off the paper flyers, like I usually get.

Thanks for posting this thread along with your results.

 

[Rett Skutt]

Sorry about that, I didn't pay attention, typing too fast and forgot a zero. Pretty important one at that! .050 to .060 should be about what you get. I used a vice and a dial indicator on the front of the slide. If you are anywhere near .071 that is great. Look at the factory barell, it unlocks almost immediately.

I agree about the pad, If it goes into battery from slide lock with no issues you should be good to go. Sounds like it fits perfectly into the slide. Only other thing to check would be if it springs in the slide. So upside down, barrel in the slide no spring. Push down on the barrel and see if there is movement or it pops back. Shouldn't be any. If there is work with Apex about how to remove some of the material on top of the barrel. The key to this and all the fitting process is to slooooooow... which it sounds like you did based on how it fits.

It will probably loosen up just a bit after shooting, mine did. At first I had to push the slide forward from a striker reset when dry firing. Now will basically slide into battery with a little shake. Wish it would have been a tad tighter initially. However, accuracy is great and now about 500 rounds into new barrel and trigger set up, zero failures!

Hi Angus,

To your question about the barrel. When turned upside down the barrel stays in place until I finger tap it. It then pops out. There does not seem to be any spring or push back.

Went out today and completed some live fire. 5 - 17 round magazines. Gun performed excellently. No failures at all. Slide went into battery each time, no FTE's or light primer strikes. The White box Winchester 124gr target ammo is pretty dirty though. I need to shoot 2 more boxes and then go to the Speer 115gr Lawman rounds I just purchased. So far, my favorite 9mm ammo is Federal 115gr.

I hope to shoot the gun off a bench rest this weekend, and check the sight alignment. I was hitting an 8 inch gong at 20 yards with good results, but hits seemed a little low for POA. My POA was 12 o'clock on the gong, but it could be just me. I then just started shooting at hanging tennis balls, my friends old car door, beer cans, and plastic water bottles. Really fun shooting the gun.

Take care and Thanks for all the help,

 

[Angus46]

Glad it's shooting like you had hoped! After all the info I read and using the APEX products myself I'm soldon them. Sounds like you are feeling that way as well.

Enjoy the gun!