Stormlake vs Apex barrel for accuracy?

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Looking at buying an aftermarket barrel for a fullsize 9mm. I am curious what opinions people have on the Stormlake barrel vs the Semi-drop in APEX (apparently they've discontinued the gunsmith fit bbl). I can get the ST for around $120 or the Apex for $190.
If the price were the same, I'd probably go with the Apex. But for $70, I'm considering the SL.

Thoughts?

 

[JJEH]

I have a Stormlake on my 4.25" M&P9 Pro (duty gun) and it works pretty good. Only reason I bought it was for the slightly faster twist. When I bought it couple of yrs ago there was no Apex barrel available. I believe Apex has a 1/10 twist while SL has a 1/16. Factory I believe is 1/18 for the "classic" M&P. Since I use 147gr bullets I wanted a faster twist, that's why I went with SL. It's a true drop in and I never had any issues with it.

 

[hardluk1]

Is your full size a 4.25 or 5" as apex has gunsmith fit 5" .

I installed a gunsmith fit apex 4.25 in my wifes CORE but fitting was very minimal . Why not ask apex about the real difference and if the gunsmith fit 4.25 will be back . Mine now has a solid tight lock and tighter chamber with better support and offers me 2" 25 yards groups shot from a rest using my old standard 1180fps 124gr coated swc and slightly better with 150gr coated swc using the dot optic .

Apex's current barrel is a semi fit and it may or may not drop in . If those are your only two choices after talking to APEX and hope a few licks of a file are needed here or there .

A true drops may lock up tightly or may fit none or little better than OEM and how well they function and group rounds may be little better than factory barrel !!

 

[CB3]

What do you expect in performance by replacing your barrel?

I had Apex put a threaded 5” GSF barrel in my 4.25” full size 9mm. Apex gave me the target below when they returned the gun. I assume it was shot from a rest. Better ammo would produce a tighter group. I don’t think this gun/barrel combination could be more inherently accurate. I have no knowledge of what results you could expect from a SL drop in, but I doubt it would rival an Apex GSF.

 

[Innovative]

Jayhawkhuntclub . . . .

I've found that the Apex barrel beats every other barrel I've ever seen. The thing that helps it more than anything, is the timing of the barrel when it unlocks from battery position.

Most after market barrels (like the OEM barrel) unlock too soon, and they generally provide terrible accuracy. I have (2) M&P CORE handguns (both with Apex barrels) that will easily shoot 1" (5 shot groups) at 25 yards with quality handloads.

I also use the Apex trigger. These modifications are a bit expensive, but they turn the S&W into spectacular shooters. Well worth the price, and easy to install yourself.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Well, I managed to find a 4.25" gunsmith fit barrel (old stock). And now thanks to you guys, I'm $180 poorer. I'm going to have a small fortune into this piece by the time I'm done. I already have the front faced APEX trigger kit in it and a Vortex Venom on top. Hoping this has a happy ending.

 

[CB3]

I'm betting you will.

The horizontal spread of 0.8" on the target below is due to my wavering while resting the gun. The vertical spread of 0.4" should be about the same for the horizontal, but I am not a vice. Apex produced a similar 5-shot group at 0.454" from a vice, I believe.

 

[Real Old Navy]

That's mighty purdy gun mister! Maybe I should have gone with something a little bigger than my Shield 1.0...but a 155mm Howitzer is just so hard to conceal and finding a good holster is impossible.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

CB3: I could live with that. My hope is that I can average under 2" for 5 rounds, rested at 20 yards. If I could average under 1.5", I'd be ecstatic. To be honest, I've never had great success with 9mm pistols. I can usually find a load that will average under 2", but even that takes a fair bit of work.

Now I need to buy a good file!

 

[Innovative]

Jayhawkhuntclub . . . .

Quality ammo makes a HUGE difference. No FMJ ammo! Your 25 yard groups will now be anywhere between 1" to 4" depending on what ammo you use. I see shooters every day with awesome handguns that expect tight groups with junk ammo.

 

[CB3]

That's mighty purdy gun mister! Maybe I should have gone with something a little bigger than my Shield 1.0...but a 155mm Howitzer is just so hard to conceal and finding a good holster is impossible.

You mean like this?

 

[hardluk1]

Darn guys I wish I could still shoot like some of you folks !! Maybe I should try some 115gr factory ammo in it .

 

[S&WIowegan]

When I bought my first S&W M&Ps I went with a Performance Center gun and another labeled Pro Series, both 5" barrels. Hand held off a bag rest they both shot OK out to 10 yds. Beyond that groups opened up dramatically until at 18yds. you couldn't call it group. Before someone tells me gunfights are all inside 5 to 7 yds, I shoot steel, IDPA and USPSA matches out to 25 yds. or more.

I quickly ordered Storm Lake drop in barrels and they certainly help. One of the problems with M&Ps are the loose fit at the front of the slide. Another is the nasty factory triggers. All these things can be fixed for serious dollars by good gunsmiths. S&W is keeping prices down to sell lots of guns so we can't expect much.

If I go to Apex barrels I'll opt for having them do the fitting.

 

[Innovative]

S&WIowegan . . . . .
You described the accuracy of almost any factory M&P handgun. The Apex barrel and trigger are the most massive improvements you can add on any to any handgun. In fact, after these two upgrades, the M&P is a super competitive pistol.

The barrel unlocking is critical for accuracy. Apex really got it right.

 

[S&WIowegan]

S&WIowegan . . . . .
You described the accuracy of almost any factory M&P handgun. The Apex barrel and trigger are the most massive improvements you can add on any to any handgun. In fact, after these two upgrades, the M&P is a super competitive pistol.

The barrel unlocking is critical for accuracy. Apex really got it right.

I fully realize that; paying extra for Performance Center or Pro Series was a huge waste of money. Buy a plain jane model and do the upgrades.

 

[hardluk1]

S&W Iowegan You Tube Videos can walk you threw any apex upgrades so at least give it a try . Its really not hard to do all or most . And a smithy can always fix if you fall flat .

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Jayhawkhuntclub . . . .

Quality ammo makes a HUGE difference. No FMJ ammo! Your 25 yard groups will now be anywhere between 1" to 4" depending on what ammo you use. I see shooters every day with awesome handguns that expect tight groups with junk ammo.

Yes I agree, I'm well aware of the importance of ammo. I've been making my own for 2 decades now. I've probably only shot a few hundred rounds of factory ammo in the last 10 years. But I don't think there is any issue with FMJ per se. I think it's just that a lot of FMJ comes made as budget ammo. I would never expect one hole groups with FC or WW.

 

[Innovative]

Jayhawkhuntclub . . . .

In the last 50 years of shooting & reloading, I have almost never seen any FMJ bullet that could compare to a good HP bullet. (One extremely rare exception is the 200 gr 45acp Hornady CT Match bullet.) This is due to the way different type bullets are made.

Winchester and Federal both make a jillion varieties of ammo. Their most accurate loads will always depend on exactly which bullet they use. With factory ammo, you usually get what you pay for.

Handloading allows a shooter to make economy ammo, or some of the most accurate loads possible. I often see disappointed shooters (with awesome firearms) that expect cheapo ammo to do wonders.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

You realize the one hole group in post number 4 was shot with Blazer Brass FMJ.

I've been casting my own for years now. So I haven't really loaded many FMJs; just no reason to. I know I have no problem with shooting 1" (give or take) groups with my bullets/loads in most 45 acp 1911s.

Sure, a lot of shooters are disappointed with high end guns. Sometimes it's the ammo. Often it's the shooter. And occasionally it's the gun. I think most experienced shooters realize you have to have all 3 worked out to make great groups.

 

[hardluk1]

CB3 How's that optic holding up . Round count, battery life . Would you buy it again ? Been using a trijicon for some years but would like a clearer field of view .