Ed Brown vs Barsto Wich is better?

[Bruce P.]

I am planning on buying one or the other of these for a commander. the Ed Brown is about 15 bucks cheaper. I will be istalling this my self. Are there any pros and cons to each of these barrels, or is it a matter of flipping a coin for it? Both will be a match fit rather than drop in. Any advise or accuracy comparisons would be helpful. How about You, Tuner, wich would You get? Thanks. BP

[stans]

I only have personal experience with BarSto and that was a semi-drop in barrel, dead nuts accurate. I have spoken to those with Ed Brown barrels and read reviews, I don't seem to recall any complaints. Either is likely to be very good.

[wichaka]

From my experience, it's mostly in the fit..........about 80-90% fit, the 10-20% is the quality of the barrel.

I've used both and have had good results.

[John Lawson]

The people who make Brown's barrels must use a slightly smaller pilot, on a reamer that is run a few thousandths deeper, because the BarSto has a tighter chamber in both diameter and in length compared to Storm Lake barrels.
When a barrel is fitted, the line of the bore must be at an exact 90 degrees to the slide face, or case heads will be slightly longer in one position radially. This can cause bottoming out in a precisely cut to length chamber and might even cause incomplete chambering with reloads using fired brass with an angled head. On the other hand, the same loads could be more uniform in a slightly deeper chamber.
There are a great many variables in barrel fitting. An average shooter will probably not notice any difference. How often have you placed your fired brass on a machinist's square to check concentricity? And, it may not have made a bit of perceptible difference.

[jcmios]

I have used both and as long as they are properly fit you won't be able to tell the difference.
Jim

[Gammon]

I have used several after market barrels with sucess, BUT I blew up a Bar Sto under questionable circumstances. The problem very well could have been my reloads, but Bar Sto replaced the barrel without complaint. This has made me a Bar Sto fan.

[Bruce P.]

Well I went with the barsto barrel, I figured that what the heck its only 15 bucks over the Brown. I received the AGI ultimate 1911 course the other day, so that Should give me some visual insight on barrel fitting. From what I have seen of the course so far, I am really impressed.

[Jimmy]

I am a BarSto fan because I knew Irving the III's dad from out at the range in 29 Palms. Every pistol I have has that was an auto has had a BarSto barrel. "Stony" was one cool dude and would let me shoot whatever he brought to the range on match day. He and my old man were buds and his wife Barbara was great also. By the way, if I remember correctly, the name Bar-Sto comes from Barbara and Stony. That guy was really in love with his missus. As to the barrels, hell how would I know of I haven't shot anything else? But my old man was able to use an extended barrel of Irv's design to take a 9mm into the major category back in the 70's when many practical shooting clubs wouldn't let you shoot one.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Bruce,

Bar-Sto has an excellent rep for good barrels. They've been makin'em for a long time, and they've got a good handle on it. I agree completely with Wichaka and John. The quality of the fit is the most important aspect. You can buy the very best barrel there is, and if the fit isn't right, it won't shoot any better than a cheapie that has a good fit...and it might shoot worse. I've seen it happen. As John pointed out, the closer the tolerances within the barrel, the more critical the geometry relative to the breechface becomes.