The machine never lies - Pistol Smithing

Before testing Marc's match barrel I purchased a brand new Kimber Classic II and had one of the finest machine-rest testers around give it a test. Ralph Talbot, a retired US Army Distinguished Master competitive shooter and former president of the Texas State Rifle Association, took the new, unfired Kimber out to the range, locked it down in his Ransom rest, and gave it a go.

Five 10-shot groups were shot at 50 yards using a combination of hand and factory loads used by the majority of today's precision pistol shooters. Those loads are: (1) 4.7 grs. Winchester WST, Federal case and primer, Nosler 185 gr. JHP bullet; (2) 4.2 grs. 200 gr. H&G bullet; (3) Western factory match, 185 gr. TC bullet; (4) Remington factory match Targetmaster, 185 gr. SW; (5) Federal Gold factory match, 185 gr. SW.

What took place next was pretty surprising but confirmed previous tests. The Custom II, the least expensive pistol Kimber makes, shot some unbelievable groups at 50 yards. The same gun with the Krebs barrel installed was even better! Check Out the table.

As you can see, the box-stock Kimber turned in some pretty impressive 50-yard groups, but American Pistolsmiths Guild member Marc Kreb's "do it yourself match barrel" definitely tightened up the accuracy. The Krebs barrel installed in a "loose as a goose" Colt Gold Cup or old G.I. .45 should improve accuracy by a good 50 percent or better, depending on how loose the slide is on the frame. The unit comes with a match bushing, but it was too loose in the Kimber slide, so I used an MGW barrel bushing that, when fitted, must be removed with a wrench. The bushing must be tight and perfectly fitted so as to lock down the barrel at the muzzle.

Load:         1       2   3         4       5

Kimber        5 7/8"  4"  5 13/16"  5 3/8"  3"
Krebs Barrel  3 5/8"  4"  4 3/8"    2 1/4"  2 3/8"

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