Apex Announces 9mm M&P Barrels
LOS OSOS, Calif. – Apex Tactical Specialties, best known for their aftermarket upgrades for the Smith & Wesson M&P line of pistols, announced the upcoming release of their newest product, the Apex Grade 9mm Semi Drop-In and Gunsmith Fit Barrels for the M&P.
Since its introduction the Smith & Wesson M&P has experienced accuracy issues with owners frequently reporting only adequate to mediocre accuracy, and often at just 10 yards. Fine for a polymer frame striker-fired combat pistol, but less so for a competition firearm. For the past four years, Randy Lee, one of the industry’s top design engineers and the president and CEO of Apex, has been working on improving the M&P’s accuracy. The result is the unique Apex barrel geometry, included in the company’s patent pending barrel design, that consistently delivers five-shot groups well under two inches at 25 yards, whether it is with 115gr., 124gr. or 147gr. factory ammunition.
In controlled testing using a Ransom Rest that eliminates the human element and focuses only on the mechanical operation of the barrel in the dynamic environment of the functioning pistol, the new Apex Grade Barrel routinely delivered sub-one inch groups with several under one half inch.
When tested at the extreme of 50 yards, the 5.00” Apex Grade Barrel, shooting 147gr. factory ammunition, delivered a 1.86” five-shot group (measured center to center), putting it on a par with high-end custom built 1911 pistols. By comparison, the same test pistol shot with the Smith & Wesson factory barrel delivered a 5.209” group, nearly three times larger than that of the Apex Grade Barrel.
“After four years of chasing accuracy in the M&P, we are very pleased to introduce our Apex Grade barrel design which doesn’t just improve the pistol’s accuracy but far exceeds that of any aftermarket barrel currently offered,” said Randy Lee.
“Through extensive research and testing we were able to pinpoint the causes of the M&P’s errant accuracy and address them with a proprietary Apex geometry that takes into account the wide range of varying tolerances found from one M&P to another. With either our Apex Grade Semi Drop-In or Gunsmith Fit Barrel, customers can finally get the accuracy they have been chasing in their M&P.”
The new stainless steel Apex Grade Barrels feature a 1:10” twist rate and will be available in 4.25” and 5.00” lengths in either a semi drop-in or gunsmith fit configuration. The Apex Grade Semi Drop-In Barrel can be easily fitted by the end user and is designed to significantly increase accuracy performance, making the M&P capable of shooting a one and a half inch or better grouping at 25 yards.
The Apex Grade Gunsmith Fit Barrel is designed for installation by a trained gunsmith who can perform an exact barrel fitting to a specific pistol. This precision approach to fitting makes the M&P capable of shooting a one inch or better grouping at 25 yards.
Final accuracy results after installation may vary based on the individual shooter’s ability, ammunition selection and variations in factory firearm tolerances.
Apex will offer installation and fitting of the Apex Grade Gunsmith Fit Barrel as part of their wide range of gunsmithing services. Customers interested in having their M&P worked on should contact Apex Customer Service at (805) 528-5250 for a quote.
The new Apex Grade Barrels for the 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P retail for $199.95 and will begin shipping on Monday, December 7. The barrels are currently available for pre-order at Brownells.com (Semi Drop-In and Gunsmith Fit.
Dealers and distributors can order the new barrels by contacting Apex at [email protected] or calling (805) 528-5250.
Features and Specifications:
– For 9mm M&P Pistols Only
– 5.00” or 4.25” Length
– Stainless Steel
– 1:10” Twist Rate
– Recessed Target Crown
– Fully Supported Chamber
– Apex Part #: 105-050 (5.00” Gunsmith Fit)
– Apex Part #: 105-051 (4.25” Gunsmith Fit)
– Apex Part #: 105-052 (5.00” Semi Drop-In)
– Apex Part #: 105-053 (4.25” Semi Drop-In)
– MSRP: $199.95
For more information on parts and services from Apex Tactical Specialties, visit www.ApexTactical.com, like Apex Tactical on Facebook or follow @ApexTactical on Twitter and Instagram. Instructional videos on the installation of Apex parts are available on Apex's YouTube channel.
In controlled testing using a Ransom Rest that eliminates the human element and focuses only on the mechanical operation of the barrel in the dynamic environment of the functioning pistol, the new Apex Grade Barrel routinely delivered sub-one inch groups with several under one half inch.
When tested at the extreme of 50 yards, the 5.00” Apex Grade Barrel, shooting 147gr. factory ammunition, delivered a 1.86” five-shot group (measured center to center), putting it on a par with high-end custom built 1911 pistols. By comparison, the same test pistol shot with the Smith & Wesson factory barrel delivered a 5.209” group, nearly three times larger than that of the Apex Grade Barrel.
“After four years of chasing accuracy in the M&P, we are very pleased to introduce our Apex Grade barrel design which doesn’t just improve the pistol’s accuracy but far exceeds that of any aftermarket barrel currently offered,” said Randy Lee.
“Through extensive research and testing we were able to pinpoint the causes of the M&P’s errant accuracy and address them with a proprietary Apex geometry that takes into account the wide range of varying tolerances found from one M&P to another. With either our Apex Grade Semi Drop-In or Gunsmith Fit Barrel, customers can finally get the accuracy they have been chasing in their M&P.”
The new stainless steel Apex Grade Barrels feature a 1:10” twist rate and will be available in 4.25” and 5.00” lengths in either a semi drop-in or gunsmith fit configuration. The Apex Grade Semi Drop-In Barrel can be easily fitted by the end user and is designed to significantly increase accuracy performance, making the M&P capable of shooting a one and a half inch or better grouping at 25 yards.
The Apex Grade Gunsmith Fit Barrel is designed for installation by a trained gunsmith who can perform an exact barrel fitting to a specific pistol. This precision approach to fitting makes the M&P capable of shooting a one inch or better grouping at 25 yards.
Final accuracy results after installation may vary based on the individual shooter’s ability, ammunition selection and variations in factory firearm tolerances.
Apex will offer installation and fitting of the Apex Grade Gunsmith Fit Barrel as part of their wide range of gunsmithing services. Customers interested in having their M&P worked on should contact Apex Customer Service at (805) 528-5250 for a quote.
The new Apex Grade Barrels for the 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P retail for $199.95 and will begin shipping on Monday, December 7. The barrels are currently available for pre-order at Brownells.com (Semi Drop-In and Gunsmith Fit.
Dealers and distributors can order the new barrels by contacting Apex at [email protected] or calling (805) 528-5250.
Features and Specifications:
– For 9mm M&P Pistols Only
– 5.00” or 4.25” Length
– Stainless Steel
– 1:10” Twist Rate
– Recessed Target Crown
– Fully Supported Chamber
– Apex Part #: 105-050 (5.00” Gunsmith Fit)
– Apex Part #: 105-051 (4.25” Gunsmith Fit)
– Apex Part #: 105-052 (5.00” Semi Drop-In)
– Apex Part #: 105-053 (4.25” Semi Drop-In)
– MSRP: $199.95
For more information on parts and services from Apex Tactical Specialties, visit www.ApexTactical.com, like Apex Tactical on Facebook or follow @ApexTactical on Twitter and Instagram. Instructional videos on the installation of Apex parts are available on Apex's YouTube channel.
M&P can be fully APEX'ed out.
Expert fitting of the Apex Grade Gunsmith Fit Barrel to your the slide and frame of your 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P (4.25'' or 5.0'' only). Note: For a limited time, receive a $50 discount when installing certain Apex triggers and kits when fitting a barrel. Contact Apex Customer Service for details.
What are the points on the gunsmith fitted barrel that require fitting vs. the semi-drop in barrel?
The SDI barrel was designed to provide repeatable mechanical lock up in 90% of the pistols, with only minor fitting required (if at all). Many report that the barrel only required removal of a few thousandths of an inch off the barrel hood length, and that the barrel eliminated excess play when the barrel was in battery and when the slide was pulled rearward over 1/10th of an inch. The fitting pad on the bottom lug was designed to allow the end user to establish solid vertical lock up with only a hand file and some patience. This barrel, in most cases negates the cost of having a gunsmith fit the barrel, shipping expenses as well as down time while the pistol is in the shop for service.
In some cases, the vertical slide to frame tolerance can be on the extreme end of the spectrum- such that the vertical height of the SDI bottom lug is still too short to allow solid contact between it and the frame’s locking block. This is where the Gunsmith Fit barrel is advantageous. The bottom lug dimensions of the GF barrel are such that regardless of where the particular pistol falls in the tolerance spectrum, there is sufficient material to ensure consistent contact between the two surfaces.
Statistically speaking, if you take 100 M&P 9 pistols and install our SDI barrels, 90 of them will provide 1.5” or better at 25 yards from a Ransom Rest.
If you did took the same number and fitted our GF barrels, all 100 would shoot 1” or better using the same testing criteria (good quality ammunition of course). The reason for the slight gain in performance is due to the ability of the GF barrel to compensate for all the tolerance variations across the board. ~ Randy Lee
So my question is, can I buy the 9mm 5" pro barrel and have it threaded and install it in the 4.25 pro series core 9mm? Or Are you working on threaded barrels for the m&ps?
Thanks W.
This would be a considerably hot item.
1. Barrel for Shield
2. A threaded barrel for the M&P
End of wish list.
Cheers!