G48 Upgrades: How ’bout a Glock 48 Barrel?

Faxon Firearms says they want you to “…unlock the true potential of your Glock 48…” with one of their precision barrels. An aftermarket Glock 48 barrel is an excellent upgrade for your EDC pistol, assuming of course you can leverage the mechanical potential. So let’s take a look at what they sent.

Glock 48 barrel options from Faxon Firearms.

Before we get started, a note of not-caution: you don’t have to be a gunsmith to install one of these. The dimensions are very close to your stock barrel and they’re conventionally rifled so you can use a wide variety of ammunition. If you can perform basic cleaning on your G48, you can drop one of these in.

Faxon Glock 48 Barrel Build

Faxon’s G48 barrels are part of their Match Series. They’re manufactured with stress-relieved 416-R stainless steel in house at Faxon’s facility. After machining they’re coated with either black Nitride or PVD. This enhances lubricity, barrel life, and surface wear resistance.

9mm G48 Barrel Specs

  • Barrel Material: Stress Relieved 416-R Stainless Steel
  • Barrel Twist: 1:10
  • Muzzle Thread: 1/2X28
  • Crown: 11-degree Target Crown
  • Rifling Type: Conventional

BLUF: GET YOUR GLOCK 48 BARREL

Glock barrels from Faxon are available at:

Faxon Barrel Advantages

Some of these advantages can be difficult to quantify, but quality aftermarket upgrade parts do work. Sometimes it’s incremental, but we’ll take every advantage we can when it comes to a defensive weapon.

Here’s how they run it down.

Improved accuracy

The Faxon Match Series Glock 48 barrel is designed to offer superior accuracy compared to the stock Glock 48 barrel. 

Its 1:10 traditional rifling ensures a smoother and more consistent bore, resulting in tighter groupings and better shot placement. Additionally, the barrel is manufactured with an 11-degree target crown.

What is a target crown? To safeguard the precision of the barrel, a target crown is created by machining the muzzle end. This helps in protecting the rifling, which is crucial for accuracy. A damaged or nicked edge of the bore at the muzzle can interfere with the bullet’s trajectory as it leaves the barrel.

Why 11-degrees? the claim is that an 11-degree crown provides a flatter surface area for gases to dissipate more quickly & evenly as they exit the muzzle so as not to disturb the flight of the bullet.

All that said, at 25 yards, groups will be anywhere from a ¼ inch to 2 inches tighter by using a match-grade barrel.

A quality aftermarket Glock 48 barrel is an excellent upgrade for any CCW handgun (not just G48s), but not if purchased in lieu of professional training, ammunition, and range time.
A quality aftermarket Glock 48 barrel is an excellent upgrade for any CCW handgun (not just G48s), but not if purchased in lieu of professional training, ammunition, and range time.

Increased reliability

The Faxon barrel’s optimized chamber helps ensure reliable feeding and extraction, minimizing the chances of a malfunction. 

This is particularly important for those who rely on their Glock 48 for self-defense or other high-stress situations.

Better recoil management 

The Faxon Match Series barrels, by design, help to reduce recoil, making follow-up shots faster and more accurate. 

This can be beneficial for competitive shooters or those who want to improve their shooting speed and accuracy.

For self-defense and concealed carry, a match barrel can assist in keeping your follow-up shots on the threat, although the shooter needs to do their part and have a solid understanding of the fundamentals.

How long is the Glock 48 barrel? The Glock 48 has a shorter overall length of 7.28 inches but a longer barrel at 4.17 inches. The Glock 19, on the other hand, has a 4.02-inch barrel but an overall length of 7.36 inches. The slightly longer barrel length over the Glock 19 and Glock 43x does provide some recoil management.

Faxon offers a wide variety of aftermarket options, including these Glock 19 barrels.
Faxon offers a wide variety of aftermarket options, including these Glock 19 barrels.

Customizable options

The Faxon Match Series Glock 48 barrel comes in a variety of finishes, lengths, and threading options, allowing for customization to fit individual preferences and needs. 

Additionally, its threaded barrel option allows for the attachment of suppressors or compensators, further enhancing its versatility.

If you’re looking for a Glock 48 threaded barrel and compensator combo, Faxon has you covered with their EXOS compensator, designed to work seamlessly with their threaded barrels.

Overall, the Faxon Glock 48 barrel offers several advantages over the stock Glock 48 barrel in terms of accuracy, reliability, and recoil management. Its customizable options make it a versatile option for those looking to tailor their Glock 48 to their specific needs and preferences.

Faxon Barrel Disadvantages

There’s really just one: cost.

There’s no getting around the fact that an aftermarket Glock 48 barrel like this – or any higher quality barrel for that matter – will cost you. You’re the only one who knows if you can or want to spend the money for an upgrade. Our thoughts match that of the SMEs we know: if you want to spend money on upgrades, get after it! Just not at the expense of your training budget.

If you do decide to spend the money, definitely take a look at Faxon. They have a proven record, a loyal following, and a reputation for excellent Quality Control.

You can find the whole lineup of the G48 barrel options on the Faxon website.

The Faxon line of Glock 48 barrels is not the only award-winning product the company manufactures.
Among its many awards, Faxon earned the 2022 Shooting Sports Retailer Choice Gold Medal for aftermarket barrel manufacturing.

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