A couple of weeks ago I decided to start searching for a threaded barrel for my P226. When I had been looking around previously, it seemed anything that was in stock was about $300. This was a purchase that I was going to make regardless, but still, $300 is hard to swallow. This time, however, I stumbled across a Rattac barrel on eBay. After watching a review on the Military Arms Channel, I reached out to Tom from Rattac via Facebook.
Tom was very easy to work with, and quickly sent me a Paypal invoice for the proper amount (about $170 with shipping). He also informed me that I could buy from the eBay sale, as that was his listing. I placed an order on Thursday, and I received my barrel on Saturday. The barrel shipped from Washington State.
My barrel came in a plastic tube, wrapped in foam packing. The tube was inside a small USPS box and wrapped in newspaper. Very simple packaging, but the tube will be handy for keeping track of extra barrels, thread protectors, etc in the future.
I stripped my P226 and reassembled it with the Rattac barrel. The slide would not go back into place, so I stripped and reassembled it a few times to figure out the hangup. It felt like it was at the feed rams, so I used a caliper to check the difference between my factory barrel and the Rattac. The Rattac barrel was 0.003" high on the feed ramp. I emailed Tom back to inform him of my fitting difficulties. He offered a variety of solutions, ranging from sending it back to him to be fitted to letting me attempt to fit it. He seemed very confident in my ability to take care of it (perhaps to confident...), so I decided to give it a go.
After a short trip to Lowes to buy some emery cloth and a sharpening stone, I had no problem using the heavy grit emery paper and sharpening stone to work off the extra 0.003". It still a little tight, so maybe 0.0025". After using the lighter grit emery paper to clean it up, it fit nicely.
Overall the quality of the barrel is apparent, and I cant wait to shoot it. It looks like very excellent CNC work, and has less play than my factory barrel. It is still a little tight, but that should clear up after putting a few hundred rounds through it. Sure, I had to do some fitting, but for $170, I cant really complain.
I still need to pickup a thread protector, then I will take it to the range and follow up with a range report. I dont expect any problems. I will post a followup with some pictures later.
Short version: Rattac makes a good, affordable barrel. Tom also stands solidly behind his product and provided great customer service along the way. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is looking for a good quality and affordable threaded barrel.
Tom was very easy to work with, and quickly sent me a Paypal invoice for the proper amount (about $170 with shipping). He also informed me that I could buy from the eBay sale, as that was his listing. I placed an order on Thursday, and I received my barrel on Saturday. The barrel shipped from Washington State.
My barrel came in a plastic tube, wrapped in foam packing. The tube was inside a small USPS box and wrapped in newspaper. Very simple packaging, but the tube will be handy for keeping track of extra barrels, thread protectors, etc in the future.
I stripped my P226 and reassembled it with the Rattac barrel. The slide would not go back into place, so I stripped and reassembled it a few times to figure out the hangup. It felt like it was at the feed rams, so I used a caliper to check the difference between my factory barrel and the Rattac. The Rattac barrel was 0.003" high on the feed ramp. I emailed Tom back to inform him of my fitting difficulties. He offered a variety of solutions, ranging from sending it back to him to be fitted to letting me attempt to fit it. He seemed very confident in my ability to take care of it (perhaps to confident...), so I decided to give it a go.
After a short trip to Lowes to buy some emery cloth and a sharpening stone, I had no problem using the heavy grit emery paper and sharpening stone to work off the extra 0.003". It still a little tight, so maybe 0.0025". After using the lighter grit emery paper to clean it up, it fit nicely.
Overall the quality of the barrel is apparent, and I cant wait to shoot it. It looks like very excellent CNC work, and has less play than my factory barrel. It is still a little tight, but that should clear up after putting a few hundred rounds through it. Sure, I had to do some fitting, but for $170, I cant really complain.
I still need to pickup a thread protector, then I will take it to the range and follow up with a range report. I dont expect any problems. I will post a followup with some pictures later.
Short version: Rattac makes a good, affordable barrel. Tom also stands solidly behind his product and provided great customer service along the way. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is looking for a good quality and affordable threaded barrel.
