The laws of physics can be so annoying. As much as we’d like to be perfect shooters every time, there are universal rules that we fight against. A great example of this is recoil. Isaac Newton famously wrote, “To every action, there is always opposed an equal reaction.” As the bullet leaves the barrel, it’s our job to tame the reaction. Compensators were designed to help combat this. If you look at the guns used by high-level Open Division shooters, you’ll notice the lack of muzzle flip. This is thanks to solid fundamentals, as well as mechanical advantages like comps. Today, we’ll be looking at the Strike Industries compensation system, which consists of their Strike Threaded Barrel and Strike Micro Threaded Comp.

Strike Industries @ TFB:

• Fold ‘Em Up! Strike Industries Stock-Only Dual Folding Adapter
• Pick Your Height: Strike Industries Variable Optic Mount for Aimpoint
• Strike Industries Oppressor Now Available In ODGLINE

Comps redirect the gases expelled by the cartridge to force the muzzle end of the gun to stay down. This makes tracking sights through recoil easier and can lead to quicker follow-up shots. It’s not all pretty, though. Compensators have gained a reputation for being picky with ammunition. Low-powered training rounds have been known not to cycle reliably, depending on your setup.

Strike Threaded Barrel and Micro Comp: Specifications

BARREL SPECS

• Length: 4.46”
• Thread pitch: ½”-28
• Twist rate: 1:10 6-groove
• Material: 416R stainless steel
• Price: $197.00

COMP SPECS

• Length: .64”
• Diameter: .65”
• Ports: 3
• Material: AISI 1144 steel
• Price: $49.95

Striking To Win: The Strike Threaded Barrel vs Glock Barrel

As you can see from the photos, things got pretty wet during this day of testing. Thanks to the endless cycle of sun, rain, hail, and lightning, a lot of this had to be done from the car. Comparing the two barrels, there are a few differences. The first is length. The Strike barrel adds .44” thanks to the threads. The OEM barrel uses hexagonal rifling, while Strike opted for six-groove rifling. The twist rates differ ever so slightly. The threaded barrel uses a 1:10 twist, while the stock barrel uses a 1:9.84. The Strike Industries barrel features straight fluting and their usual aesthetic. 

Recoil, Shmrecoil

Strike Industries claims that the Circle version of their Micro Threaded Comp reduces felt recoil by 8-15%. I’m no scientist, and I’m nowhere near the most consistent shooter I know, but I did my best to compare recoil between the Glock factory barrel and Strike’s barrel. I used a zeroing target and pulled frames from some slow-motion video. This test was performed with 124-grain SIG V-Crown ammo. 

The 8-15% reduction claim specifies felt recoil, but you can see from the grabs that the comp actually cut out a decent amount of flip. Actually being behind the gun, I don’t know that I can feel a huge difference, but watching the homies run it both ways, I did see a pretty significant decrease in recoil.

A Picky Eater?

I wanted to test the recoil with a stouter round than remanufactured 115s. However, between my wife and I, we’ve put probably 500 rounds of Super Vel Certified Select 115-grain FMJs down the Strike Threaded Barrel and have had zero cycling issues. I should note that I did have one stuck case, but then had the same issue about a month later with the OEM barrel, and attributed the issues to out-of-spec cases. Pic for attention.

What Dat Rifling Do?

Different barrels perform differently and can be affected by different conditions. Have you caught on that these are different? I was curious to see if accuracy suffered at all when using an aftermarket barrel, especially since they each have their own type of rifling. From the photo, you can see that there was really no difference. If I had taken more time, those would have looked much nicer. 

These groups were shot from about 10 yards with the Super Vel reman, a Holosun 508T with the dot reticle, from the driver seat of my car. Cut me some slack. It was hailing on me!

The Holster Conundrum 

If the added comp has you worried about holster compatibility, invest in a Dremel! You can also use the Alien Gear Rapid Force Duty holster. It has a hole at the bottom that’s the perfect size for compensator peek-a-boo. Plus, that thing is a tank. 

To Comp Or Not To Comp?

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the recoil of a stock barrel, or deal with an increased risk of malfunctions and holster hate. I happened to have a holster that worked and had no malfunctions, so I’m thinking I’ll opt for the latter, depending on the application. Strike has another Micro Comp. I’ll be playing with that one soon, but I’ll definitely need a new holster for it. One thing I really appreciated is that the Circle uses an o-ring to help you time the compensator easier. That’s great for a brute like me. 

If you have no desire to use a compensator but still want a threaded barrel, the Strike Threaded Barrel for Glock 19 is still worth your attention. If you’re undecided, just get the comp. Fifty bucks is not a bad buy-in to potentially give you an edge in competition, on duty, in your home, or wherever else you might need follow-up shots. 

If you’d like to pick these up for yourself, head to the Strike Industries website. Be sure to follow them on social media. Strike can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Keep bangin’!