Do you have a NineX19 threaded Glock 19 barrel? Good; your barrel is of match-grade quality, with precision muzzle crowning, an updated hood, and (one of our) advanced nitride coatings that will improve permanent dry lubricity and which will be easier to clean.
Of course, no gun part is foolproof (emphasis on fool). If you want not to ruin your Glock 19 threaded barrel, make sure to follow the 5 pointers outlined here.
Keep It Clean
If you have one of our black or gold nitrided Glock 19 barrels, the good news is that they’re very resistant to corrosion, and the nitride produces a slick finish that is somewhat fouling-phobic (meaning fouling does not easily stick to it).
In most instances, you can clean the bore without even using a powder solvent. You can usually just run patches through it to get it spotless again, at least if you are proactive about cleaning.
If you continuously shoot through a dirty barrel, some of that fouling will mix with oil to create tar, which is much harder to remove, even from a nitrided barrel.
Over time, your gun will accumulate copper fouling (from the jacket of the bullets you’re shooting, assuming they’re jacketed).
Both of these things, while they can be removed from the bore and do not pose a serious risk to the integrity of the barrel or rifling, will compromise accuracy if allowed to accrue.
Our advice? Keep the bore clean. Ideally, you should clean the gun to remove fouling after every trip to the range.
But we get it, life is busy. If you can’t clean your Glock after every trip to the range, at least make sure you clean the gun at least once per month (assuming it sees use in that timeframe).
Do Not Clean from Muzzle to Breech
One accessory note to keeping your Glock 19 barrel clean: you need to clean it “the right way.”
What we mean, specifically, is to clean the gun from breech to muzzle, only, and ever in that direction.
Some guns are a little hard to clean from breech to muzzle (such as, for instance, muzzleloaders) but you won’t have that problem here since you can easily remove the barrel from the Glock.
And in the event you wanted a word of explanation, here it is: cleaning a gun barrel from muzzle to breech runs a serious risk of damaging the muzzle crowning, if there is incidental contact against the crowning from the jag or cleaning rod.
The crowning is the last portion of the rifling that contacts the bullet before it is free of the barrel. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that you do not damage your crowning. A minor blemish to the rifling inside the bore is bad enough but can theoretically be corrected. If the crowning is damaged, accuracy will suffer.
Do Not Oil the Interior of the Barrel
There is one aspect of cleaning the gun that you should omit – and it’s the practice of oiling the inside of the barrel.
Frankly, even gun barrels that aren’t treated with a protective finish should not be oiled inside; save the oil for the outside of the barrel.
For one, oil is used primarily as a lubricant. There are no moving parts inside the bore.
‘But wait,’ you think – ‘shouldn’t I oil the inside of the bore to create a thin film, a barrier to protect against corrosion?’
In theory, this is not a bad idea, but there are two things to keep in mind here.
One is that fouling combines with oil and eventually that will turn into tar, which is dense, thick, and very difficult to remove. Getting tar out requires a good deal of solvent and a good deal more of elbow grease. Don’t underestimate the work it takes to scrub away tar.
The other is that our barrels are nitrided, which means the oil step is really not necessary. Trust us, nitride is a far better rust preventative than a light coat of oil. Just clean the inside of the barrel, dry it thoroughly, and leave it at that.
Use Thread Protectors If Your Glock 19 Barrel Is Threaded
One quick way to ruin a threaded Glock 19 barrel is by shooting or carrying it without a muzzle device or thread protectors installed.
We get it, there are times when it might be more convenient to shoot the Glock without a muzzle device installed. But if you do, make sure you have a thread protector on the muzzle.
Muzzle threads are very fine and very easy to damage, even accidentally. And if you do damage them, it’s not easy to repair them. It might be cheaper and it’s definitely faster just to get a new barrel at that point.
Don’t Leave the Gun Cased All the Time
Lastly, don’t leave your Glock 19 in the case all the time. This suggestion will protect much more than just the barrel.
If you leave the gun in the case and you live in a humid environment, there’s better than a good chance that moisture will get trapped in there at some point, so you need to let the gun breathe from time to time.
Or better yet, let it breathe all the time by storing it in a safe or a room that has a dehumidifier. Fortunately, many parts of the handgun are made of polymer – but the springs, trigger group, slide, barrel, and some other components are not, and they can rust if the finish is compromised and they are exposed to chronic humid conditions.
Just something to think about.
Here for a Glock 19 Barrel Upgrade?
So there you have 5 great ways not to ruin your G19. But if you’re in the market for a new Glock 19 barrel or some other upgrade part, you’re in the right place. Check out our Glock 19 slides, barrels, magwells, triggers and other parts right here and get in touch with us directly if you have questions about part specifications or compatibility.
