Barra 009 Part 003
A Glock is a Glock…
By Dennis Adler
Whether the name on the slide is Glock, or another manufacturer (there are at least two U.S. companies that produce handguns that look like a Glock), the shape is pretty much the same. And there are guns that resemble Glocks; the point being that building a gun that looks like a Glock is not uncommon, however, building a gun that performs as well as a Glock, well that is a different story. In our particular case it is more than likely that the Barra 009 will perform (in single action mode) exactly the same as the Umarex Glock 17 Gen4 because they share essentially the same internal components.


The big difference is the selector switch which when moved to the full auto position rotates a block that prevents the sear for reengaging after the shot is fired. This small modification allows the pistol to continue firing as long as the trigger is pulled back; release it for an instant, as in feathering your shots to get short bursts, and the gun will stop firing. Holding the trigger back until the gun is empty is generally called a magazine dump, is rarely practical; exciting yes, but practical not so much unless you are in very close quarters or deliberately laying down suppressive fire. Either way you end up with an empty magazine pretty quickly, even with an expended capacity 33 round magazine (real Glock in 9mm). In Skyfall, the assassin Patrice started with a drum magazine and kept firing at Bond and Moneypenny until he ran out, which gave him time to attempt an escape. Good stuff for action adventure films and certainly more exposure than a Glock 18 has seen in on film some time. The adventure with the Barra 009 is first to see if it can shoot as well as the G17 Gen4, beginning with semi-auto fire for velocity.



Speed through the screens
Today we are only interested in velocity comparisons and the box the 009 comes in states 325 fps, the same as the G17 Gen4. This is a lower velocity than the Umarex Glock G17 Third Generation and Gen5-based G19X models but they have a different firing system and are not capable of being field stripped, so those two sacrifice some authenticity for downrange velocity. The important difference is that both the Third Generation G17 based CO2 model and the G19X can shoot accurately out to 10 yards and a little beyond which is advantageous for training. The Gen4 is not quite as accurate pushed beyond 21 feet and I suspect the same will be true of the 009.

The Umarex Glock 19X (the highest performer of the CO2 Glock series) has delivered an average velocity of 376 fps with the highest velocity right around 380 fps; 20 fps over the factory rated 360 fps. The next highest speed clocked using Umarex Precision steel BBs was 379 fps, followed by 377 fps, 376 fps four times out of 10, and a low of 372 fps, which soundly beat any other new model from 2019 because more of the energy from the CO2 is directed into firing the BB and driving the slide back a shorter distance. Also, the resistance of the recoil spring on the Third Gen G17 and G19X is almost nil compared to the dual recoil spring design for the Gen4 CO2 model. Using a more authentic design the Gen4 delivered a slightly under spec average of 317 fps (a high of 319 fps, low of 316 fps, and a standard deviation of 2 fps for 10 rounds) using .177 caliber Umarex Precision steel BBs, so that is the mark the 009 has to beat.
With a fresh CO2, the Barra 009 firing 18 steel BBs delivered an average velocity of 317 fps with a high of 321 fps, a low of 316 fps, and a standard deviation of only 2 fps. Technically, it did better than the G17 Gen4.
As a last thought for today’s velocity tests, I did not have a target on the baffle box but it was a new box that hadn’t been used. All 18 rounds from 21 feet hit the box within 2.25 inches with the majority at 1.25 inches. The 009 looks very promising.
