Gerald Bull was a Canadian inventor who worked for the U.S. and Canadian governments researching supergun technology.
In the 1960s, Gerald was one of the world’s leading artillery experts, and spent much of his time designing rockets and guns.
But that was not his passion.
Gerald wanted to change the way that satellites were launched into space. Using a supergun would make it easier to launch a satellite and would reduce costs.
To do that, he set out to design and build the biggest gun the world had ever seen. He called the supergun “Big Babylon.”
The plans called for the barrel of the gun to be 512 feet long.
But by the 1970s, Gerald’s idea was no longer feasible for Western governments. So, he started a private company and sold arms to the South African Government.
In 1976, Gerald was arrested in South Africa for violating the U.N. arms embargo. He served six months in jail.
After he was released, he was caught selling arms again. This time he was fined $55,000 for international arms dealing.
After this, Gerald moved to Belgium and created a European company. And in 1981, the Iraqi government hired Gerald to design artillery.
At the time, Saddam Hussein was the Iraqi Defense Secretary.
The job appealed to Gerald because he could create weapons and Hussein wanted a space program.
In 1988, Iraq paid Gerald $25 million to build the Big Babylon. The barrel of the gun was planned to be over 500 feet long and weigh 1,500 tons.
Gerald knew that Iraq could use the Big Babylon to fire missiles instead of launch satellites, but he argued it would be an impractical use of the supergun.
That’s because the giant gun was slow to fire and could only be pointed in one direction where it was built.
Plus, when the gun was fired it would create recoil equivalent to a nuclear explosion.
So, it didn’t make much sense to use the Big Babylon for anything but space launches.
But Gerald’s vision never became a reality…
Because in 1990, Gerald was shot twice in the back of the head as he entered his Belgium apartment.
The killer was never found but it’s been speculated that the assassination was carried out by a foreign government.
After his death, project Babylon stopped as Iraq invaded Kuwait.
While Gerald’s supergun was a massive – almost comical – step up in barrel design…
When it comes to building guns, there is no question that the barrel is one of the most important pieces of the firearm.
If the barrel has any weaknesses or imperfections, it can have dangerous consequences.
This is one reason why a lot of shooters upgrade their barrels, and why you might choose to do the same.
Considering this, here are a few factors to keep in mind if you have thought about upgrading your gun barrel.
Match grade:
One of the reasons that many shooters want to upgrade their pistol barrel is to replace it with a match-grade barrel.
A match-grade barrel is designed to have narrow tolerances and a higher level of accuracy.
Now, when I say better accuracy it’s not that factory barrels are horrible.
But, a match-grade barrel is more custom, and depending on the specific aftermarket barrel, many companies inspect the barrels by hand to guarantee high quality.
The difference in accuracy between a factory barrel and a match-grade barrel likely isn’t noticeable to the average shooter.
However, if you’re a competition shooter it can make a solid difference.
Threaded barrel:
Another reason folks might want to upgrade their barrel is to add a threaded barrel.
A threaded barrel has grooves in it that allow it to be screwed into the receiver, and it also makes it easy to attach muzzle devices.
For example, you can add suppressors, muzzle breaks, or compensators.
Some people like suppressors but they aren’t required for a self-defense pistol set up.
While there are benefits to having a threaded barrel, it’s not a must have.
Barrel life expectancy:
If you buy a gun from a reputable company (such as Glock), you can expect the barrel to last thousands of rounds.
Which means, a well-made factory barrel will likely last a lifetime for the average shooter.
However, competition shooters fire tens of thousands of rounds per year and often need to replace the barrel.
If you own a firearm that has been passed down through your family or think you might have a worn-out barrel, it can make sense to upgrade the barrel.
At the end of the day, a barrel upgrade can be a great addition to your firearm, but it’s not always necessary for the average gun owner.
But if you are looking for an aftermarket pistol barrel, consider Wilson Combat or Faxon Firearms.
