Two goals in the first 18 minutes at Forest Green were good enough to get Barrow back to winning form.
It ended a run of four League Two games without a win and lifted them to eleventh in the table while Forest Green remain in trouble, next to bottom.
However, Barrow needed their goalkeeper Paul Farman to pull-off some fine saves to keep them two goals clear.
They had taken the lead on four minutes from a well worked short corner which ended with Sam Foley trying his luck from 25 yards and finding the net via a deflection.
Dom Telford scored the second on 18 minutes when he collected a shot from Elliot Newby before finding the bottom corner.
Veteran home forward Troy Deeney was denied by Farman with a great point-blank save after the former Premier League star had been played in one-on-one.
Foley was close to a third for Barrow when he was given a shotting opportunity by Telford but his effort came back off the bar.
Farman again denied Deeney from six yards before a goal-bound effort from Callum Morton was cleared off the Barrow line.
