Glock Slide and Frame/Receiver Compatibility

Yes, you can put a G19 barrel inside a G23, and vice-versa; likewise with a G17 barrel inside a G22, etc.

I'm not positive about putting a G22 upper on a G23 frame, but I'm pretty sure you can't.

I can't comment on upper/lower compatibility across sizes (compact/full size), since I've never tried, but I'm fairly certain you can't do it.

But I'm 100% on the barrels. The only thing you can't do is go up in caliber (meaning .40 and .357 can come down to 9, but if you have 9, you can't go up to .40 or .357).

So if you have a 31 or 22, you can swap their barrels and use the same magazines for either. You can also put 17 barrels in it, and use 9mm magazines. Obviously you would want the corresponding recoil spring for each caliber.

If you have a 23 or 32, it works the same way. You can swap them, use the same magazines, as well as the full-sized magazines. And of course you can put a 19 barrel in as well.

And for the 27 and 33, you can use eachother's barrels, as well as 26 barrels, but you can also use 19/23/32 barrels. That's nice if you care about velocity, but in a smaller package than the 19/23/32.


The 20/21 and 29/30 situation is a little different. It's my understanding that if you have a 21 or 30 slide, you can put a 10mm extractor in, and use 10mm barrels in it. You can also just swap uppers.

IF you put a G19 barrel in a G23, G17 in a G22, you're going to get some rattling around at the muzzle, as the o.d.s of the barrels are different.

You can put a G20 barrel in a G21, and the only dimension that's different will be the width of the barrel hood.

Yes, you can put a G19 barrel inside a G23, and vice-versa; likewise with a G17 barrel inside a G22, etc.

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You can change the slide(and the barrel that comes along with it) between the two. The barrels have different widths at the ends and so you can't safely swap just the barrel. You can buy 9mm "conversion" barrels for all the .40's so that you don't need to purchase a new slide. These are special 9mm barrels that have an outer thicknes equal to the .40 barrels.

I know that a G23 slide and barrel will work on a G27.

So if you have a 31 or 22, you can swap their barrels and use the same magazines for either. You can also put 17 barrels in it, and use 9mm magazines. Obviously you would want the corresponding recoil spring for each caliber.

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Glock uses the same recoil spring for all models in a given frame size. All of the subcompacts have the same recoil assembly, all of the small frame compacts have the same recoil assembly, all of the large frame compacts have the same recoil assembly, all of the small frame full size guns have the same recoil, all of the large frame full size you get it.

But you can't or shouldn't anyway use a stock 9mm barrel in one of the .40/.357 guns, you need a conversion barrel because the outer diameter of the barrel is different for the 9mms, which is why there are no 9mm-> .40/.357 barrels in existence.

The small frame compacts (19, 23, 32) and subcompacts (26, 27, 33) use the same lockup and the subs can accept compact-intended barrels just fine. The full size guns are different, and barrels designed for the 17, 22, and 31 cannot be used in the 19, 23, and 32.

The frames themselves are all the same in a given (small/large, full/compact/subcompact) size, so you can swap out a full top end to any compatible frame at will, though you may or may not want to change your ejector block if you switch from the 10mm derived small frame calibers (.40 and .357) to 9mm or vice versa, because they are slightly different.

I have used 40-9 conversion barrels with factory and Khan 9mm magazines in a 23 and 27, they worked fine, didn't have any issues because of the .40-intended ejector and extractor, though if you wanted to eventually do a full swap to 9mm, you should switch both of those to the 9mm-specific parts to ensure you've done everything you can to ensure reliability.

One day if I ever have to replace my Glock 34 barrel I think I'd replace it with the Glock 17L barrel. Otherwise, Lone wolf and KKM make a number of ported barrels of varying sizes along with conversion barrels for many glocks.
http://www.kkmprecision.com/custom_pistol_barrels/home.php?cat=1
http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Products.aspx?CAT=4

I did some research on swapping Glock 19 and 22 parts. It ends up the only difference between the two are their slides and the ejectors, which are in the frames.

I've only handled and fired a Glock once in my life, so I'm no expert, but even if you can swap slides, be wary of ejector problems. Although, I believe you can swap ejectors out too. Again, I'm not a Glock expert.

There are frame sizes that are multi-caliber, the 17 and 22, 19 and 23, 26 and 27. You can swap slides on them but general consensus is to swap ejectors as well. I know with the 19 and 23 the ejector is shaped differently. Generally you can't just swap barrels, unless it is a specific conversion barrel. The 19 and 22 parts are not interchangeable but the 19 and 23 are since they are on the same frame.

I did some research on swapping Glock 19 and 22 parts. It ends up the only difference between the two are their slides and the ejectors, which are in the frames.

I've only handled and fired a Glock once in my life, so I'm no expert, but even if you can swap slides, be wary of ejector problems. Although, I believe you can swap ejectors out too. Again, I'm not a Glock expert.

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Maybe you should do a little more research? As stated in several posts in this thread, the locking lugs/locking blocks are different.

Patrick Gookin said:

I did some research on swapping Glock 19 and 22 parts. It ends up the only difference between the two are their slides and the ejectors,

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Uh, no.

Bobson said:

Yes, you can put a G19 barrel inside a G23, and vice-versa; likewise with a G17 barrel inside a G22, etc.

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Sure you can put the wrong barrel inside the wrong slide. Just don't actually shoot ammunition in them.

If you want to shoot 9mm through a .40 glock you need a 9MM conversion barrel.

BTW while you're trying things, don't try to use a G22 or G17 barrel in a G23 or G19. Don't even put it in the slide and install it onto the frame.

Haha, like I said, I'm no Glock expert. I just realized I was doing research on swapping Glock 22 and 17 parts. I guess those are similar full size frames where the 19 is the compact 9mm.

I got a Lone Wolf .40 to 9mm conversion barrel for my .40 caliber Glock 22, and picked up some Glock 17 magazines to go with it. As far as I know, the recoil springs are the same (this is a Gen 4 model). It functions fine, and is about as accurate as the stock Glock .40 barrel. It's a lot cheaper to practice with in 9mm, the only problem I've discovered is that it requires full-power loads to work reliably. Some of my lighter reloads that I did for my Walther P-38 don't have enough kick to eject reliably.

Patrick Gookin said:

Haha, like I said, I'm no Glock expert. I just realized I was doing research on swapping Glock 22 and 17 parts. I guess those are similar full size frames where the 19 is the compact 9mm.

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Nevertheless, you can't safely use a G17 barrel in a G22, or indeed ANY stock glock 9mm barrel in ANY glock .40. It may drop into the slide but shouldn't be used. You need an aftermarket conversion barrel with the properly sized barrel block/lugs, and diameter.

Don't mix up the Glock 17 and Glock 22 magazines, either. You can put a 9mm G17 mag in a G22, and chamber and fire a 9mm in a .40S&W chamber without blowing up the gun, but it bloops out of the barrel and flies off God knows where, and usually stovepipes on ejection. We had a guy experience this at a recent IDPA match. The 9mm brass cartridge case didn't rupture, but it did expand to fit the .40 chamber.

You need an aftermarket conversion barrel with the properly sized barrel block/lugs, and diameter.

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That's actually what got me looking. My cousin just got a 9mm conversion barrel for his Glock 22 and I was curious about it. I don't have too much experience with gunsmithing in general, and I thought it was strange that you didn't have to change the extractor or ejector. I didn't think the stock extractor would grip a 9mm case, but it does.

Patrick Gookin said:

That's actually what got me looking. My cousin just got a 9mm conversion barrel for his Glock 22 and I was curious about it. I don't have too much experience with gunsmithing in general, and I thought it was strange that you didn't have to change the extractor or ejector. I didn't think the stock extractor would grip a 9mm case, but it does.

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That's what I got for my G22, also. The extractor and ejector work fine with the 9mm, and the barrel was a drop-in fit. Mine was made by Lone Wolf, but I believe other barrel makers like Storm Lake offer the Glock conversions, too. The only other thing required was 9mm G17 mags, which serve a dual purpose of also adding high capacity to my Glock 26, as they fit it or the G19 as well.

If you want to make your .40 Glock a dedicated 9mm/part time .40, then it's probably not a bad idea to switch out the extractor and ejector.

If it's going to remain a .40 for the most part, except for some range time as a 9mm, then it's probably a waste of time to switch them out, especially since you'll have to do it again to return your gun to .40.

The .40 extractor and ejector in my 23 and 27 never caused any problems with the two conversion barrels I had.