Questions on Glock caliber conversion barrels

[socalbeachbum]

I see the various barrel makers offer barrels to change calibers, an example would be Glock 23 in .40 S&W to 9mm and it is supposedly a drop in replacement no change to the extractor. I see the direction is downward, no change from 9mm G19 up to .40S&W for example.

How are they doing this with no extractor change? Would it be a reliable setup to have a G23 converted to 9mm (essentially a G19) or are there issues doing this? My gunsmith friend advised I could get a G35 and then have a 9mm barrel for it. But not a G34, because you can't convert a 9mm to .40 without changing the slide.

I actually want a G19, but I like the idea of a spare barrel in .40 in case .40 ammo is available and 9mm isn't (not sure this is a legit fear).

One comment I saw by Lone Wolf is that a G23 slide in .40 weighs more than a G19 slide, and so converting a .40 to 9mm with a barrel swap can incur failures to feed since 9mm is generally a lighter recoil cartridge.

 

[bocefus78]

My g23 has been absolutely flawless with a lone wolf conversion bbl.
1000rds plus, and not a single failure.

BTW...if you load 9mm ammo in 40sw mags, it feeds about 75% of the time and I use that to practice malfunction drills.

 

[socalbeachbum]

bocefus78, thanks, have you tried light 9mm loads at all, light as in 115gr. reloads?

 

[JN01]

I have a Lonewolf 9mm conversion barrel for my G23. It runs flawlessly with just the barrel and magazine change, using any 9mm ammo, just like my G19.

 

[Mizar]

How are they doing this with no extractor change?

Take a look at the extractor hook, the Loaded Chamber Indicator one - it's angled and when the cartridge slips under it pushes the extractor away about 0.1". This margin is more than enough for a .40 S&W slide to accommodate and hold securely the narrower 9mm rim. And no, you cannot simply put a .40 barrel on a 9mm slide - the breachface of 9x19 is narrower and would not accept the fatter .40 rim.

Best regards,
Boris

 

[RX-79G]

By the time you've spent $100+ on a barrel and $23 a mag, plus shipping, why not just buy another gun? You could buy a .40, .45, .38 for $200-300 that comes with 2 or 3 mags.

 

[Snyper]

You could buy a .40, .45, .38 for $200-300 that comes with 2 or 3 mags.

I don't think that's a realistic price for a Glock and 2-3 mags.

 

[RX-79G]

I don't think that's a realistic price for a Glock and 2-3 mags.

I don't think you can buy a .38 Glock.

 

[CNobbe]

But you can buy a Glock 38.

 

[shooter1]

I have conversion barrels for my 23/22/27/35 Glocks. All function flawlessly with only a barrel and magazine change. Many years ago when I first bought conversion barrels, I'd change the Extractor/Ejector/Spring Loaded Bearing when I changed calibers. This improved nothing. I now have many thousands of trouble free 9mm thru my .40s with only the barrel and mag changes. If you plan on shooting reloads, be sure to check your OAL. Some conversion barrels have a very short leade.
str1

 

[bocefus78]

bocefus78, thanks, have you tried light 9mm loads at all, light as in 115gr. reloads?

No 115gr, but I routinely shoot 124gr handloads at the minimum charge of win231 (4.0gr) with no issues. Hth.

 

[ny32182]

As mentioned, the reason you can't convert UP in cartridge size is that the breech face of a 9mm slide is not wide enough to fit a .40 case head.

Lots of people have had lots of functional success with aftermarket conversion barrels (note that you can't drop a stock Glock 9mm barrel into a .40 slide and expect any kind of reliability... the external dimensions are different, and an aftermarket part is required), but personally, I would just save up a little more and get another gun. I would trust the reliability of the stock dimensioned components first, and also, your POI is going to change a little bit when you switch to a completely different barrel and load. Maybe not enough to matter at "self defense" distances of 7 yards or less, but if you are a capable shooter, and if you starting moving the target out a bit, it will become noticeable.

 

[socalbeachbum]

good point about POI changing. I'm still wondering if the weight of a 23 (.40) slide is truly different than a 19 (9mm) slide? Seems they would have to use different recoil springs if that were the case.

I may just stick with my great G19 experience of the past and simply load up on ammo and not worry about going with .40

 

[ny32182]

I no longer have a 19, but slide weights are probably very similar... the only real difference is in the dimensions of the breech face.

 

[RX-79G]

I no longer have a 19, but slide weights are probably very similar... the only real difference is in the dimensions of the breech face.

The .40 Glocks have heavier slides.

 

[HoosierQ]

How about Glock 22? Do not .357 sig barrels just drop in? No mag or extractor changes needed?

 

[ny32182]

How about Glock 22? Do not .357 sig barrels just drop in? No mag or extractor changes needed?

Yes, I believe a stock barrel should be interchangeable here with no problem. I know for sure they are on the 23 and 32, as I've done it personally.

The .40 Glocks have heavier slides.

Are you sure.... both Glock and USPSA list the 19 and 23 as identical in total weight. I used to have a 19 (recently sold) and still have the 32, and don't remember thinking the slides had any sort of perceptible weight difference. But I guess anything is possible.

 

[RX-79G]

Are you sure....

G17 - 710 grams. G22 - 725 grams.

https://us.glock.com/products

You can see the difference in the way the slides are machined inside under the front sight.