Question about a PistolGear 9 x 19 conversion barrel
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I am. The mags have to be modified to reliably feed 9mm and there is some fitting to do around where the extractor meets the barrel so it will clear properly (very easy to do) and it is very accurate and easy to shoot.
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wouldnt i just be better to buy 9mm magazines instead of modifying 40cal ones?
Absolutely you would be better off buying 9mm mags, but unfortunately I don't think they exsist yet. the xd mags don't fit and they haven't released the xdm yet. This is the exact reason I'm waiting until they release the 9.
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Sure would and that's what I will do soon as they become available. XD mags will not work in the M and no 9mm versions are out yet. SOOOOOONNNNNN I hope Springfield will solve that problem for us!!!
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Just because I havent done this before. I can get a 9mm barrel get the 9mm XDM mags(when they show up) and whammo I have a 9mm?
What does a 9mm barrel run out of curiousty might be able to pass that by the wife rather than a full priced gun.
What does a 9mm barrel run out of curiousty might be able to pass that by the wife rather than a full priced gun.
The aftermarket barrels will run somewhere between $140 and $175 depending on what you want. I think Pistol Gear (who is a sponsor for this website has the conversion barrel for $145. Storm Lake has them from anywhere from $160 - $175. Storm Lake will offer ports and extended barrels if that's what you want.Just because I havent done this before. I can get a 9mm barrel get the 9mm XDM mags(when they show up) and whammo I have a 9mm?
What does a 9mm barrel run out of curiousty might be able to pass that by the wife rather than a full priced gun.
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cool deal 150 from pistol gear and probably 30 bucks for the mags times 2 so a XD 9mm for 210 total.
Oooooh Honey we need to talk....
Oooooh Honey we need to talk....
Now you're talking:lol:. That's why I didn't bother waiting for the 9mm to come out. the 40 will have more uses and better self defense than the 9 but the 9 will save some greeen at the range. My XDm is all black so I may eventually pickup a bi-tone but at least I've scratched the itch for now. Let me know how things work out.
I think and I mean think...that the outside diameter of the stock 9mm will not sit tightly in the 40 slide and frame. The conversion barrels are built to do just that. That is the same reason that you could not buy a 9mm and just drop a 40 barrel in it. The 40 barrel would be too wide to sit correctly and you would have alot of headaches, You should really check with a gunsmith or vendor because everything that I'm telling you is hear say from others who have the conversion barrels and know much more than I.
Did the point of impact change relative to the sights? While I prefer a 9mm, I am thinking about getting the .40 so I can use conversion barrels for both 9mm & .357 SIG in addition to .40 S&W. Still debating what I want to do.
Thanks,
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To answer a couple of questions
The Factory 9mm barrel will not work in a .40 due to the outside diameter being too small. The conversion barrels have the same outside diameter as the factory .40. You can't go from 9mm to .40 on the conversion for several reasons, but most importantly the .40 barrel won't fit in a factory 9mm slide.
The POI on the conversion is negligible, you will get more variance out of different ammo/loads than you will with the conversion. From the factory the sights and the slide plane is the same on 9mm and the .40 (or they are with the original XD line)
You will also want to get a guide rod and lighter spring set up from Springer Precision to run the 9mm ammo. A #16 pound spring is what is recommended from Scott (or that's what he recommended to me and what I run) Like most bottom feeders the big thing is getting the mags right for reliability. YMMV
The Factory 9mm barrel will not work in a .40 due to the outside diameter being too small. The conversion barrels have the same outside diameter as the factory .40. You can't go from 9mm to .40 on the conversion for several reasons, but most importantly the .40 barrel won't fit in a factory 9mm slide.
The POI on the conversion is negligible, you will get more variance out of different ammo/loads than you will with the conversion. From the factory the sights and the slide plane is the same on 9mm and the .40 (or they are with the original XD line)
You will also want to get a guide rod and lighter spring set up from Springer Precision to run the 9mm ammo. A #16 pound spring is what is recommended from Scott (or that's what he recommended to me and what I run) Like most bottom feeders the big thing is getting the mags right for reliability. YMMV
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Here's what my setup looks like. I have a Pistol Gear mag well that should be here this week and I will be ordering a Springer Precision Trigger kit next week. Then hopefull some 9mm mags (IF THEY WOULD EVER FRIGGIN RELEASE THE D(*&*(M gun)
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Man...I forgot how sweet that is. I ended up getting an all black because the price was right, but your's is soooo sweet.
I think Springfield could make some extra money by making the barrels interchangeable, that way the could sell more stock barrels instead of people looking to aftermarket parts.
How big of a difference would the spring make? Would it not function correctly without it or would it just decrease accuracy or something?
Thanks for the informaiton but another question. Since the XDm uses a single spring, wouldn't I just need to go to a lighter spring on the same rod, ir is the conversion barrel different enough to require a new guide rod?
Thanks,
I ordered the conversion barrel in tactical (5") from PistolGear. I had them drop ship it directly to Scott at Precision who is going to cut (to the XDm 4.5" length), crown, and tweak it (if necessary) to run in the XDm.
Scott is also going to modify a new .40 magazine for me to feed the 9x19s. I am told that this is pretty simple to do - just bend the mag lips in so that they are about .35 inches apart at the front and .33 inches at the rear. This keeps the rounds from sticking up so high that they interfere with extraction/ejection. I'll probably buy a couple of the 9 mags as soon as they are available.
I am also told that the factory spring/rod will work just fine with factory 9mm ammo. Light hand loads may require a lighter spring but pretty much anything off the shelf will feed and eject fine. I picked up a "Don's Guide Rod" but plan to re-use the factory spring.
I should have the barrel and mag sometime next week - I am looking forward to shooting it.
Anyone have any good or bad experience with this conversion barrel? Does it the modified mag feed well? Is there anything else that I should look out for?
Scott is also going to modify a new .40 magazine for me to feed the 9x19s. I am told that this is pretty simple to do - just bend the mag lips in so that they are about .35 inches apart at the front and .33 inches at the rear. This keeps the rounds from sticking up so high that they interfere with extraction/ejection. I'll probably buy a couple of the 9 mags as soon as they are available.
I am also told that the factory spring/rod will work just fine with factory 9mm ammo. Light hand loads may require a lighter spring but pretty much anything off the shelf will feed and eject fine. I picked up a "Don's Guide Rod" but plan to re-use the factory spring.
I should have the barrel and mag sometime next week - I am looking forward to shooting it.
Anyone have any good or bad experience with this conversion barrel? Does it the modified mag feed well? Is there anything else that I should look out for?
Sounds great, I can't wait to hear how you like it. I have a question tho, the new xdm 9mm just came out today, wouldn't it be better to use a factory 9mm mag than make the changes to the 40? Just a thought,I'm sure it will work perfectly either way.
Yes, that is one of my main concerns. I'm sure that the factory 9mm mag will work best but who knows when spare mags will be made available? When the XDm 40 was announced, how long before you could buy a mag for a reasonable price? I think it was 2-3 months, maybe as many as 4 months before they were under $30.
In the mean time, I can save $10-20 each time I go to the range by shooting 9mm instead of 40.
I will definitely buy 1 or 2 factory mags when they are available at reasonable price. In the mean time, I am hoping the risk of destroying a factory 40 mag at $30 and the risk of not being able to adjust it to work well are low enough to give it a try for the time being.
Anyone else out there able to get a modified 40 mag to work reliably with the 9mm conversion barrel in an XDm?
In the mean time, I can save $10-20 each time I go to the range by shooting 9mm instead of 40.
I will definitely buy 1 or 2 factory mags when they are available at reasonable price. In the mean time, I am hoping the risk of destroying a factory 40 mag at $30 and the risk of not being able to adjust it to work well are low enough to give it a try for the time being.
Anyone else out there able to get a modified 40 mag to work reliably with the 9mm conversion barrel in an XDm?
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