"Easily" converted pistols; what are the options?

[Jim Watson]

Cold blue will not hurt a gun barrel. Degrease and warm to get the best application.

A caliber convertible firearm is an expression of Murphy's law. It will always be found in the caliber you did NOT want to shoot today.

 

[bannockburn]

Sergei Mosin

I wish I had bought one of those .38 Super Commanders when they were in production

I know I went way too many years between .38 Supers to make me appreciate them even more. Colt still lists several different models in .38 Super though they have them all as being Out of Stock at the moment. There's the Classic Government in stainless steel for $949, the Competition in stainless steel for $1049, and a Gold Cup also in stainless steel for $1249. And they still show a Combat Commander with a blued finish in 9mm. for $999. All you need to convert the 9mm. to .38 Super is a .38 Super ejector, barrel assembly, and magazines.

 

[lsudave]

Cold blue will not hurt a gun barrel. Degrease and warm to get the best application.

A caliber convertible firearm is an expression of Murphy's law. It will always be found in the caliber you did NOT want to shoot today.

I didn't think it would, but I've read some posts where people claim the cold blue actually contributes to rusting. Wanted to check before I did it.

Playing with the Tokarev, what's the best/most recommended method of cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo? So far, I've broken the gun down pretty doggone far after returning from the range, rinsed it off with hot soapy water, rinsed again with hot water, dried it and let it sit over low heat (over a pilot light) disassembled with ballistol, let it sit for about an hour, then rubbed off the excess and reassembled it. I figure barrel, chamber, magwell for sure need to get the corrosive salts off.
I also wonder if I'm going overkill...

I tore the tok down and left it seasoning in ballistol while I tended to an Argentine Mauser using a plastic tubing (shot some surplus Argentine match ammo today, that stuff rocks!). When the Mauser was done, was when I reassembled the Tok.

 

[Rembrandt]

As mentioned there have been attempts at multi-caliber handguns, unfortunately they don't seem to get much traction in this country. They are quite prevalent in European countries. After WWII allies were concerned Germany would rearm and we'd have to deal with another war. To address these concerns those defeated countries came up with laws to prohibit civilian gun ownership to 1-rifle, 1-handgun, and 1-shotgun. Avid shooters found this crimped their choices for handgun calibers. Innovative gunsmiths came up with the solution to meet the legal requirements, use the one frame and change the barrels and uppers to accept different calibers. Peter Stahls is one of the most successful producers for multi-caliber kits. (see ad above)

I have a curious attraction to that concept, sort of like a box of "tinker-toys"....mix and match to create different configurations. Browning HI-Power can be transformed into 9mm, 40, and .22.

Also have a SA Omega in 38 Super, 10mm, and 45 ACP which was a Stahls unit marketed under the Springfield Armory brand as the Omega. Didn't really catch on and was dropped after a couple years. There were also some patent infringement issues with that arrangement.