Glock conversion barrels? Naaahh...

[Desertscout]

Conversion barrels have been the topic of the day on several forums lately so I went out a few days ago and conducted a little testing. I've decided that this conversion barrel business is a damn racket. The writing on the target pretty much says it all. The conversion bbl was made by Federal and it shoots like crap but that doesn't matter. What matters is the groups shot with stock (NOT conversion) 9mm bbls in 2 different .40 guns.
There are NO conversion barrels in my future plans at this time



UPDATE:
OK, here's a little more on running a .40 with a stock 9mm bbl in it.

I conducted a defensive handgun class today and decided to try my G22 with a G17 bbl. I didn't change anything else and run Wolf 9mm ammo all day. I didn't have a single malf all day. I think the biggest concern is about accuracy though. I haven't YET sat down at a bench and really tried to do the best I could with it but so far (see pic below) it seems to be more than adequate for most purposes.
My 13 year old son is going to run my daily carry G23 with my wife's G19 barrel in it all day tomorrow for the 2nd in our series of DH classes. He'll put at least 500 rounds through it and I will continue to shoot my 22 with the 17 bbl in it. I think by the end of tomorrow, we should have pretty well established the fact that the "conversion" bbl is not all that necessary.

The pic below is a G22 with a G17 bbl and wolf ammo, kneeling at 10 yards. This is a cell phone pic so it's not great but it's plain enough. Incidentally, every 9mm bbl that I have tried in a .40 seems to shoot a little high.

 

[PO2Hammer]

My .40S&W Glock 20 conversion made by KKM could shoot under 3" at 25 yards whenever the shooter was up to it.

Very satisfied with KKM.

 

[Desertscout]

We went out today and conducted the 2nd of a series of defensive handgun classes. The class requires a minimum of 500 rounds. My son ran my G23 with a 19 bbl in all day today and put a little over 500 rounds through it. I ran my 22 with a 17 bbl for the 2nd day in a row but probably only put 200 or so through it. Not a single malf of any description in either gun. We ran Wolf, Independence, Magtech, Federal and PMC ammo.
We just got through measuring and comparing to other barrels, both new and used. and can't find ANY measurable difference in any area or any wear anyplace that doesn't normally wear.

Accuracy seems to be as good as any Glock from off-hand and kneeling. I haven't tried the "non-conversion" guns from a bench or machine rest yet but I plan to. However, although the 9mm bbls shoot a tiny bit high, I was able to knock poppers down with monotonous regularity at 50 yards and hit an 8"x12" plate at the same distance EVERY shot.

So far, there is NO downside to running a stock 9mm bbl in a .40 slide/gun.

 

[ugaarguy]

The conversion bbl was made by Federal and it shoots like crap but that doesn't matter. What matters is the groups shot with stock (NOT conversion) 9mm bbls in 2 different .40 guns. There are NO conversion barrels in my future plans at this time

Let me get this straight. Simply because one brand of after market barrel for your Glock shoot poorly compared to a factory barrel it means all after market barrels for Glocks are bad?

 

[Desertscout]

Where do see anywhere that I said ANY of the conversion bbls are bad? I sad the whole conversion bbl industry seems to be a racket. I have no doubt there MIGHT be some of the conversion bbls out there that might offer better accuracy. For the people who shoot the games or require a high degree of accuracy for whatever reason, there might be better option that stock bbls. I'm just saying that the stock bbls shoot better than the average shooter is capable of shooting and I haven't yet found any reason not to use one, at least for practice. With the price of ammo being what it is, this would provide many of us with less expensive practice time.

 

[UnTainted]

Ugaarguy, you are correct.

It's called a flawed syllogism.

 

[ugaarguy]

Where do see anywhere that I said ANY of the conversion bbls are bad? I sad the whole conversion bbl industry seems to be a racket.

Based on your experience with one conversion barrel you're calling the whole industry a racket. Calling the whole industry a racket is equivalent to saying they're all bad.

I'm just saying that the stock bbls shoot better than the average shooter is capable of shooting and I haven't yet found any reason not to use one, at least for practice. With the price of ammo being what it is, this would provide many of us with less expensive practice time.

Yes, the factory barrels do shoot better than most are capable of shooting. Even if you don't need the extra accuracy some match barrels can provide there are other reasons to get after market barrels.

1) For a little more money than a spare factory barrel with polygonal rifling you can get an after market barrel with traditional cut rifling. With your cut rifling after market barrel you can shoot cast lead and save the expense of plated or jacketed bullets for target ammo.

2) You own a .45 ACP, or 10mm Glock. Factory 9mm/.40 S&W/357 SIG barrels won't drop into those guns. With an after market conversion barrel you can shoot the more economical .40 S&W or 9mm cartridges in your .45 ACP or 10mm Glock.

3) You want to change your gun to fire a caliber not available from the factory. With an after market barrel 460 Rowland, 9x25 Dillon, and .400 Corbon are all possibilities on the larger frame Glocks.

 

[R&J]

Some Coversions Work Better Than Others...

Take the conversion of the Glock .40 S&W to .357 Sig. All you need is a factory .357 Sig barrel. The .357 Sig is essentially a .40 S&W necked down to a 9 mm. So, this conversion is nearly seamless.

Take the conversion of the Glock .40 S&W to 9 mm. A conversion barrel is desirable here, since the 9 mm barrel's firing chamber won't properly mate up to the .40 S&W's breach face.

One of the things a Conversion Barrel does, is combine a new caliber's bore and firing chamber, with the host gun's breach face. That's why caliber conversions must be either lateral or downward in bore size.

Now take a .45 ACP conversion to 10 mm. I've done this one myself... The Conversion Barrel combines a 10 mm bore and firing chamber, with a .45 ACP breach face. 10 mm magazines fit, and assure proper feeding of ammo. I added a 22 lb. spring and stainless steel guide rod, because I like the hot loads. This conversion is quite successful with about 95% + reliability. The same gun is 100% reliable in .45 ACP.

I've never seen a .45 ACP to 9 mm conversion barrel--that's too much of a leap. Where would you get the magazines? Plus, an ejector and extractor change-out would be required. In other words, rebuild the gun! Why bother?

You will see POI changes with some caliber conversions. An adjustable rear sight would work well here.

To me, caliber conversions make sense when they can be accomplished with drop-in parts, on the fly, right at the range! Otherwise, too much hassle!

My KKM Conversion to 10 mm is very accurate. This is probably because the barrel is machined and fitted to lock up properly within the .45 ACP slide!

I think Desertscout's results are interesting, but cobbled. This is no way to go about caliber conversion; and that it sort of, kind of works, does not prove otherwise.

--Ray

 

[Harley Quinn]

Many go to the barrels for shooting lead and not having problems, others just want to shoot other calibers out of the same gun for less money than a new pistol. The barrels I have for my Glocks all fit perfect and never have been a problem. I am a firm believer they are a good thing.

I have a 1/2 dozen of them That is six for those who are not into eggs

 

[Desertscout]

Based on your experience with one conversion barrel you're calling the whole industry a racket. Calling the whole industry a racket is equivalent to saying they're all bad.

There are a few folks out there that have a burning desire to impress everyone with their wisdom and try to read into a statement something that is not there. Let me type this in bigger letters so that maybe you can comprehend was has already been written. I DIDN'T SAY ANY OF THEM WERE BAD!! OK? Savvy? I said that most places try to sell you the barrels a s a "have-to" to safely and accurately shoot 9mm ammo through a gun designed for .40. All that has been established at this point (for most folks) is the fact that that is not entirely true. That's all.

Yes, the factory barrels do shoot better than most are capable of shooting. Even if you don't need the extra accuracy some match barrels can provide there are other reasons to get after market barrels.

Once again, irrelevant. If you would try to just stick to the context of the post and quit trying to make something out of that isn't there, I am not comparing stock vs. custom/conversion barrels for accuracy. I was comparing 2 stock bbls, one 9mm and one .40, out of the same slide and frame. That's all.

1) For a little more money than a spare factory barrel with polygonal rifling you can get an after market barrel with traditional cut rifling. With your cut rifling after market barrel you can shoot cast lead and save the expense of plated or jacketed bullets for target ammo.

Yes, I believe most of us are painfully aware of this and has absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about.

2) You own a .45 ACP, or 10mm Glock. Factory 9mm/.40 S&W/357 SIG barrels won't drop into those guns. With an after market conversion barrel you can shoot the more economical .40 S&W or 9mm cartridges in your .45 ACP or 10mm Glock.

Please see the response to your quote immediately above.

3) You want to change your gun to fire a caliber not available from the factory. With an after market barrel 460 Rowland, 9x25 Dillon, and .400 Corbon are all possibilities on the larger frame Glocks.

Really? Hmmm...please see the responses to the 2 quotes immediately above.

I didn't have any idea that I would be under such scrutiny here. If you haven't figured it out yet, this whole thing was just to prove a point. It has NOTHING to with ANYTHING other than it is possible to use stock 9mm bbls in .40 slides and get very good accuracy and 100% reliability.

Sheesh.

 

[ugaarguy]

Desertscout my point has been made. If you'd care to counter it with comments that don't insult my intelligence I'll be happy to continue the discussion. Until then I'm done.

 

[easyg]

I think the initial confusion might have been spawned from this remark....

I've decided that this conversion barrel business is a damn racket.

It can be interpeted many different ways.
And you follow-up remarks have really not made yourself any clearer upon just what you mean.

I DIDN'T SAY ANY OF THEM WERE BAD!! OK? Savvy? I said that most places try to sell you the barrels a s a "have-to" to safely and accurately shoot 9mm ammo through a gun designed for .40. All that has been established at this point (for most folks) is the fact that that is not entirely true. That's all.

While it's true that you did not state that conversion barrels are BAD, your statements do indicate that you don't think that they're GOOD either.

If you're trying to say that stock barrels are just as good as after-market conversion barrels, then you might have found a clearer way to make the statement.

 

[Desertscout]

ugaarguy, my point has been made too. Evidently, you missed it.

Obviously, tongue-in-cheek comments are taken way too seriously around here. I'm not not gonna spend anymore time trying to explain myself. but...

While it's true that you did not state that conversion barrels are BAD, your statements do indicate that you don't think that they're GOOD either.

No, I didn't and I don't care whether they are good or bad. The whole point, which for some reason seems to be hard to get across, is that one does NEED a conversion bbl to safely and accurately shoot 9mm's out of a slide designed for the .40.

Yes, it's just that simple.

No, you do NOT need conversion barrels to shoot lead bullets through your Glock....EVER. Just because you get a DIFFERENT barrel with DIFFERENT rifling, doesn't make it a CONVERSION bbl.

 

[easyg]

The whole point, which for some reason seems to be hard to get across, is that one does NEED a conversion bbl to safely and accurately shoot 9mm's out of a slide designed for the .40.

I'm not aware of anyone who thought otherwise.

No, you do NOT need conversion barrels to shoot lead bullets through your Glock....EVER. Just because you get a DIFFERENT barrel with DIFFERENT rifling, doesn't make it a CONVERSION bbl.

Again, I'm not aware of anyone who thought otherwise.

It seems that you're essentially arguing against no one.

 

[shdwfx]

Can we keep things civil?

Cheers.

 

[Desertscout]

The whole point, which for some reason seems to be hard to get across, is that one does NOT NEED a conversion bbl to safely and accurately shoot 9mm's out of a slide designed for the .40.

I apologize for the typo here. It should that you do NOT need a conversion bbl to shoot 9mm's from a .40 slide.