Living with 40 S&W and 9mm

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I have an older Glock 23 that I got some years ago in a trade. Not really that into the caliber, I much more prefer 9mm from my other Glocks (19's, 17's, and a 34) or my CCW shield 9 for most of my handgun needs. Even the occasional 45 1911 just for fun.
The 23 rarely gets used, other than as a sidearm when hunting, since there are pigs all over the place, and I know one (or more) 40 HP will do better than #5 shot when turkey hunting or #8's if I'm dove hunting. A few of times a year, I'll fire a box of those cheap Federal aluminum cased rounds or that steel case Tula stuff. Since a G23 and a G23 mag look a lot like a G19 and a G19 mag, I decided to mark the "oddball". Full disclosure- I did send a 9mm down the barrel of this G23 once by accident. I used the Hogue slip over rubber thingy on the grip and Vickers tactical floorplates, both in "operator tan" or whatever that cool guy color is called, even though I don't "operate". Now I'm just a little bit more organized than I was before. Tan mags go in the gun with the tan thingy on the grip.
G23.jpg
 
image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg I like the 40 S&W .. A Glock 27 is my EDC .. and I own two Glock 23's ..I purchased the 23 slides used ,(one rebuilt all new parts )and then picked up two new 23 frames ..

You can purchase a Glock 32 (357sig) barrel .. It drops right in , and the 40s&W mags work fine ...
Or buy a 23/19 9mm conversion barrel

Underwood Ammo rolls some great
40 S&W loads .. Including some hardcast loads ... Would make your 23 better suited for a hawg pistol

https://www.underwoodammo.com/collections/handgun-ammo/cartridge_40-s-w
 
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I got one of those police trade-in Model 22's that were so cheap. I can't remember what I paid... something like $300 OTD.

I also bought a 9mm conversion barrel and 9mm magazine (total $149 OTD).

Being able to turn the G22 into a G17 within about 30 seconds is nice. :)

 
I got one of those police trade-in Model 22's that were so cheap. I can't remember what I paid... something like $300 OTD.

I also bought a 9mm conversion barrel and 9mm magazine (total $149 OTD).

Being able to turn the G22 into a G17 within about 30 seconds is nice. :)


Looks like the pistol Midas touched.
 
I kind of have both in an awkward kind of way. I had various pistols in various calibers and wanted to consolidate and chose .40 s&w. I had 4 gen 4 G23's, just to keep things simple. As I was all .40 cal, I even went with the Ruger PC Carbine in .40 s&w. Then I decided I didn't really need a pistol caliber carbine, I had .22's for plinking and rifles for rifle stuff, so I decided to sell it.

I didn't always ccw the G23, sometimes it was just too big and uncomfortable. So I started to rethink the whole ccw concept and decided a ccw pistol should be in a size I will carry with me all the time. So I sold all my G23's and bought a Ruger EC9s and put a clip draw on it......and I carry it everywhere!

I like the power of the .40 but know that 9mm is also an effective caliber, even better when you have it with you when you need it.

Anyway, the .40 cal PC Carbine didn't sell, I had even sold all the 22-round Glock mags I had for it. So I got it out of the box and started thinking it would not be a terrible home defense gun, a lot more accurate at distance with even more power due to the longer barrel, and not as deafening if fired indoors as a rifle caliber would be. It is a simple blow-back design and has ran pretty good. So I took it off the market and decided to keep it.

I know the big deal of having a PC Carbine is so you can share your ammo and possibly magazines with your pistol. I can see where there would be a benefit, but not a deal breaker. I have rifles that don't share ammo or mags with any of my pistols now and don't see it as a detractor.

So there's my story of living with both 9mm and .40 s&w. I have 9mm pistols and this pistol caliber carbine in .40 s&w.
 
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I used the Hogue slip over rubber thingy on the grip and Vickers tactical floorplates, both in "operator tan" or whatever that cool guy color is called,

Baby poop brown.

The only .40 S&W I own is the only third generation S&W. It's almost impossible to mistake it for a Glock magazine.
 
I have never tried it or seen it. 9mm rounds are said to have been accidentally loaded into Glock 40's, fed and fired and in some cases the slide is said to have functioned feeding the next round in the mag. Not only the mags, but the ammo must be segregated.
 
I found the same issue where different caliber mags for the same make firearm look very much alike.

So I also went with a color code on the basepad. And I have a few different makes of guns with this issue.

Blue is for .35 caliber - 9mm, .38 Super, .357 Mag
Red is for .40 & .44 caliber
Black is for .45 & .50 caliber.

For the different sized Glock mags, I use a stripe for the smaller (G19 & 23), and solid color for full-size (G17 & 22).

4QQxruqm.jpg
 
I have never tried it or seen it. 9mm rounds are said to have been accidentally loaded into Glock 40's, fed and fired and in some cases the slide is said to have functioned feeding the next round in the mag.
Yeah, I find these over-bulged cases at the range occasionally. It’s obvious what happened.

9mm through a .40 is pretty common. The most impressive one I ever saw was a .38 Super through a .45 ACP. Not sure how the extractor held onto that (relatively) tiny rim, but it did.
 
I have never tried it or seen it. 9mm rounds are said to have been accidentally loaded into Glock 40's, fed and fired and in some cases the slide is said to have functioned feeding the next round in the mag
This is exactly what I did by accident, except the slide didn't move.
 
View attachment 860420 View attachment 860419 View attachment 860421 I like the 40 S&W .. A Glock 27 is my EDC .. and I own two Glock 23's ..I purchased the 23 slides used ,(one rebuilt all new parts )and then picked up two new 23 frames ..

You can purchase a Glock 32 (357sig) barrel .. It drops right in , and the 40s&W mags work fine ...
Or buy a 23/19 9mm conversion barrel

Underwood Ammo rolls some great
40 S&W loads .. Including some hardcast loads ... Would make your 23 better suited for a hawg pistol

https://www.underwoodammo.com/collections/handgun-ammo/cartridge_40-s-w

I have a G23 I bought way back when I shooting IPSC in the early 90's. The G23 is my "throwaway gun" for when I go into enemy territory and face the possibility of losing the gun due to no CCW reciprocity (e.g. MN). It's also my CCW sidearm (I mostly OC a .45).

To convert a G23 from .40 to 9mm takes only a barrel change? What about the slide and the magazines?

Thanks,
 
I'm not sure but my understanding is that in Glocks, the 9mm and 40 S&W magazines are interchangeable. The 10mm magazine feeds 40 S&W perfectly - I've used this often. I'd guess the 10mm magazine would work for 357 Sig and 9 x 25mm as well but aside from the 10mm magazine running 40 S&W, I've not tried any of the combos.
 
I'm not sure but my understanding is that in Glocks, the 9mm and 40 S&W magazines are interchangeable. The 10mm magazine feeds 40 S&W perfectly - I've used this often. I'd guess the 10mm magazine would work for 357 Sig and 9 x 25mm as well but aside from the 10mm magazine running 40 S&W, I've not tried any of the combos.
40 in a 9 mag didn't work on my 23- slide hung up when I tried to load it.
 
I have a G23 I bought way back when I shooting IPSC in the early 90's. The G23 is my "throwaway gun" for when I go into enemy territory and face the possibility of losing the gun due to no CCW reciprocity (e.g. MN). It's also my CCW sidearm (I mostly OC a .45).

To convert a G23 from .40 to 9mm takes only a barrel change? What about the slide and the magazines?

Thanks,

The 40 S&W mag works with a 357Sig

My 23 runs great with 9mm ,with a conversion barrel and a 19/17 mag
I have heard a ejector change is needed .. I haven't had any problems with the 40S&W ejector
 
My 23 runs great with 9mm ,with a conversion barrel and a 19/17 mag
I have heard a ejector change is needed .. I haven't had any problems with the 40S&W ejector
I have switched between 9mm and .40 using conversion barrels or swapping complete top ends and have never had an issue leaving the ejector/extractor in place. One seems to work as well as the other for whichever caliber.

OTOH, I have had feeding issues running 9mm through .40 mags. Maybe it is a case-by-case issue where some mags run great and others don’t. Personally, I find it easier and more reassuring to run the correct mag with whichever cartridge is in the gun. To those who have tested out 9mm in their .40 mags, that sounds great too. Just be sure to test them.
 
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