I have seen people buy a .40 Shield and then order a 9mm slide, barrel, and magazine for it so they would have a two guns in one. I understand that it is cheaper than buying two guns but are the savings worth it?
You see a lot of people do it for practice. For me, if I buy a gun chambered for a certain caliber, I'm going to use that caliber and not modify it into something it isn't.
I plan on getting a 9MM barrel for the M&P40C that I'm still waiting to be delivered. That would mean I'd also have to get 9MM mags, too. If I decide on a .357sig barrel then I'd be able to use the original .40 cal magazines. I'm still in the research stage & won't make any decisions until I actually have the gun in my hand. I know several shooters who use 9MM in their .40 cals at the range. With possible long term ammo shortages it might be nice to be able to chose from 3 different calibers. Hopefully I could find a box in at least one caliber. I certainly can't afford 2 or 3 guns at this time & extra barrels might be my best decision. Otherwise I'd suggest to buy a separate gun for each caliber.
Its easier and cheaper to buy a properly fitted conversion barrel than to buy slide barrel and mags... IE. I have a G22 .40 cal. I can buy a 9mm conversion barrel that is the same outside diameter as the .40 cal barrel for proper fit in the original slide but is chambered for 9mm. That way all I have to do is buy 9mm mags and I am good to go. I personally feel it is important to practice what you carry as 9mm has different characteristics than a .40 sw. For practicing the basics and such I use a 22 pistol.
Personally, I'd take the money that you'd have to put into a decent barrel and magazines and buy a basic reloading setup. Then you'll have ammo savings and you'll be more self sufficient.
I bought a Lone Wolf 9mm for my Glock 23 .40 mainly because I can only use lead bullets at my club's indoor range and since I was doing it anyway I figured the 9mm lead is easier for me to find.
I got a 9mm barrel for my M&P40, mainly to save money on ammo for range use. Ironically, with the current panic and ammo shortage I have been shooting mostly .40 as it is generally less difficult to acquire.
Ain't that the truth! I'm kinda wishing I had a .40 right about now. Actually, I'm thinking of acquiring another HK USP in .40 or .357 Sig for this, among other reasons. I also figure, even though the doomsday folk say "You'll never find a stash of ammo so what you hoard will be what you have," that if I SHOULD for whatever reason 'stumble' upon some kind of stash, it seems having the flexibility to shoot what I find would be advantageous. I'm also thinking of getting a TC Dimension for this, among other reasons.
I just bought my 40 S&W Shield and from what I've seen online, a 9 mm barrel for it is about $80. One of my buddies is getting into reloading (he has everything except the powder and one other part that he ordered a month ago) and he's a die hard 9 mm guy. So it'll be cheaper for me to invest $80 and use his cheap bullets for target practice then to spend about $180 to buy him the pieces he needs to load 40s and then get him all the materials when I'm the only person who will be using the bullets.
...plus I like the fact that he can shoot a few hundred rounds through his guns to make sure he knows what he's doing before I shoot any.
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That's one of the many reasons I'm on a list to get a Glock 20. I don't really want a .40S&W or a .357 SIG enough to warrant buying a whole firearm dedicated to either caliber, but I'd drop a few bills on a barrel.
My brother bought a 357Sig in a Sig gun. Could not find ammo. 2 years ago I bought him a 40S&W barrel for his SIG and it was drop in and shoots fine with the same mags that came with the gun. He has a supply of 357SIG social but we reload 40S&W for both of our guns. Yes, two caliber guns work just fine.
I've been thinking about a second barrel for my M&P40c. Either a 9mm for less expensive target shooting or a 357 sig. The 357 sig would be less to get into (since the mags are the same). I'm not sure if the 357 sig has more punch than the .40 . If it does, it would be nice for wilderness/animal protection. Anyone have real world experience with 40 & 357? Does the 357 have more stopping power? (If this is a stupid question, ease forgive me, I'm fairly new).
Picked up the other day a Sig P250 2Sum 9mm. The P250 can convert caliber as well as fame size. I'll will purchase the 45ACP conversion kit next. I think the price is around $285 for the conversion kit.
I bought a (S&W) 9mm barrel for my M&P 40c. And ya' wanna' know a secret? I can use my .40 mags and still shoot 9mm. The only issue is the last round in the mag does not feed. After trying 250 (9mm) rounds, it works just fine.
I have a g23 and would recommend buying the 357 and 9mm barrels from wolf about 99 each times like now when ammo is hard to find you have multiple choices
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