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Glock 23 with 9mm conversion or get a Glock 19?

102K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  Ring 
#1 ·
I want to get a glock 19 (I think... I borrowed one from a friend to test tomorrow) but been thinking of getting a G23, because I will be using a G22 for work, so I can utilize the ammo and mags from the G22. However I like 9mm and that's why I want the Glock 19... I figured if I get a Glock 23, I can maybe get a lone wolf barrel to shoot 9mm when I want. I might convert from my previous off duty MP9c carry to the Glock 19/23 because of the same on/off duty weapon platform

my question is, how reliable is this conversion? and fwiw, they will be gen 4 glocks (I'm a lefty, so the lefty mag release is a big welcome for me)

also, both pistols fit me just fine (M&P and glock)

so it really comes down to trying to decide if I should get the G19 and stick with the caliber I prefer, or get a G23, so I can have a .40 and get a 9mm conversion barrel/recoil spring kit?


This isn't a caliber question, this is more geared towards reliability/accuracy for G23s with a lone wolf barrel, or just get a G19 and forego the .40 that the dept issues me
 
#2 ·
I'm going to refrain from voicing my opinion on yet another caliber issue. The G19 and the G23 are both glorious weapons as far as functionality, and you said you prefer 9mm. Sounds like an open and shut win for the 19.
 
#3 ·
This isn't a caliber question. I already know 9 is a better caliber.

What I'm asking is if I should go with a G23 and use a conversion barrel (like having 2 calibers for one pistol) or they are known to have reliability/accuracy issues, and just get a G19 instead...

I will mostly use the 9mm barrel in the G23, but with dept ammo, it will be nice to have the .40 cal is where I'm going with this
 
#4 ·
I have an M&P .40 that I convert to 9mm with a factory 9mm barrel and factory 9mm magazines. Reliability is about 96% when converted with the barrel and I am very happy with the capability of practicing with 9mm and I am satisfied with the reliability for range practice, but the conversion is not reliable enough to consider it for self defense. The .40 breech face is too wide. The ejector is a little bit too far away to reliably (100%) eject spent casings, but it does the job... almost all of the time. Casings don't get kicked out of the gun very far. When casings aren't completely ejected, the malfunction is easily cleared by pulling the slide slightly rearward and letting the casing fall out of the slide.

I would think a Glock would work the same way. IF you can shoot .40 well and are more confident with carrying .40 for protection than 9mm, get the G23 and convert it to 9mm for the range. If you are more confident and better shooter with 9mm, get the G19.

Having a bunch of G22 magazines would be nice for the G23 but if you're just going to convert it to 9mm for practice, I don't see a real advantage. Glock magazines don't cost much compared to other makers, especially with all of the LE trade-in and Korean magazines on the market.

If you pick the G23, you shouldn't carry it when converted to 9mm. That's for the range only. If you desire, you could convert the G23 to .357 Sig. Reliability should be 100% since the breech face is the same as .40.
 
#6 ·
Having a bunch of G22 magazines would be nice for the G23 but if you're just going to convert it to 9mm for practice, I don't see a real advantage. Glock magazines don't cost much compared to other makers, especially with all of the LE trade-in and Korean magazines on the market.

If you pick the G23, you shouldn't carry it when converted to 9mm. That's for the range only. If you desire, you could convert the G23 to .357 Sig. Reliability should be 100% since the breech face is the same as .40.
This^^^ The words that escaped me.
 
#5 ·
I see what you mean, and the only answer I can give you is that I've never used a conversion.
I have HEARD, that something to do with the ejector being placed differently leads to more common FTEs when using a conversion, but that is by no means the gospel.

However, my opinion still stands, if you feel more comfortable with the 9mm (I agree), carry it; and since you will never use the firearm in question as a duty weapon, the capability to fire the .40 from work would seem irrelevant, unless your department allows you to use their ammo in your personal weapon.

For the purpose of SD, I am always leery of firing a cartridge from a pistol platform that was initially designed for another cartridge.
 
#11 ·
This ...

I'm very *weary* of using any sort of modded/converted firearm if its comes to self defense/home defense. I prefer stock firearms (outside of sights or a light perhaps) just in case the prosecutor decides to prosecute me in a SD/HD situation because I had *modded* firearm to make it even *more deadly*

if that makes sense :)
 
#8 ·
Yeah, I think it makes sense to get a G19, and I can always use the issue G22 for when I'm given ammo to shoot with.

Last time I shot my buddy's Glock 19, I was good with it. I'll see how it turns out tomorrow, and might end up with one to take home after... lol

all these decisions... sometimes I wish I could just buy anything I wanted.
 
#9 ·
I have a Glock 23 and I'm wanting to do the same thing as you. I prefer the capacity of 9mm but would love to have a choice between the 2 calibers so I went with the Glock23. If you want to switch between the 2 reliably then just replace the .40 extractor with a 9mm extractor in the slide(easy to do) and use 9mm mags and you should be close to 100% reliable...
 
#13 · (Edited)
I own a G22, G23 and a G27 and have 9mm conversion barrels for all three and have had no issues with any of them.
No, one issue. My G27 will not cycle 115 gr winchester silvertips. It eats every other thing that I put in it.... just not those. The 22 and 23 handle anything just like clockwork.

The only changes that I make to the guns to shoot 9mm is the barrel and 9mm mags. The springs, extractor and ejector I have not touched and have had zero problems. (The factory recoil springs are the same for G26,27,33. Same for the 19,23,32 and same for the 17,22,31.) Here is a link.
GLOCK RECOIL SPRINGS You do not have to change the springs to shoot 9mm.

I do not have any problems trusting my life with the 9mm conversions in my .40 cal Glocks
I have the .357sig barrels also.

Here is a pic of my G23 with the .357sig barrel in it, the 9mm conversion on the left and the factory.40 that it came with on the right.
Getting a G19 really isn't a bad idea, but the .40 cal Glocks and conversions work awesome for me and, again, I have and do trust my life to these.

Good luck on your decision!

 
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#14 ·
Thanks!

I looked on LW's website, and they seem to be out of the G23 >9mm barrels, which is a bummer. and looks like it won't be back for a little while....

well, i'm gonna hit up the range now and get a feel for the G19 and my M&P9... the winner stays.

I will be getting a gen 4 though, so I'm gonna need a 9mm spring, because 40 and 9 springs are diff in the gen 4.
 
#15 ·
For versatility, I would go with the 23 and conversion barrel(s). My only caveat is that if you intend to carry the weapon, I would go with the 19 and avoid the worry of the conversion barrel having a hiccup at the worst possible time.

I've used a LW 40 to 9 conversion on my 23 and it always ran fine and was very accurate. There are several other mfgs, but they are more expensive. Also be sure to check items for sale on this site, you might stumble into a good deal.
 
#16 ·
Multiple caliber firearms are a better idea in theory than in practice. Having played that game, I eventually decided I really wasn't saving much money or gaining much appreciable practicality. I now see it much like an adjustable suspension on my sports car. It's a neat idea to think I CAN crawl under my car and adjust my suspension to different settings, but the NEED to perform the task seldom comes up often enough to justify the cost & effort. IMHO, Just buy the (complete) pistol that you want & be done with it.
 
#19 ·
As you could tell by reading my earlier post, I have had the opposite experience. By utilizing different barrels I have saved the money of buying 5 other Glocks ( I haven't had to buy the G17,19,26,31,32,or 33,)I did spend $100 a piece for the barrels though. They have been just as reliable as my other Glock barrels and am very happy with my purchases.
 
#17 ·
Just got back from the range. I shot my friend's borrowed G19 and my M&P9c side by side.

I honestly couldn't tell a difference between the two, shot the same, felt the same, recoiled the same. cycled the same. the 147gr ammo was impacting high and left on the glock consistently, but decent groups.

with rapid fire, the M&P9c did really good. out to 20 yards, I was excellent with it too... on the G19, I was impacting too far left high, but I was able to see the groups.

I think I'm going to just stick with my M&P9c for off duty use since I shoot it so well. for the G22, I will ge a conversion barrel, and if I decide to shoot some kind of match/training with it, I'll put a 9mm barrel in it.

Here are the pictures from the targets... I'm going to post a range review on my thoughts in a few, but I figured I'll put it here too since I went to the range to see how I liked the G19 lol

20 feet slow fire (G19 top, M&P9c bottom)


Glock 19 rapid fire (20 feet)


M&P9c rapid fire (20 feet)


Glock 19 20 yards


M&P9c 20 yards
 
#18 ·
I had the same dilemma a year ago. I bought the 23, a Lone Wolf 40-9 conversion barrel, and two 15-round 9mm mags. I'm really glad that I went this route. I love the versatility. I train with both calibers every range session. I prefer to shoot 9mm because it's cheaper, but I keep the .40 barrel in as a HD weapon. I don't carry this Glock, but I would have no qualms about carrying it with the Lone Wolf conversion barrel. I've put close to 1,000 rounds through the LW barrel and have only had 1 (that's ONE) malfunction. It was a FTE and it happened when it was brand new.
 
#20 ·
Either will due depending on what you want you are trying to accomplish with the guns. If you confident in your ability to shoot the .40 cal round, then having the Glock 23 wouldn't be a bad way to go and get the conversion barrel. If you are wanting to use a 9mm for defensive purposes, I would get the Glock 19 and not mess with a conversion barrel. Most of us on here would not recommend using a modification such as that to self defense due to it being an after market part. Now if you were to take a Glock 23 and put a Glock .357 SIG OEM barrel into it and use that for self defense, that would be a whole different story.
 
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