I have used the factory 9mm barrel for my FS M&P .40 (over 600 rounds of accurate fire at both range and NRA classes with no problems or evidence of improper locking). I am buying a Shield .40 and will see Guns & Gear for barrel and mags (btw, although I have been assured they sell the barrels, site searches don't come back with it -- is there a part number I can search on?)

I expect no less stirling performance with the Shield than with its big brother. If the lockup was problematic, wouldn't you expect accuracy problems such as we've been told plague some M&P 9mm pistols? Yet my FS .40 is equal or better in accuracy with the 9mm barrel in place vs. the same pistol firing .40's.

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Bob
NRA, MSI, SAF Member

They have them, I got mine for $75 plus shipping. Don't know of any part number or anything, I couldn't find it on their website either.

Thanks!

I also got an email back from Guns & Gear telling me to call them to order.

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Bob
NRA, MSI, SAF Member

When I phoned Chris, at Guns and Gear, to ask about the maker of the barrels, he said they had started getting a lot of orders for the barrels. I told him there had been quite a bit of discussion about the barrel swap on this forum. He said he was wondering what had started all the new orders.

So Smitty357, they should be giving you a commission for their increase in Shield 9mm barrel sales. You started it all, back in September, showing your 9 barrel in the 40. Then you recently showed your purchase of the 9mm barrel from Guns and Gear. I ordered right after that post, as that was the first post showing where to buy the barrel.

Now who is going to try the 40 barrel into the Shield 9? It will work, which was easy for me to see when I got my 9mm barrel. It is not a drop in, as you have to remove about .010 from each side of the tang/tab on the barrel. And that's it, just grind a little off both sides of the area around the sight hole, and .010 is very little. Then the barrel should just drop into the 9mm slide. All you need then is the 40 mag, as the 40 cartridges won't fit into the 9mm mags. Too bad as the 9mm cartridges do fit into the 40 mags. I've tried it and it works, fires, and feeds the next round with no problem.

Bob

I can't take all the credit for it. I'll just take credit for giving video proof, lol.

As for Guns and Gear, i swear someone else mentioned that in another post somewhere on here. Maybe it wasnt directly stated towards the Shield, but im sure i seen it somewhere. So I called them and asked if they had 9mm barrels and mags. Lucky me, they had some so I went with it from there.

I'll gladly take that sales commission from them though. After all i did show proof it would work, and I did post pics of my new barrel and mag, lol.

Something told me I was starting an epidemic when I posted that original video back in September.

I think I might try this. Just got a 9 for my girlfriend so I'm heavily debating this. I think I read it somewhere, but wouldn't bet money on it, but is the outside diameter of both barrels the same? If not will the .40 barrel fit through the opening at the front of the slide? It seems like I remember someone posting a picture of a 9 barrel in a .40 frame and there was a larger gap between barrel and slide opening, but it might have been on a compact or FS, I can't remember.

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-Dik

Yes outside diameter of both barrels are exactly the same. My 40 barrel fits perfect in the front of my 9mm frame. The problem is the back of the barrel doesnt fit in the frame (up top near the peep hole). The 40 barrel is a tiny bit to wide for the 9mm slide at that point. Other than that, thats the only physical difference I can visually see..........As far as internally, i have no clue.

Ok so if I get a micrometer and shave just enough to fit in the slide at the rear, all should line up as needed? Is there going to be any issue with alignment for feeding or anything else?

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-Dik

Edit- I meant fit in frame, not slide in the rear

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-Dik

That is correct, if u shave just enough off the 40 barrel, it should fit in the 9mm slide.

However, as i said above. I have no clue how it will work internally. No clue how it will line up or anything like that. I dont know, simply because I've never fit my 40 barrel in my 9mm frame completly, lol.

I checked the measurements of both barrels very carefully and could only find two differences between the 40 and 9 barrels: the bore and the tang/tab width at the peep hole. The 40's tab width is .425 and the 9mm is .399, for a difference of .026. This means to make the 40 tab width exactly the same as the 9mm, .026 needs to be removed.

My opinion would to be grind .010 off one side of the tab. Measure to make sure you have it at .415. Then grind .010 off the other side making the width .405. The easiest way would be to grind off material using the side of a bench grinder wheel. This is only .020 removed but it may work as there is some side to side movement with the 9mm barrel in the 9mm slide. It should fit at this width, but may be a little tight. Check the fit in the 9mm slide. If it fits in then assemble and test racking. If it racks OK, then see if it feeds OK. From there is range testing. If it doesn't fit right, then take .002 off each side in a similar way as above. This way you are keeping the tab centered.

With my ability to compare the dimensions of the two barrels, I see no reason that the 40 barrel into the 9mm slide would not work. It should work just as well as the 9mm barrel into the 40 slide, except that the width of the tang/tab must be reduced a bit. The 9mm slide has a slightly narrower width for the tang/tab of the 9mm barrel to fit in. The 40 barrel just needs a little material removed from this tang/tab, to allow it to fit into the 9mm slide. All dimension indicate it would work fine and be just as accurate when shooting.

You would still need the 40 magazine, as the 40 cartridges don't fit in the 9mm mags.

Bob

Ok so I'm getting serious about this. I won't be able to do it til after the new year, holidays and such. But anyway, I know the issue had been beat to death talking about it the other way, but it was proven the smaller 9 casing is still able to be grabbed by the ejector because it's not that much smaller, but I don't remember hearing and I couldn't find out if the ejector was the same part, or just worked because the 9 isn't much smaller. If they're not the same will the larger casing put extra strain on it? I doubt it because of it being such a small difference, but I don't really know the mechanics of the ejector so someone that understands it a little better might have a better guess.

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-Dik

The ejector in the 40 and 9mm are the exact same part number on the full size and the C models. So IMO, i would expect it to also be the same with the Shield. I dont see why it would differ, if the others have never differed.

Exactly what I needed to know. Looks like a new project is in order

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-Dik

This is what needs to be reduced in size on the 40 barrel, so it will fit into the 9mm slide. I would only take off .010 from each side of the tang/tab. That should be enough to allow it to fit. You do want the side to side play to be similar to the play you find with the stock 9mm barrel in the 9mm slide.

All else should be fine, except for needing the 40 magazine.

Bob

Ok so thinking about this a little more, the 9 barrel fits in the 40 slide because the 9 tab deals are smaller. So would this leave wiggle room for the 9 barrel, and if so does it matter? I ask because, just exploring all options, would it be worth exploring the idea of widening the 9 slide itself to fit the 40 tabs? If so, would it have an effect on anything when using the 9 equipment? If it doesn't matter either way, which of the two between barrel and slide are softer material. Which would be easier to grind down?

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-Dik

Nevermind. After getting back home and looking at it, it wouldn't make sense to grind the slide. Mark that off as dumb question

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-Dik

You thought about and figured it out. You could grind the slide opening larger to get the 40 barrel to fit, but then you have messed your resale value and caused extra clearance for the stock 9mm barrel fit into the 9mm slide. Grinding the 40 barrel will only affect the value of the barrel, if any. Your only removing a very small amount, and only from the tang/tab.

No the extra barrel side to side play does not have any issues. I originally thought it might make the 9mm barrel less accurate due to more side to side play. This would only affect windage (left or right). Since both barrels lock into breach exactly the same (which controls elevation), there should be no problems in elevation. My shooting groupings were almost exactly the same with the 9mm barrel, as with the 40 barrel, within 3 inches at 15 yards. This is why I feel the swap od 40 barrel into 9mm slide is better, because you will not end up with the extra clearance, it should be the same or slightly closer.

I took some more measurements. The opening on my 40 slide is .433 wide. The 40 barrel tang is .425, which leaves .008 clearance. The 9mm barrel tang is .399, which should give .034 clearance, but it is only .025 clearance. This is less as the barrel can not move any more as it rests against the side of the slide and not the side of the tang/tab. Therefore the maximum side to side difference between the two barrels is .008 for the 40 and .025 for the 9mm, a difference of .017 (1/64 inch). This did not cause my 9mm grouping to disperse any more than with the 40 barrel.

Bob

Ya this Is what was going through my mind, just took a roundabout way of getting there. I was thinking of widening the slide to make the 40 tight, but wasn't getting the big picture. You're right going with grinding the 40 barrel will mean both barrels fit snug into the 9 slide and a better outcome overall.

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-Dik

Ho Ho Ho Santa sent me my 9mm barrel and 2 9mm extended mags, it came in the mail, at 5:00 last delivery for today. There is a Santa, I must have been a good boy. Yes it fits like a glove and works great in my 40 Shield.Now I got 2 guns for the price of 1, thanks all for all the input on this subject. Merry Christmas to all and be safe out there, Remember watch out for the other guy. Ned PA.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, glad to see he still delivers to us older folk, haha.

And welcome to the Converted Shield Club.

Ok so since I was ignorant and got the 9 first since I didn't know about the conversion, I decided to rectify it. Was browsing and my big-name gs had a .40 on the wall. I was a bit tight on funds from the holidays, so I just threw it on layaway til I recoup a little. So I'll have both size barrels and mags. I'm still going to get another 9 and .40 barrel because the original 9 is the girlfriends. It was the longest way of going about it, but now I guess we'll have 4 guns for the price of 2!

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-Dik

Kinda what I did to start with. Except i just bought both the 9mm and the .40 on the same day since they were both staring me in the face. After testing the 9mm barrel and mag in the .40 for a few months, i decided id buy a designated 9mm barrel and mag for my .40. This way I was able to give my original 9mm Shield to my ole lady for her EDC. And thus, allows me to be able to bring the .40 and designated 9mm barrel to the range with me.

I guess i kinda have a .40 and 2 9mm's in a sense, lol. But it all works out and I dont think any of us Shield owners can complain about how easy s&w made this conversion.

Those of us that bought the Shield 40 thought we had the best of both worlds. With just swapping out the 40 barrel with the 9mm barrel, we would then also have a 9mm Shield. Since I purchased the 9mm barrel from Guns and Gear, I have found that those with the 9mm Shields can buy a 40 barrel, and also have the Shield 40.

The only problem with the 9 to 40 swap is that a very small amount of material (.010 inch per side) has to be removed from the top rear tab on the 40 barrel. The side of the tab is only 1/8 inch wide by 3/16 inch high. It would be easy to remove this material with any type of grinder. I would use a 6 inch or larger bench grinder, using the side of the wheel to grind the .010 off. Very easy and fast, as .010 is a very small amount. It could also be done with a hand grinder or dremel. The 40 barrel will then drop into the 9mm slide. Then all that's needed is a 40 magazine.

Bob

You saved me more than $300 buying another Shield (instead spending just $75 plus shipping), so I feel like I owe you a commission

Good deal man, glad I could help you out.

Maybe I should go into promotional business for their company. I'll just go around promoting their products and showing what u can do with them. Sounds like an easy job for me lol.

So has anyone tried the 9mm to 40 cal swap yet? I'm willing to give it a try but having a hard time trying to find the .40 cal barrel and mag.

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Jorge
- M&P15, 15-22, Shield

No, not the 9 to .40 conversion. Just another .40 to 9mm conversion. I added a 9mm 4.25" barrel and mags to my Full Size M&P last August, and tomorrow I pick up a .40 Shield, which has a 9mm 3.125" barrel and an 8 round 9mm ext mag waiting for it in my safe (thank you, Smitty & Bob, and Judith Szczygiel of Guns and Gear). If the weather clears up, I'll take them out Sunday to run some .40 and 9mm ammo through the Shield, and check the sight alignment and see how she shoots!

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Bob
NRA, MSI, SAF Member

Just spoke to Chris at Guns and Gear. He said he has ordered Shield 40 barrels. He said he does not know when he will get them, as his supply of barrels from S&W has slowed down. He said he is currently out of the 9mm barrels. He now has both the 9mm and 40 barrels on order and is waiting on S&W to ship them.

You can not convert a 9 to a 40. The 40 cartridge will not fit the breech face of the 9mm slide.

Don

Don B

Check posts 61 and 65. All fits and will work. If 40 into 9 works, the breach face will allow the 9 into 40. The extractor and ejector are the same for both guns.

Bob

I fixed my post, I meant 9 to 40.

Great thread guys, I was on the fence of 9 or 40 for the Shield (I have the FS in 9) I picked the 40 and also have a 9mm barrel and mag on the way

It also helped my decision that all they had was the 40 Shield when I went in last night lol

Yep for anyone who is waiting in line for the 9mm, i may go ahead and just purchase the .40. As said before the recoil isnt that big of a difference between them and the dual recoil springs helps tremendously on handling the recoil in the .40. Its not as snappy as most people would think from a .40 in a such a small frame.

I dont think you'll hear any complaints from anyone of us who have converted. It's a cheap and easy conversion and that only takes a minute or so to make work.

WOW, what a fantastic deal! AMAZING LOW PRICE!

357 Sig can be used in a 40 magazine, all you need is a barrel change. I bought extra 40 magazines and put different colored bases to tell which ammo was in it. It's not a shield, but the same principle. A 357sig case is a necked down 40 case. Same magazine for both.

Not to be a heretic but I've made that same swap (from .40 to 9mm) with both a Glock 27 and Glock 23. With 9mm mags, absolutely no problem. Using Lone Wolf's barrels; and now I can shot lead ammo in the 40 to 9 barrels since the rifling is more conventional. Also more accurate that OE. Only prob that ever arose was trying to cheat with .40 mags and 9mm ammo; function problems common doing that but mostly ok. With all the hoopla over the supposed Glock KaBooming, one might cringe but it's quite a common conversion and never heard of problems.

Not only the Shield, but my XDs, Glocks, Sigs and M&Ps which are in .40S&W, all are
in the three barrel flavor........40S&W, 357Sig and 9mm. The secret is that the 9mm barrel must be of the 'bull barrel' size. All of mine function flawlessly. The 9mm mag
must be used with 9mm ammo. Oops.....me forgot about my Keltec. It is all three barrel flavored also!!!!!

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Ed

Was advised that S&W is now selling both the 9 and 40 Shield barrels. Price is $61 plus $6.50 for shipping Part numbers are 42199 for 9mm and 42185 for 40 S&W. Call 800 331-0852 ext 4125.

Bob

I talked to a customer service rep at S&W about the availability of the
9mm barrel. He told me it was on back order(big surprise!)& out of curiosity
I asked him if there was a "conversion kit" for that. He said they didn't offer one &
didn't recommend using the 9mm barrel in the 40C because it would eventually
ruin the slide. Has anybody else heard this?

They just don't know and make a stupid statement. There is no way the 9mm barrel in the 40 slide is going to ruin anything. They are not going to tell you "sure it works" as they make a lot more profit off a gun than selling a barrel. There have been lots of posts on this Forum saying it works perfectly. If you've been reading some of the many post in this Forum, you would know if there was a problem. It not like we all own stock in a barrel making company and are pushing up the sales.

Don't ask for a conversion barrel. Just say you want to order another barrel, or a backup barrel.

Bob

I ordered a 9mm barrel from Guns and Gear on Tuesday. She said it would be shipped out on Wednesday. Cc charged but no barrel yet. I don't mean to sound impatient but I live less than 2 hours way from the place

Hopefully it will come tomorrow but I would have thought it should have taken only a day to reach me. I'm also a little concerned as they posted on Facebook that they are going through some issues with employees and needed to close on Thursday. No answer when calling today either

For those that got the barrel how did it come ? UPS or post office? I'm going to be in the area tomorrow. I may stop in




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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M&P 2.0 9mm-Shield9-Shield45

It does all boil down to how they ship.
USPS would definitely be quicker than UPS. UPS seems to default to 5-7 business days, even when it's right across the street.
How a company ships is definitely one of the things I ask when ordering by phone and I try to opt for USPS.

Has anyone actually done the 40 barrel into the 9mm slide? I just ordered the 40 barrel and mag for my 9mm Shield from S&W. I'll try to document the work and show the results when it's done. Fingers crossed.

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Jorge
- M&P15, 15-22, Shield

Most likely the real reasons are:
1-Wanting to sell you a whole new gun.
2-Liability issues.

I suspect #2 is going to be the main reason because if anything bad did happen, and they "told you" that you could do it, it could easily become an expensive legal nightmare.

Swapping barrels like this constitutes a "design change", and in addition to any of the engineering checks, there are likely to be a lot of expensive qualification testing and approvals needed for it to become an "officially approved" option. Without that, S&W customer service is not going to encourage people to do it, even if they knew there wouldn't be a problem. IMHO-naturally.

Ok guys, I get home tomorrow night and hopefully pick up my .40 on Wednesday. So I just posted in another thread about this 9 to .40 conversion and it got me thinking... Since I don't have a spare .40 barrel yet, I'll just have the one from my Shield, will grinding the tangs a little hurt using the barrel in the original .40? My guess is no because it would essentially just be the same size as the 9 barrel correct? It'll just leave a little gap between the slide correct?

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-Dik

I'm curious as to why u want u to do it. Im assuming u already have a 9mm Shield and ur about to get a .40 Shield.

Why dont u just do what I do any buy a 9mm barrel for the .40 that u will be getting. And just leave your original Shield 9mm alone. Dont even worry about converting the 9mm one. Just convert your .40 to 9mm with the barrel (since u already have to buy another barrel no matter what), and leave it at that.

I'm confused also. I thought you had a Shield 9 and were thinking of doing the barrel swap up to a 40. That is why we said it would work in the 9 slide by grinding the tang down on the 40 barrel. Maybe a little more explanation as to what you are planning.

Bob

Sorry to be vague. Yes I have a 9 Shield, but technically it's my girlfriends now. Remember the pink? Lol. So I'm picking up my .40 when I get home. I want to put the .40 barrel in the 9 mostly just to prove it works, but also because in the long run I'll be buying another of each barrel so both me and her can have a 9 & .40. 4 guns for the price of 2 + barrels.

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-Dik

And I'm only home for one week so I won't have time to wait for another barrel to arrive. It's partly that I'm excited to do it so I don't want to wait, and partly because I don't want ti make the community wait any longer for someone to do it and prove it works. Plus after this week off, I'll be back at work for another three weeks so I/you guys would be waiting at least another month for it to happen.

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-Dik