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  #1  
Old 10-11-2009, 02:35 PM
rcockayne rcockayne is offline
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Thumbs down Converting the SW40VE to 357sig

I have a SW40VE and would like to convert it to fire the 357sig round. I know that the frame can handle it. My question is the barrel. The SW9VE barrel can be rechambered to accept the 357sig round, however, the riffling standard is differs between the 9mm & 357sig. Will a rechambered SW9VE barrel perform well with the 357sig? Or would the Storm Lake M & P compact 357sig barrel work in the SW40VE. Or best of all, is there a 367sig barrel available for the SW40VE.
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Old 10-11-2009, 02:41 PM
OKFC05 OKFC05 is offline
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Quote:
Or best of all, is there a 367sig barrel available for the SW40VE.
Not any more that I know of, amd the other ideas are pretty much out to lunch. The back of the barrel must match the .40 slide, so you can't rework a 9mm barrel.
The aftermarket.357 SIG barrels for the Sigma didn't have a good reputation for reliability, anyway, although some of the factory .357 guns are still going.
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Old 10-11-2009, 02:59 PM
rcockayne rcockayne is offline
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I do have a Sig P229 with the factory slides & mags for 22lr, 357sig & 40SW. Beautiful gun. I have become accustom and otherwise very fond of my SW40VE and would like to have an alternet caliber as I do on the Sig. I have read on many forums (including this one) that many have accomplished this. No one was specific about how.
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Old 10-11-2009, 10:00 PM
MattB MattB is offline
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I suppose you could find a factory .357 barrel as there was an SW357V made for a short time. I'd imagine one would be extremely hard to find, but they do exist. Not sure if it would fit one of the newer E/VE/P/G/GVE series Sigma pistols though.
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Old 10-21-2009, 11:20 AM
rcockayne rcockayne is offline
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I may be out to lunch, but, I have purchased a 9mm barrel for a sw9ve and it matches the slide and the rifling is 1:16 (same as the 357 sig) the only difference is the chambering. the reeming tool is $119 from midway and that will facilitate rechambering the barrel. I have ordered the tool and will post how this turns out.
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  #6  
Old 10-21-2009, 04:14 PM
handgunner356 handgunner356 is offline
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I'll stand back.
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  #7  
Old 10-21-2009, 04:41 PM
Rick-F Rick-F is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcockayne View Post
I may be out to lunch, but, I have purchased a 9mm barrel for a sw9ve and it matches the slide and the rifling is 1:16 (same as the 357 sig) the only difference is the chambering. the reeming tool is $119 from midway and that will facilitate rechambering the barrel. I have ordered the tool and will post how this turns out.
In addition to reaming the diameter of the chamber, how much deeper will the chamber need to go to accomadate the .357SIG ? Please keep us posted. (Have you considered porting the new modified barrel?)
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  #8  
Old 10-21-2009, 09:48 PM
rcockayne rcockayne is offline
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0.111 inch. the 9mm chamber is .754 inch deep and the 357sig is .865 inch deep. Check the diagrams I attached. As I said the 9mm & 40 SW barrels match the slide with the exception of the diameter of the chamber. after the 9mm is rechambered to 357sig that will match as well. The entire SW357V was a SW40V with a 9mm barrel chambered for 357sig. SigArms P229 barrels for the 2 calibers differ only in the shape of the chambering guide. As for porting, no plans on porting presently.
Attached Images
File Type: gif 9mm Parabellum (Lugar)16.gif (8.8 KB, 310 views)
File Type: gif 357 sig6.gif (8.4 KB, 291 views)
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  #9  
Old 11-30-2009, 02:08 AM
rcockayne rcockayne is offline
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Default Done, and it works flawlessly.

Got the chamber reamer, reamed the chamber, added a chamber peep hole, polished all rough spots. Put it together and fired 200 rounds through the barrel. Both the .40 SW and the re-chambered 9mm (now 357 sig) show identical wear marks. The firing characteristics are very close to each other. The 40 has slightly more kick and the 357 sig gets the most bang points. I can't understand why it is taking so long for the 357 sig to gain a decent following.

Just for the record, when I got close to the proper depth I cut and measured very frequently. I also reassembled the slide with a dummy round and measured the clearance until it matched the 40 barrel. The modification took around 6 hours total. The results were worth it. My SW40VE is now a dual caliber weapon. As for Smith & Wesson, I have heard that they did not like paying royalties to Sig Sauer. 357 sig is a registered trademark. I just think they couldn't sell enough to continue.
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  #10  
Old 11-30-2009, 02:13 AM
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WildCard ZX6R WildCard ZX6R is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcockayne View Post
I can't understand why it is taking so long for the 357 sig to gain a decent following.
Its alot like the .45 GAP i think, an answer waiting for a question.


Good work on the conversion though... Pics ?
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  #11  
Old 11-30-2009, 10:34 AM
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novalty novalty is offline
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I think the price of the ammo is one reason the .357 sig is lacking, as the public can purchase several other calibers for a lot less.
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Old 11-30-2009, 12:20 PM
rcockayne rcockayne is offline
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Absolutely! There is not the economy of scale for the 357 sig. I like the round better than the 40 sw and that is why I like having the choice between the 2 calibers. 357 sig can be difficult to find, and when I can't find it I can use 40 sw. The 357 sig definitely has the superior penetrating power and they are comparable when it comes to shear knock down ability. The price will drop as the alphabet soup starts converting over from 40 sw to 357 sig. Remember when the .38 was the King. Then the 357 mag knocked it down a notch. will post pics shortly.

Last edited by rcockayne; 11-30-2009 at 12:43 PM.
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  #13  
Old 11-30-2009, 12:59 PM
amd6547 amd6547 is offline
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I got the 357sig itch a while back, when i owned a 40s&w glock 23. Bought an aftermarket barrel in 357sig.
I put some hot Doubletap 357sig ammo through it. Found I wasn't too impressed, in fact, I preferred the 40s&w.
The 357sig just didn't seem to be enough of an advance over the +P+ 9mm for me.
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Old 11-30-2009, 01:24 PM
OKFC05 OKFC05 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcockayne View Post
Got the chamber reamer, reamed the chamber, added a chamber peep hole, polished all rough spots. Put it together and fired 200 rounds through the barrel. Both the .40 SW and the re-chambered 9mm (now 357 sig) show identical wear marks. The firing characteristics are very close to each other.
Just for the record, when I got close to the proper depth I cut and measured very frequently. I also reassembled the slide with a dummy round and measured the clearance until it matched the 40 barrel. The modification took around 6 hours total. The results were worth it.
CONGRATULATIONS!
I have been hoping to get a report on how the project went. I know of 3 people that tried the conversion with aftermarket barrels and had problems, never getting past a jam or two every box.
I have always wondered whether it was a fundamental problem or the need for more precision and hand fitting.
If someone asks me about this again, I can refer them to your post: "Can be done, but you need to know what you are doing and be prepared to invest 6 hours of careful work."
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Old 12-02-2009, 03:15 PM
Uncle Billy Uncle Billy is offline
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I have an EFK .357sig barrel for the SW40VE pistol listed in the classifieds. It was a drop in fit and worked perfectly. Contact me at [email protected] if interested.
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  #16  
Old 12-03-2009, 09:54 AM
george minze george minze is offline
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Has anybody determined the difference in pressures between 40sw, 9mm +P and 357 sig. How does that correspond to tolerances in the same pistol. I know a mid sized PD that had problems with 357 sig in Glocks made for 357 sig. Glock replaced pistols with 9mm para. The department lost faith in the 357 in the Glocks. Very likely it was an ammo problem, as the problem surfaced in range shooting. I didn't hear what quality of ammo was being used for the range. Makes some wonder in all of this high power ammo especially in polymer frames. I don't know the answer but some very well known pistol smiths have a problem with some of the existing ammo. I'm not familiar enough to make a statement but hope somebody a lot smarter than me has some info on the over all subject. Some pretty hot ammo out there now could be good. but how is it treating both older (not ancient) and some of the newer pistols???? A cracked frame is not good what ever the reason...
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Old 12-03-2009, 10:25 AM
george minze george minze is offline
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I guess I should clear my ramblings about ammo. I liked the 357Sig when it came out. One reason was automobile penetration, and chambering of the round. The design certainly would eliminate chambering hang ups. The penetration of auto glass should be unaffected. I personally love the .45 but even though it is a proven man stopper there have been some sad results in firing into the curved rear window of autos. In some cases going through car doors. One hostage situation some years back in the NW this caused the death of a LEO. The 40SW was a compromise made by the FBI from the 10mm due to problems at the time of trials. Now we have all this hot stuff with different pressures in pistols originally made for the ammo that was available at the time. I have always believed that numerous rounds in body mass, trumped misses by heavy or extremely sharp recoil calibers in stressful situations. I only ask as this question keeps coming up. I am retired so it doesn't affect me anymore but I still hear of problems in quality of ammo and especially primers. I would hope with all the expertise on this forum somebody will know the truth, or at least the science. Thanks for indulging a old guys curiosity.
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Old 01-25-2010, 05:17 PM
clam6971 clam6971 is offline
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I'm really glad to find this thread! I've been mulling possible ways to make my sw40ve a multi-caliber platform, and have thought 357sig would be a great option--if for no other reason that because I'd like to be able to shoot both calibers.

Would definitely appreciate any pics you have of the process!
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Old 02-19-2010, 11:48 PM
jppezz23 jppezz23 is offline
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Now why in the world would you want to do that.I had a Sig Sauer 357 it was a good gun ,but i sold it and bought the Sigma 40ve and i like it very well. And the 40 cal ammo is easier to find ,cheaper to buy and higher power.But that is only my opinion.
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