Feasibility of conversion barrels with today's market?

lrrifleman

lrrifleman

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Greetings! Often, we tend to see members encouraging the purchase of cartridge conversion barrels in the event of an ammo shortage, much like we are witnessing now.

Currently, I have a certified pre-owned Sig P229R in 40 S&W on the way, and I am toying with the idea of getting a conversion barrel in 357 Sig. My online source for ammo (for when I purchase ammo) has been out of 357 Sig for at least three months, and is expecting a shipment sometime in September. Granted, the barrel would only cost about $150, but I was wondering, in the various parts of the country, how available has 357 Sig been?

Is the rationale for having a conversion barrel on hand holding true with today's shortages?

As always, thanks for your opinions!
 
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To me, I see both sides of it. A handgun that can shoot two or three different calibers is more useful than one that can’t. However, you can buy a lot of ammo to pile deep for that $150 or $300 for two barrels. I don’t see the barrel losing value much either. You could get your money back most likely down the road if you don’t need it. However, your current setup is 40, and for whatever reason it always fares the best in ammo shortages. I have a theory, 9 and 45 guys shoot a lot and buy every box they can find in shortages. People like my brother who own only a .40 keep a box or two around and don’t feel the need to prep.
 
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I recently had the same idea. After searching for quite a while I found an original (not aftermarket) .357 Sig barrel for my .40 caliber P239 (last Sig duty gun). I started looking for .357 ammo and it was hard to find. I finally bought 200 rounds of ball from an Armslist ad. Last week the local law enforcement supply store had two boxes (100 rounds) of Federal HST hollow point so I bought it. It was ammo traded in when an agency switched calibers. That ammo was $23.99 per box. They have a decent supply of ball in the $34.99 range and Gold Dot at $39.99 a box.

I bought the last box of Sig branded ball ammo from Bass Pro Shop last Saturday. No other shops around have it in stock now.

Due to the current conditions ammo of all calibers is in short supply. This crisis too shall pass. I don't see .357 Sig going anywhere anytime soon. The NC State Highway Patrol, the NC License and Theft Division and NC Wildlife Enforcement all carry that calber, so at least in my area it is usually available, albeit never cheap.
 
lrrifleman said:
Greetings! Often, we tend to see members encouraging the purchase of cartridge conversion barrels in the event of an ammo shortage, much like we are witnessing now.

Currently, I have a certified pre-owned Sig P229R in 40 S&W on the way, and I am toying with the idea of getting a conversion barrel in 357 Sig. My online source for ammo (for when I purchase ammo) has been out of 357 Sig for at least three months, and is expecting a shipment sometime in September. Granted, the barrel would only cost about $150, but I was wondering, in the various parts of the country, how available has 357 Sig been?

Is the rationale for having a conversion barrel on hand holding true with today's shortages?

As always, thanks for your opinions!
Click to expand...

I just checked my local go-to supplier, Grab-A-Gun. They have P229 factory .357 SIG conversion barrels in stock for $127.99. As to ammo, a quick check at AmmoSeek shows slim pickings at high prices.

I've converted my P229 .40 to .357 SIG, and it was well worth it. The .357 round is what the P229 was meant to shoot. You'll also need new #8 sights, unless you enjoy shooting way low. I installed Tru-Glow TFX sights, and they've worked great so far.
 
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I think it makes sense if you have a gun for it. I had decided to pare down my caliber choices to 9mm and .38 Special for my carry guns (I also have .45ACP, but that's just for range use). Sometimes I wish I had a .40S&W or .357Sig, with conversion barrels. But I have a decent amount of 9mm and .38 Special SD loads to last me a while. Maybe not so much range ammo, but I've gone through multiple hiatuses (hiatusi...?) where I didn't go to the range for a long time but relied on dry fire practice to maintain what skill level I had. And when I went back to the range, I didn't lose that much skill (which probably isn't saying much...;)).

I guess one just has to work out the cost of the conversion, along with the cost of the ammo, and decide if it's worth it.

As was said earlier, ammo availability is limited across the board, it seems. Getting a conversion barrel now may not make as much financial sense as when ammo was more available. If you have a .40, that may be enough of an advantage by itself.

Just my opinion.
 
I keep up with LE duty guns across the US, and a lot of fed agencies are retiring 357sig and mostly going to 9mm. My state, TN, is about as split between 9, 40, 357, and 45 as you can get. Ten years ago we didn’t have a local or state agency in TN with 9mm. Now 45 probably has the least followers. I would say at the current situation we have a three way tie for the most popular LE handgun caliber between 9, 357, and 40. With budget cuts and the defund police movement, I will be shocked if any local agencies justify spending on new guns even though most of the time agencies trade guns without it costing taxpayers a dime. My agency and many others will probably be stuck with their calibers for a while. It’s great news for .357 Sig that may have been decreasing in LE popularity which decreases civilian use popularity.
 
If you have even the slightest inclination to convert to .357 SIG, my suggestion is to grab a conversion barrel while they're still available. SIG has a maddening propensity to stop manufacturing guns and parts with little or no notice. P229s in .40 and .357 are no longer being produced, and who knows how much longer they'll keep making .357 barrels. If you later decide not to use it, you'll be able to sell the barrel, and you might be able to sell it for a profit if SIG stops making them.
 
The one problem that I've run into when it comes to Caliber Conversions is that they aren't always as readily available or as easy to do as folks make them out to be.

Case in point, when I bought my SW40VE I looked into buying a .357 SIG Conversion Barrel for it, but it turns out that no such Conversion Barrels exist, and contrary to popular belief, neither Glock nor M&P Barrels are compatible with the Sigma Series.
Recently I got a Police Trade-in S&W 4006TSW, but apparently nobody makes Conversion Barrels for it either.

After that I decided to really look into the subject of Caliber Conversions and in reality, the only firearms which seem to have readily-available, affordably-priced, and easy-to-install Conversion kits are Glocks, SIGs, and to a lesser extent M&Ps. So yeah, it's not as easy as folks make it out to be because certain firearms, regardless of how popular they may be, don't necessarily have readily available Conversion Kits for them.

So yeah, Caliber Conversions are a fantastic concept with obvious advantages, so if you own a firearm that can be affordably/easily converted to another cartridge, then go for it, but unlike certain folks seem to think, not all firearms have the option available.
 
I did the same thing with Sig P226 and a SigP239. Both originally came as 40SW, good guns in a good caliber. The Sig 357 Sig barrels dropped right in without any fitting on both guns and shot to POA. Great! Two multi caliber guns. Mags and springs all worked fine. No issues. I reload now for both the 40SW &the 357Sig. Reloading is the best way to go for the 357Sig, otherwise it’s too expensive to shoot on a regular basis. I really like the ability to swap out barrels at the range. Shoot one, change barrels and I’ve got a whole new gun. :)
 
A side point. You may want to grab a .40/.357 spring kit for your P229 from sig while they still have them. They’re $50 and have the 10,000 round maintenance springs plus a recoil spring.
 
Today's market for ammunition? Please.

There is a pandemic with approximatey one gazillion first time gun owners flooding your LGS because they fear social collapse, reasonably or not. And at the same time, who is most likely to be in the White House in 2021? What happened in 2008 to ammunition sales when the Dems got into office last time will be exponentially worse this fall because gun owners will panic again. Remember that workers in ammo factories can get the virus too, slowing down production.

The ammo situation will get worse not better over the next 1-2 years.

Get your conversion parts now, and don't sweat a few bucks. Focus on the logistics of ammo supply. A .40 S&W P229R does well with not only a .357 SIG barrel, but with a Bar-Sto 9mm conversion barrel and a .22LR conversion unit too. Ask me how I know. :D
 
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I've been a fan of conversion barrels. I like .40 cal weapons because they are able to convert to .357 and 9mm. With 10mm I can convert to .40, .357, and 9mm and a couple of more. With some platforms like large frame Glocks, 20/21 and 29/30, I can have one frame and switch slide assemblies and go from 10mm to 45 and back.

It's not just for ammo, but just simple cost.
 
Forte Smitten Wesson said:
The one problem that I've run into when it comes to Caliber Conversions is that they aren't always as readily available or as easy to do as folks make them out to be.

Case in point, when I bought my SW40VE I looked into buying a .357 SIG Conversion Barrel for it, but it turns out that no such Conversion Barrels exist, and contrary to popular belief, neither Glock nor M&P Barrels are compatible with the Sigma Series.
Recently I got a Police Trade-in S&W 4006TSW, but apparently nobody makes Conversion Barrels for it either.

After that I decided to really look into the subject of Caliber Conversions and in reality, the only firearms which seem to have readily-available, affordably-priced, and easy-to-install Conversion kits are Glocks, SIGs, and to a lesser extent M&Ps. So yeah, it's not as easy as folks make it out to be because certain firearms, regardless of how popular they may be, don't necessarily have readily available Conversion Kits for them.

So yeah, Caliber Conversions are a fantastic concept with obvious advantages, so if you own a firearm that can be affordably/easily converted to another cartridge, then go for it, but unlike certain folks seem to think, not all firearms have the option available.
Click to expand...

CDNN had factory SW9VE barrels and a magazine for $30 a few weeks ago. I'm guessing they'll probably drop right in.
 
Ματθιας;140839314 said:
CDNN had factory SW9VE barrels and a magazine for $30 a few weeks ago. I'm guessing they'll probably drop right in.
Click to expand...

Nope, unfortunately the dimensions of the .40 S&W Barrel and 9mm Barrel are different, so it would be loose inside the slide. Also, the frames are different as well and a 9mm magazine won't fit in the mag well correctly.

Besides, I wanted to convert my SW40VE to .357 SIG, not 9mm Luger.
 
@ Murdock,

The Bar-sto 9mm conversion barrel, is the breech a little offset in order for the 40 slide to extract the 9mm cases, or does it require a 9mm slide?

Thanks!
 
lrrifleman said:
@ Murdock,

The Bar-sto 9mm conversion barrel, is the breech a little offset in order for the 40 slide to extract the 9mm cases, or does it require a 9mm slide?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It’s a .40 sized barrel so it locks up in the .40 slide, but it has a 9mm bore. It’s semi-fit, so you’ll likely need to do some filing on the locking block barrel lug to get it to fit.
 
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A change from .40SW to .357 SIG, or vice versa, is fairly easily achieved by swapping the barrel. The magazines, extractor and ejector are the same, while the sights might need regulation.

It is different when you want to change from 9x19 to .40/.357SIG because the barrels usually do not have the same outside diameter and a special conversion barrel is needed to make up for the difference. I just gave my oldest son a Glock 23 with a G32 barrel (.357SIG) and a 9mm conversion barrel, as well as an extra trigger housing with the correct ejector and an extra extractor assembly. I also gave him a .30 calibre ammo can filled with reloads. The .357SIG is a great cartridge to reload, since it is using standard .356 bullets.
 
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Ziggy2525 said:
It’s a .40 sized barrel so it locks up in the .40 slide, but it has a 9mm bore. It’s semi-fit, so you’ll likely need to do some filing on the locking block to get it to fit.
Click to expand...

Ziggy beat me to it. No new slide, barrel only. Also, 40's work in the several 9mm magazines I have on hand (with reduced capacity, of course) and 9's work in the .40/357 magazines. Happy, happy.:D

I did not need to do any filing or other hand fitting. Barrel dropped right in and functions fine. If you have an issue with fitting, send the slide and conversion barrel to Bar-Sto and they will fit it for a very minimal fee.

McFadden Machine makes a wonderful magazine loader tool (Lightning Loader) with adapters to fit a wide variety of .22LR firearms and associated rimfire conversion units. Vids on line. (Alas, they don't yet make one for the CZ Kadet unit. Sigh.). The one for the P226/229 unit loads a 10 round magazine in about 4-5 seconds, so that you can turn money into noise that much faster. The same tool with the appropriate adapter loads a 25-round Black Dog AR rimfire magazine in maybe 10 seconds or less.

The P229R is a relatively heavy, chunky little guy, so I don't carry it as much as a 1911 or CZ 75, but it's the gun that goes with me in my "get home" bag when I travel on contract work around the country, as it can be fed with several options, and practiced with cheaply.
 
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I like convertibles, regardless of whether or not there is any advantage/disadvantage cost wise vs. just buying more ammo. I currently have a 38 Super/9MM 1911 type pistol, and .22LR/.22Mag and .454/.45ACP revolver convertibles. My SIGs are 9MMs, so I've had no interest in caliber conversions.

FWIW, I don't know current availability, but during more than one previous ammo panic I noticed the local WallyWorld always seemed to have a couple boxes of .357 SIG ammo on the shelf, when all other centerfire handgun ammo was just gone. This may just be a regional thing though, because some of the Good Ol' Boys around here may not yet be aware that there is such a thing as a .357 SIG cartridge. I learned that when I advertised some .357 SIG ammo for sale locally one time;)
 
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