Do you have both a SW40VE and a SW9VE? Does the 9mm magazine fit in the .40?

ThePenultimateNinja · Jun 8, 2022

I found this video of a guy using a SW9VE barrel in his SW40VE:

9mm factory barrel in a SW40VE! it works! - YouTube

He's using his .40 magazine, and claims it is reliable.
I tried putting 9mm in my .40 mag, and, while they do seem to fit ok, they sit up at more of an angle than .40 rounds do.

I'm wondering if the 9mm magazines from the SW9VE fit in the SW40VE frame? If they do, I think I'm going to buy a barrel and a magazine.

Does anyone have both guns? Would you mind checking this for me?

OKFC05 · Jun 8, 2022

I do. They don't. .40 mags and magwells are wider, and the 9mm mags are slop fit loose in a .40 frame.
Been telling people this for over 20 years.

40 mag in a 9?
Every once in a while somebody posts that they have modified .40 mags to hold 9mm or managed to shim a 9mm mag for a .40 frame to make it work..sorta....some of the time...or some other caveat.
The M&PS have interchangeable mags between .40 and 9mm, the other S&Ws don't.

ThePenultimateNinja · Jun 8, 2022

Thanks for the info. Still toying with the idea of buying a 9mm barrel anyway. That guy in the video says it works fine with the .40 magazines, so I might risk the $45 for a 9mm barrel.

That other thread you linked to is interesting - That was quite a clever workaround for the 10 round limit imposed by the AWB.
I lived in the UK at that time, but I used to subscribe to Guns & Ammo magazine, and I remember reading about the AWB and the changes it made to the gun industry.

Echo40 · Jun 9, 2022

OKFC05 said:
The M&PS have interchangeable mags between .40 and 9mm, the other S&Ws don't.

Granted that this is irrelevant to the thread, but I know for a fact that S&W 5906 Magazines will work in a 4006, albeit you do need to install a proper 4006 follower for 100% reliable feeding.
However, the reverse is not true since most 4006 Magazines have a raised section on the front which intentionally prevents them from being inserted into a 5906 because back in the day folks were using 4006 Mags in 5906 pistols to circumvent magazine capacity restrictions.

ThePenultimateNinja · Jun 9, 2022

So using .40 magazines to get around the restrictions was so common that S&W designed their .40 magazines to not work in their 9mm pistols?

I find it fascinating how laws sometimes affect the mechanical design of guns. I'm glad the AWB has been consigned to history now, but it left some interesting relics behind.

rosewood · Jun 15, 2022

Factory SD 9mm barrels are sloppy fit in 40 also.

dwcopple · Jun 26, 2022

Not true ^^^. The video is me and my gun. I run 9mm in my 40cal mags without issue, just like I did in my P226 .40 that I put a threaded 9mm barrel in. Although the Sig requires a different recoil spring for 9mm. I also run a stock Glock 23 recoil spring assembly in my Sw40ve. Better design than the s&w version and it is 1# heavier.

rosewood · Jun 26, 2022

Just to make sure, I just now took apart my sd40 and sd9. The sd40 barrel will not fit in the sd9 slide. The hood is slightly wider. The 9 barrel will fit in the 40, but it has some play in the fit. Not to say it won't function, but there is some play there. I can only assume all have the same specs in a given model.

The 40 slide seems to fit fine on the 9 frame and visa versa. The 9 mag will lock into the 40 frame, but has slop. The 40 mag will not go in the 9 frame.

Rosewood

Do you have both a SW40VE and a SW9VE? Does the 9mm magazine fit in the .40?

ThePenultimateNinja

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