Sig P239 Barrel Change Question

[loeman]

I've had a Sig P239 for about 20 years and I really like it but it is chambered for .40 S&W and I also have the .357 Sig barrel that quickly and easily interchanges with the .40. I'd like to shoot 9 mm from this gun and I understand that Bar Sto makes a 9 mm barrel that will work with mine. Do any of you have experience with this? I'm tempted to order one but it does take a couple of months. I'd appreciate any input you might have regarding this.

 

[ContinentalOp]

No personal experience with this, but I've heard from many others that the factory 9mm P239 barrel will work in the .40/.357 P239 guns. Everyone report I've seen from people who have done this has been positive.

However, this is the ONLY model that can do that, i.e. it can't be done in the P226/P229 guns because of differences in the locking block.

 

[OFT II]

I would be concerned about the 40 caliber extractor working properly on the smaller 9mm case.

 

[SA1911]

Hi loeman, my P239 Brother,

I have the identical gun. It's hard to do a better CCW gun than a P239 in .40 S&W.

I can see why going with a 9MM would be enticing, since 9MM ammo is very inexpensive.

I'd call Sig. Their customer service and handgun techs are very helpful.

My guess is it's a no-go due to the smaller 9MM case which would make extraction of fired cases a huge question mark.

Best of luck.

P.S. Sell your mother-in-law before you ever sell your P239.

 

[loeman]

One of the many things on my want list is a quality, steel, single stack 9mm that's also a good choice for CC. The 3rd Gen S&W 39XX would be a really good choice for me but finding a really nice one (I'm picky) at a price I want to pay (and I'm cheap) is a tall order. So why not convert a gun I really love to 9 if it is doable? The Bar-Sto barrel is $225 which is probably way less than half what I would have to pay for a really nice 3rd Gen. Anyway that's the thinking behind my questions and that's why I'm appealing to you for your comments and advice. Thank you.

 

[loeman]

I found this old thread listed at the bottom of this page. Has some interesting comments on this very issue. One member, Colt SAA, seems very confident that a regular factory barrel will work fine. Interesting.

Sig p239 magazine question....

 

[colt_saa]

If you call SIG they will want to sell you a caliber conversion kit.

That is not necessary in the case of the P239

The SIG P239 is the ONLY member of the P2xx family of firearms that will take a Factory Original 9MM barrel and work in the 357/40 slide.

Yes I am a FAN of the P239 as well as the 357SIG cartridge. I have been shooting SIGs chambered in 357SIG since the mid 90s. From personal choice to issued side arms, I am a believer in the 357SIG

You can put either of the FACTORY Original SIG 9mm barrels (std or TB) in and shoot 9MM ammunition with no other changes.

Between myself and a few others on the SIGForum that strated doing this many years ago we probably have 25,000+ rounds with perfect functioning

All of my P239s are 357SIG guns

No need to change springs or magazines. It all works. Do not expect ANY factory to tell you this about their products. Their goal is to sell you another firearm, not save you money.

 

[nachogrande]

ANOTHER BIG 239 FANBOY HERE.

Mine is a stainless 40 cal with the Sig short reset trigger & action enhancement package. With 155gr Hornady XTP's over 6 gr's of unique I HAVE shot A better (LUCKY) group (6 shots @ 30' offhand 0.86") than with the full size 226 or 220, maybe just a one time thing??? Anyway my thoughts are 1: what's the big advantage to going to 357 Sig? 2: even if you COULD get your 40 239 to fire 9mms, the 40 cal (in stainless) FEELS much bigger/heavier than the 239 9mm (standard alloy), to me. 3: While I have the SRT feature and the actual short trigger on my 226 & 220 they are thinner (mims???) & appear more fragile than the original trigger & why I left the original trigger on the 239 alone. SO, for the $ I think I would rather just get another 239 (non stainless) in 9mm, save some wt???, & have 2 guns. What say you? EDIT, let me be the first to correct myself, The 9mm & 40 cal ARE the same size. I'm accustomed to the wt of the stainless 40 cal & the standard 9mm just felt much lighter/slimmer to me. Another + for the 239 is you can hit the same primer a second time without racking the slide. Sorry for any confusion.

 

[loeman]

Thank you very much Colt saa. Your answer here and in the thread I posted earlier are awesome. And what a collection! Impressive. I had hoped it would be as easy as it apparently is, but I needed some reassurances from folks who have actually done it. I'm grateful. I saw the factory 9mm barrel is available from Sig for $189.

 

[gallar]

I bought the 9mm Sig barrel a couple of years ago and installed it in my P239 .40 DAO (former LE pistol) and it works fantastic. I will eventually acquire the 357SIG as well.