Converting 10mm to shoot 40S&W

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The versatility of the 10mm is a great selling point (as I'm telling a big-guy friend who wants a larger caliber auto for personal carry and defense).
What does it take to change a Glock 20 or 29 or an EAA Witness or an S&W 10xx (if he can find one) to shoot .40S&W?

(and let's see if we can refrain from the .45 vs 9mm vs 10mm vs whatever debate)
 
With a Glock I would think a barrel from Jarvis, Bar-Sto, etc would be all that is necessary. Maybe less of a spring too, but unsure about that aspect.

Why not just buy a Glock or S&W or EAA in 40 S&W?
 
10mm because...

For this fellow, and for me if I can someday afford another several hundred dollar gun, 10mm would be the standard fare rather than the 10mm lite or "Short&Weak". He and I both can handle something in the full 10mm range (we both have .357 revolvers and I've a pair of 44mags). The 40S&W is an option we would like to have -- just in case we wanted to download to .40S&W for friends or relatives or in case we get old and can't handle the full-house 10mm loads (or in case we can't find 10mm ammo when we want it).
His budget is more in the EAA Witness range or maybe a used S&W 10xx (about $400 max).
 
For the Glock 20 and 29, Federal Arms sells .40 Auto and .357 Sig conversion barrels. The only change necessary for these caliber conversions is the barrel. The magazines and other things remain the same. I have both of these barrels, for my G20 and G29. They work great, but I shoot 10mm from them over 95% of the time. It's nice to have this option.
 
Ditto...


... what Lunde said about the Glock 10mms (20 or 29), but some also like the KKM barrels which, like the Fed. Arms barrels, are "drop-in" propositions too, with nothing beyond the barrel-swap needed to be quickly shooting a 2nd or 3rd caliber (i.e., .357 Sig or .40 Swishy-Walker) from the same gun. The stock 10mm mags and recoil assembly work fine.

As to the 10mm Smiths & Witnesses, I've never seen it tried, but in theory it should work - provided one can obtain a similar "drop-in" .40 or .357 barrel for these 10mm pistols (properly machined and contoured, etc).
 
The *versatility of the 10mm* is a great selling point...because it doesn`t have to be converted to another caliber. It`s versitile in and of itself. Don`t want to shoot full power 10mm loads sometimes? Well then just shoot lighter ones! Remember the 10mm is the father of the .40S&W,the .40 was invented to duplicate the "10mm light" loads that are still widely available. No need to reinvent the wheel, the 10mm has already done the work for you. :) Marcus
 
A drop in barrel seems to be the key. That aside, I must comment...

Those that think of 40S&W as watered down or weak are really misinformed. Sure, it is slower than a 10mm, but I don't see anyone calling a 38spl "slow" or "weak". 40S&W is a snappy round with a fair amount of recoil. I wouldn't even consider starting a new shooter on it, unless I felt that they should not own an automatic. If you want to tame your beast for relatives and friends, look into a 22LR conversion.
 
No offense is intended, the following is just an empassioned plea.

Yes lots of graves have been filled with less then the 38 special, but the 10mm is not the 40s&w, and if the recoil of the 40s&w is snappy, then the 10mm is going to be unbearable.

I think one of the downfalls of my beloved 10mm is that it is to much gun for to many poeple. It is not the push of a 45, or the snap of a 40 or the pop of a 9mm. It is a good solid "whack" of a 10mm with full loads.

When I go shooting my 40's along with my 10mm it really reinforces the idea that the 40 is watered down ie: short and weak. It does not have the nickname short and weak for nothing. Yes, yes yes, I do not want to be shot by one, but then again, I do not want to be shot by a 380auto.

The 40 IS the slower 10mm, it IS the same as a 38 special is to the 357 mag. It is the same as the 380auto to the 9mm. Look at any reloading table, go shoot some 10mm's and 40's at the same time.

I shoot my 10mm's a lot, but my 40's rarely. Once you get used to the "smack" of a 10mm the 40 is like shooting a popgun, it just is not as fun.
 
Never denied that 40S&W was slower than 10mm. In fact, I stated so in my original post. It is slower than 10mm, but a bunch faster than 45ACP (which is never poked at). I just noticed that most that knock it are usually those that can't handle the round. Probably the same guys that were afraid of shower time in gym class. :p
 
No need to do anything to a 10MM Glock for .40 S&W - just load and shoot. By the way, the 10MM Hydra-Shok performs very well and is loaded in a manner similar to a .40.
 
EAA

Think long and hard before buying anything from EAA. Check the posts here and the retail section. Most people have peoblems dealing with EAA
 
My recommendation for the witness would be to get a 22LR conversion. That would truly be a 2-in-1 thing.

For the 10mm witness, it shares the same frame as the 45ACP and 38SA, both of which seem (to me at least) to be a better secondary caliber than the 40, given that you have the 10mm.

I have heard conflicting info on what is needed to convert between them; if you need to swap slides or not. I'm betting you do.

I also heard, though never tried it, that you can use the large-frame slide with the small-frame barrels (9mm, 41AE, 9x21, 40S&W) and you can get a spacer for the small-frame magazines. I do not quite believe this.
 
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