jogan Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Sorry if this has been covered before, but just saw a SIG commercial where they take a standard full size auto and swap out the upper with a compact to make it ideal for carry. Could I just purchase an XDM 3.8" upper and slide it onto my XDM 4.5" .40 to make it easier to carry? Of course with my luck this will be possible and easy to do only the 3.8" upper will cost the same as buying the whole damn pistol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMB Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 (edited) I am not sure if the frame is the same on a 3.8 if it is then yes. I purchased a 5.25 here on the forum and put the slide and barrel on the 4.5 lower I have set up for limited and it runs with zero issues. Good luck finding just the upper for sale. Edited November 22, 2012 by buller01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jogan Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Yeah, I'm afraid that's gonna be the hard part. They LOOK like they all line up and it should be an easy swap.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbonman556 Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 I dont think they sell just the uppers...that would be cool though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
szhttm Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 (edited) I am not sure if the frame is the same on a 3.8 if it is then yes. I purchased a 5.25 here on the forum and put the slide and barrel on the 4.5 lower I have set up for limited and it runs with zero issues. Good luck finding just the upper for sale. From this picture I found online it looks like the 5.25 slide does fit the 3.8 frame: <a href="http://img.tapatalk.com/c6e4e273-4a4b-26e4.jpg">http://img.tapatalk.com/c6e4e273-4a4b-26e4.jpg Good Luck And Be Safe!!! Edited November 23, 2012 by szhttm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyoneton Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I’ve swapped the slide/barrels from my 5.25 & 4.5 around on my 3.8 & 3.8C and all seemed to fit and function fine although I did not actually fire them that way. I really don’t see the point of losing less than ¾” going from the 4.5 to a 3.8 slide, and I have both guns. I bought the 3.8 as a smaller lighter holster gun, not necessarily for concealed carry. The 3.8C (Compact) is the gun for that role, with the shorter grip it is truly easier to conceal. What I REALLY like is the 9mm conversion barrels for a .40 XDm. I have been running a Stormlake 9mm conversion barrel in my 4.5 .40 XDm for some time and with a 16 lb recoil spring and 9mm factory mags it is 100%. I just picked up a 9mm conversion barrel (Fire Dragon) for my 3.8 .40 XDm but have not tried it yet. I intend to get a Barsto ($$$$$$$) conversion barrel for my .40 5.25. Why not just get another gun you ask? Because I don’t want to pay for another trigger job! I really like the 5.25 running .40 minor in USPSA production but would like to run 9mm with extended mags for 3-Gun and Outlaw stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
szhttm Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I’ve swapped the slide/barrels from my 5.25 & 4.5 around on my 3.8 & 3.8C and all seemed to fit and function fine although I did not actually fire them that way. I really don’t see the point of losing less than ¾” going from the 4.5 to a 3.8 slide, and I have both guns. I bought the 3.8 as a smaller lighter holster gun, not necessarily for concealed carry. The 3.8C (Compact) is the gun for that role, with the shorter grip it is truly easier to conceal. What I REALLY like is the 9mm conversion barrels for a .40 XDm. I have been running a Stormlake 9mm conversion barrel in my 4.5 .40 XDm for some time and with a 16 lb recoil spring and 9mm factory mags it is 100%. I just picked up a 9mm conversion barrel (Fire Dragon) for my 3.8 .40 XDm but have not tried it yet. I intend to get a Barsto ($$$$$$$) conversion barrel for my .40 5.25. Why not just get another gun you ask? Because I don’t want to pay for another trigger job! I really like the 5.25 running .40 minor in USPSA production but would like to run 9mm with extended mags for 3-Gun and Outlaw stuff. I am not sure if the current USPSA multi-gun rules allow you to swap the barrels to a different caliber than what the firearm was setup for at the factory. Do they allow this? Good Luck And Be Safe!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jogan Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 chevyoneton, with the stormlake conversion, is it just the barrel and magazine? If so, that sounds like a great plan to save some $$$ on bullets! And yes, I didn't want to spend almost as much as a whole new gun just to save about an inch of barrel/shroud length. Just wanted the smaller upper with the same capacity and full grip of the full size gun. Prolly end up with an XDS anyway!lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyoneton Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I am not sure if the current USPSA multi-gun rules allow you to swap the barrels to a different caliber than what the firearm was setup for at the factory. Do they allow this? Good Luck And Be Safe!!! Nahh, you know the rules don't allow anything fun!!! Actually, I was not planning on telling anybody, and would only run the conversion at club level and outlaw matches where nobody cares anyway. ; ) You know, where most of us actually shoot anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyoneton Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 chevyoneton, with the stormlake conversion, is it just the barrel and magazine? Yes, although to get 100% function with reloads I went down to a Wolfe 16 lb recoil spring. It now runs all 9mm perfectly. There is some talk that 9mm will feed fine out of .40 magazines. I have hand cycled some 9mm out of .40 magazines but never actually tried shooting any that way. I should, just never think about it when I am at the range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiligentPursuit Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I have two 5.25 XDm's- one in 9mm and one in 40cal. I run the 9mm slide/barrel/spring on the 40 lower for 3 gun and have no problems at all. The 40 lower has a Powder River trigger, Pistol Gear magwell, and a Canyon Creek extended mag release. So I'm able to use the same customized lower for either caliber in Limited, or I can run the 9mm with the unmodified lower in Production. Works great. (Haven't yet tried the 40 slide with the 9mm lower however.) I use a Canyon Creek tungsten guiderod on both slides, except when running Production class. I can also run the 40 in Minor power factor using a 16lb spring. Both pistols will fit my bladetech holster, though I have to crank down the adjustment screws for the 9mm slide. RE: magazines- I have not tried running 9mm ammo out of 40cal mags. I'm using original mags for each pistol. I've got extended baseplates for each mag-- the Dillon 140mm baseplates for 9mm, and Taylor Freelance 140mm baseplates on the 40's. Both are using Grams springs & followers. The 9mm mags comfortably hold 23 rounds; the 40cal mags comfortably hold 19. (The 40cal mags are prone to FTF if I put 20 rounds in-- so I don't.) Bottom line, this has proven to be a very flexible combination for me for a manageable cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jogan Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 thanks for the info! My buddy just got a 3.8" XDM so we're gonna play around with the parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowsSon683 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) Does anybody make a barrel to go from 9mm to 40? Or am I just going to have to buy a 40? Edited February 1, 2013 by WidowsSon683 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de03x7 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 The breech face on a 9mm would be smaller than a 40 so the round would not fit. The hole in the slide would most likely be smaller also. They can go from 40 to 9 by making a thicker barrel and even though the breech face is larger it will still work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I've had no issues with a 9mm barrel in my .40 S&W. I've always used the 9mm mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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