Has any one convert a 10mm 1911 to a 9mm 1911

[rocky1911]

Has any one completed this conversion, I have a Dan Wesson I have been thinking about converting it from a 10mm to a 9mm. Not quit sure what would be involved.. Would I have to change the slide?? Or just a matched barrel and Mags.

[twin oaks]

It's a major undertaking. You'll have to change the complete upper receiver. Besides the barrel being the wrong caliber, the breech face is milled for a 10mm casing. A 9mm casing won't work there because the extractor will be in the wrong place.
Others will chime in, I'm sure, but IIRC, the only 'easy' conversion is between .40S&W and .357SIG- they have the same case size, but it's just necked down on the .357SIG.
Once you've done that, there will probably be an issue of changing out the mainspring, because a 10mm operates at significantly higher pressures than a 9mm. This comes into play because the mainspring (acting on the hammer strut) is what soaks up a lot of recoil. Over springing a pistol will reduce the recoil, but may interfere with function. In a nutshell: the mainspring might have too much uuumph for the 9mm's pop. Some of our gunsmiths and other experienced members can elaborate on that.

[grendelbane]

For non serious use, you can drop in a 9mm barrel/bushing, a lighter recoil spring, and a 9mm magazine. My Delta Elite will function just fine in this configuration with FMJ cartridges.

The breech-face is too large, and the extractor might need tweaking. But, there is a good chance that it will work, mine did.

The ejector is too short, but for range use, seems to be OK.

Now, if you wanted a reliable, full time dedicated conversion, I would suggest a proper 9mm slide and ejector. However, if you just want to practice with a cheaper caliber at the range, the old slide will probably work all right, and for serious purposes, you can go back to the 10mm barrel and recoil spring.

[rocky1911]

Thanks
Think I will just convert the 10mm to a 40. Much easier and cheaper..

The End