[Handgunnr]

Has anyone had experience converting a 9mm Witness to either .38sa or 9x23 Win without swapping the slide? From experience I know Caspian makes a 9/38 slide that you could build either on a 1911 but have no clue if it would be a lot of hassle on a 9mm EAA. Reaming, mags, slight extractor tune, different recoil spring would be expected but I have no Witness slides to compare measurements. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[mike NM]

Why would you want to do this??? IF, you have a small frame gun ? it's not going to be practical.... OAL won't work, IF, you have a large frame gun there are LOTS of magazine issues and you will spend some $$$$$$. "Splaine" some more...what are you up to? I've had several 9's, 9x21's small frames, 2 large frame pistols. You only need the correct chamber reamer to do what you have posted... probably don't even need a different extractor. Most gunsmiths will have them.

This post has been edited by mike NM: 16 October 2009 - 07:33 PM

[JorDanO]

My open gun started as a 9mm Limited that Henning put a 38 Super Barrel in. Other than changing the barrel, just make sure the extractor is tuned right.

[Handgunnr]

Mike, I want to do this because Tanfoglio, in their infinite wisdom, chooses to offer some but not all of their models in .38SA. I want a stock 2 in .38sa...but no such animal exists. Since they don't offer the barrel for this gun in .38SA (at least that I could find) my thought was to get one in 9x19 and rechamber. Sadly, Rich of canyon creed advised me of it's financial impracticality in a polygonal barrel. I may be doing the Match after all because it will cost too much to do what I want to do with a stock 2. I'm certainly open to suggestions if you have a better idea of how to get the end result I want.

Not sure why there would be magazine issues with the large frame. .38sa mags fit in the current large frame just like the 9x19 mags don't they? Are you possibly talking about magazine problems with the .38sa rim in general? I've had pretty good luck tuning those in 1911's (both ss and sv/sti). My ultimate goal is to have one that will feed both .38sa and 9x23 (which feeds like a champ in everything I've ever run it through) out of the same barrel if possible. I've done this on numerous 1911's, just trying to reproduce it with similar results in the Witness platform.

Thanks Jordan. I can't get anyone to give me a straight answer on if the Limited's cone barrel is the same as the Stock2 and all I would need to do is cut/recrown the barrel for the shorter slide. Any ideas if that would work?

[JorDanO]

I just got a Stock 2 a few weeks ago and the barrel is about .5 inch shorter than the Limited. I don't know if you would be able to cut down a Limited barrel or not. Good luck getting a .38 Super Limited barrel from the factory though.

Another route you could take is get one of Briley's .38 Super barrels, have it cut down, and a cone fitted. You shouldn't have a problem with magazines as it's the 9mm ones that have problems.

Is there a reason you have your heart set on .38 Super?

[shooterbenedetto]

If you have a large frame 9mm to 38super can be done by just
reaming the barrel to 38 super.

From small frame 9mm to 38 super cant be done.
you'll have AOL problems.

[RIIID]

"If you have a large frame 9mm to 38super can be done by just
reaming the barrel to 38 super."

The chamber reamers available will not fit into polygonal rifling, the pilot diameter is too big. A custom reamer would have to be ground and you would have to find someone who will do it. I've talked to a couple companies and neither would take on the project. I even tried to get factory reamers with no luck.
Rich

[mike NM]

Well, I had no idea w/ the poly chambers.... you couldn't ream them ...Is it simply a matter of getting the od of the end of the reamer ground smaller?? Anyhow, your going to spend some $$$$ to get mags that work!! Don't get me wrong, I shot P-9's, 9x21 for a few years... 1st gun that fit my small hands....the name of the game is is is is moe BB's. Mike

[Handgunnr]

Jordan, for lots of reasons I like .38SA. I don't compete formally, I don't have the time or the reloading equipment anymore. However I visit a friend not to far away once a week or so where we have a shoot house built and it's a super adrenaline rush to run through it hot. In these high intensity environments and even just plinking for the pure fun of it, I've found that as much as I love .45ACP, I shoot .38SA/9x23 much better. I'm not recoil sensitive but my A hits are at least 10-15% higher in my commanders when compared to full power .45ACP (not quite that in full size guns). In your competitions (not to mention more serious situations) would you choose a caliber that gave you that much improvement? I also don't feel undergunned with this caliber in any realistic situation. I also have multiple thousand rounds of .38SA and 9x23. If I shot in all the competitions you guys do, I'm confident I would choose something that is more currently competitive (it looks like most lean towards .40). But I don't, so the super is my choice. Besides, I like something "different"...hence my attempt at putting together a gun I haven't seen before.

mike NM, on Oct 21 2009, 09:15 PM, said:

Well, I had no idea w/ the poly chambers.... you couldn't ream them ...Is it simply a matter of getting the od of the end of the reamer ground smaller?? Anyhow, your going to spend some $$$$ to get mags that work!! Don't get me wrong, I shot P-9's, 9x21 for a few years... 1st gun that fit my small hands....the name of the game is is is is moe BB's. Mike

Mike, I'm certainly no expert but I believe the large frame guns in 9mm will also accept the .38sa mags without modifications...just as they would .45ACP, .40/10mm and be perfectly functional with an upper change. Other than minor tweaking of each mag, why would I have trouble getting mags to work? These would be factory mags and from what I've read, seem to be pretty reliable. Is there something inherent in the .38SA mags that make them problematic?

I talked to EAA yesterday and they will not import the Tanfoglio Stock II in .38SA (one is available according to the Tanfoglio website) nor would they import it's cone bbl for me to use in a 9mm gun. Jordan, you are spot on there about the Limited I hadn't thought of that until you posted. I tried to find out if the Limited bbl would work cut down but they shot that down immediately (though wouldn't tell me why other than "no"). Although the young lady that answered the phone was pleasant and tried to get me answers from someone more knowledgeable (she said she had only been there a couple of weeks), the "relayed" answers to my questions were abrupt to say the least. I never actually got to talk to anyone who really knew what I was asking. I understand now what many have said about customer no-service. I'm left with finding a Stock II in 9mm and adding a cone to a standard .38SA barrel or just sticking with the Match in .38SA. I would have done that already but can't find any in that caliber so it looks like I'll be getting one in .45ACP and then just buying a separate upper in .38SA. It was worth a try anyway.

[Stuck in C]

I am considering putting up my EAA Witness Match in .38 Super up for sale in the classified section soon. You might want to look there in the next couple of weeks, or PM me.