I know this is a bit of a rookie question, but I have a chance to get my hands on a 226R in good shape in .357 Sig, which I love as a handgun caliber.

My question is what would it take to convert it to 9mm also? I'd love to be able to shoot both calibers out it. Thanks

A barrel is about it, and mags if you want them reliable. I have a .357/40 I've used a 9mm barrel in. Works like a charm.

Easiest way IMO is buy a BARSTO 40 to 9mm conversion barrel, juice up some 9mm mags and rock on. There are hit and miss reports of FTE problems with conversions.

So no need to worry about sight changes? And .357 mags may work?

What are you wanting to use it for? If you are going to shoot it a lot at 25 and 50, yeah, you'll probably need new sights. For general plinking, you'll probably be alright. I'd shoot it first before I made any broad strokes in the sight department. Hell, it might even work out ok with the sights on it at 25 and 50.

357 and 40 mags work good enough for plinking most of the time. To ensure that you don't have a bunch of malfunctions, buy 9mm magazines. If I was going to spend the money on a barrel, I'd buy a bunch of $20 9mm mecgars from Greg Cote.

Thanks for the info guys.

So a 226 9mm barrel should work with some 9mm mags?

The 40 to 9mm conversion will be the best from the likes of Barsto.

And you are welcome.

I went a conservative route. The factory had a deal on the srt package, I had a 9MM upper fitted at the same time; it wasn't cheap, but it works - never had a problem. FWIW, the .22lr conversion slide also works fine - as does the .40 barrel. It's four calibers in one gun.

....yes, I know I went a bit overboard but now I don't need to worry about estate taxes or anybody's fighting over my money.

quote:

Originally posted by K9346:
Thanks for the info guys.

So a 226 9mm barrel should work with some 9mm mags?

We have had reports here that a factory 9mm barrel will work, although a Bar-Sto conversion barrel may be a better option albeit more expensive. Your existing sights should be fine. 357 mags will feed 9mm ammunition. All of the foregoing should be for range play only.

My conversion using a Barsto barrel required a 9mm recoil spring to function correctly. You might get by if your .40/.357 spring is worn.

Also had to switch out my slide catch lever to function correctly. This was using 9mm mags. That one confused me, thought they should be the same.

I get regular failure to feed, been assuming it's a tight chamber but I'm still tinkering with it to get it reliable.

My 226-.22 LR Classic now wears a .357 Sig Conversion Kit. I also have the 9mm Version....and it's flawless. While the 9mm mags work best, the .357 sig mags hold 9MM fine and work relieabily as well.
The 226 Platform is great in 9MM, and even more capable in .357 sig form, imho. The .22 configuration is a nice trainer, but for self-defense, the reliablility issues inherent with .22 would limit it. Let me tell you about my X5L1 sometime! WOW

Just buy Sig's 9mm conversion kit. Comes with a New slide with the correct sights, barrel, springs and a 9mm mag. It might be a few $$ more but it is reliable and you don't have to dick around with getting it to fit. Doesn't get any easier.

I did it with my .40 P226 and have had zero issues and it is dead nuts accurate.

IMO, the caliber exchange kit is the best way to convert the gun.

Caliber Exchange Kit

I did this for a P229SSE that I have that I wanted to convert from 40 to 9mm. AT the time, Sig had "legacy" slides in kits so I got a Legacy Kit which is how my P229SSE40 came from the factory.

The exchange kits include the correct for caliber Sig Light night sights and a new factory 9mm magazine. Well worth the $400 IMO and if you have a 20% off code or something, even better.

Don't put a factory stock Sig 9mm barrel in a .40/.357 slide. The barrel hood widths are different. Use a 9mm Conversion barrel that has the .40 barrel hood width but a 9mm chamber. A stock 9mm barrel will be a little loose at the chamber end.

Joe