Can you recommend a handgun with multiple caliber conversions kits?

T

theshootist

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I've been looking for a pistol or revolver capable of shooting multiple calibers. Can you talk me into or out of such an interest? I know this is crazy, but I don't want to own a bunch of different handguns. My gun safes are already too full and I want to cull the herd before buying more.... but that is another story...

Anyhow, do you know of or can you recommend a reliable, and versatile handgun that has the option of extra kits to shoot multiple calibers? I've heard of 45ACP/.22LR combos and I may go that route, but in my ideal fantasy world I wish I could find a handgun that could shoot the main automatic cartridges such as 9mm/40S&W/45ACP and .22LR. There probably is no such thing and if there is I'm guessing super expensive and not reliable. Expense is not a worry, provided the quality and reliability reflects the price.

I can't even decide on revolver or auto loader. The .44 Mag / .357 is attractive as it would complement a relatively powerful carbine. Trouble with the .44 (and .357) is it not really offered in bulk sales (more expensive than auto cartridges). My handgun needs to have features of practicality and lend itself well to the SHTF scenario. The ability to digest .22LR in addition to center fire is attractive.

I read on CGN that there are .357 revolvers that have aftermarket cylinders chambered in 9mm. Is there really such a revolver? (9mm = .35433'' so it sounds doesn't sound right)

Thanks for reading, any help or advice would be most appreciated!
 
Go with a Sig, you can get exchange kits for most of the calibers you listed there. Granted they are a few hundred a piece, and they are rather hard to get your hands on.
 
Looking at your post (seems like you don't want to relaod your own right?) I suggest a 9mm/22 combination.
Once a pistol calibre or even a rifle calibre starts with a ".4" factory ammo prices climb quite a bit more steeply upwards IMHO.
 
If you want a pistol that allows you to change caliber easily, Glock is a very good option if you don't mind buying and changing barrels, A glock 22 shots 40 s&w, by just changing barrel you also fire .357sig and also 9mm, check storm lake barrels, those barrels can be purchase at canadian retailers like Questar.If you also want to shoot .22 there is a conversion kit with a new slide. Gives a lot of different caliber choices in one pistol. Hope this is helpful.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I do reload, so I suppose I should not rule out .44 due to cost of ammo alone. I like its power, so it would lend itself to hunting better than other pistol calibers. The trade off is the availability of ammo compared to several auto cartridges.

I guess there are two ways to approach this, keeping in mind I also what this future handgun to complement a carbine. Maybe you guys might see another way to go.

A). Buy a semi-auto pistol with multiple bbls (SIG or Glock) and a semi-auto pistol caliber carbine (TD / Kel Tec / TNW Aero etc)
- pros - lower cost readily avail. ammo, more conv. kits
- cons - no .44 caliber so no legal hunting

or B). Buy a .44 Mag revolver and with it a .44 Mag carbine.
-pros - enough power to hunt
-cons - limited to one caliber, more expensive to shoot, no .22LR

Are the pistol caliber conv. kits considered to be functionally reliable? Or would you consider the .22LR kit inferior to just owning a .22 pistol?

I am really interested in that TNW Aero carbine. Too bad a PCC with conv. kits is not avail in .44 mag. Any thoughts on how to find out which retailers North Sylvia will sell the Aero Carbine to? I sent a PM inquiry to them but no response to date.

I suppose to me having the options of multiple calibers would be more beneficial than thinking I am going to be hunting with a .44 mag. I'm just not sure.

Thanks again guys
 
There are revolvers that shoot .45ACP and .45 long colt, another revolver shoots .40 S&W and 10mm, another shoots 9mm and .38Special/.357Mag, another shoots .22LR and .22 Mag. Most of these are S/A Ruger convertables and have two cylinders, the S&W uses moon clips but it is not in production now. The Rugers you just change the cylinder and go to the different round, fast and easy.
 
JimmieA. said:
There are revolvers that shoot .45ACP and .45 long colt, another revolver shoots .40 S&W and 10mm, another shoots 9mm and .38Special/.357Mag, another shoots .22LR and .22 Mag. Most of these are S/A Ruger convertables and have two cylinders, the S&W uses moon clips but it is not in production now. The Rugers you just change the cylinder and go to the different round, fast and easy.
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I've owned both Ruger Single-Six revolvers with .22lr/.22mag cylinders and Ruger Blackhawk convertible revolvers with the interchangeable 9mm and .357Mag(.38Spl) cylinders. They both work well. I haven't owned one of the Blackhawks with the .45ACP and .45 Long Colt cylinders, but reportedly they are very accurate with both.

In pistols, all reports I have ever seen say that the CZ 75 9mm pistol with the CZ Kadet .22lr conversion kit works exceptionally well with both calibres. If I were going to get a 9mm/.22lr semi-auto pistol combo, that is certainly one I would seriously consider. (OK, I have been seriously considering getting one for awhile; I just haven't pulled the trigger on it yet).

The one big advantage of the Ruger convertible revolvers is cost - the difference between the convertible models with two cylinders that have already been fitted to the gun vs. the same model without the extra cylinder is about $100.00 or so. And since the Ruger convertible models have been around for donkey's years, you can usually also find a good used one fairly easily - I've seen them regularly at the gun auctions at Bud Haynes in Red Deer or Switzers in Ontario, for example - as well as on the EE here.

Getting extra calibre options for a semi-auto pistol will cost quite a bit more than the spare Ruger cylinders do, especially if you want several full-power cartridge options. Unless you've used that pistol before in your intended main centrefire cartridge, you should definitely try any semi-auto in your most powerful intended centrefire cartridge before buying it either as a convertible package deal or with separate convertible kits.

I would suggest working out a 'short-list' of possible contenders (e.g. Glock, CZ, Sig, various 1911 models), then find a way to test-fire them until you find 'your' centrefire pistol. Once you know it suits you, only then look at buying the whole setup - especially if you are buying a convertible package right at the start.

There is one final, rather odd firearm that you may want to consider - the Bond Arms derringer. The Ranger model comes with 4 1/2" barrels, so it is restricted rather than prohibited. It only gives you 2 shots before reloading, of course, but because it uses fixed chambered barrels, you can switch calibres just by swapping barrel sets - much like on the H&R Handi-Rifles or the Thompson Contender single-shot break-barrel pistols. The Bond Arms barrels are available in everything from .45LC/.410shotgun down to .22lr/.22Mag, and include .45ACP, 9mm, .357Mag, .44 Spl and .44-40 Winchester.
 
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Sig 226 in any caliber will change to a 9mm/40/357sig/22 with an available kit. Kits fit the Elite models too. 229 and 220 also have kits but may not be as readily available.
 
MtlCanada said:
If you want a pistol that allows you to change caliber easily, Glock is a very good option if you don't mind buying and changing barrels, A glock 22 shots 40 s&w, by just changing barrel you also fire .357sig and also 9mm, check storm lake barrels, those barrels can be purchase at canadian retailers like Questar.If you also want to shoot .22 there is a conversion kit with a new slide. Gives a lot of different caliber choices in one pistol. Hope this is helpful.
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I would also go the Glock route. The Sigs are certainly nice but the initial investment will run you considerably more as Sigs are more expensive by several hundred dollars depending on the model. If you decide on the Glock the model 22 is the way to go because you can switch to a 9mm conversion barrel but not the other way around (i.e. 9mm to 40). The conversion to 357 Sig only requires a barrel (40 & 357 Sig mags interchange.) In a pinch the 40 mag can also be used for 9mm with the bonus that it legally holds about 13 round of 9mm. There are also several 22LR kits available to convert the Glock to 22LR. Both the Glock & the Sig would meet your needs but the Glock setup will be more economical. I suspect Glock spare parts are also easier to find should you need them. Don't forget that you can also use Glock mags in the JR Carbines & (I believe) Thureon Defense carbines so there is more versatility there as well. Not sure if any of the new non-restricted carbines takes Sig mags.
 
ted_dent said:
I would also go the Glock route. The Sigs are certainly nice but the initial investment will run you considerably more as Sigs are more expensive by several hundred dollars depending on the model. If you decide on the Glock the model 22 is the way to go because you can switch to a 9mm conversion barrel but not the other way around (i.e. 9mm to 40). The conversion to 357 Sig only requires a barrel (40 & 357 Sig mags interchange.) In a pinch the 40 mag can also be used for 9mm with the bonus that it legally holds about 13 round of 9mm. There are also several 22LR kits available to convert the Glock to 22LR. Both the Glock & the Sig would meet your needs but the Glock setup will be more economical. I suspect Glock spare parts are also easier to find should you need them. Don't forget that you can also use Glock mags in the JR Carbines & (I believe) Thureon Defense carbines so there is more versatility there as well. Not sure if any of the new non-restricted carbines takes Sig mags.
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Hmm. Maybe instead of getting a Kadet .22 kit for my standard CZ75, I should go testdrive a Glock myself .... Thanks for the great summary.
 
I personnaly prefer to buy one gun for one caliber instead of having differents barrels/kits for one platform, a good .22lr is not so much more $$ .....

I recommend to buy another safe :) problem resolves !!!!! :)
 
If you want to go the glock road then I would suggest looking at a glock 20 in 10mm. By swapping out barrels you can shoot 10mm, 40 sw, 357sig, 9x25 dillon. If you buy a new slide you can also shoot 45acp. I believe you can also get a 22lr conversion for it as well (not 100% on that one though).

Sig would be a good road to go as well but yes it would be more expensive. If you go that route by the classic 22 p226 first and then a conversion kit for a 9mm, etc. It's the cheapest way to buy a sig with multiple calibers.

My $0.02.

By the way I own the glock 20, and am looking doing the sig purchase as listed above later this year.
 
jawsman said:
If you want to go the glock road then I would suggest looking at a glock 20 in 10mm. By swapping out barrels you can shoot 10mm, 40 sw, 357sig, 9x25 dillon. If you buy a new slide you can also shoot 45acp. I believe you can also get a 22lr conversion for it as well (not 100% on that one though).
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Good point. Those conversions are available (as is 400 Cor-Bon if he got a 45 ACP slide) so it probably boils down to which calibres interest the OP the most. The Glock 20 is a good platform, the only real down side being that unless he gets a 4th Gen with the interchangeable backstraps or the SF model they are a pretty large gun unless you have big mitts. I have one & I like it but it's not for girly hands. They are also scarcer than the medium frame G17/22 family so might command a premium price-wise although I have seen the odd good deal on the EE.

I do know that Advantage Arms makes a large frame 22LR conversion kit which would fit this gun. Not sure about any other manufacturers, though.
 
tazik said:
I personnaly prefer to buy one gun for one caliber instead of having differents barrels/kits for one platform, a good .22lr is not so much more $$ .....

I recommend to buy another safe :) problem resolves !!!!! :)
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I've always thought that careful planning for easy swapping of multiple calibres and barrel lengths is crucial when buying either pistol, rifle or shotgun .... safes. The first step is to measure the spot where you intend to install the safe to find your available size restrictions. Then check the sellers to see what a safe able to fit in your planned spot will hold. If you find your intended location will not hold a pistol safe large enough to contain a minimum of 50 full-sized revolvers or semi-autos or a long-gun safe able to rack at least that many rifles and shotguns - but preferably double that number because you're going to want a few .22s too -- then you have clearly not planned well enough and you need to go back and pick a spot that can actually hold a safe large enough to house this reasonable bare-bones number of firearms in it.

This then takes care of the entire 'need to thin the herd' problem.
 
Colt Government Model, mine comes in .45acp, .400 CorBon, .22 LR

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Some Eastern Bloc weapons are also available with two barrels, one for the original 7.62Tok and another for 9mmP. I know I have CZ52s kicking around in both calibres, and I think Century International (many years ago) and Marstar (not so many years ago) used to import CZ52s that came with one barrel in each. I definitely know that some of the Tokarev variants came that way.
 
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