.32 ACP to 380 ACP?

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dyi

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Hello CGNers,


I'm super into old pocket pistols, but unfortunatly most of them are in 32acp with a prohib barrel length.

I know one of our fellow CGNer is able rebarrel his FN1922s from 32acp to 380acp, which makes me wonder if it is possible to rebarrel other pistols in the same way

Or should I ask, what are the pistols those can be converted by just changing the barrel?

It seems like rebarreling is the only hope for ppl like me who's into pocket pistols that and don't own an 12(6)....

Thanks in advance for all the insight!
 
The 1922 (and its stubbier cousin the 1910) have barrels that come out easily. It's a natural part of disassembly. Thanks, John Moses Browning.

Many are like this, and the swap can be a matter of magazine, barrel, and paperwork. But other designs - the Walther pistols pop to mind - have the barrel pretty solidly designed in as a non-moving part. Think less like Lego and more like surgery.

All things are possible given sufficient money. Some miracles are less expensive to manifest than others. I personally appreciate you doing your part to save the wee pistols. Good luck.
 
Savage pistols also came in both .32 and .380. If you could get a .380 barrel to swap in, I think you'd be good to go. Unfortunately the .380 barrels are far less common than the .32's. If you get a chance, grab one, they were ahead of their time.

The 1910/1922's are certainly the easiest to "de-prohib" with a simple barrel swap.

I do occasionally see others pop up on the EE, such as PPK's, which have been modified with aftermarket longer barrels in .380.

I share your enthusiasm for old pocket pistols.
 
Some models can be converted to 30reid. As much as I dislike them for other reasons, Epps seems to be exclusive in offering those conversions for now. The benefits being that the gun needs no other modifications to the bolt face or the extractor or the magazine.
 
KotKotofeich said:
Some models can be converted to 30reid. As much as I dislike them for other reasons, Epps seems to be exclusive in offering those conversions for now. The benefits being that the gun needs no other modifications to the bolt face or the extractor or the magazine.
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⬆️ This. 30 reid makes a lot of sense, assuming you are a handloader. I can't recall if Epps makes a totally new barrel, or just uses a barrel liner/extension.
 
Ppk’s and pp’s seem to be hot and cold regarding conversions. They need work on the bolt face, extractor and ejector if I recall correctly. This is because of the larger diameter case. Some of them run like a top after conversion, others never run right no matter what. A full slide replacement would probably be the answer but good luck finding one. Your best bet is find a .380 and just re barrel. .380’s are one prohib that still brings in higher prices and they sell almost instantly. The other thing is that the seller has to be willing to do the conversion, and the paperwork from prohib to restricted. This can take months and a lot of sellers don’t want the hassle. You can’t do it because the gun can’t be registered to you till after it has been changed to restricted. To be honest most of the 32acp pocket pistols aren’t worth converting and unless it’s a straight barrel swap you will never get your money back on resale
 
Thanks for all the insight cgners! I've seen one beretta 34 with extended barrel and one savage1907 from auction with restricted status before but that's about it.. Guess there really isnt much we could do with those old timers... esp when they are in 32acp. .
 
dyi said:
Thanks for all the insight cgners! I've seen one beretta 34 with extended barrel and one savage1907 from auction with restricted status before but that's about it.. Guess there really isnt much we could do with those old timers... esp when they are in 32acp. .
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I'm not sure. My 1910 is a .32 to .380 conversion. Just a barrel swap. No other internal change.

My savage 1917 came as a .380, so I'm not sure if any other mods are required other than barrel.


My 1910/1922 magazines are a mix of .32 and .380, and all run .380 no problem. I'll dig out some .32 to see if the savage mags are as interchangeable.
 
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You're assuming they'll play fair. Once they notice that people are doing this, they can declare that no change in calibre or barrel length can change the status of a prohibited firearm. Sort of like how you used to be able to change a full-auto to semi or a semi-auto to bolt action. Of course, it all becomes moot when they prohibit all handguns.
 
KotKotofeich said:
Some models can be converted to 30reid. As much as I dislike them for other reasons, Epps seems to be exclusive in offering those conversions for now. The benefits being that the gun needs no other modifications to the bolt face or the extractor or the magazine.
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat as the OP, a love of the .32s but unable to own them. I had reached out to Epps about conversions a few times but never heard back from their gunsmith.
 
Very few people are doing this. The vast majority of the 32acp guns are worth $150-200 tops. Even ppk’s are dropping in price. It costs $2-300 to do a conversion if it entails more than a straight barrel swap. And a couple of months wait. That’s 4-500 for a $200 gun. So people aren’t exactly trampling down the doors to do it. Most people that do it really want a particular model of gun for whatever reason
 
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