RIA 38 super to 9mm

[golfish]

Hey fellas, I hope your holidays are good...

I've read that the RIA GI 38 super is pretty easy to convert to 9mm. Other then a barrel change what else is needed. Do they use the same mag?

Thank you
Fish

[MuayThaiJJ]

[Sailormilan2]

I just use 38 Super mags for 9mm and they work. You may or may not need to change the recoil spring. But if you do, it would probably need to be in the 12-14# range. Which would be about a 2# reduction. I wouldn't mess with the hammer spring unless it was needed.

[Harry Ono]

Where to get the RIA drop in 9mm Barrel ?

[newbie1234]

Where to get the RIA drop in 9mm Barrel ?

- Advance Tactical - A division of Armscor/RIA https://advancedtactical.com/barrel-...rk-w-link.html
- Ebay.

To make sure call RIA/Armscor rep.

[BigPimping]

I'm sure that somebody makes a kit. Probably wouldn't be that hard to install. Maybe not Glock easy, but I'm sure it could be done at home.

[golfish]

Thanks guys....all good stuff

Will 9mm mags from other 9mm 1911 manufacturers work ?

[Sailormilan2]

Thanks guys....all good stuff

Will 9mm mags from other 9mm 1911 manufacturers work ?

I'm using MecGar and MetalForm in 38 Super for my 9mms. I prefer the MecGar over the MetalForms, but most other brands should work fine.

[AtomicOrange]

Mine was done with 12# recoil spring, 9mm guide rod plug, and 9mm Metalform mags. Also adjusted the extractor and polished the ramp/throat.

Edit: not really a ramp, mostly throat.

[ShaneB]

I did this swap a few years ago, mine would have FTE with 38sup mags, with 9mm mags it’s been flawless. Mine is a non ramped version, I’m guessing that’s the difference. The only parts I changed were the barrel and mags and I’ve got at least 1k rounds thru it.

[Hardwarejunkie]

The older RIA 9mm and .38 Super guns didn't have ramped barrels so make sure you have the gun in hand before ordering the barrel, looks like they still sell both.
I believe the consensus is the ramped barrels are better for non FMJ bullet types.

[morrcarr67]

Maybe not Glock easy, but I'm sure it could be done at home.

Sent from my OnePlus Nord N10 5G using Tapatalk

[IVC]

1911 parts are designed to be fitted for tighter tolerances, which means they come intentionally slightly oversized. If you get a drop-in barrel for 1911, you pretty much know it is going to be a loose fit. It might or might not affect accuracy and feeding.

Glocks and other polymer guns are built by one company using their own dimensions and their own tolerances so that parts are truly drop in. If there were multiple manufacturers and they had slightly different tolerances, it would all fall apart. 1911s are more of a "base platform" on which specific guns are built. That's why there are ramped and non-ramped barrels, series 70 and 80 (with additional safety) designs, different angles and radiuses of the beaver tail, slightly different locking lugs, etc. A few thousands of an inch here and there, and parts are not truly interchangeable.

So, back to your RIA, to the extent that ALL RIA-s are exactly the same dimensions and tolerances and the same fit and finish (where small parts of metal are shaved off), you might be able to get a decent drop-in that works. If there is any variation in the core manufacturing, some guns will work better and some worse when you put in a "generic size" part. That's just the nature of the variances in the production of 1911s.

Personally, I would have the barrel fitted by a gunsmith, the rest of the conversion you can do yourself.

[tigerpan]

Hey fellas, I hope your holidays are good...

I've read that the RIA GI 38 super is pretty easy to convert to 9mm. Other then a barrel change what else is needed. Do they use the same mag?

Thank you
Fish

I did RIA nickels plate 38 convert to 9mm. All I need is RIA barrel with same ramp.

38 mag works fine with 9mm.

[JTROKS]

The first production used a standard-non ramped barrel. If you get a current production RIA 38 Super it should have a ramped barrel with a Clark/Para ramp. You can order them from: https://advancedtactical.com/parts/1...rts/upper.html