Pistol Conversion Barrels group buy

[Capt_Communist]

I'm putting together an order for myself for some conversion barrels from EFK Firedragon...and curious if anyone wants to jump in on this

here is a link to their site...

http://www.efkfiredragon.com/index.php

retail off of EFK's site is $150 standard and $180 for ported, but for all Calgunners we can get them for

$130 for standard barrels
$160 for ported barrels

Pick up can be done either in Hayward, Rio Vista, or Danville or we can ship for a little extra.


Thanks, and shoot me a PM if you are interested.

[The Original Godfather]

sig 229 357 sig?

[Capt_Communist]

sig 229 357 sig?

all day long brother

[Rekrab]

Sadly they don't make barrels for any of my guns. >.<

[rarf]

Is the "Sig Sauer P239 9MM Conv. Interchangeable with 40 S&W" available? Thanks.

http://www.efkfiredragon.com/proddetail.php?prod=SS2399SBC

[Bullwinkle]

Guys & Gals,

I hate to see fellow CalGunners throw money away, so before you buy, let me offer this word of caution. Perhaps I'm the exception rather than the norm, but my experience with EFK has been less than stellar, and I strongly suggest you order from Bar-Sto instead. Here are the details:

Product: Sig P226 "conversion" barrel (converts .40/357 to 9mm).

Pre-order: Contacted the company asking about their "minor fitting may be required" clause. Was promised up and down that there probably wouldn't be a problem, but if there was they'd be there to walk me through the procedure and it would be real easy. Figured okay, I'll try it.

Received the barrel, complete with preprinted instructions for fitting (standard product packaging)... except the area they indicated might need fitting (i.e. the bottom of the lug that sits on the locking block cam when the slide is in battery) wasn't the part that needed fitting. The chamber's exterior dimension was too wide and binded against the slide when cycling the action.

I tried to contact EFK for help, but never got anything out of them.

I went to a local gun shop/range with gunsmithing services asking them to fit my barrel, and they wouldn't have anything to do with it. I contacted TJ's Custom Gunworks, but he wanted me to send the entire pistol in and do a whole bunch of other stuff that I might be willing to do if it were going to be my defensive barrel choice, but I bought the dang barrel to save on ammo costs over the long run, and adding in all this extra gunsmithing work and r/t overnight shipping of a complete handgun just wasn't worth it. BTW, FWIW, TJ had a word to describe the EFK barrels, but the CalGuns filter won't allow posts that include the word (it's the 'S' in SHTF).

With nowhere else to turn, I finally accepted the fact that I was on my own. I got out a calipers, took some measurements of the original barrel and the EFK barrel, and started going to work with some sandpaper. I have no doubt I FUBAR'd something along the way, but I do have the barrel 'fit' in such a manner that the slide no longer binds against the sides of the chamber and cycling the action runs smoothly. Okay, great, now it was time for some function testing with snap-caps.

EFK's claim: The same magazine that came with the pistol (i.e. .40/357) can be used with the 9mm conversion barrel (except for P239s).

Well, it didn't take very long to figure out that was a load of carp! The feed lips of the .40/357 do not hold the 9mm rounds securely... not one of my seven Sig factory magazines would do it. I suggest you try that first simple little step before you even think about buying a 9mm 'conversion' barrel, whether it's EFK, Bar-Sto, or any other brand.

So here I am, several years later, and I'm so discouraged and disgusted that I don't even want to invest $20 more into this stupid project in order to get a 9mm mag to see if it will function in my P226 w/the conversion barrel. And what if it does... then that means I also have to figure in the cost of seven new 9mm mags when I was "supposed" to be able to use the mags I already had? Gees....

You want my advice? Just buy a new 9mm pistol! [Thank you, Turner's Outdoorsman, for the $400 Sig Pro special!]

I wish you all well if you go through with this purchase, but you have been duly warned.


FYI - I also bought an EFK Frame-Saver Dual-Spring Recoil Reduction System or whatever they call it. If anyone wants it I'll be happy to sell it to them at a discounted price (and I'll be more than happy to sell my "custom hand sanded" EFK conversion barrel for $50 too!). The only differences I noticed in the pistol with that Frame Saver thing installed were

1. It was a heck of a lot harder to rotate the takedown lever, and
2. Malfuntion clearances were a lot harder due to the "variable resistance" nature of the design.

As for felt recoil, there was no difference at all that I could discern!

That makes two products from one company that I've been more than just a little disappointed in; and the lack of support in my hour of need w.r.t. the barrel is inexcusable (IMO). Learn from my mistake.

[Munk]

Q: Can you use the same magazine?

A: Yes, the best of all-round magazine is the 40S&W. If necessary for 9mm conversions, use a 9mm magazine

.40 mags don't always feed 9mm very well, usually it's feed lip issues, or it could be the way they stack.

It's usually reccomended that you get a 9mm recoil spring as well, but it's not always necessary.

It's too bad bullwinkle had such a bad time with his, the binding around the chamber seems like they messed up when they MFG'd the product, and they should have taken care of that since that isn't usually a part involved in the fitting process.

[Corbin Dallas]

I'm with Bullwinkle here.

Not to thread trash but if you are interested in buying an EFK firedragon, do some research on the net first.

Barsto is your best bet, followed by KKM and LoneWolf.

FWIW, I'd rather spend the same $ on a KKM or less on a LWD. My last barrel was a LWD and cost me $100 shipped.

[jrara]

I would say go with LWD.

Their Customer Service is excellent when I bought a Conversion barrel for a G27 from them.

[Capt_Communist]

I've ran their barrels through my guns no problem, but def seems there are people out there with issues with EFK firedragon.

I spoke with my distributor and he echoed what Bullwinkle said, but downplayed what the issues were. Given this, I would like to thank you guys for chiming in and warning people of your past experiences.

If you still want to jump on this, you're more than welcome to, but my disclaimer will be, you have to deal with EFK if there are issues.

[Capt_Communist]

Is the "Sig Sauer P239 9MM Conv. Interchangeable with 40 S&W" available? Thanks.

http://www.efkfiredragon.com/proddet...prod=SS2399SBC

out of stock at the moment

[DeltaBronco]

I would say go with LWD.

Their Customer Service is excellent when I bought a Conversion barrel for a G27 from them.

+1 for lwd I got a conversion 357 barrel for my gen 1 glock 23 along time ago and still have no issues.

[stormy_clothing]

Barsto are the best barrels according to many but they are supposed to be slightly tailored IE fitted. LWD are drop in and have always worked well for me.