Range trip 8/4/23 - Quick M&P project trip

[M1A4ME]

Been almost laid up with leg/knee issues (both legs) and barely able to get up, sit down or walk for almost two months now. 

Been accumulating some parts and working on a couple projects.  M&P projects, not CZ projects.

The 4" 1.0 Shield slide (OR) got built up with a ported aftermarket barrel and does pretty dared good on the Shield Plus frame.  Then I got this urge for something completely different and I don't think done yet.  I got a Shield .40 1.0 slide and barrel, bought a couple other parts to complete it with the aim of putting it on the Shield Plus (9MM) frame.  The issue was magazines.  S&W doesn't make Shield Plus mags. in .40 S&W.  Turns out they're not that much different and I modified a 10 round Shield Plus 9MM magazine to run .40 S&W.  It does in the limited test I put to it Friday.  Excited enough to come home and modify a Shield Plus 13 round magazine for the next range trip.

The 10 round Shield Plus magazine only holds eight .40 S&W cartridges.  The 13 round Shield Plus magazine only holds 10 .40 S&W cartridges.  Makes me think, if I keep going, the 15 round Shield Plus mag. should hold 12 rounds of .40 S&W easily.

Seven yards offhand.  First five from the .40 S&W slide/barrel on the Shield Plus frame.  First three rounds tore the same hole and then my wife had to point that out to me and I did the usual thing, lost it trying to make the next two rounds "perfect."  Still a good group for the first 5 out of the project gun.  Winchester 180 grain hollow points.  One thing I noticed was the Plus frame, shooting 180 grain hollow points doesn't recoil in my hand nearly as hard as my FNS-C .40 S&W with the same ammo.  No where near as much.  Shape?  I don't know.

Anyway, 5 shots.



First three looked awesome to me.



The last case failed to eject (case turned 180 degrees and stopped the slide from going shut).  The follower wasn't cut just right and was sitting too high up front and low in the back (modified a full sized .40 S&W mag. follower).  Fixed that (I think) Saturday morning.  We'll see one day next week if I can get back to the range.  If it continues to make me feel good (groups and function) I'll convert 2 or 3 more 9MM mags to .40 S&W and send the slide out for a Holosun optic cut.

I just enjoy the heck of doing stuff like this.

No pictures of the Plus with the .40 S&W slide on it.  You can't tell it's a .40 slide anyway unless you look at the muzzle or the chamber.  It's a darn small .40 S&W and may end up being a 10+1 for carry with a couple 12 round mags. in the belt for spare/back ups.  Darn small little .40.

 

[M1A4ME]

Forgot I took a picture of the plywood backer.  Looks like .40 S&W makes a bigger "entrance wound" in plywood than the 9MM hole low and to the right below the fresh .40 holes.  Funny how the rain/wet target makes the holes look less tight than they were.

[Joe L]

That's an interesting combination of parts and excellent results!  I always thought the .40 slides had to be a little wider than the 9mm slides unless the model was initially designed for .40 cal to begin with.  (I don't know anything about the M&P models.) 

I built up a Sig P-226 once that started out as a .40 cal, then added at .357 Sig barrel, then added an aftermarket 9mm conversion barrel.  But the only complication was that I had to add adjustable LPA rear sight because the zeroes were different for every change in caliber.  I think I wound up using .40 cal magazines with all three cartridges,no problems.  I sold the entire setup to a friend of mine when I started shooting Bullseye instead of IDPA.   Also, the recoil springs were different for each cartridge.  I never got to try a .357 Sig out to 100 yards, or a .40 for that matter.  Would have been fun.  From what I remember, modifying a Sig for different calibers is pretty easy, at least the large frame hammer guns.  Even the extractor and wider slide breech face of the .40 slide worked OK with the slimmer 9mm casings.

I shot my old P-226 9mm Stainless Steel Extreme last week when I took the grand nephew out to the range.  That is one sweet pistol, even with iron sights.   Heavy, smooth as silk, nice grip shape. 

[timetofly]

Nice shooting and thank you for the project report.  You just inspired me to change barrels in my 75B from 40 S&W to 357 sig for the next steel shoot at the gun club.  Happy to hear you’re getting mobile again. Loss of mobility just plain is a huge bummer.  I’m slowly making progress towards regaining my mobility,I’m hoping that walking unassisted will be my Christmas/ new years presents.  Now to get this arm the message that it’s hall pass has expired long ago.

[M1A4ME]

Joe, as far as I know, with the M&P the frame is the same, the slides are different.  I've got a .40 S&W recoil spring assembly installed (new one) in the .40 slide/barrel set up.  When you pull the slide off the barrel and recoil spring stay in the slide unless you remove the recoil spring and barrel.

Only thing I had to modify was the magazine(s).  They are slightly different.  Got out the calipers and measured/took notes and decided on the path to get what I thought I wanted on that 10 round magazine.  First very short test got me part of the way there.  I think it's ready to run now with that 10 round (8 .40 S&W rounds) magazine. 

Of course, as often happens, I sat down with the 10/8 round magazine when I worked on the follower some more and came up with a different method to try on the 13 round 9MM magazine to get it to run .40 S&W.  Much quicker/easier and we can argue about how pretty it is (I don't care if it works).  I'll try it the next range trip and shoot more ammo, too.

I just get a kick out of doing things others don't think of or think can't be made to work.  Part of the reason one of my CZ75 Compacts (not easy) and my CZ75B .40 (pretty easy) now look/operate like CZ85B pistols.

Timetofly, I also bought a .357 SIG threaded barrel for that .40 S&W slide.  Didn't even try to shoot it yet.  I did buy a compensator for the end of it though.  If it feeds .40 there's a good chance it'll feed .357 SIG.  Not sure how it'll shoot though.  If it shoots good enough I'll be looking for another .40 S&W Shield slide to keep that .357 SIG barrel/compensator installed in.

That .40 S&W Shield Plus is just going to be a range gun for awhile till I shoot it enough to think it's reliable enough to carry.

Oh, picture of the .40 slide, with the .357 SIG threaded barrel and compensator on the 1.0 Shield frame.  I think the comp. is made by Sampson.  There's a thread protector with groove in the outside that screws down hard/tight on the barrel (supposed to use some thread locker, too) and the the set screws thread into the comp with the tips biting into those rings to lock the comp in place.  If I end up using the .357 SIG set up I'll probably try to get the slide and comp. cerakoted so they look like they go together.  Two tone will be fine for testing purposes.  S&W doesn't make .357 SIG Shields/Shield Plus pistols either.



Batteries are out of the light/laser because it drives the darn cats wild when I grab the grip and the laser splashes on the wall or floor or chair.

[Sulpgnir]

Great shooting!  It's always nice to know that folks out there are still trying new things and blazing their own trails 

The .40SW rounds really delivered some heavy hits 

[Joe L]

It's always nice to know that folks out there are still trying new things and blazing their own trails 

Definitely good to see. 
Joe L

[Joe L]

M1A4ME--

Any updates to this project?  This is a great project!

Joe L

[M1A4ME]

Yes, sorry.

Went back to the range with the .40 top end, the Plus and a second modified magazine as well as the .357 SIG barrel/comp and a box of 124 grain FMJ reloads.

The .40 worked great with both magazines.  The original (10 round 9MM that holds 8 .40 S&W) and the second (13 round 9MM that holds 10 rounds of .40 S&W).  This time, after more work on the follower in the original magazine it didn't jam on the last round and it locked the slide back.  The modified 13 round (10 rounds of .40) worked equally well.  Next I'll modify a 15 round 9MM magazine (hoping to get 12 rounds in it.  Then back to the range.

As for accuracy (already know the thing does great with Win. 180 grain hollow points) I took my CZ pistols' favorite lead bullet loads.  Missouri Bullet Co. 140 grain lead flat nosed bullets sitting on a charge of Herco powder.  My fault, I didn't give the reloads a fair "shot" at it as I didn't expect any of my CZ loads to shoot good in the M&P.  My wife shot one group and did better than any I shot.  But function with the ammo was great.  Barrel cleaned up quickly after we got home.

I ran into an issue with the .357 SIG reloads and did not get to shoot that set up.  The ammo on my shelves works in my M31 Glock, my FNS .40 (with a .357 SIG barrel) and my M&P .40 with a 357 SIG barrel.  The cartridge overall length was too long for the Shield magazines and when I tried to insert a second round the bullet tip of the first round would hit the front of the magazine and stop the second round from inserting fully.  I've not had the magazine on any of my pistols be the limiting factor for cartrige overall length but it appears the .357 SIG set up for the Shield Plus will require a session at the reloading bench to start working up loads for it.  It may be that some factory ammo will work.  I'll have to buy some and try it.

Don't know if I can get to the range again this next week or not.  I'd like to try.  Just to shoot the .40 again if I don't manage to find/buy some storebought .357 SIG.

Thanks for asking, I should have remembered this thread and posted in it after the Thursday range session.

[M1A4ME]

Got back to the range today.  It ran great.  Accuracy was still promising.

More info in the range report for 08/31/23

[Joe L]

Looking forward to another update this evening, maybe.

(I am "resting" at home after another successful nerve ablation procedure this morning.  Hope to go to the range again on Friday.  Not sure what I am going to shoot.)

Joe L

[M1A4ME]

Joe, hope things are getting better for you.

Sometimes it's good to take something different to the range.  Change things up, break the routine and either just have fun renewing your skills with an old gun you haven't shot for awhile or to shoot something that might help you past a current road block/rut.

The .40 S&W slide assembly continued to work great for me.  The AAC 180 grain hollow point ammo works/shoots good, too.  I will buy more of it.  As with the Winchester 180 grain hollow points, for some reason the hollow point bullets shoot better groups than the FMJ bullets of the same weight.

The .357 SIG barrel, in the .40 S&W slide functioned 100% as well on it's first outing.  Can't say, for sure, that the compensator helped.  I know it recoils less than my P07 DUTY with my 135 grain hollow point loads with Blue Dot powder. 

I'll be buying a Shield .40 S&W slide for that .357 SIG barrel.  I'd like to be able to have it available as a quick change set up.  Remove the .40 S&W slide, install the .357 SIG slide and load the pistol for use.

See if I can get a link to yesterday's range trip in here - https://czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=123515.0