Pistol/Carbine Conversion

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I almost bought one of those MechTech carbine conversions for my Glock 20 once.  “Cool– a 10 mm carbine!”  (Hat Tip Uncle)


But then I thought; What would I do with it?  If my Glock is in carbine config, I don’t have it as a carry pistol.  Do I carry another pistol in a smaller caliber?  Do I get another pistol?  But in the latter case I’ve spent enough I could get another puspose-built carbine like an AR, an M1 Carbine, used Ruger Deerfield etc. for the same money or even less.  And come to think of it a 44 Mag levergun would be pretty nice, or an old Marlin Camp.


At this stage I have so many guns, and each one is this on-going program (load selection or load development, sight configuration, magazine and ammo inventory, on and on) so each one demands a certain amount of time.  On the other hand, what is cool and fun is cool and fun, so I never stop thinking of that next cool gun or that next cool caliber.

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6 thoughts on “Pistol/Carbine Conversion”

  1. I’ve owned a ccu in. 45acp, it allowed me to carry it and a handgun of the same caliber which is what I desired, commonality of ammo. Now I’m looking to upgrade the system to 460 Rowland for the additional energy factor in a 1911 platform. Accuracy should be superb.

  2. Hunt around for a cheap used gun or even just the frame. Maybe an LE trade in. There are so few 10mm carbines but lots and lots of glocks for sale.

  3. Yah, I’ve been eyeballing and thinking about the MechTech CCU for my Glock 20 for a loooong time, too. I’ve got a 1911 45 ACP unit from the 1990’s, and it works well, and it’s fun to shoot, and the thought of a 16″ bbl for the 10mm is appealing, but I keep putting it off as a “when I win the lottery” sort of thing: cool, but low priority. Same sort of reasoning as yourself. I like the older style ones more than the newer ones. OTOH, if someone make a replica M1 carbine (which I think are about the best looking light rifle ever made) in 10mm or .357 Mag for a reasonable price, I’d have to bite and get one.

  4. use is the big issue. Seems like you have plenty of guns that do the same job better as is. If you want a range toy, I don’t see a problem. Just convert the gun, shoot it, then convert it back.

    If say you would prefer a 10mm carbine for home defense or some other such use, get a used gun and keep both guns.

    This is a big reason why I prefer dedicated .22 training pistols over conversion kits, as I’d be concerned that I’d tuck the gun in the safe to clean it and then convert it back later…and somewhere between those moments the ball would drop, and I’d not have a useful rifle/pistol.

  5. Stay away. The Mechtech is OK as a toy, but it ain’t reliable enough for competition.

    Folks who have tried gave up, and went back to purpose made carbines.

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