Posted: 1/19/2025 12:28:28 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mindfull][Edited]
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Are just the complete M17 nsn marked slides for sale to public anymore? I say anymore because upon looking around to buy one, I saw multiple posts that Sig offered a couple different kits. The M17 xchange kit that came with an nsn marked slide with just the M17 engraving and also available was the P320-M17 kit without the nsn mark and engraved P320 M17. Last week when I went to buy one, I noticed that the M17 kit was no longer listed on Sigs website. I want the M17 nsn marked slide but after scouring the internet the past week, I haven't seen a single one available for purchase. I'm not going to purchase one of the Proven Outfitters POW pistols just for the slide. Are these nsn slides still available to the public and if so, where would someone go to get one? |
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My understanding is that the original M17 exchange kit came with the military slide, and a bunch of people snatched those up, but SIG eventually started shipping them with the standard commercial slide, and that's how all the kits come now. I wasn't aware that they ever sold both types of kits at the same time - I thought they changed the slide that was coming with the kit. The only other way that I've heard of the military slide being sold separately (not as part of a complete pistol) is with the Romeo-M17 optic mounted on top of it, available in both coyote tan and black, but it's only sold through their professional program to law enforcement / military. I don't believe any of those slide / optic combos have been released yet. I have a black M18 slide / optic combo on order that I've been waiting for. Unfortunately, your best bet would be to keep an eye on the EE here to see if anyone lists a slide for sale separately. They might show up on Gunbroker or eBay, but they'll be really expensive. I've toyed with the idea of ordering a black M17 / Romeo-M17 slide combo and building a black military production M17, in which case I'd sell the original tan slide, but I don't have the funds for that at the moment. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: My understanding is that the original M17 exchange kit came with the military slide, and a bunch of people snatched those up, but SIG eventually started shipping them with the standard commercial slide, and that's how all the kits come now. I wasn't aware that they ever sold both types of kits at the same time - I thought they changed the slide that was coming with the kit. The only other way that I've heard of the military slide being sold separately (not as part of a complete pistol) is with the Romeo-M17 optic mounted on top of it, available in both coyote tan and black, but it's only sold through their professional program to law enforcement / military. I don't believe any of those slide / optic combos have been released yet. I have a black M18 slide / optic combo on order that I've been waiting for. Unfortunately, your best bet would be to keep an eye on the EE here to see if anyone lists a slide for sale separately. They might show up on Gunbroker or eBay, but they'll be really expensive. I've toyed with the idea of ordering a black M17 / Romeo-M17 slide combo and building a black military production M17, in which case I'd sell the original tan slide, but I don't have the funds for that at the moment. Good info, and that sucks about the switch. I already have an M17 marked pistol from PO, but i have another M17 fcu I want to build out. Ive been looking at gb and ebay as well with no luck. Just a bunch of p320-M17 slides. The search continues. Keep me in mind if you sell yours 
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If you want to spend the cheddar, hit one of the LE/MIL dealers (APP, Off Duty, or WTF we're calling it this year) and order WSLIDE-M17-BLK-9-RM17, or delete the BLK for Coyote. That's your MIL M17 slide with the RomeoM17 on it, with barrel and recoil guide-rod included. Not cheap, but it's the best optic they do on the slide you want. If you want the shorter M18 slide just swap that in for M17. Edit: I need more caffeine. You can buy the real M17 or M18 from your LE/MIL dealers. They cost a bit more than the 320-M17 or M18 guns, but are the real deal. For the money it makes the most sense. You'll get another FCU to play with too. You could also add $300 and get the entire M17 or M18 PRO gun, w/ the optic. That's your military spec slide w/ optic on an X lower. Avail in black or coyote. On the commercial side it's the M17 or M18 Plus. |
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Originally Posted By Mindfull: Good info, and that sucks about the switch. I already have an M17 marked pistol from PO, but i have another M17 fcu I want to build out. Ive been looking at gb and ebay as well with no luck. Just a bunch of p320-M17 slides. The search continues. Keep me in mind if you sell yours Originally Posted By Mindfull: Good info, and that sucks about the switch. I already have an M17 marked pistol from PO, but i have another M17 fcu I want to build out. Ive been looking at gb and ebay as well with no luck. Just a bunch of p320-M17 slides. The search continues. Keep me in mind if you sell yours Sorry, like SilasB, I don’t think I’d had enough caffeine when I replied yesterday, and I missed that you’re military and eligible for the LE/MIL program. I think unfortunately any separate military M17 slide that you find is going to be priced pretty high, considering that it’s only available through the law enforcement program. I think you’ll make out better by buying another complete M17 from Proven Arms. A separate slide on the commercial market could go for half the price (or more) of the M17 ($679) from PO. A benefit of the complete pistol is that it’s the only way (as far as I know) to get the military barrel and FCU. The M17X comes with the commercial barrel and FCU. As a suggestion, you could use your extra M17 FCU to build another style of pistol to go with your military M17. I built this XCompact using a commercial M18 FCU to have a smaller companion to my M17, as an example: Attached File Originally Posted By SilasB: If you want to spend the cheddar, hit one of the LE/MIL dealers (APP, Off Duty, or WTF we're calling it this year) and order WSLIDE-M17-BLK-9-RM17, or delete the BLK for Coyote. That's your MIL M17 slide with the RomeoM17 on it, with barrel and recoil guide-rod included. Not cheap, but it's the best optic they do on the slide you want. I could be wrong, but I thought the slide / Romeo-M17 combo does not include the barrel and recoil spring. I ordered the black M18 version from Proven Arms for $899, and I thought they told me it was only the slide and optic, not a complete slide assembly. That seems like a really good deal if the barrel and recoil spring are included. Not sure when mine will show up, but maybe the coyote version has shipped already. Originally Posted By Sierradyne: Doest the M17 optic /slide combo come with the NSN slide? Yes, that’s the one that SilasB mentioned above. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout I could be wrong, but I thought the slide / Romeo-M17 combo does not include the barrel and recoil spring. I ordered the black M18 version from Proven Arms for $899, and I thought they told me it was only the slide and optic, not a complete slide assembly. That seems like a really good deal if the barrel and recoil spring are included. Not sure when mine will show up, but maybe the coyote version has shipped already. Yes, that's the one that SilasB mentioned above. To my surprise they do come complete as we've had several in. For the money, it's the least they could do. |
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Originally Posted By SilasB: To my surprise they do come complete as we've had several in. For the money, it's the least they could do. That’s great news, thanks for the info. That definitely makes the price much more palatable, considering how much the optic costs by itself. |
| I think it's because they're LCI slides and of course 'need' LCI barrels. It'd be more of an issue to source the barrels if they didn't provide them. Unless you want to remove the optic and delete the LCI but that's asking a lot for some. |
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Originally Posted By SilasB: If you want to spend the cheddar, hit one of the LE/MIL dealers (APP, Off Duty, or WTF we're calling it this year) and order WSLIDE-M17-BLK-9-RM17, or delete the BLK for Coyote. That's your MIL M17 slide with the RomeoM17 on it, with barrel and recoil guide-rod included. Not cheap, but it's the best optic they do on the slide you want. If you want the shorter M18 slide just swap that in for M17. Edit: I need more caffeine. You can buy the real M17 or M18 from your LE/MIL dealers. They cost a bit more than the 320-M17 or M18 guns, but are the real deal. For the money it makes the most sense. You'll get another FCU to play with too. You could also add $300 and get the entire M17 or M18 PRO gun, w/ the optic. That's your military spec slide w/ optic on an X lower. Avail in black or coyote. On the commercial side it's the M17 or M18 Plus. Other than a thread on the ARFCOM archives (with posts presumably by you  ), the only other results I found googling for that part number are a couple of spreadsheets on .gov sites for Delaware and NY State. Both give descriptions of the slide/barrel assembly with sight. I might need a black M18 slide with Romeo-M17 to go on my M18 POW. @3ACR_Scout - did Proven give you an ETA? |
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Originally Posted By grondike: Other than a thread on the ARFCOM archives (with posts presumably by you ), the only other results I found googling for that part number are a couple of spreadsheets on .gov sites for Delaware and NY State. Both give descriptions of the slide/barrel assembly with sight.https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/622/sig-slides-3442631.jpg I might need a black M18 slide with Romeo-M17 to go on my M18 POW. @3ACR_Scout - did Proven give you an ETA? I heard back from Proven Arms today. They said that both the M17 and M1& slide / optic combos, in either black or coyote, are listed in SIG’s 2025 Off Duty price list for $899, but no info on when they’ll be in stock / available. Off Duty is the new name for SIG’s Armed Professional Program / Professional Program (it’s had several names) for LE/MIL personal purchase. |
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Looks like the coyote slide/optic combos are available now from SIG. https://www.sigsauer.com/p320-m17-9mm-4-7-slide-assembly-romeo-m17-coyote.html https://www.sigsauer.com/p320-m18-9mm-3-9-slide-assembly-romeo-m17-coyote.html |
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Originally Posted By grondike: Looks like the coyote slide/optic combos are available now from SIG. https://www.sigsauer.com/p320-m17-9mm-4-7-slide-assembly-romeo-m17-coyote.html https://www.sigsauer.com/p320-m18-9mm-3-9-slide-assembly-romeo-m17-coyote.html Saw that. Got the email this am |
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Originally Posted By grondike:I might need a black M18 slide with Romeo-M17 to go on my M18 POW. @3ACR_Scout - did Proven give you an ETA? I noticed yesterday that Osage County has the black M17 and M18 Romeo-M17 slide combos listed in their SIG Professional Program website, and they had one M18 combo left. I emailed Proven Arms to ask them again, since it appears they’re available. They wrote me back right away this morning and said that they checked with SIG and still don’t see them on the dealer portal where they order products. He actually recommended that I order it from Osage while I can. I just placed the order (apologies to everyone for grabbing the last one), despite it being about $100 more than it would be from Proven, since Osage adds sales tax. I’ve been waiting to get one of these for a long time. A bird in the hand and all that.. Here are the Osage product listings in case anyone wants to sign up for back in stock notification. Odd that the M17 combo is $40 cheaper (matching the SIG LE/MIL price list). Sig Sauer APP Only M17 Slide & Barrel Assy w/ROMEOM17, 9mm, 4.7" BBL, Black - $899 Sig Sauer SPP Only P320 M18 Slide & Barrel Assy w/RoMEOM17, 9mm, 3.9" BBL, Black - $939 |
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FWIW, I ordered a M17 slide/Romeo combo from Sig. I signed up for the Connect program and got $200 off and free shipping. Not sure how that equates to their LE/Mil program but I wanted it quickly, before it went OOS, and to avoid any hassles/delays. Pic of the combo, which did not include the barrel or recoil spring and a closer shot of the slide's markings.  
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Originally Posted By Defender3: FWIW, I ordered a M17 slide/Romeo combo from Sig. I signed up for the Connect program and got $200 off and free shipping. Not sure how that equates to their LE/Mil program but I wanted it quickly and to avoid any hassles/delays. Pic of the combo, which did not include the barrel or recoil spring and a closer shot of the slide's markings. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/52736/M17_Slide-3487817.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/52736/M17_Slide_Markings-3487816.jpg |
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Originally Posted By grondike: Interesting. The combo available through the Osage LE/MIL program site is described as a complete slide assembly and their pictures show a barrel and recoil spring. SIG just describes it as a slide assembly and lists barrel compatibility. I assumed they would be the same. Originally Posted By grondike: Originally Posted By Defender3: FWIW, I ordered a M17 slide/Romeo combo from Sig. I signed up for the Connect program and got $200 off and free shipping. Not sure how that equates to their LE/Mil program but I wanted it quickly and to avoid any hassles/delays. Pic of the combo, which did not include the barrel or recoil spring and a closer shot of the slide's markings. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/52736/M17_Slide-3487817.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/52736/M17_Slide_Markings-3487816.jpg I can't say and I was not aware of this thread or Osage when I ordered last week. That's a great deal if Osage does include the barrel and recoil spring, but it is their armed pro program, so it probably does. |
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Originally Posted By Defender3: I can't say and I was not aware of this thread or Osage when I ordered last week. That's a great deal if Osage does include the barrel and recoil spring, but it is their armed pro program, so it probably does. Originally Posted By Defender3: Originally Posted By grondike: Originally Posted By Defender3: FWIW, I ordered a M17 slide/Romeo combo from Sig. I signed up for the Connect program and got $200 off and free shipping. Not sure how that equates to their LE/Mil program but I wanted it quickly and to avoid any hassles/delays. Pic of the combo, which did not include the barrel or recoil spring and a closer shot of the slide's markings. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/52736/M17_Slide-3487817.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/52736/M17_Slide_Markings-3487816.jpg I can't say and I was not aware of this thread or Osage when I ordered last week. That's a great deal if Osage does include the barrel and recoil spring, but it is their armed pro program, so it probably does. |
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Originally Posted By grondike: Interesting. The combo available through the Osage LE/MIL program site is described as a complete slide assembly and their pictures show a barrel and recoil spring. SIG just describes it as a slide assembly and lists barrel compatibility. I assumed they would be the same. Yeah, I would want the whole package if I was going to buy the slide. The mil m17 barrel is thicker than civilian p320 barrels for a tighter lockup, it also has the cage code and P proof mark on it that normal p320 barrels don't have. I would of thought Sig would of included the barrel or at least the rsa with the package. I did a quick search for a cage code marked M17 barrel for sale and couldn't find anything Can you purchase a factory new cage code marked M17 barrel from Sig or Sig dealer or are you stuck scouring ebay and forum marketplaces? |
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Originally Posted By Mindfull: Yeah, I would want the whole package if I was going to buy the slide. The mil m17 barrel is thicker than civilian p320 barrels for a tighter lockup, it also has the cage code and P proof mark on it that normal p320 barrels don't have. I would of thought Sig would of included the barrel or at least the rsa with the package. I did a quick search for a cage code marked M17 barrel for sale and couldn't find anything Can you purchase a factory new cage code marked M17 barrel from Sig or Sig dealer or are you stuck scouring ebay and forum marketplaces? Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that the only way to get a military M17 or M18 barrel is with the military production “POW” pistols sold through the professional program by Proven Arms, Osage, and other LE dealers, or with one of the early surplus pistols. The M17X and M18X come with the military slide but a commercial barrel, and I’m pretty sure the Romeo-M17 combos like the black one I ordered also come with a commercial barrel (you can see the commercial markings on the barrel in the product photos). I bought another military production M18 a few months ago so I can combine the barrel and FCU with this black M18 / Romeo-M17 slide combo to have a true military spec black M18. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that the only way to get a military M17 or M18 barrel is with the military production "POW" pistols sold through the professional program by Proven Arms, Osage, and other LE dealers, or with one of the early surplus pistols. The M17X and M18X come with the military slide but a commercial barrel, and I'm pretty sure the Romeo-M17 combos like the black one I ordered also come with a commercial barrel (you can see the commercial markings on the barrel in the product photos). I bought another military production M18 a few months ago so I can combine the barrel and FCU with this black M18 / Romeo-M17 slide combo to have a true military spec black M18. WSLIDE-M18-BLK-RM17 barrel  versus MIL M18 barrel  |
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Originally Posted By SilasB: Corrrect. WSLIDE-M18-BLK-RM17 barrel https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/408302/1000011601-3488297.jpg versus MIL M18 barrel https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/408302/1000011605-3488306.jpg I received my black M18 slide / optic combo yesterday and ran into a problem when I swapped the military M18 barrel into the black slide. The barrel hood / breach (not sure of the correct term) is such a tight fit in the black slide that it takes a significant amount of force to cycle the slide by hand. It takes much more force to unlock the barrel from the breach so it can cycle tan any other patio I’ve handled. I had a very hard time getting it assembled on the frame to begin with because the barrel wouldn’t unlock until I put a lot more pressure on it. It unlocks suddenly and snaps backwards. I can’t do a press check with it, for example, because I can’t put enough force on it to unlock it by gripping the slide in that manner. I’m sure it will cycle when firing live ammo and may eventually loosen up over time, but I don’t know if that’s safe to do or would put unnecessary force on the slide and barrel. I’ve never seen a slide and barrel combination that’s this tight before. My military M17 and M18 are tighter than my commercial versions, but nowhere near this tight. @SilasB - Would you mind trying the barrel swap with your black slide to see how it compares? I actually had trouble getting the military barrel fully seated in the black slide when assembling them because of the tight fit in the breach. When I get a chance, I’m going to get out the calipers and measure my military M18 slide, this new black slide, and a commercial M18 slide, along with the barrels, to see if there are any variations. I’m wondering if they may have made the black M18 slide a little tighter to lock up better with the commercial barrel that it comes with, but it seems unlikely that they would cut the military-style M18 slides to different specs. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: I received my black M18 slide / optic combo yesterday and ran into a problem when I swapped the military M18 barrel into the black slide. The barrel hood / breach (not sure of the correct term) is such a tight fit in the black slide that it takes a significant amount of force to cycle the slide by hand. It takes much more force to unlock the barrel from the breach so it can cycle tan any other patio I’ve handled. I had a very hard time getting it assembled on the frame to begin with because the barrel wouldn’t unlock until I put a lot more pressure on it. It unlocks suddenly and snaps backwards. I can’t do a press check with it, for example, because I can’t put enough force on it to unlock it by gripping the slide in that manner. I’m sure it will cycle when firing live ammo and may eventually loosen up over time, but I don’t know if that’s safe to do or would put unnecessary force on the slide and barrel. I’ve never seen a slide and barrel combination that’s this tight before. My military M17 and M18 are tighter than my commercial versions, but nowhere near this tight. @SilasB - Would you mind trying the barrel swap with your black slide to see how it compares? I actually had trouble getting the military barrel fully seated in the black slide when assembling them because of the tight fit in the breach. When I get a chance, I’m going to get out the calipers and measure my military M18 slide, this new black slide, and a commercial M18 slide, along with the barrels, to see if there are any variations. I’m wondering if they may have made the black M18 slide a little tighter to lock up better with the commercial barrel that it comes with, but it seems unlikely that they would cut the military-style M18 slides to different specs. I've watched a video on a Sig factory tour at some point and I remember the Sig rep stating they hand fit the M17 and M18 barrels that needed it. I don't know its that for all of them or what because that seems like a ton of time. If that's actually the case, the thicker Mil barrels probably won't fit in some other slides without fitting. I dont have a black 17 or 18, but I have a POW M17 and M18 and commercial P320s. If you want me to measure mine as well just let me know. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: @SilasB - Would you mind trying the barrel swap with your black slide to see how it compares? I actually had trouble getting the military barrel fully seated in the black slide when assembling them because of the tight fit in the breach. The barrels are different. The mil barrel hood has a lot more taper. The bottom barrel cuts toward the lug are also different profiles. The mil barrel will fit in my M18 PRO, but it's not as happy as it should be. Mil barrel left, PRO barrel right.  Mil barrel left again, PRO right. 
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Originally Posted By Mindfull: I've watched a video on a Sig factory tour at some point and I remember the Sig rep stating they hand fit the M17 and M18 barrels that needed it. I don't know it’s that for all of them or what because that seems like a ton of time. If that's actually the case, the thicker Mil barrels probably won't fit in some other slides without fitting. I have a POW M17 and M18 and commercial P320s. If you want me to measure mine as well just let me know. Thanks, I wasn’t aware that there was fitting involved with the military pistols. Like you said, that seems like a lot of work when you’re producing thousands of pistols for a military contract. Maybe it’s just to the extent of having a pile of barrels and testing several until they find one that has a good, tight fit without being too tight. At the same time, it’s a little surprising that the parts aren’t built to tighter specs so that dimensional tolerances don’t stack up like this, which is what I assume is going on with mine. More on that below… Originally Posted By SilasB: The barrels are different. The mil barrel hood has a lot more taper. The bottom barrel cuts toward the lug are also different profiles. Yeah, I’m very familiar with the barrel differences - I posted a comparison here a couple years ago. I was just expecting the military barrel to be more interchangeable between two military M18 POW slides (my coyote tan and this new black one). I was considering contacting SIG to see if their custom shop could do some fitting for me, but I think I came up with a solution. I pulled out my first tan M18 POW (which I haven’t shot yet) and swapped the barrels between the two. The other barrel is just a little bit looser in the black slide - still pretty tight, but I can press check now and push it back into battery with my thumb instead of having to hit it with my fist. The other barrel is also tighter in my tan M18 than the original one, but it still hand cycles ok. I figure some live fire should break them in, if that sounds reasonable (not dangerous) to the group. Thanks for the feedback, guys. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: Thanks, I wasn’t aware that there was fitting involved with the military pistols. Like you said, that seems like a lot of work when you’re producing thousands of pistols for a military contract. Maybe it’s just to the extent of having a pile of barrels and testing several until they find one that has a good, tight fit without being too tight. At the same time, it’s a little surprising that the parts aren’t built to tighter specs so that dimensional tolerances don’t stack up like this, which is what I assume is going on with mine. More on that below… Yeah, I’m very familiar with the barrel differences - I posted a comparison here a couple years ago. I was just expecting the military barrel to be more interchangeable between two military M18 POW slides (my coyote tan and this new black one). I was considering contacting SIG to see if their custom shop could do some fitting for me, but I think I came up with a solution. I pulled out my first tan M18 POW (which I haven’t shot yet) and swapped the barrels between the two. The other barrel is just a little bit looser in the black slide - still pretty tight, but I can press check now and push it back into battery with my thumb instead of having to hit it with my fist. The other barrel is also tighter in my tan M18 than the original one, but it still hand cycles ok. I figure some live fire should break them in, if that sounds reasonable (not dangerous) to the group. Thanks for the feedback, guys. I've been looking through videos trying to find the one where I heard the comment but haven't come acrossed it yet. It stood out to me because I figured different Mil barrels would just drop in. Like, do mil armorers have to fit replacement barrels if a pistol needs one for some reason. Seemed counterproductive. I'll keeps skimming through videos off and on to see if I can find it though. |
| I put 300 rounds through my black M18 today. It functioned fairly well, but it had some minor issues returning fully into battery, getting hung up due to the tightness of the barrel and slide. I’ll start a new topic about breaking in this pistol to avoid hijacking this thread any further. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: I put 300 rounds through my black M18 today. It functioned fairly well, but it had some minor issues returning fully into battery, getting hung up due to the tightness of the barrel and slide. I’ll start a new topic about breaking in this pistol to avoid hijacking this thread any further. @3ACR_Scout There's some good info in this thread already on the slides/barrels and differences. I can rename the thread if you want to post about your findings in here. Would be nice to have the info in the same place. Your call |
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Originally Posted By Mindfull: There's some good info in this thread already on the slides/barrels and differences. I can rename the thread if you want to post about your findings in here. Would be nice to have the info in the same place. Your call Sure, if you don’t mind, thanks! I’ll try to take some photos tonight and share my experience. Maybe you can just call it M17 and M18 NSN Slide Availability or something. |
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Okay, expanding on my initial report, I assembled this pistol with the Romeo-M17 slide combo, the barrel and FCU from a military production M18, and an X Compact grip module. I wanted the shorter 15-round grip for what will become my new carry pistol if it proves reliable after 1000 rounds. Normally, I would shoot 500 or 600 and call it good, but with my concerns about how tight the slide and barrel lockup is, I want take it a little further. Attached File Attached File Attached File I took it to the range yesterday and fired a total of 300 rounds. I started with 50 Winchester NATO 124 gr and 50 Winchester 115gr High Pressure SG9W (the stuff that replaced the "Active Duty" commercial version of the M1152 military round). I wanted to break it in with hotter ammo to help overcome the tight barrel lockup, and it certainly worked. It was fine for about the first 30 rounds, and then the slide started to hang up slightly out of battery. I attempted to recreate it for these photos (it's easy to make it stick in this position), but I think this is slightly exaggerated. Attached File Each time this would happen, I flipped the safety back on, pushed the slide forward with my support hand thumb, and continued shooting. What's slightly unnerving about the P320 is that it will still fire in this position - I did that a number of times to test it - but maybe that's true of other semi auto pistols, and I just haven't had them hang up like this before. The barrel is already fully seated in the slide at this point, but the whole assembly hasn’t returned to the full forward position. Next, I fired 100 rounds of Fiocchi 115 gr, and using that ammo, the slide returned fully into battery almost every time. I was a little confused by that, but thinking about it, I believe the hotter ammo was causing me to limp wrist a bit in the process of absorbing the recoil. I think that may have partly counteracted the energy of the recoil spring, preventing it from pushing the slide all the way forward. The Fiocchi 115 gr is labeled as 1200 fps (same as the Winchester NATO), and it actually feels a little hotter than most 115 gr I shoot. I finished up by shooting 50 rounds each of HST 147 gr and American Eagle 147 gr. I had a few more instances of the slide hanging up slightly out of battery, but much less than with the first 100 rounds. If you can imagine only the thin disk on the front end of the recoil spring protruding from the front of the slide, instead of flush, that's about how much it was hung up. Again, it would fire reliably like that, but it doesn't look right, so I would nudge it forward with my thumb. The slide is still tight but is getting easier to cycle by hand and press check. I'll see how it does over the next 700 rounds. It's obviously going to polish the surfaces as it cycles, but I want to make sure it returns fully into battery every time before I carry it. I wouldn't want it to ever get hung up and potentially malfunction when I needed it. I actually didn't even get to zeroing the dot - I turned it off and used irons to focus on how it was functioning, so I'll do that next trip. Originally Posted By DasRonin: So... is a barrel for the NSN slides anything special? The pre-tensioned military barrel is supposed to improve accuracy, but I'm not sure I can tell the difference. My commercial M17 that clearly feels looser than my military production M17 is still one of the most accurate (for me) pistols that I've shot. |
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Very nice and Gg4at info, thanks for sharing. When I switch slides or build a pistol, I put a generous amount of oil on the rails to aid in cycling and function until it wears in. It usually helps them smooth out considerably faster. |
| I’ll definitely keep it well-lubed. One drawback of the loaded chamber indicator is that it immediately splatters the Romeo-M17’s front window with oil and powder residue when I fire the first shot. I bring a few Q-tips with me to clean it off, and it’s usually fine after that since it blows the excess out the first time. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: I’ll definitely keep it well-lubed. One drawback of the loaded chamber indicator is that it immediately splatters the Romeo-M17’s front window with oil and powder residue when I fire the first shot. I bring a few Q-tips with me to clean it off, and it’s usually fine after that since it blows the excess out the first time. Definitely. I put a piece of clear tape over the optic during my first magazine and tear it off after that. You can still see the dot through the tape and its less messy and easier to clean up. |
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Originally Posted By Mindfull: Definitely. I put a piece of clear tape over the optic during my first magazine and tear it off after that. You can still see the dot through the tape and its less messy and easier to clean up. Originally Posted By Mindfull: Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: I’ll definitely keep it well-lubed. One drawback of the loaded chamber indicator is that it immediately splatters the Romeo-M17’s front window with oil and powder residue when I fire the first shot. I bring a few Q-tips with me to clean it off, and it’s usually fine after that since it blows the excess out the first time. Definitely. I put a piece of clear tape over the optic during my first magazine and tear it off after that. You can still see the dot through the tape and its less messy and easier to clean up. I’ve noticed that if I use a little gun grease on the barrel locking surfaces instead of oil it splatters a lot less. |
| I shot another 200 rounds today - 50 rounds of Winchester NATO 124 gr, 50 American Eagle 147 gr, and 100 Fiocchi 115 gr. I used the 147 gr AE to zero the optic. The slide was well-lubed and seemed to cycle and return to battery fine. I didn’t notice any instances of it getting hung up. It’s definitely still tight and is difficult to press check (not something I do often but a good test of how tight it is). However, manual cycling seems easier, and it returns to battery when I pull it to the rear and release, release from slide lock, and during live fire. I still plan to put 1000 rounds through it and will end with 50 more rounds of 147 gr HSTs to confirm that it’s functioning reliably. Pretty happy with how it’s progressing. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: I shot another 200 rounds today - 50 rounds of Winchester NATO 124 gr, 50 American Eagle 147 gr, and 100 Fiocchi 115 gr. I used the 147 gr AE to zero the optic. The slide was well-lubed and seemed to cycle and return to battery fine. I didn’t notice any instances of it getting hung up. It’s definitely still tight and is difficult to press check (not something I do often but a good test of how tight it is). However, manual cycling seems easier, and it returns to battery when I pull it to the rear and release, release from slide lock, and during live fire. I still plan to put 1000 rounds through it and will end with 50 more rounds of 147 gr HSTs to confirm that it’s functioning reliably. Pretty happy with how it’s progressing. Awesome. Sounds like it's coming together. Have you tried any different strength recoil springs in it? |
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Originally Posted By Mindfull: Awesome. Sounds like it's coming together. Have you tried any different strength recoil springs in it? No, the military model comes with the spring shown on top in this photo, with the flat spring in the front half and braided spring on the rear half of the assembly, compared to the commercial M18 spring on the bottom. I think it’s a slightly heavier spring, which would make sense to me since the military slide is heavier, but I don’t feel a noticeable difference when manual cycling the two. I haven’t tried swapping them around for live fire. Attached File I’ve never really looked at aftermarket recoil springs, as I tend to just stick with factory parts. |
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Originally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: No, the military model comes with the spring shown on top in this photo, with the flat spring in the front have and braided spring on the rear half of the assembly, compared to the commercial M18 spring on the bottom. I think it’s a slightly heavier spring, which would make sense to me since the military slide is heavier, but I don’t feel a noticeable difference when manual cycling the two. I haven’t tried swapping them around for live fire. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/27888/M18_05_jpg-2814155.JPG I’ve never really looked at aftermarket recoil springs, as I tend to just stick with factory parts. Yeah, they ship with just the +P recoil spring now. I remember when I first got my surplus M17 pistols back in the day. I managed to score two of them at sportsmans warehouse for $600 each plus 3 free boxes of Sig M17 ammunition per pistol. They had both the +P and the lower strength recoil spring for non +P ammunition in the box. I didn't notice a difference between the two shooting when switching ammo to test them. I still do have a commercial recoil spring in a full size P320 and a +P in another fullsize M17 pistol and have never changed them out. I can definitely tell the difference between those two now after shooting thousands of rounds through them. If you have seen the videos of people racking their pistols by flinging their arm forward with enough momentum that the slide racks a round, I can almost do that with the P320 with the commercial rsa. The +P is still nice and strong. |
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I made it to the range again yesterday and fired 300 more rounds. I started with 50 Winchester 115gr High Pressure SG9W, and it functioned fine. Next, I fired 100 rounds of Fiocchi 115 gr and 100 rounds of Speer Lawman 124 gr, and the slide returned fully into battery about 99% of the time. There were a couple times when it was basically back in battery, but I could nudge it forward just a hair with my thumb. Not really noticeable visually, but from looking at it enough, I could tell that it had a little more room to forward, so I gave it a push with my thumb. I finished up by shooting another 50 rounds of HST 147 gr, which all worked great. I feel comfortable carry it, as it's cycling great during live fire and returning to battery every time (even if there's tiny amount of play in it). It's definitely easier to rack the slide by hand, and it returns to battery both when manually pulling the slide to the rear and releasing and when dropped it from slide lock (with and without chambering a round). I took some photos of the wear on the slide and barrel after 800 rounds, in case anyone's curious to see it. I would say that the wear is basically identical to my commercial M18 that has 1,000 rounds through it. As expected, there's some wear around the breach face where the barrel lugs(?) lock up around the loaded chamber indicator. I should mention that I still can't fully seat the barrel in the slide's breach when assembling the pistol. The barrels just drop into the slide with my other M17s and M18s, but this one won't fully seat until I finish assembling the pistol and cycle the slide. This particular military production barrel is still a very tight fit front to back but seems to be wearing in over time. Attached File The finish on the front of the barrel hood is completely worn off where it contacts the slide, but that's how my other pistols look too. Attached File A few more angles showing the barrel "lugs" and the sides. The tooling marks visible in the finish don't look great. Attached File There's kind of a vertical band where the finish is worn - through the S in SAUER and the J22 - that stands out, but I'm not concerned about it. Attached File Attached File I'm on vacation this week, so I plan to hit the range again to bring it up to 1,000 rounds. One last thing to mention is that the Romeo-M17's Energizer battery died about a month after I got it. The same thing happened with my first M17 that I bought two years ago. I replaced that one, and it's still working great on that same battery. I wonder if SIG is shipping these with batteries that have been sitting on a shelf for years, or if there's some other odd issue with them. Still love the optic, and I suspect my black one will run on this new battery for quite a while. |
The Retail Arm of Quantico Tactical
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Fresh batch of M17 slides just arrived... M18 slides should be available later this week M17 Slide & Barrel assy w/Romeo-M17 Coyote |
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I thought I'd update this topic now that I've hit 1,200 rounds with this pistol. Nothing groundbreaking, but the slide / barrel interface continues to smooth out the more I shoot it, as expected. It returns fully into battery every time, whether from live fire, dropping it from slide lock, or pulling it back and releasing / sling-shotting. It only hangs up a little if I ride the slide forward when cycling it by hand. Attached File It appears that SIG briefly sold the military production slides marked with CAGE code and part number on the civilian market to help get the Romeo-M17 optic out there. The slide / optic combos like my black one were coming with the military slide and commercial barrel when they were released last spring. I think I also saw complete P320-M17/M18 pistols sold that way too, although I'm not positive, since I was just looking for the smaller rear sight to identify the change in the commercial pistols. I noticed recently that the commercial pistols only have the CAGE code on them now, no part number. Current product listings for the slide / optic combo also show the slide with only the CAGE code, matching the commercial pistols: SLIDE & BARREL ASSY, M17, 9MM, 4.7, SIGLITE W/ ROMEOM17, BLK SLIDE & BARREL ASSY, M18, 9MM, 3.9, SIGLITE W/ ROMEOM17, BLK I'm curious if the interior of the current commercial slide has the cutouts to lighten it like the original commercial pistols, or if it's a military production slide, just without the part number markings. I'll try to look for an opportunity to take the slide of a pistol at a shop, if they let me. I would have liked to get the black military production M17 slide to build a full black model with Romeo-M17 to go with my M18, but I have a lot of these now and can't really justify buying another. I'm very happy with my military production M17 with optic, as well as this black M18. |