Why Arent 9mm Revolvers More Popular?

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Snooperman, the reason for the 9mm revolver is ammunition; the AVAILABILITY of it, not the ballistics. As a backup for someone who carries a 9mm as a duty weapon, or for someone who likes to practice with a snubbie and who can buy 100 rounds for $16 and not $32 for .38s and who doesn't reload.

I, for one, will sell my 9mm revolver when I shoot my inventory of 9mm, and will have saved $160 for one thousand shots which will more than make up for the $50 which I will loose when I trade the 9mm in. AND, I will have had one thousand practice rounds.

HiCap
 
I also understand your rationale for having the 9mm revolver , but the fact remains not enough people also share your idea. S&W could not make it work for them either. It has to be profitable and it was not. It remains to be seen if it will catch on again. I doubt it. Most people who want a back-up gun to their main 9mm duty gun will buy a small glock 26 or something similar from the same company not a revolver with different mechanics. In fact that is what is happening. Look at the facts.
 
If I carry a 9mm Glock 17, as my duty gun, why would I want to carry a Different gun as my back-up , when all I need to do is buy the Glock 26, which can use the same magazines, ammo , and have the same mechanics. The rationale you present is something many people do not want to do. Including me.
 
Snooperman, the falacy of your argument is that some people do like a revolver as a BUG. But the Federal 9mm, the .45 GAP and the Federal .327 magnum are examples of the solutions to non-existant problems. There is a perceived issue to be addressed for each, the 9mm rimmed for the few 9mm revolvers, the .45 GAP for a slimmer grip and the .327 for a sixth powerful round in a small frame revolver, but certainly not necessary given the hardware and ammunition that is available. And that, sir, is exactly why there is little or no market for those rounds. But there is a purpose in them, for thems that like them, and what better reason.

HiCap
 
There is an old saying, " If there is a niche , in time it will be filled";
whether it is an ecological concept or one involving the making and selling of guns. At this time I do not see it for the 9mm, but we will have to wait and see if it does. It has not in the past. The 9mm rim presents problems for manufacturers that may not pay for their investment too. The profit margin may not be there and the whole process is based on this.
 
What you should have asked

Weblance,

I think the question you should have asked is, WHAT DOES A 9m.m. REVOLVER DO BETTER FOR ME THAN ANY OTHER CALIBER? If you had asked that question, you would have your answer,

Do I get a more powerful gun if it is chambered for 9m.m.?

Answer, it depends on your load and the gun. If the gun is a small frame (say a 5 shot J frame or COLT D frame size), you get more power from a standard 9m.m. than a standard .38 Special. If you compare +P .38 to standard 9m.m., I think the difference is not worth worrying about.

If you up the ante to 9m.m.+P or +P+, then you should compare to the .357 magnum. However, both will recoil too heavily for me to shoot accurately and I think most people will skip over a J-frame loaded with .357 or 9m.m.+P+ after just a few rounds.

As I said, I have one of the nicest 9m.m. revolvers ever made, the S&W 547. It shoots very much like a S&W model 13 loaded with ,357 magnums. So why bother.
Most people either buy a gun because they need one, like for a house or car gun or for CCW or they buy because they are into guns, either for using or collecting. That leaves the 9m.m. revolver in a small, niche market.

You may notice that the wonderful, super perfect revolver round (at least it is according to some gun writers), the ,327 magnum is not burning up the market. It should be popular, but it may never sell any better than the .32 H&R magnum because it is a round for a GUN PERSON. Police departments are not buying it, nor are military or government agencies.

If the FBI or BORDER PATROL or MARINE CORP adopted a 9m.m. revolver, it would undoubtedly become much more popular.

Ask yourself, what does a J-frame, 5 shot 9m.m. do better than either a .38 Special (with reasonable recoil) or a .357 magnum J frame do?

I asked myself this a long time ago and now I carry a .380ACP SIG 232 when I am not carrying a holster gun.

Oh, the one thing a 9m.m. revolver might do, is offer a more compact revolver than a .38 Special because of the overall length needed for the cylinder and thus frame length.
TAURUS has announced a .380ACP revolver. It uses a short cylinder and short frame to reduce size and weight. If it catches on, maybe a 9m.m. revolver might be produced. Then we could see if it stands on its own merits.

Jim
 
Just my 2 cents...

I think part of the problem with pistol chambered revolvers, like 9mm or .45 ACP and things of that sort, is that people just go with autos.

I know a lot of revolver lovers that just don't want 9mm because they have a .357 that shoots both .38 and .357.

I think they'd rather just stick with the automatic pistols for the 9mm, faster reloading for some....

but hey, my first gun purchase ever is a ruger LCR .38, and if you had told me they had a 9mm version, I would have gone with 9mm.
 
Why Arent 9mm Revolvers More Popular?
because few really want one. Personally I like my revolvers not needing extra things, like moon clips, and they are my handgun style of choice because I don't need those or magazines. And I can get way better performance out of a 357 anyway. And yet even though I don't own a 9mm, never have, and probably never will, for some reason I have a small garbage can full of 9mm brass.
 
Why do people buy 22 LR handguns when 357s are much more powerful? Maybe because they are cheap to shoot...? Brilliant! The 9mm standard load has power levels equal to .38+P. The cheapest .38+P I have found is Winchester White Box for $28 per box of 50. I can buy 9mm Federal for $10.50 per 50. Yes, I have to clip them into a moon clip. Oh, the horror! You guys can argue all you want about 357s being more powerful than 9mm. Yeah, I get that. No argument there. Can you buy 357 ammo for $10.50? Can you even buy lower performing standard .38 special ammo for $10.50? Not even close. For those of us who dont reload(again, Im sure the majority of shooters)and have to buy factory loaded ammo, the 9mm makes sense to me. The 9mm is the most popular centerfire handgun cartridge worldwide. Revolvers are reliable, popular, and accurate. Im not arguing revolver vs autoloader. Im also not a 9mm only snob. I own revolvers in .38 Special, 357 Magnum, and 44 Magnum. I enjoy all my centerfire revolvers, but when it comes to the bottom line, my 9mm revolver gives up nothing in performance, and financially, wins hands down.
 
Weblance, the problem is that there just are not as many shooters out there that are like you who would buy them to make it profitable for the Gun companies.
 
Weblance, then knock yourself out. At least you won't have to compete with us for 9mm revolvers. Enjoy your moonclips, I'll enjoy life without them. :rolleyes:
 
Its a good thing we don't have clips that you have to load with 17 rounds + with our tender fingers before we can shoot. Such a thing would be so massively inconvenient NOBODY would buy such an abomination.

S&w and ruger no longer make 9mm revolvers because they felt compelled to make them DIFFERENTLY than they did 38/357 revolvers thus increasing costs.

Taurus actually took the smart route and went with a thinner (albeit somewhat flimsy) clip that fits 9mm cases behind a cylinder with 38 headspace dimensions and no added machining other than reaming the cylinder with a 9mm reamer instead of 38

This is why Taurus can still offer their excellent little 905 at a price only marginally higher than the same gun in 38




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
 
Guess the main thing is that they don't fill any niche. Unless you have a bunch of 9mm ammo and like revolvers, there isn't anything that something else doesn't do better.[/QUOTE]

I have a bunch of 9mm ammo and like revolvers better than autos. I have one hi cap auto that I really don't shoot much. It's just not as enjoyable as my wheels. I would buy a 9mm snub nose revolver if it is priced right and American made.
 
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I would buy a 9mm snub nose revolver if it is priced right.

I don't see how anyone can argue that the Taurus 905 isn't priced right. And the owners have given good reviews of the guns on the Internet.

I keep thinking about getting one but the things I don't like about it in order are:

1) I don't like a .38 spl cylinder for a 9mm revolver - I want a shorter "9mm sized" cylinder. I guess they would be 30 - 31 mm (1.181 to 1.22") I think...

2) It's a Taurus
 
I am not arguing the Taurus 905 isn't priced right. I did go back and edit my post to include the gun be American made. I am a toolmaker by trade and try to buy American whenever possible. I know that usually drives the price up on most things but the quality is USUALLY better than foreign competition.
 
I know...

And even though I've heard good things about the 905 from owners, I'm still leary of it just because it's a Taurus.

I can't help myself.
 
I know...

And even though I've heard good things about the 905 from owners, I'm still leary of it just because it's a Taurus.

I can't help myself.

I will only buy their revolvers and only then when I can inspect em in person




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
 
About 50 years ago, I could not wait to buy a 1917 45ACP. But, after fooling around with those moon clips a few times I traded it off for a S&W model 27 and am glad I did. To me revolvers and moon clips are a bad mix. Apparently many others feel the same way.
 
Ive been casually trying to find a 905 locally for probally two years. No one has them, I may go ahead and just order one as I really like the idea of a 9mm revolver.

I have seen that 380acp Taurus, does it infact have its own shorter frame? That is something that I think would improve the 905.

*EDIT* Sure enough, a quick google search does verify the Taurus M380 having own frame. Now just if they would chamber it in 9mm, if it would take it I guess.
 
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Ive been casually trying to find a 905 locally for probally two years. No one has them, I may go ahead and just order one as I really like the idea of a 9mm revolver.

Ive been very happy with my 905. I posted a short review, at the start of this thread(link). I would probably get one of the M380 revolvers, if it wasnt DAO. There were DA versions of these, but they are discontinued.
 
9mm revolver

I've seen a couple of 9mm revolvers. But the biggest problem:banghead: I've seen is that they have a .38 sized cylinder. They could make the gun smaller if they used a shorter cylinder and maybe the extra length in the barrel .. That extra cylinder length adds needless weight and bulk to the gun They need to design from the ground up a small 9mm revolver, instead of adapting a .357 to 9mm. THAT would probably sell.
 
moonclips

Snooperman. I shoot BOTH a 1917 AND a Model 25. I don't use moonclips on either. And I just pop the empties out with my fingernail. They are not tight in the cylinder, and have never had a problem ever, even with Wolf
 
Steve... I explained the fact that the moon clips are not needed, but apairently no one reads the comments, they just post whatever they have heard someone else say. Hey, I read somewhere that moon clips are bad, so then, moon clips must be bad, really bad. That guy over at such&such.com said they were bad. Its a waist of time.
 
Why aren’t 9mm revolvers popular?

For me I believe it is due to three reasons:

#3; Moonclips are a pain to remove fired brass from. Most purists recognize the need for a easier way so they buy a tool designed to make the removal of brass simpler and quicker. Since such a tool is not included with the gun it is a extra cost accessory.

#2; Lack of education about the advantages of 9mm in a revolver to which I confess. Until recently I did not know that the 9mm can be 200 fps faster than the 38 in a snubbie. 200 fps in my book is a big step up.

The second part of lack of education has to do with the tactical advantage of reloads. Two full moon clips of 9mm stacked together are the same size of one speedloader filled with 38’s. That represents double the amount of ammo plus a much more simple reload process; open cylinder, eject empty moonclip, insert loaded clip, close cylinder and bingo! You are back in action.

With a 38.357; open cylinder, eject rounds fully (if you don’t there is the possibility of one getting hung up under the exactor), insert speedloader, turn knob or push speedloader in far enough to release rounds, toss away speedloader, now finally close the cylinder.

As for “topping off” the revolver during/a pause or after a gun fight. Get real! Under fire, under stress and better yet how about in the dark? The shooter is suppose to be cool enough to identify the number of fired rounds, partly extract them, remove them one by one with his fingers, then fish for loose rounds in his pocket and feed them into the cylinder again one by one.

#1; The most important reason for why aren’t 9mm revolvers popular is due to gun magazines.

That’s right. Gun rags frequently feature various models of the 1911 on their cover and articles about why you need a custom thousand dollar + 45 to defend yourself while totally ignoring the real world needs and economic realities of the average gun owner.
 
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