Why Arent 9mm Revolvers More Popular?

[R.W.Dale]

Originally Posted by weblance

9 X 21..? Seriously? Why would they chamber this in 9x21? Thats very strange, unless its a missprint. 9 x 21 is not 9mm Luger. 9mm Luger is 9 x 19. I doubt they would sell any at all in 9x21.

They would sell in countries where you can't have a 9x19 or other military cartridge chambered firearm. 38 may fall under the same restrictions




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[Remllez]

I'm thinking the 9mm revolvers were introduced at a time when the cartridge hadn't evolved to what it is now. Self defense ammo for the 9mm has grown to a point where it's very very effective and brings a load with it when it hits.

Ruger 9mm revolvers were introduced in the late 80's or early 90's and ball ammo was prevalent and not that effective. Shoot throughs were common and the ammo choices were few. The energy numbers are fairly impressive now with quite a few loads available that come close to .357 without the flash and noise.

.38 Special short barrel revolvers will never go away, but that doesn't mean that that caliber is the best choice for up close and personal work. .357's are very effective but most find the noise, recoil and cost objectionable. I'm thinking the new .40 caliber snubs will be too much for most to shoot as well.

When I think about it, the 9mm looks better and better to me. I like moonclips especially for clean ejection of empties, faster reloads are a pleasant plus for me. The 9 may just takeoff if someone made a good quality revolver at a reasonable price.( Think Ruger LCR.) I've been shooting my SP-101 since the 90's and still prefer it to a .38 any day.

Of course the above opinions are mine and they're worth what you pay for them...

[weblance]

They would sell in countries where you can't have a 9x19 or other military cartridge chambered firearm. 38 may fall under the same restrictions

I guess I wasnt thinking there was a world outside the USA. That does make sense as I know there are places where the general population isnt allowed a military cartridge(9x19), but I think they need to offer it also in 9x19.

As far as someone offering a "quality" 9mm revolver, I think my Taurus 905 fits into that group. I have been very pleased so far, have 500 rounds down the pipe, and its very accurate. I see no wear of any kind and dont see any reason why I wont get many years of enjoyment from it. Its based on the S&W J frame, and thats a proven design, so the quality of the materials its made from would be the only concern over time.

[C0untZer0]

Czechpoint U.S.A is importing the 3" barrelled Alfa Proj 9mm revolver.

I don't know how many they imported for their first batch but they sold out almost immediately and are still on backorder now.

[owen]

9 X 21..? Seriously? Why would they chamber this in 9x21

Because 9x19 is illegal for civilians in Italy

[savit260]

The ammo is cheaper by almost $6 per 50.

Let's keep in mind that this is only a fairly recent development.

Before the Great Ammo Debacle of 2008/2009... 9mm and 38 Special were less than a dollar apart for a box of 50...


Not that many years ago, I was buying "blue box" 38 Special reloads for $5-$6 a box. Winchester White Box 100 packs were under $10 at Wallyworld.

It's only been in the last 3 years or so that the price between the two has taken off.

Maybe 9mm might make a bit more sense from a cost perspective now, but for the 100 plus years before, it really wasn't an issue.

[MCgunner]

I used to shoot my 1917 at the range sans moon clips, fired just fine, headspace just fine. I just plucked out the brass with my fingernails, or you can use a pencil.

I don't think, for me, the 9mm revolvers offer any advantage over my Kel Tec. It carries 11 rounds, is smaller than my little .38 snub by a fraction, and weighs only 14 ounces unloaded. An all steel J frame is a brick in the pocket. I would, however, prefer a scandium 9 to the scandium .357 magnum.

[gandog56]

For those of us that have used moonclips, we understand they are not a hassle and are faster reloads than speed loaders and speed strips.

Maybe, but I hate them. And I don't use speed loaders or strips because I feel that THEY are also pains. Give me the drop the old cartridge straight in a cylinder any day. And since I reload, .38 specials do NOT cost any more than 9mm, their probably even CHEAPER! And I can fire both those and full load .357 magnums out of my Dan Wesson...with it's 4 interchangeable barrel lengths.

[three-fifty-seven]

One reason is that it lacks flexibility.

A 9mm Luger revolver is stuck with only using 9mm while a .357 Magnum Revolver can use .357 Mag and .38 Special.

How about power levels equal to, or better than 38+P for $5 LESS per box of 50?

If you are a reloader than cost differences between .38Special/.357Magnum and 9mm becomes non-existent.

Also don't forget about the .357 Magnum as it is quite the performance leap over the 9mm Luger and is an acceptable round to hunt deer with.

[KTXdm9]

Originally Posted by three-fifty-seven

One reason is that it lacks flexibility.

A 9mm Luger revolver is stuck with only using 9mm while a .357 Magnum Revolver can use .357 Mag and .38 Special.



If you are a reloader than cost differences between .38Special/.357Magnum and 9mm becomes non-existent.

Also don't forget about the .357 Magnum as it is quite the performance leap over the 9mm Luger and is an acceptable round to hunt deer with.

This. I like the flexibility of .38/.357. I already have autoloaders that shoot 9mm, so I'm looking for something different in a revolver.

[weblance]

One reason is that it lacks flexibility.

A 9mm Luger revolver is stuck with only using 9mm while a .357 Magnum Revolver can use .357 Mag and .38 Special.

So then I guess thats why 9mm autoloaders arent popular because they also lack flexibility, and they are stuck with using only 9mm ammo...? .38 Special revolvers are much more popular than 9mm revolvers, yet they also lack flexibility because they are stuck with .38 Special ammo. I bet that Taurus sells 100 or more .38 Special Model 85s compaired to the Model 905 9mm revolver.

If you are a reloader than cost differences between .38Special/.357Magnum and 9mm becomes non-existent.

Also don't forget about the .357 Magnum as it is quite the performance leap over the 9mm Luger

I stated that I dont reload. Im sure that the majority of shooters dont reload. Yes I know the 357 has a ballistic edge on the 9mm. But the 9mm has the edge on .38 Special. I dont think that just because the .357 is more powerful than the 9mm, that makes it more popular in a revolver. The 9mm cartridge is the most popular handgun cartridge worldwide, and revolvers are popular because of many factors, I simply dont understand why the 2 dont come together in a popular way. Again, I guess I should be happy that I have, and enjoy mine, and just leave it at that. I will say that I own five .357 revolvers, one .38 Special revolver, and one 9mm revolver. I enjoy them all, but when the cost of factory ammo is considered, my 9mm revolver wins hands down. There is nothing that handicaps this revolver, in any way, when compared to any other 5 shot snub. Not ballistic performance, Not accuracy, Not ammo availability.

[RavenTai]

How about power levels equal to, or better than 38+P for $5 LESS per box of 50?

Guns are extremely traditional, the majority of us standardize, we conform to the safe and well established ways, it makes sense in for many reasons, it takes a large advantage in something new and different to overcome this tradition inertia.

and for handguns the tradition, the standard is:
Rimmed cartridges in revolvers
Rimless cartridges in autos,

yes you can use moon clips, most of us consider them an unnecessary complication when they already make cartridges made to properly fit revolvers.

for me .38 is a range only cartridge, mellow recoil, mellow bass report, a higher pressure cartridge is not desirable here, 9mm will not make any different hole in the paper or soda bottle, tin can, to spend $500 to essentially duplicate what I already have with more hassle? yea the $5 savings a box might be nice but it will take years to pay back, $10 a month vs having some other interesting new gun that fills a real usable niche in my safe? no contest.

For defensive revolver where more pressure is desired 9mm is not enough above .38 to really warrant wasting my limited gun purchase on it, SO I bought a very early 586 in .357 a truly great fighting revolver cartridge.

the inexpensive, ubiquitous, compact, but anemic, and foreign 9mm does have its place though, it makes a wonderful compact, flat, and light single stack Tupperware for concealed carry, and If i want to shoot 9mm that is what i will shoot it in, I can always use the practice.

There are some of you who want to go against the grain, that's great that is how new good things are found. after the path is found to be safe by paving it with your money us sheep will follow. but it is the bleeding edge and some things tried don't really make sense so they are not widely adopted. 9mm revolvers are one of these failures, gun history is filled with them.

[1911Tuner]

Yes I know the 357 has a ballistic edge on the 9mm. But the 9mm has the edge on .38 Special.

Chronograph a few rounds from a Smith 547 and the same lot through an autopistol with about the same barrel length, and you'll probably find that the ballistics from the revolver are a bit shy of the auto's...which closes the gap between the 9 and the .38 Special.

And it's not because of the barrel/cylinder gap, though that does play a role. Everything means something.

[Paul7]

You would think a 9mm snubby could have a shorter cylinder than a .38, correct?

[1911Tuner]

You would think a 9mm snubby could have a shorter cylinder than a .38, correct?

You would think...but most of the 9mm revolvers were/are based on existing frames and cylinders. The market just isn't there for a ground-up 9mm revolver...just to achieve another 50-60 fps...so nobody will likely try to fill such a small niche.

And it essentially equates to more freebore, which is the velocity killer.

The .38 Special would probably get a decent velocity boost with a shorter frame, cylinder, and forcing cone even in a K-Frame Smith.

[IllinoisGun]

Seems to me that such a round is better left residing in a pistol.

[R.W.Dale]

Originally Posted by 1911Tuner

And it essentially equates to more freebore, which is the velocity killer.

.

My experience does not bear this out shooting 9mm and 38/357 snubbies

In fact with similar bullet weights my Taurus 905 is faster from a 2" barrel than 38's are from my 22" rolling block.

Most defense oriented 124g 9mm loads are running 1100fps + from the little Taurus. 38 simply cannot do this within saami pressures



Now a problem that much freebies does cause is it pretty much rules out cast bullets as leading is terrible. One of the potential downfalls of a 9mm length cylinder would be having a 38k psi cylinder gap stream that much closer to your knuckles


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[1911Tuner]

My experience does not bear this out shooting 9mm and 38/357 snubbies

Mine does.

Example: 4.62-inch Blackhawk Convertible. With the 9mm cylinder in place it turns in about 70 fps less velocity than my Browning High Power with the same ammo lot.

Example 2:

In a bored moment, I trimmed some .45 Colt brass short enough to give me an extra round in the magazine of my Winchester Trapper...roughly .45 Schofield length. Reduced the charge of Unique to compensate for the case capacity...and it sounded and recoiled like a popgun. Broke out the Chrony...and I'd lost a full 200 fps.

This is my shocked face. I expected maybe 50-60 fps loss.

Started upping the powder charge, and finally...finally...got in the same neighborhood as 8.5 grains of Unique...with 10 grains of Unique.

[Guillermo]

You would think a 9mm snubby could have a shorter cylinder than a .38, correct?

One cannot design a revolver that would take full advantage of the shorter 9mm cartridge as there are lots of gases, that are potentially harmful, come blasting out of the front of the cylinder.

This issue makes it where there is no reason to design a new, shorter cylindered gun.

[tnelson31]

RE: Czechpoint U.S.A

I would not say immediately if the website stock was correct. 7 months availability for sure. With some negative reviews on Charter's Pitbull I am back to considering the Alfa-Proj.

[bamabiker]

I think this thread needs a picture.
My M547s. I like them because they are different.

[Guillermo]

I like them because they are different.

pretty too

[tekarra]

Nice pair of 547s bamabiker. I have a few and like the a lot.

[C0untZer0]

A 9mm Luger revolver is stuck with only using 9mm while a .357 Magnum Revolver can use .357 Mag and .38 Special.

You can fire everything from 90gr to 158gr 9mm Luger out of a revolver, and a lot of it is +P or +P+

There is a tremendous amount of versatility there.

[HiCap1]

Can you fire +P out of a Taurus 905?

HiCap