wondering - a RG 31 snub rechambered to 9mm?

The biggest issue is getting a cylinder fitted to your gun.
You can't just throw in a 2nd cylinder, the timing wouldn't be right.

You'd be much cheaper off just getting another gun.

i can hardly find anyone saying a good word about these revolvers, and i cant understand why, this thing is solid as hell,

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A boat anchor is solid as hell, also and both boat anchors and RGs are at their best at the bottom of a lake. (Didn't want you to be disappointed. )

Consider this: The 35,000 psi max operating pressure of a 9mm is almost double that of .38 special at 17,000psi. I wouldn't trust a gun not designed for the pressure to be able to handle it no matter how solid it looks.

Not worth the effort in any way shape or form, and probably dangerous. If an RG 38 snub is all you can afford, then at least you have something, and that beats harsh language. Instead of trying a bad conversion, save up for something else down the road.

MicroTecniqs said:

Consider this: The 35,000 psi max operating pressure of a 9mm is almost double that of .38 special at 17,000psi. I wouldn't trust a gun not designed for the pressure to be able to handle it no matter how solid it looks.

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This. Though the RGs in .38 Special are better than the crapalicious .22s made by the aforementioned firm, I'd be very leery of running 9mmP in that revolver.

Its a decent, "beater" revolver; maybe just stay safe and call it good.

i can reload my own plinking rounds.

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In 9mm? What's the point? 38 spcl is more flexible and doesn't require a potentially expensive conversion.

There's no practical way to do what you want. If you had the money, that is to say if money was no object, you probably could do it. You'd have to mill a new cylinder out of steel and than have it fitted to the revolver. Both milling and fitting would cost a considerable amount, but yes, you can do anything for money.

The RG as is would probably be worth keeping. You'll never get what it's worth (and I'm assuming it works well and is timed well). They're good drawer guns and make halfway decent home defense pistols. Most people judge all RGs by the miserable little .22s RG used to put out; but hey, some of them worked! The .38 and .44 magnum were far better, though many would not care to stand behind the latter. Still, they were actually blued and timed well.

If you have any money to put into it, hire some gunsmith to inscribe the word "Taurus" on the barrel!

PLEASE POST A PHOTO...PRETTY PLEASE!!!

RG made several different models of revolver, some of them cheap and bad, some of them inexpensive and OK for moderate use. I know a guy who has better guns but kept a reliable specimen of RG as a fishing tackle gun. I would keep it in .38 Spl. The gunsmithing to convert it to 9mm would exceed the value of the gun as is, and as is obvious from the comments on the thread, few would trust a converted RG.

dan wesson 357, 4 inch barrel, for 360$...i could have a dan wesson. worth it?

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Dan Wesson is worse than RG. (uh...what shop is this? Do you have a phone number?)

YES. A Dan Wesson revolver is in every way, shape, and form superior to an RG.

Getting a 9mm conversion cylinder for an RG may not be possible. For one, as others have pointed out, the 9mm is a high-pressure cartridge, and the gun may not stand up to it. For two, the cost of having a new cylinder machined and fitted to your gun will be about double the cost of your RG revolver... at the bare minimum. And lastly, it will be hard to find a gunsmith who will work on an RG revolver and who has the capability to fabricate a new cylinder for one.

YES. A Dan Wesson revolver is in every way, shape, and form superior to an RG.

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Dang!. I don't have a phone number yet.

There are a couple of shops that will rechamber .38/.357 cylinders to 9mm but they won't work on RGs.

Ever hear the saying, "you can't get there from here"?

Make no mistake, RG's are some of the cheapest made firearms in existence.

There is no way to rechamber a .38Spl to 9mm. Rechambering involves utilizing a chamber reamer to cut a new chamber from an existing one, so you have to have enough meat there to remove. The .38Spl chamber is larger and longer and thus nothing to cut away to reveal a 9mm chamber. These guns are converted to handle 9mm by machining the cylinder for moonclips. Not only would it be a terrible use of funds to do such a conversion, the gun probably can't handle the increased pressure anyway.

CraigC said:

Ever hear the saying, "you can't get there from here"?

Make no mistake, RG's are some of the cheapest made firearms in existence.

There is no way to rechamber a .38Spl to 9mm. Rechambering involves utilizing a chamber reamer to cut a new chamber from an existing one, so you have to have enough meat there to remove. The .38Spl chamber is larger and longer and thus nothing to cut away to reveal a 9mm chamber. These guns are converted to handle 9mm by machining the cylinder for moonclips. Not only would it be a terrible use of funds to do such a conversion, the gun probably can't handle the increased pressure anyway.

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I have a S&W 360J that has been rechambered by Pinnacle High Performance. The chambers are cut to 9x23 dimensions. Remember, the 9mm is a tapered case, it is larger at the base than a .38 so a .38 chamber can be cut to accomodate a 9mm case. Yes, moon clips must be used because there won't be anything for 9mm case to headspace on.

.38spl-


9x23-


Of course, the point is moot, because neither Pinnacle or TK Customs (another company that offers the service) would touch an RG.

I stand corrected on the diameter but I was thinking more of the length. You're not really cutting a 9mm chamber but simply enlarging the .38Spl chamber to accommodate 9mm cartridges. Not really the same thing.

The later model Llama revolvers made after 1969 were based on the S&W Model 10 but used a coiled mainspring. They were of better quality than they are generally given credit for. The one in the pic looks like a Llama Martial or maybe a Comanche. Could be a good gun for the right price. Certainly better than the RG.

e, i cant help but think of my buddies high point, another company that gets alot of bad press, but after personally putting hundreds of rounds through it with him, and never having a single problem, the proof is in the pudding.

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The biggest difference is that Hi-Points are actually reliable guns, and come with a no-questions asked lifetime warranty that isn't tied to the first owner. Honestly for a first gun in that price range I'd go with a new Hi-Point over an RG.

But the Llama looks great, too bad the Dan Wesson is gone. Get a deposit in on the Llama already?

I sure would have liked to see a photo of that RG 31.

Does anyone have any RG .38s or .44s they can post?

I have a friend who collected Saturday Night Specials years ago. Nice collection it was, too. He had RGs, Ravens, Jennings, Bryco's and even some cheap no-name brands (ha!). I don't think he'd fired any of them.