9mm Revolvers - Opinions

Found a Taurus 905 about a year or so back,...it followed me home. Wife liked the feel of it. Finish was acceptable,..trigger was actually quite decent. Locked up tight. Took it to the range,..was a bit "snappier" than my Model 36 S&W in .38 special,..but not so harsh as to be intolerable. Good shooter actually. All in all,..I'd say it's a keeper to CC and serve as a backup to other 9's if need be. Wife claimed as her 9mm and it works well for her. I too have a Ruger Blackhawk in .357/9mm convertable. Mine shoots 9mm as well as I can hold them, so I can't complain,..though the .357s speak with more authority for sure.

Ymmv

Yes I like 9mm revolvers, particularly the 9x32R. I have a S&W 38 special 642 that I have that is converted to 9mm and it is great.

I have a S&W 38 special 642 that I have that is converted to 9mm and it is great.

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How does the Airweight frame hold up to the extra pressure from the 9mm?
I have heard of people doing this, and may have to try it myself some day.

bdb benzino:
I love my 905, it has a nice trigger and awesome lockup. It kicks a bit, but when I tested +p 124gr Gold Dots on melons I was real impresssed. Great for back up to a small 9mm auto like my CW 9.

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Be careful my friend....the 905 is NOT designed for +P ammo.

I am very sparing with use of full 9mm loads, I shoot maybe 5 to 10 shots a quarter with full loads, I use downloaded handloads for practice and shoot full loads to check my poa=poi

I'd bet that a lot more civilians have been shot because of jamming an auto than running out of ammo on a revolver. Example: 50 Cent.

The 905 is built the same as the 605 357mag. I dont normally use+p, but wanted to try my carry ammo, and I doubt that +p 9mm is any worse than 357mag loads.

I'd bet that a lot more civilians have been shot because of jamming an auto than running out of ammo on a revolver. Example: 50 Cent.

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If we're just talking about handguns....

And if we're talking about all the handgun shootings from the invention of the very first revolver till today....

I seriously doubt it.

I have a 905 and love it..it keeps me from having to buy 38s really nice gun

I like the idea of a small revolver that gets a power boost over the 38 Special. I also have a lot of ammo/reloading stuff for the 9mm. Im considering the 905. Is the cylinder a little shorter than the 39 Special version?

I like the idea of a small revolver that gets a power boost over the 38 Special. I also have a lot of ammo/reloading stuff for the 9mm. Im considering the 905. Is the cylinder a little shorter than the 38 Special version?

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Look for the 905IB - Instant Backup, they don't make them anymore. It has a shorter cylinder and frame.

I have a SW 547 but I hate carrying it because there aren't that many out there. I'm not concerned about speed reloads because I rarely carry a reload when I carry a revolver. If I want more than 5-6 shots, I carry a semi-auto and extra mag.

Anyway, has anybody thought of converting a SW .357 magnum to 9mm? There shouldn't be any concern about the pressure of the 9mm, even in +P. With the 9mm, you get good performance but with less flash than the .357. Ammo is cheaper, too.

ironhead7544 said:

I like the idea of a small revolver that gets a power boost over the 38 Special. I also have a lot of ammo/reloading stuff for the 9mm. Im considering the 905. Is the cylinder a little shorter than the 39 Special version?

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well, that's why they make 38+P and 357 mag, you know
no shortage of small frame revolvers that handle both well

but.. is there anybody who has not been tempted by the 9mm revolver ?
I know I have... but only (like many others, I would guess) because retail 9mm has been lowest cost ammo option ever since US military went to it

other than that, it obviously has not had any real staying power in the marketplace
because you can do same or better w/ 38+P or 357.. because the 38/357 simply is more versatile... because (short of downloading) 9mm pressure is a bit harsher on the gear than 38/38+p, etc.

still... the temptation never completely fades away... "just because" always was reason enough

Anyway, has anybody thought of converting a SW .357 magnum to 9mm? There shouldn't be any concern about the pressure of the 9mm, even in +P. With the 9mm, you get good performance but with less flash than the .357. Ammo is cheaper, too.

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I have a S&W 360J that started life as a .38spl. I had it rechambered to 9mm and had some other work done on it. It's a great little carry gun - lightweight (13oz), quick to reload thank to the moonclips, and more oomph than a .38spl without the recoil and muzzle blast of a .357mag.

WC145, I just looked up the SAAMI Pressure Specs and a 38SPL+P is 18,500 PSI and a standard 9mm is 35,000 PSI and a 9mm +P is 38,500 PSI, and I have a few questions if you don't mind.

Has your weapon held up well?

Is there more end shake/flame cutting/etc then there was before the conversion?

And, approxiamately how many rounds have you fired?

The gun has held up quite well though it's my BUG and occasional off duty gun so it gets carried more than shot. I've probably put 400-500 rounds through it in the two years since the work was done, mostly standard 9mm, but also some of my +P+ duty load (this is what I carry in it), some .38 super, and a handful of 9x23 Winchester (the chambers are actually cut to 9x23).

I'm not too worried about the gun holding up, the scandium alloy frame is at least as strong as steel and the 360J uses the same frame as the .357mag 360, also remember that S&W has produced not only a 9mm J-frame, but also a 356TSW J-frame. Those guns were regular stainless steel, no special metallurgy to handle the increased pressures and the 356TSW produces pressures around 9x23 levels.

I haven't noticed any loosening up or flame cutting, of course the scandium framed guns have a little guard to prevent flame cutting so no surprise that it hasn't been an issue.

Thanks, WC145. I have 3 Security Six revolvers and I have been toying with the idea of converting one to 9x23 Winchester. If a scandium frame smith J-frame can digest 9x23 I am not worried at all with my Security six.

Thanks again!

some website sez, SAMMI cup, psi
sort of makes you wonder if even a wussy 25acp would move pretty zippy out of a 5" or 6" revolver barrel, or mebbe a break open derringer...

and if 380acp might even earn some respect if could shoot 'em out of those 9mm revolvers.. anybody ever done that ?

I woulda' thunk 9mm out of a 13oz gun would be more than just a tad snappy
(pretty little thing that S&W 360)

25 ACP 25,000
380 ACP 21,500
9mm Luger 35,000
9mm Luger +P 38,500
32 S&W Long 15,000
32 H&R Mag 21,000
38 Auto 26,500
38 S&W 14,500
38 Special 17,000
38 Special +P 20,000
38 Super +P 36,500
357 Magnum 35,000

oldfool, Based on the above data a 9mm Luger+P's PSI is even greater than a 357 Magnum's. I wish I could find PSI data on 9x23 Winchester. I only found CUP data that states that it at 45,000 CUP. However, I understand that the CUP measure cannot be compared to PSI due to the differing scale and I have found no proven valid way to convert CUP to PSI.