Best 9mm revolver for EDC -or- just stay with my 357

[Ed Bulldog]

QUESTION:

1) Do you EDC a 9mm revolver-?
If so what is your 9mm revolver-?

2) why would you not EDC a 9mm revolver-?

3) Your opinion on Charter Arms 9 mm revolver as it does require moon clips-?

I am exploring all next revolver purchase
The 9 mm revolver affords a lower cost to practice

I look forward to your input

Thank you

 

[nofendertom]

Stay with .357 revolvers and load your own ammo, shoot 38spl +P for EDC.

 

[Bill_in_TR]

I had considered getting a Taurus 905 which is 9mm. However after doing a bunch of reading on the idea I chose to go with a 357 Taurus 605 and I am very happy with it. The general consensus I found was that the 357 offered much more versatility in a revolver and since I reload that is even more so.

 

[hso]

2) why would you not EDC a 9mm revolver-?

An issue with 9mm revolvers called "bullet jump" has been identified where the cases allow the 9mm bullet to become dislodged enough from the case to interfere with cylinder rotation. This is reported only in lightweight 9mm revolvers.

 

[Ed Bulldog]

An issue with 9mm revolvers called "bullet jump" has been identified where the cases allow the 9mm bullet to become dislodged enough from the case to interfere with cylinder rotation. This is reported only in lightweight 9mm revolvers.

Thank you for your input
Yes, my negative for this EDC 9mm revolver was the integrity of moon clips and bullet jump
My one question for the bullet jump is how often-?

 

[Ed Bulldog]

I had considered getting a Taurus 905 which is 9mm. However after doing a bunch of reading on the idea I chose to go with a 357 Taurus 605 and I am very happy with it. The general consensus I found was that the 357 offered much more versatility in a revolver and since I reload that is even more so.

Thank you for your input
All my revolvers have been 38 or 357
The cost of these calibers vs 9mm is challenging
The Taurus revolvers have served me well
But I have no experience with the 905 - my LGS does have this revolver for sale - so doing my research now

 

[Charlie98]

My thought is... the benefit to the 9mm is being able to pack a bunch of them in the magazine of an autoloading pistol. The benefit of a revolver is the power... either Magnum power, and/or heavyweight bullets... but with (typically) fewer rounds. Ying and Yang.

Personally, I don't shoot small revolvers well, so I carry a 9mm automatic. It's capacity is roughly the same as one of the newer 'plus' revolvers... 7 + 1 ...but I can shoot it very well, which I feel is the point of a carry piece.

 

[wayneinFL]

The 9mm is a surprisingly lively caliber in a small revolver. Even in a steel J frame, it's a handful. I pocket carried one for a while and it was a lot of weight. I went back to an Airlite 357 loaded with 38 special.

 

[DesertFox]

S&W 986PC here acquired recently. 9mm 45,000psi SAAMI is considerably higher than the other traditional revolver rounds so it does provide some kick even in an L frame. 7 round moon clips are great, almost like speed loaders. Prefer a Pachmayr grip that covers the backstrap and provide cushioning. Seems like 38 Special, 357 Mag and 44 stuff has gotten really expensive off the shelf and even though I reload all of them, 9mm is more affordable and I already have it around for other firearms. Fun to shoot. It has not made my EDC rotation simply due to the existing depth of said rotation. Actually this 986 has me wanting to get either the S&W 929PC or the Taurus 692 here as my next 9mm revolver.

 

[Tallball]

I have several 9mm revolvers and use them for practice often. I've never had a round "jump crimp", maybe because none of my 9mm revolvers are very light.

The recoil isn't excessive, like maybe a 38 special +P.

I don't have particularly compelling reasons to carry or not carry 9mm revolvers in general. Mine go bang just fine.

Taurus 905.jpg

• Tallball
• Oct 9, 2023

 

[357 Terms]

2) why would you not EDC a 9mm revolver-?

As a handloader I've never had any interest in a 9mm revolver.
I can go from mild to wild with 38/357.
From 130grn HSTs at 850fps (2 1/4in SP101) to 1400fps 180grn XTPs ( 6.5in Blackhawk)
.. and everything in between!

 

[LV Gun]

Thank you for your input
Yes, my negative for this EDC 9mm revolver was the integrity of moon clips and bullet jump
My one question for the bullet jump is how often-?

I have a S&W 929 PC I have never had bullet jump happen in 5000 rounds but I do use a NOE 9mm PTX expander die and dedicated brass. For 9 mm moon clips I use the Rimz brand that are polymer I find them easier to use than the steel ones and they are not so brass critical,,, but I do use TK Custom steel clips in my S&W 627 PC in 38 super.

I don’t carry but if I did I would just get a nice 38 special that can shoot 38 special +P or a short barrel 357 revolver that would be my choice.

 

[drobs]

I shoot a lot of 9mm and have been tempted to send one of my Ruger Security Six revolvers to TK Custom and have them machine the cylinder to accept 9mm moon clips.

Ruger .45 ACP & 9mm Cylinder Machining

TK Custom offers machining for your Ruger revolvers so they can accept moon clips and conversions. Learn more about our cylinder machining online!

tkcustom.com

I briefly owned a Charter Arms Mag Pug - my 1st and last Charter Arms.



Note their disclaimer:

"Our work on cylinders rechambered to 9mm are LIMITED to our customer's using standard 9mm ammo or low pressure reloads, which are 34,000 - 35,000 psi chamber pressure or less. Same chamber pressures apply to firing of .38 SPL & .357 Mag. Examples of FACTORY Brands are: Winchester, Federal & Remington.

Absolutely NO 9mm Nato, 9mm +P or 9mm +P+, all which are far beyond the 34,000 - 35,000 psi chamber pressure our Ruger .45 ACP & 9mm cylinder machining is intended for. Usually 38,500 psi, which WILL Stick!

If you try to use these high pressure ammo, you will experience cases sticking in all chambers.

We cannot warranty our work, if you disregard our warning/notice on high pressure ammo.

When rechambered to 9mm the cylinder will still shoot NON-HIGH Pressure ammo, 38 SPL or 357 Mag with or without the proper moonclip."

 

[Pat Riot]

I shoot a lot of 9mm and have been tempted to send one of my Ruger Security Six revolvers to TK Custom and have them machine the cylinder to accept 9mm moon clips.

Ruger .45 ACP & 9mm Cylinder Machining

TK Custom offers machining for your Ruger revolvers so they can accept moon clips and conversions. Learn more about our cylinder machining online!

tkcustom.com

I briefly owned a Charter Arms Mag Pug - my 1st and last Charter Arms.



Note their disclaimer:

"Our work on cylinders rechambered to 9mm are LIMITED to our customer's using standard 9mm ammo or low pressure reloads, which are 34,000 - 35,000 psi chamber pressure or less. Same chamber pressures apply to firing of .38 SPL & .357 Mag. Examples of FACTORY Brands are: Winchester, Federal & Remington.

Absolutely NO 9mm Nato, 9mm +P or 9mm +P+, all which are far beyond the 34,000 - 35,000 psi chamber pressure our Ruger .45 ACP & 9mm cylinder machining is intended for. Usually 38,500 psi, which WILL Stick!

If you try to use these high pressure ammo, you will experience cases sticking in all chambers.

We cannot warranty our work, if you disregard our warning/notice on high pressure ammo.

When rechambered to 9mm the cylinder will still shoot NON-HIGH Pressure ammo, 38 SPL or 357 Mag with or without the proper moonclip."

This is one of the reasons I decided to leave a couple of my revolvers “as is”.
I do not want to be limited in that way with loads I wish to fire.
I thought long and hard about this.
Another reason I decided not to have a revolver modified to use moon clips is speed loaders don’t bend or twist and become useless. Also, it’s a heck of a lot easier to drop a speed loader in your pocket than it is a moon clip.
Also, I can easily recharge a speed loader. In my limited experience I cannot say the same about moon clips.

If I want a 9mm revolver I will buy a 9mm revolver.

 

[JDeere]

Stay with .357 revolvers and load your own ammo, shoot 38spl +P for EDC.

Simple answer...If you want to run 9mm get a semi and forget the the moon clips and jump...

 

[Ed Bulldog]

Thank you to everyone who has responded
I appreciate your responses
It was very valuable
OUTCOME:

1) I am going to remove a 9 mm revolver as next purchase

2) major reason is the ammo crimping issue - if I am stating this correctly

The two 9mm revolver options are both light weight- Ruger LCR or Taurus 905

Thank you

 

[drobs]

This is one of the reasons I decided to leave a couple of my revolvers “as is”.
I do not want to be limited in that way with loads I wish to fire.
I thought long and hard about this.
Another reason I decided not to have a revolver modified to use moon clips is speed loaders don’t bend or twist and become useless. Also, it’s a heck of a lot easier to drop a speed loader in your pocket than it is a moon clip.
Also, I can easily recharge a speed loader. In my limited experience I cannot say the same about moon clips.

If I want a 9mm revolver I will buy a 9mm revolver.

I mostly agree, I have 2 Ruger SS's and could see doing 1 of them. Ultimately it's kind of a waste of $ and that's why I haven't sent one in.
A shirt pocket works good for carrying moon clips.

I can de-moon my Ruger Redhawk 45 acp clips easily by hand. But don't have any 1st hand experience with TK Custom moon clips.

 

[jmorris]

I don't carry revolvers much because I can often have more ammunition, in a lighter, more compact semi.

Back in the '80's Charter Arms and Federal came up with the "new", 9mm Federal round, a rimmed 9mm. Turns out it was so close to the 38 S&W, the backwards compatibility with weak revolvers, killed it.

 

[Oninotaki]

I have the Charter Arms Pitbull in .380 that uses their spring retention system and I have to admit I really like it at the range. Reloading it has a very satisfying click when the rounds snap into place and can be very enjoyable in an environment where you can take your time loading the rounds into the cylinder. It is a delightful plinker for sure.

That said I would never count on reloading it in a stressful situation as it is way to tricky to get a bullet properly seated into the chamber. In essence whatever round count a revolver that uses this system has is what I think you can count on in a SD situation.

As for the Taurus 905 revolver, I have the 3" version with a set of bk grips and it is a smooth and pleasent shooter. The rounds eject nicely from the cylinder, the moon clips are easy to unload with the proper tool, and reloading them by hand is no issue either. Honestly the only thing that would stop me from carrying it is the size vs capacity situation. If 9mm was my only caliber and I was using it across platforms such as a pcc for home defense, some auto loading pistols for EDC, and I wanted a revolver to use at the range I would be very pleased with this one. However I wouldn't use it as my EDC because of size vs capacity, there are better options out there.

TLDR: IMHO The CA rimless retention system is great for plinking, and backup pistols, and 9mm as a whole for revolvers is best for plinking and mastering DA trigger pulls with a caliber that has more kick than a .22lr

The two revolvers in the attached photo are my Taurus 905 and Taurus 327.

 

[fxvr5]

S&W 986PC here acquired recently. 9mm 45,000psi SAAMI is considerably higher than the other traditional revolver rounds . . . .

SAAMI max average pressure for 9mm Luger is 35,000 psi. SAAMI max average pressure for 357 Magnum is the same 35,000 psi.

 

[DesertFox]

SAAMI max average pressure for 9mm Luger is 35,000 psi. SAAMI max average pressure for 357 Magnum is the same 35,000 psi.

Stand corrected, I must have misread somewhere.

 

[fxvr5]

QUESTION:

3) Your opinion on Charter Arms 9 mm revolver as it does require moon clips-?

Which model of Charter Arms are you referring to? The Bulldog series does NOT require moon clips.

 

[ms6852]

I believe the 9mm should remain in a semi-auto where the magazines provided will allow you to carry more ammo in one magazine than 2 moon clips can provide, but everyone is entitled to buy what brings them pleasure. I carry a .357 686+ and use full loads. The beauty of the .357 is that you can shoot .38's out of it but personally I would never recommend it because the cartridge for 38 is shorter than the .357. When you shoot the 38 the bullet is forced into the cone with more force than is required and you begin to get lead shavings.

The easy work around for that is to simply use .357 cases, and load a lighter load with bullets as well. This is just my 2¢ and thinking.

 

[omega5]

I carry a Ruger LCR9 a lot. Never had a problem with jumping crimp with any ammo except
for CCI shot shells. Tip: get some 35 mm film cases and you can carry ammo in them without
damaging the stars. put them in primer first and you can one handed thumb off the lid and
dump the ammo right into the cylinder. I asked Ruger about +P ammo since the manual does not mention +P. Attached is their answer.





Hope this answers so of the questions you might have.
Dano

 

[fxvr5]

The beauty of the .357 is that you can shoot .38's out of it but personally I would never recommended because the cartridge for 38 is shorter than the .357. When you shoot the 38 the bullet is forced into the cone with more force than is required and you begin to get lead shavings.

What does this mean?