can all .38 SPL revolvers fire 9mm Luger?
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Barry loyd
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Would require a different cylinder. 9mm case is larger near the base.
mcb
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No, 9mm cases are larger in diameter at the base then 38 Special. And unless your 38 chambers are super lose they will not accept 9mm. You will also have a headspace issue. Not enough room between recoil shield and face of the cylinder for both the 9mm rim and moonclip.
That said TK custom and one or two other revolver Smiths will create a hybrid chamber that will work with both.
That said TK custom and one or two other revolver Smiths will create a hybrid chamber that will work with both.
Anchorite
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No.
tubeshooter
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9mm operates at about twice the pressure of .38 Special.
I don't think I would try what is being suggested here, even if it kinda sorta theoretically might work if you did this or that.
I don't think I would try what is being suggested here, even if it kinda sorta theoretically might work if you did this or that.
Don't know where you got the idea but you need new advisors or reference material. There are guns available in 38 that are also available in 9mm but the rounds are not interchangeable in the same gun.
I have a Ruger Blackhawk with two cylinders, one for 38/357 and another for 9mm.
I have a Ruger Blackhawk with two cylinders, one for 38/357 and another for 9mm.
mcb
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This might be of interest here.
This is a CAD drawing of a SAAMI spec chamber for 9mm (blue) and 357 Magnum (black) both drawn to max material condition (ie smallest allowed diameters), to scale, and laid on top of each other. As you can see they are very close to each other. A 38 Special chamber is basically the same as 357 Magnum just .135 inches shorter to the lead into the throat.
As I said earlier TK Custom and I believe one or two other revolver smiths will convert most 357 Magnum and some 38 Special revolver over to also shoot 9 mm. I personally would not do it to a 38 Special revolver that was made before the 1970's. I wrote an email ~three years ago and asked TK if they would/could do the conversion to my S&W Model 10-11 and they said no problem. But my Model 10 was made sometime in the 1990's and likely has the same alloys and heat treat as 357 Mag of the time period. So yes it can be done but yes you could get yourself into trouble doing it to the wrong revolver. If you're serious about this conversion contact TK Custom and I am sure they will be more than happy to evaluate your particular revolver for potential conversion.
This is a CAD drawing of a SAAMI spec chamber for 9mm (blue) and 357 Magnum (black) both drawn to max material condition (ie smallest allowed diameters), to scale, and laid on top of each other. As you can see they are very close to each other. A 38 Special chamber is basically the same as 357 Magnum just .135 inches shorter to the lead into the throat.
As I said earlier TK Custom and I believe one or two other revolver smiths will convert most 357 Magnum and some 38 Special revolver over to also shoot 9 mm. I personally would not do it to a 38 Special revolver that was made before the 1970's. I wrote an email ~three years ago and asked TK if they would/could do the conversion to my S&W Model 10-11 and they said no problem. But my Model 10 was made sometime in the 1990's and likely has the same alloys and heat treat as 357 Mag of the time period. So yes it can be done but yes you could get yourself into trouble doing it to the wrong revolver. If you're serious about this conversion contact TK Custom and I am sure they will be more than happy to evaluate your particular revolver for potential conversion.
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Starter52
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No, as others have said, BUT.....
A 9x19 round WILL fit into the cylinder of a .38 S&W revolver.
Still not safe to shoot, of course.
A 9x19 round WILL fit into the cylinder of a .38 S&W revolver.
Still not safe to shoot, of course.
Isn't .38 S&W larger diameter than the .38 (S&W) Special? Ancient Revolver, Lose cartridge, reduced pressure due to .355 in .361 Bore.... Makes me want to get an old revolver, a long string and good cover just to see what happens.
A 9mm fits about 2/3 of the way into a 38\357 cylinder before it's tapered case gets too far. With a half inch of brass sticking out of the cylinder it won't shut.
Taurus recently started making the model 692, which has 2 cylinders and will shoot 9mm, 38 special and 357 magnum. That may be the only regular production SA\DA convertible revolver on the market right now
Taurus recently started making the model 692, which has 2 cylinders and will shoot 9mm, 38 special and 357 magnum. That may be the only regular production SA\DA convertible revolver on the market right now
OP here, thank you all for detailed explanation.
Here is where my confusion came from (even I have owned a 357 magnum revolver in the past, I obviously don't know much about the subject) :
- I shot a friend's SW revolver recently where he used moon clips to fire 45ACP rounds from it, so I thought that same simple logic applies to 38 SPL/9MM situation.
I am also obviously very mistaken about the energy 38 SPL produces - I have always thought that 38 SPL has to be about twice the powerful compared to 9MM, just based on length of the shell.
Turns out, energy is about the same, maybe even less according to some articles.
So I am starting to lose interest about this cartridge, basically - why bother ?
Now, I have an amateur's question: if the bullet weight and speed are almost the same, why 38 SPL has so much longer shell than 9MM?
Isn't that a "waste" of shell ?
I always assumed that 38 bullets are much longer and thus heavier than 9MM and they go at much higher speed than 9MM because more gun powder is packed inside that long shell.
I now get it that it happens with 357 loads, but not with the most of 38 SPL...
Here is where my confusion came from (even I have owned a 357 magnum revolver in the past, I obviously don't know much about the subject) :
- I shot a friend's SW revolver recently where he used moon clips to fire 45ACP rounds from it, so I thought that same simple logic applies to 38 SPL/9MM situation.
I am also obviously very mistaken about the energy 38 SPL produces - I have always thought that 38 SPL has to be about twice the powerful compared to 9MM, just based on length of the shell.
Turns out, energy is about the same, maybe even less according to some articles.
So I am starting to lose interest about this cartridge, basically - why bother ?
Now, I have an amateur's question: if the bullet weight and speed are almost the same, why 38 SPL has so much longer shell than 9MM?
Isn't that a "waste" of shell ?
I always assumed that 38 bullets are much longer and thus heavier than 9MM and they go at much higher speed than 9MM because more gun powder is packed inside that long shell.
I now get it that it happens with 357 loads, but not with the most of 38 SPL...
sabbfan
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38 special dates back to the black power era, black powder takes up a lot more space than smokeless powder, that’s why the case is longer than 9mm for a less powerful cartridge.
fxvr5
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Different cartridges are loaded to different pressures, based on either their historical origin or performance requirements at their time of origin.
The 9mm has, in general, about 50% more power than the 38 Special.
The 9mm (35,000 psi) is loaded to much higher pressure than the 38 Special (17,000 psi). So, don't let the size of the cartridge fool you. Always check their ballistics. This is true for just about every cartridge.
Even the comparison between the 38 Special and 357 Magnum requires you to check their pressure parameters. If the two rounds were loaded to the same pressure, the 357 would only be a little more powerful than the 38. But the 357 is loaded to much higher pressure (35,000 psi) than the 38's 17,000 psi, so the 357 has almost 3 times the power of the 38.
The industry technical information can be found at this link:
https://saami.org/wp-content/upload...FP-and-R-Approved-2015-12-14-Posting-Copy.pdf
Blkhrt13
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Nope
As stated it has the large capacity for black powder. The 9mm originated as a Smokeless Cartridge. The 9mm is also a much higher pressure cartridge.
Check out Buffalo Bore Heavy .38 Special +P and you will find a much stouter cartridge. I think many cartridges are loaded light in deference to older revolvers that would be suspect at higher pressures.
You might want to wait awhile, RIA is going to be selling the AL 9.0, a 9mm revolver:
I am...
Tallball
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I got my used 357 Ruger Blackhawk for a good price. I saw a 9mm "convertible" cylinder for it on Ebay and bought it on a whim. My understanding is that this is not always the case, but the convertible cylinder fits and functions just fine.
A friend was curious about it, so we took it to the range a couple of months ago. As far as we could tell, the POI was pretty much the same with 38 special, 9mm, and 357. With such a large heavy revolver, even full-strengths 357 ammo had easily manageable recoil (especially compared to his 357 LCR we were also shooting).
What we both noticed, shooting 38 special cylinders and 9mm cylinders back to back, was that the 9mm had noticeably more recoil. They were both pretty mild, but the 9mm definitely had a little more zip to it.
It's handy to have another cheap and easy to find ammo option for my Blackhawk. I also have the 45 "convertible" Blackhawk and use the cheaper and easier to find 45acp ammo much more often than 45 colt.
It's from the mid to late 70's IIRC, and had obviously been shot a bunch before I got it three years ago or so. I only paid $299 plus shipping and FFL. It functions perfectly. The Blackhawks seem to be real workhorses. I have a feeling my kids will still be shooting it when I am long gone.
A friend was curious about it, so we took it to the range a couple of months ago. As far as we could tell, the POI was pretty much the same with 38 special, 9mm, and 357. With such a large heavy revolver, even full-strengths 357 ammo had easily manageable recoil (especially compared to his 357 LCR we were also shooting).
What we both noticed, shooting 38 special cylinders and 9mm cylinders back to back, was that the 9mm had noticeably more recoil. They were both pretty mild, but the 9mm definitely had a little more zip to it.
It's handy to have another cheap and easy to find ammo option for my Blackhawk. I also have the 45 "convertible" Blackhawk and use the cheaper and easier to find 45acp ammo much more often than 45 colt.
It's from the mid to late 70's IIRC, and had obviously been shot a bunch before I got it three years ago or so. I only paid $299 plus shipping and FFL. It functions perfectly. The Blackhawks seem to be real workhorses. I have a feeling my kids will still be shooting it when I am long gone.
fxvr5
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It should. The 9mm has more power than the 38 Special.
I too have a .357 Blackhawk convertible, and it's my tinfoil hat worlds-gone-to-hell-in-a-handbasket gun. Stout enough to tame heavy .357. It makes any 9MM feel about as energetic as mild .38 special. The 9mm cylinder works just fine. I dont shoot it a lot as there aren't many reasons to go 6 rounds of 9mm over a .357. I mean, .357 could be overkill for some applications where 9mm would be better, but why lug around 3lbs of steel for 6 slow shots when I can carry 15 fast ones in less than 2lbs? The BH is a great gun for those needing a single do it all gun. Shooting 9mm is a lot cheaper. You can also experiment with weird loadings that might be too heavy/light to cycle in a semi auto. They all fire just fine. Also, the gun slows you down enough to make your range time count
entropy
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KABOOM!
mcb
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You would have to work to make that KABOOM! happen. There is nothing for it to head space on and there is no room in a standard 38 S&W cylinder to allow the moonclip to work. Maybe if you pointed it straight up so the cartridge rested against the recoil shield as you pulled the trigger.
I don't expect the price to be as low as the other RIA 38spec revolvers, at least not on initial release.
That and the adjustable site will add some cost in mfg., as will the moon clips.
I've read they will cost somewhere in the mid 300's and I expect sales to be brisk
A revolver that eats ammo that costs 1/2 or less of other revolver ammo... a no brainer.
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