I want a 9mm revolver

[MikePGS]

now I wonder, why won't 9mm revolvers sell?

My guess is that if you're a revolver kind of person that you will probably have .357 as your middle of the road cartridge. 9mm's only advantage over .357 magnum is that it is less expensive. .357 magnum is not only more powerful, but you can also put .38 special in the same gun. As someone already mentioned the difference between 9mm and .38 special isn't large enough to justify getting a revolver specifically for that purpose. Especially when you can just get the same gun in .357 mag to begin with.

 

[Hawaiian]

I like my Taurus. The moon clips are a pain, but I only use them for carry. At the range, I shoot it with out them.

 

[default57]

yes

yeah thats so true mike, I guess thats why I wish they would work with .357 and 9mm.

Is the Taurus 905 accurate?

 

[ojsmoothy]

This company machines several .357/.38 special revolver's cylinders to accommodate 9mm with moonclips. Might be worth checking out.

http://www.moonclips.com/content/machine.asp

 

[tekarra]

Some of my 9 mm revolvers. Sorry for the quality of the photo. The S&W 547 is my favourite revolver.

 

[RidgwayCO]

I've got a very nice M649-3 in .357 Magnum that weighs 23oz and has always felt great, but never gets shot very much. Rather that sell it, I've decided to convert into a 9mm Luger shooter. I thought about altering the original cylinder, but then acquired another cylinder to make it a convertible. After looking around I've got almost all the parts in hand for the new cylinder assembly (only missing the center pin which is on order from S&W). My local gunsmith assures me he can make the new cylinder work with the 649-3. Once the center pin gets here I'll ship the new cylinder assembly off to either TK Custom or Pinnacle High Performance to have the cylinder re-chambered for 9mm Luger and cut for moonclips. (Hopefully) that will leave me with a sub-23oz 9mm S&W snub, which sounds ideal to me. And I'll be able to convert it easily back to .357 Magnum if required.

And as far as accuracy goes, if the .355" bullets aren't accurate in the .357" barrel, I can reload with some 110gr, 125gr, or 140gr .357 bullets. They should fit the barrel a treat.

 

[default57]

It's good to now know that there are 9mms out there, I definitely need to get some kind of setup

Maybe I'm just wishing for something as good as the medusa back in production. especially for as good as they make it sound

 

[bdb benzino]

I also have a Taurus 905 9mm snub, and the fact is my wife won' give it back or even consider switching to anything else. Good little snub, and I love how easy a loaded moonclip conceals with a pocket holder I bought from Delfatti Leather. It's not a Smith by any means, but there is not anything wrong with it at all!

 

[PabloJ]

My guess is that if you're a revolver kind of person that you will probably have .357 as your middle of the road cartridge. 9mm's only advantage over .357 magnum is that it is less expensive. .357 magnum is not only more powerful, but you can also put .38 special in the same gun. As someone already mentioned the difference between 9mm and .38 special isn't large enough to justify getting a revolver specifically for that purpose. Especially when you can just get the same gun in .357 mag to begin with.

They will not sell because those with paranoid minds will always choose high mag capacity pistols. It's the fear that the other guy will have more bullets then "me" it's really that simple.

 

[WC145]

Jeez, every time this subject comes up there's an incredible amount of misinformation. I've had a Taurus 905 and a S&W 940 and my BUG and sometimes off-duty gun is a custom S&W 360J that was rechambered to 9x23 by Pinnacle High Performance. Here's some info from an owner:

Pressure is not an issue. Per S&W they do not use different steel from one centerfire cylinder to another. The 940 handled 9mm, the PC 940 handled 356TSW which was up there with 9x23 pressure wise. I've fired 9mm +P+, .38 Super, and 9x23 Winchester out of my gun with no ill effects. I keep it loaded with the same 9mm +P+ load that I carry in my duty gun.

The interweb myth of inaccuracy shooting .355 bullets from a .357 barrel is just that. I've seen no appreciable difference in accuracy between shooting .38spl in my gun's original configuration and 9mm since rechambered. I've had no trouble qualifying on our duty weapon course of fire with scores similar to what I get with my duty gun.

Except for the Taurus "Stellar Clips" moonclips are not flimsy. I use moonclips that I've purchased from S&W and have not had any trouble with them bending or breaking. In fact, a 9mm snubby is incredibly fast to reload using them.

The 9mm is a very efficient cartridge from a short barrel so you get much better ballistics than a .38spl for a given bullet weight without the muzzle blast and recoil of a .357mag.

Your choices are limited. The Taurus is an okay gun, mine had issues with the cylinder rubbing on the barrel, their QC is questionable. The 940 is a nice gun but heavy and pricey these days. The same can be said for the Ruger offeriengs. I had my gun done because I wanted a lightweight 9mm snubby and nobody made one. With CT LG-105 laser grips my gun weighs only 13.9oz empty, making it a great carry/back up piece when compared to a 22oz 940. Recoil is manageable, on par with a .38spl +P load.
Including the original purchase price, the work I've had done, and the laser grips I'm into my gun for about $1050. Money well spent to get what you want that the factories don't see fit to build.

 

[Oyeboten]

The Israelies in the latter 1940s, copied the S & W 'M&P' in a 9mm P-'08 version.

Never seen one in real life, only seen pictures.

S & W made some protypes either right before or during WWII for a 9mm 'M&P' Revolver, but never produced it.


I wish they had, it would sure be a nice one to have.

 

[Hondo 60]

There are 8 9mm revolvers for sale on gunbroker right now.

 

[Lucky Derby]

In recent years Taurus is the only one with a dedicated 9mm revolver. The BH convertible is also available. I wonder how those both sell.

I think times have changed in recent years, and a 9mm revolver might be more sellable than in the past. What has happened since the Speed-Six, M547, M940 & SP101 9mms? When those guns were made the cheapest centerfire cartridge around was .38 special. Now days, the 9mm is the cheapest centerfire available. I think that fact makes a 9mm revolver more appealing than it ever was before.
Also a snubby revolver designed from the start as a 9mm with a shorter cylinder and frame than the typical .38/.357 sized frame would sell like crazy to the ccw market. Think about the old S&W I frame revolvers. A modern revolver of that size firing the 9mm would be perfect.

 

[default57]

wheat grinder

Lucky Derby, thats exactly what I'm thinking. now please someone do it. That is, make a dedicated 9mm revolver ccw for the masses

WC 145, thanks for the info. you think it is as accurate as a dedicated 9mm could be? and its completely safe in say a S&W 638 with the hottest 9mm round? if someone doesnt make what I, and others, want soon then I think I'll do just what you did. Though I hate to spend that much on it so I might just settle for the taurus 905 first.

Benzino, buy another then maybe they'll expand and improve the 905 line seeing as it's getting sales.

I can't reply everyone's personaly I now realize, so thanks all haha. anyway I think that a company selling a good 9mm revolver would get good sales these days. someone set up a poll somewhere

who'd buy a dedicated 9mm revolver here?

 

[WC145]

WC 145, thanks for the info. you think it is as accurate as a dedicated 9mm could be? and its completely safe in say a S&W 638 with the hottest 9mm round? if someone doesnt make what I, and others, want soon then I think I'll do just what you did. Though I hate to spend that much on it so I might just settle for the taurus 905 first.

My gun is as accurate in my hands now as it was before the conversion. If you check the S&W forum there's a number of other people that have had similar conversions done on several different models and I can't recall any accracy complaints. Of course, nobody is using them for bullseye shooting either. I did not see any appreciable difference in accuracy between my converted gun and the factory guns, .002" just isn't that big a difference (if you start slugging barrel I think you'd find at least that much variation amongst factory barrels of any caliber). I know a 9mm bullet won't just slide through my barrel, heck, I can't get one in deep enough to push through, so I'm sure they're engaging the rifling just fine.

There's several guys that I'm aware of with converted aluminum frame guns like your 638. They use mostly standard pressure ammo and shoot the hotter stuff sparingly, generally saving it for carry ammo. S&W used steel frames in the 940's and only steel and scandium frames with the .357mag. If you're using a steel or scandium frame gun (mine is scandium) there shouldn't be any ammo worries.

Pinnacle will rechamber a 5 shot S&W for $225 (last time I checked anyway), I had him do some other stuff while he had the gun so my bill was more. If you call Mark Hartshorne he can tell you more - www.pinnacle-guns.com.

 

[dnovo]

I am a dedicated fan of the 9mm revolver. I have a 4" SB and a 3" RB 547 which are my favorites. I have the 940 and the SP101 in 9 as well and the latter is my favorite moon clip 9. I also have a convertible 357/9mm Blackhawk.

I bought a Taurus but discovered the gun was delivered brand new with a defective cylinder stop and faulty trigger. It's replacement crapped out in ten rounds. I have a low opine of their QC -- or lack thereof -- and will not own one

IMHO, if you can find a 547, that is the 9mm class champ, followed by the SP 101. As the Blackhawk convertible is the only SA 9 now introduction other than the far more expensive FreedomSrms version, decision there should be easy.

Dave

 

[minutemen1776]

I think Lucky Derby is right. Until recently, a 9mm DA revolver may have simply been ahead of its time. Why buy an oddball 9mm revolver when .38 Special was plentiful and was the cheapest ammo available aside from rimfires? That, however, is no longer true. Lots of stores I go to now may not even carry .38 Special, and if they do it is considerably more expensive than 9mm. I love my 9mm autoloaders, but I'm hoping the manufacturers (besides Taurus) will give the 9mm revolver another try very soon.

 

[default57]

conversion

So I'm thinking I just buy a S&W model 638, send it to pinnacle to get re chambered, and I'm set. Is that it?

 

[WC145]

So I'm thinking I just buy a S&W model 638, send it to pinnacle to get re chambered, and I'm set. Is that it?

Buy a 638, send the cylinder only (unless you want other work done) and Mark will rechamber it and cut it for moonclips and send it back to you. Order yourself some moonclips or you won't be able to shoot it. I get my moonclips right from S&W, you can order them through their site for around $1.30 each.

 

[default57]

WC145 i guess I don't really understand, sorry. is it possible for it to be chambered 9mm and work with and without moonclips?

 

[rogertc1]

My SS Taurus 9MM is good looking and very well built:

 

[WC145]

WC145 i guess I don't really understand, sorry. is it possible for it to be chambered 9mm and work with and without moonclips?

No, you must use moonclips after the cylinder is rechambered, the cases will not headspace in the chambers like in a 940, SP101, Speed Six, or Taurus 905 cylinder. One of the compromises of the conversion.

 

[dnovo]

The only real 'solution' is to hunt down the only DA revolver designed to shoot the 9 mm round, the long-discontinued S&W 547. It was offered in a 4" SB and a 3" RB. The gun not only had a specially designed extractor to allow reliable ejection of fired rounds, but had a floating firing pin and a secondary pin above the firing pin to hold the case in place to ensure proper ignition. A very elegant and functional design.

Unfortunately, it was not popular enough to stay in production for long and today both much sought after and expensive. I am aware of only one currently on offer, a 3" RB NIB offered by David Carroll.

I have both a 4" and a 3". Both are an absolute pleasure to shoot. They digest any 9mm with ease and function perfectly.

If you want to shoot 9mm in a SA. the Ruger 357/9mm platform works fine.

I am not a fan of the Taurus 940. Their QC is quite poor. The first one I bought was DOA, with a non functional trigger and non locking cyl. The second one a friend bought lasted about 50 rounds before it had to go back for the same issues. Took a long time to come back and had the same problems a few months later. He returned it and got a refund from a sympathetic dealer.

Dave

 

[WC145]

The 547's are great guns, no argument there, but there's plenty of "real" solutions to any problem if you're creative. I didn't want a K-frame 9mm weighing 2+ pounds, I wanted a 9mm J-frame that weighed as little as possible. All I had to do was pay the right gunsmith and voila! Instant 13oz 9mm snubby.

BTW, the Taurus is the 905, S&W made the 940.

 

[dnovo]

I stand -- actually sit -- corrected. I have, and enjoy, my S&W 940. I still dislike the Taurus for the reasons stated. Dave