Why Arent 9mm Revolvers More Popular?

[45_auto]

if a situation calls for a .38 SPL revolver, how can the 9mm revolver be a bad choice?

Maybe because the 9mm requires moonclips and has a narrower range of bullet/weight/velocity options as compared to a .38/.357?

Loading up magazines isn't much fun for anyone either.

Can't remember the last time I loaded a revolver magazine for a .38/.357. Still remember loading moonclips for 9mm though.

You can have 9mm pretty much any way you want it short of a wadcutter.

Why would anyone want to give up the option of wadcutters? You don't like the option of cheap lead plinking ammo? Maybe that lets you justify jacketed 9mm prices?

On what trail head, or should I say planet?

Until the Sandy Hook shortage started, there were always more options in .38/.357 around here than in 9mm. Both been pretty equal since then, nothing at all of either one.

before this madness began you could buy factory 9mm ammo for much, much cheaper than .38SPL.

On what trailhead, or should I say planet? Never saw factory lead 9mm anywhere, but cheap factory lead .38 (wadcutters) was available all over the place.

 

[35 Whelen]

One thing I've never seen mentioned is the flexibility that the .38 Special has over the 9mm. Folks tend to regurgitate paper ballistics and price over and over and over.

By flexibility I mean the .38 can be loaded, and I suppose bought with bullet weights from 90 to 200 grs., but more importantly, the .38 can be and is more often than not loaded with SWC's, a luxury the 9mm simply doesn't enjoy. Someone in an earlier post showed a picture of a 158 gr. RN 9mm load. That's nice, but I don't think there's any argument to the fact that for hunting and defense a SWC has it all over a RN bullet.

35W

 

[Pointshoot]

I prefer wheel-guns for all sorts of reasons that most here already understand.

That said, if I'm going to shoot 9mm I go with the Glock 17. That and a spare mag pretty much ends my interest in a 9mm revolver.

 

[boricua9mm]

Maybe because the 9mm requires moonclips and has a narrower range of bullet/weight/velocity options as compared to a .38/.357?

You might want to try telling that to S&W and the many, many Model 547 owners. Oh wait, they don't use moonclips! Reading is fundamental. Therein you'd likely find that I never once compared the 9mm to the .357, but rather the 9mm to the .38, a comparison which drastically favors the 9mm.

Can't remember the last time I loaded a revolver magazine for a .38/.357. Still remember loading moonclips for 9mm though.

Where exactly did I say that revolvers use magazines? The point is that if you want to load quickly, you'll be loading a speedloading device or a magazine no matter which choice you make. I don't remember ever loading a moonclip; the 547 doesn't use em. If someone is going to complain about loading moonclips, they're the type to complain about loading magazines for a semi-auto 9mm. It must be dealt with or discarded as an argument.

Why would anyone want to give up the option of wadcutters? You don't like the option of cheap lead plinking ammo? Maybe that lets you justify jacketed 9mm prices?

When comparing .38 to 9mm, the only benefit of wadcutters is "Hey! Look at those clean holes!" The notion of "cheap wadcutters" in .38 or .357 is a myth, unless you are casting your own lead bullets for reloading. Factory 9mm FMJ has been cheaper than factory .38s for over two decades now.

Until the Sandy Hook shortage started, there were always more options in .38/.357 around here than in 9mm. Both been pretty equal since then, nothing at all of either one.

Again, my arguments are based on the concept that if a 9mm revolver is pointless, than a .38SPL revolver has even less utility. The 9mm can't be fairly compared to the .357MAG b/c the .357 will almost always outperform it. Comparing 9mm to .38s, the 9mm has the edge across the spectrum when it comes to cost and performance.

On what trailhead, or should I say planet? Never saw factory lead 9mm anywhere, but cheap factory lead .38 (wadcutters) was available all over the place.

I've never found factory lead 9mm anywhere either; there's no need for it when ammo is 12-20 cents/round. On the other hand I haven't seen any factory .38SPL in that price range in the past 15-20 years. We're talking FACTORY loads, right, not Bubba's "remanufactured" loads...

 

[C0untZer0]

I got word from Dan Brown at Czechpoint USA that the 3" Alfa Proj revolvers won't be coming in until the first week of April 2014.

 

[alternety]

The notice from the post above reminded me of this thread.

Has anyone else acquired a PitBull? Be interesting to see more impressions from users.

Mine had some issues out of the box, but Charter Arms was quick to take it back and clean it up a bit. I am guessing I got a fairly early production gun.

 

[tommy.duncan]

Charter Arms has revolvers in 9mm and 40s&w.
I know what you mean, I have a s&w 610 and I enjoy shooting it. I don't know why most pistol companies stopped production of rimless revolvers, they are a blast to shoot(no pun intended).

 

[wally]

I've both the Taurus 905 and Charter Arms Pitbull.

The moon clips make for fast reloads but are a PITA to unload (I know Dillon makes a tool for the 45ACP clips don't know if they'll work for the 9mm). But the Taurus suffers from severe ammo sensitivity with some brands having a high misfire rate (1 or 2 per cylinder). The Pitbull so far seems immune to this issue with the six or seven brands of factory ammo I've tried so far. Three of the widest available cheap brands give a lot of misfires in the Taurus -- Winchester USA, CCI Aluminum Blazer, and CCI Blazer Brass which really helps defeat the "cheap ammo" advantage.

Neither seem to like my 9mm reloads -- misfire city, I think its the Lee Factory crimp die, or the fact that reloaded handgun brass is generally a bit shorter than factory after resizing, maybe a combination of the two. I shoot literally 1000s of these per month in a wide variety of autoloaders witout issues, so I'm not really going to change anything to accommodate a pair of infrequently shot revolvers.

Both revolvers have extraction issues with some brands of ammo, especially the hotter loads -- I suspect this is because of the slight 9mm case taper, .45ACP works better as it has much lower maximum pressure and straight wall cases. This is why in the real world 9mm revolvers aren't as great an idea as they seem in theory.

 

[C0untZer0]

The moon clips make for fast reloads but are a PITA to unload (I know Dillon makes a tool for the 45ACP clips don't know if they'll work for the 9mm).

The Alfa Proj revolvers ship with a tool, they call it a loading tube:

 

[TennJed]

I got word from Dan Brown at Czechpoint USA that the 3" Alfa Proj revolvers won't be coming in until the first week of April 2014.

These guns interest me a lot

 

[HiVel]

The tool should be called an unloading tool -NO?

also the grips look cheap!

Interesting piece though.

 

[RealGun]

As the gun ownership numbers continue to get flooded by the recoil averse and those who won't dress to conceal, the price and availability of 9mm, including reloading components, will only get worse.

I don't see enough distinction to recommend manufacturers making the investment. They have already set aside models to increase output on bread and butter numbers.

 

[C0untZer0]

I would think that more "recoil averse and those who won't dress to conceal" purchases would help 32 ACP, but even if it did result in more 9mm firearms - I think that would end up driving the cost of 9mm ammo down, at least eventually.

I don't think the cost of Five-Seven ammo is because it is inherently more expensive to make, some of the price is from trying to tie the cost of tooling up for it, there is not a huge demand for it, that means shorter production runs and higher costs.

 

[PaulKersey3]

Didn't get to read all the posts here, so I'm not sure it was mentioned, but I believe several years ago Taurus briefly came out with a revolver they called the "Triad." It could chamber .357mag, .38spcl, .38 super and 9mm para. Not sure of the functionality, moon clips etc. I just remember reading about it, only to find out they were discontinued. If anyone has more info on the Taurus Triad, I'd like to know.

 

[TRX]

Back when the ".38 vs. 9mm" wars were somewhat meaningful, I was firmly on the .38 side. Recently I read a thread where a poster in another country was asking for input; he had the option of purchasing a new revolver in one of two configurations, .38 Special or 9mm.

For his situation, it was 9mm all the way. In his country .38 Special is rare and 9mm might be the most popular caliber. He already had a 9mm automatic, and he was in one of those countries where ammunition purchases were tightly controlled and recorded in his "firearm booklet." Also, nowadays there are more options for factory-loaded 9mm than in the old days, when "9mm" basically meant round nose, full metal jacket vs. a nice soft lead .38.

The revolver vs. automatic debate peters out when you start talking about .44 Magnum and up. The Wildey and Auto Mag are defunct, leaving the Desert Eagle in .44 Mag and .50AE. But the Eagle is physically very large, particularly the grip, and the price is even larger. You can still buy a .44 Magnum revolver that will fit in your pocket. And you can buy a big revolver chambered from .454 Casull to .500 S&W, and there's no automatic that chambers anything close. When you want big power, wheelguns rule.

 

[HiVel]

The simple answer for the question is that 9mm revolvers do not work . I had a Smith snubby in 9mm and it was a PITA....tapered 9mm cartridge is the culprit.

 

[heyjoe]

I have a smith and wesson model 940 that works fine

 

[NMPOPS]

The main reason I don't like them, and 45 acp revolvers for that matter, is reloading. You have to carry reloads in moon clips which are bulky. With a j frame 642 I can carry two speed strips easily, speed loaders and moon clips are just too bulky.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[shafter]

I don't know why someone would want one. A 357 magnum can do much more at both ends of the spectrum with a much larger variety of ammo to use.

 

[45_auto]

I don't know why someone would want one. A 357 magnum can do much more at both ends of the spectrum with a much larger variety of ammo to use.

I don't know why anyone would NOT want one. They shoot the cheapest and most available centerfire pistol ammo out there. Every time I take my 9mm SP101 to the range at least two or three people offer to buy it at over double what I paid for it.

 

[HexHead]

Many of you that think this is a good idea have probably never owned a revolver that used moonclips. They are a real PITA, unless you're doing like they did in the trenches of WWI and just tossing them with the brass when reloading.

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

If 9mm revolvers were more popular my hunt for one would not be as much fun.

 

[RealGun]

I don't know why anyone would NOT want one. They shoot the cheapest and most available centerfire pistol ammo out there.

Bought any 9mm ammo lately?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm sorry I didn't read the 8 pages of answers but here's my take.

Why? Because there's no advantage over the 38/357 and more hassle.

 

[C0untZer0]

I just want one