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Anyone have a 9mm revolver?

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I'm somewhat intrigued by the thought of a 9mm revolver. I like shooting the 9mm round. It's cheap, plentiful and ez to make. I know Ruger used to make the SP-101 in 9mm for a couple of years. Smith made some as well. Now it seems like Taurus and the soon to be released Charter Arms are the only two players left in the game. I guess with everyone but Charter, moon clips in one flavor or another are the only way to use the gun. I see there are advantages and disadvantages to the moon clip only deal and I'm not really here to debate that. I am just curious to see if anyone here has a 9mm revolver in any flavor and what you think of it? What do you have, when did you get it and can you post a pic of it? :fan:

 

C

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I have "heard" that their QC has gotten a LOT better. Fit and finish is below Ruger but on par with Taurus. I do like the fact that a US company is producing an affordable handgun. However if it is completely un-reliable then I would look somewhere else.

 

C

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I found the Charter concept intriguing too The online range reviews on the 40 SW variants don't inspire a lot of confidence. I'd love to hear from someone who has actually put a coup,e of boxes of FMJ down range with one.

 

Beware the value priced 9mm S&W revolvers listings on GB. Most of them are chambered in 9mm SW and the ammo is near impossible to find and crazy pricey

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Beware the value priced 9mm S&W revolvers listings on GB. Most of them are chambered in 9mm SW and the ammo is near impossible to find and crazy pricey

 

Enlighten me, I've never heard of 9mm S&W. The only S&W revolvers chambered for a 9mm cartridge ,that I am aware of are the 940 J-Frame, which uses full-moon clips. And the 547 which was a K-frame, fixed sight that used a spring type expanding extractor - which is responsible for the late intro of the Charter product, since S&W tied them up with patent infringement lawsuits. Both of those use the standard 9x19 (parabellum) round.

 

It is possible there were others made for export, but they, also, would have been in the standard 9x19 round.

 

There were N and L frame revolvers chambered in .38 super and some PC competition semi-autos in what was called .356 TSW (IIRC). Other than those I know of no 9mm S&W propietary cartridge, let alone a revolver chambered for same.

 

Always willing to learn.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

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Enlighten me, I've never heard of 9mm S&W. The only S&W revolvers chambered for a 9mm cartridge ,that I am aware of are the 940 J-Frame, which uses full-moon clips. And the 547 which was a K-frame, fixed sight that used a spring type expanding extractor - which is responsible for the late intro of the Charter product, since S&W tied them up with patent infringement lawsuits. Both of those use the standard 9x19 (parabellum) round.

 

It is possible there were others made for export, but they, also, would have been in the standard 9x19 round.

 

There were N and L frame revolvers chambered in .38 super and some PC competition semi-autos in what was called .356 TSW (IIRC). Other than those I know of no 9mm S&W propietary cartridge, let alone a revolver chambered for same.

 

Always willing to learn.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

I venture that if you haven't heard of a particular S&W revolver.....it most likely does not exist.

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I have "heard" that their QC has gotten a LOT better. Fit and finish is below Ruger but on par with Taurus. I do like the fact that a US company is producing an affordable handgun. However if it is completely un-reliable then I would look somewhere else.

 

C

 

Charter Arms is well below the quality, fit and finish of a Taurus revolver. I'd go with the Taurus 9mm version.

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Hey Bob.

 

S&W made a 9x19 case with a rim to use on a long discontinued revolver. I've seen it in pics but have no interest in owning one as the ammo is obsolete and if found is wicked pricey.

 

I've been looking at a LOT of revolvers lately. :maninlove:

 

C

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Hey Bob.

 

S&W made a 9x19 case with a rim to use on a long discontinued revolver. I've seen it in pics but have no interest in owning one as the ammo is obsolete and if found is wicked pricey.

 

I've been looking at a LOT of revolvers lately. :maninlove:

 

C

 

Federal made it. It would be the equivalent to the .45 Auto Rim but in 9mm - that is, it is for use in 9mm revolvers that use moon clips (that would be the 940) for use without the clip. The rim would equate to the case head thickness plus the moon clip thickness. Charter arms made their Pitbull for this obsolete cartridge. If someone owned one, I understand that people have made the case from .38 S&W brass - but not very successfully. Probably be easier to have someone make moonclips to fit the CA.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

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post-1622-0-07383800-1349231674_thumb.jpg

 

My 905CHSS

Added the Crimson Trace grips.

 

The CT grips give me a better grip than the factory grips..

Laser provides na easy quick point and shoot ability at short range.

 

Taurus lifetime warranty is a good deal.

Bought the revolver over 5 years ago and never fired it.

Took it out this summer and had a problem with the cylinder alignment.

Sent it in. Got it back in 3 weeks, fixed, and cleaned as new. No charge except for postage on my end.

 

That being said, the moon clips are a bit of a pain. In order to hold the casings well, you need to slip a flat edge tool (screwdriver, thin coin) inbetween the shell holders and twist a little. That secures them.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Bob

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In particular I like 9mm revolvers. However, they offer a little more kick than a .38, especially more powerful 9mm loads... It's somewhere in the middle of a .38 and a .357. For many people with 9mm semi-automatics it allows you to stock up on ONE caliber, and practice 9mm is cheaper than .38s and certainly cheaper than .357 rounds. So, if you like shooting a revolver, the ammunition benefits are nice.

 

Currently, the best deal on a 9mm revolver is a Taurus 905, however, I am not that fond of the Taurus moon clips, or whatever Taurus's name for them is. If an aftermarket clip was available, that would probably be better. The Charter Arms that just came out doesn't require moon clips, and just as the Taurus, has a lifetime warranty (I believe). Each cartridge has to be pushed into the cylinder and it is much slower to reload than in using moon clips (if it is going to be a carry piece). If I could find either one of these used at a good price, I would probably get it.

 

I would also get the Ruger Blackhawk single-action convertible that shoots .38, .357, and 9mm, however, I have heard that the accuracy isn't as good with it, but I am sure that it would be more than suitable for plinking/survival gun and built like a tank. However, I prefer double action.

 

The more quality 9mms are pretty much out of production and they are hard to find. Still, they are out there. I am aware of two Smith and Wesson revolvers that were made in the past (and which I believe are no longer in production). There is a J-frame Model 940 which I like that takes moon clips, and a K-frame Model 547 that is really neat because it doesn't need moon clips in the way it is designed. Both of these are probably extremely collectible and rare and the price reflects that, especially the 547. Something in the $800 and up range could be expected.

 

As far as a 9mm revolver that would be good for carry purposes, a Ruger SP101 in 9mm would be ideal as it is built like a tank and will use 5-round moon clips. However, these have gone up tremendously in price as well because they are used by many as carry guns and for cheaper 9mm practice, and because they are rare as well.

 

However, my favorite 9mm revolver is also made by Ruger... The Ruger Speed Six! It holds 6 in the cylinder and is somewhere in between the size of a SP101 and a GP100, and with Hogue rubber grips it is stout for a 9mm but nice to shoot. Revolvers made of metal damp the recoil somewhat, but they don't have the springs in them to dampen the recoil like a semi-automatic. I love this particular gun that typically comes with a 2.75" barrel. It pretty much requires moon clips to function properly as the 9mm cartridges go in too deeply, though, and for about $115 dollars (and two different vendors) you can probably buy a speed loader and pretty much a lifetime (100) clips for it. Ruger no longer has the moon clips, available. I believe that one of the other Sixes, not sure which... Security or Service can be found in 9mm as well and is easily as rare if not more so.

 

For the most part, you are not going to find a quality older 9mm revolver for under $500-$600 dollars and many in nice shape command even more, and at $500 you may just be getting a shooter.

 

Be careful in getting an older Charter Arms 9mm that uses different caliber 9mm cartridges which are basically nonexistent. It will not function with 9mm Parabellum.

 

Another option might be to find a revolver smith that would be willing to convert another revolver caliber into 9mm. In particular, I would love to get a Ruger GP100 in 9mm or a Smith 686, if it was possible and I had one laying around, especially one that I could also setup to use moon clips.However, if it could be done, it would be cost-prohibitive.

 

One last thought is that if you do get one and the loader (which I would recommend for any revolver using clips), is that you can get one loader and different ferrules that allow you to load .45 ACPs (if you have say a Smith 625), a different one for a 5-shot Ruger SP101, and a different one for a Taurus 905...

 

9mm revolvers are really nice, but you have to ask yourself is it worth spending that extra cash to get one when you could use that money to buy a lot of .38s and you can get a .38/.357 revolver a lot cheaper and there is much more variety to choose. If you can find a used one for under $450 in 9mm in awesome shape, it is probably a bargain and should be jumped on. Still, when you get get a used Glock 19 for about $450....

 

Here is an image of a Speed Six I found on the web. I prefer Hogue grips to these Pachmayr grips.

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BlueskyBob.

 

How is the recoil? Is it wicked snappy? Reasonably accurate? Would you buy it again?

 

Thanks for putting this up. I am so intrigued by this gun!

 

C

 

Sorry Topher, for the late reply.

 

I thought I had clicked on following this topic !

 

Recoil is not bad at all. Two hand or one.

 

But I do not have the best of shooting technigues so I cannot comment on accuracy.

 

I bought the conceald hammer version because at the time it was all they had. I would prefer the exposed hammer version if I had to do it all over again.

 

I believe Taurus is making them again. Street price somewher around $400

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Ooooops. Sorry. I'm looking specifically for feedback on DA revolvers. Not the singles, not my thing.

 

C

 

S&W made a 9mm version of the model 60 years ago.. Newark PD bought up a buttload of them and was issuing them as backup guns.....i havent actually SEEN one in probably 15 years though

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I think that if there was a market for 9mm, there would be more 9mm revolvers.

 

The Charter Arms revolver is interesting and probably fills a niche, but let's explore why people get revolvers.

 

#1. They just like revolvers and prefer them exclusively.

#2. They just want one simple gun that is easy to use.

#3. They need the power of a revolver for a specific task (Bear protection in Alaska / slaughtering pigs or rabbits with .22LR)

#4. They have some sort of condition that makes an autoloader impractical

#5. They already have the caliber (.22/.357/.44) in a lever action and want a pistol for commonality of ammunition.

 

All of that being said, what advantage does a rimless revolver actually bring into the mix to a revolver shooter? If you prefer revolvers because you find them mechanically satisfying or are just a traditionalist, you would probably go with a .38 or .44 anyway. Because darn it, you are buying a revolver to be a traditionalist and you want a traditional cartridge.

 

If you want one simple gun that is easy to use, you are probably the kind who will only go to the range once or twice a year and not mind paying the extra money for .38 special.

 

If you want a revolver for a specific task you are getting it because you are using it as a tool that a 9mm, 40 Cal or .45 can't do.

 

If you have trouble shooting autoloaders, again, you probably just bought a revolver for self defense and are only going to shoot it a few times a year anyway.

 

So where does a rimless revolver fit into the panoply of arms? Honestly, it fits in as a backup gun for a cop, or a revolver for a semi-auto guy who simply wants a revolver because he already has rimless ammunition.

 

I don't think that there is a big enough market to support more of these specific types of revolvers.

 

A revolver is still a fine choice as a self-defense or fun pistol, though. But I think there is a reason why they are so few choices out there.

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The prices for these are out of site....

 

http://www.gunbroker...?Item=325971785

 

http://www.gunbroker...?Item=325623754

 

http://www.gunbroker...?Item=325649549

 

I would love to get an SP101 in 9mm, some day.

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