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9mm Revolvers

7K views 55 replies 17 participants last post by  halfmoonclip 
#1 ·
Always seemed a good idea; cheap ammo especially.

We took three to the range; my 940, a Taurus and a Ruger.
Consensus was that they were surprisingly rappy to shoot; it wasn't a chronograph night, but that will come next.
Getting hits wasn't hard at 21'.
Thoughts, experience?
Moon
 
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#4 ·
Uhh, yeah. More than a .38 Special in an otherwise identical gun; more like a junior varsity .357.
I'll confess not getting much pleasure from hard shooting guns anymore, but revos are a different deal. The same ammo in the P365, a small, light gun, is much more pleasant to shoot.
Let's not have a manhood contest here; I've the 11oz 340SC; with magnums, it is 'rappy' times 10! ;)
BTW, the humpback 940 can be held lower in the hand; it was more pleasant to shoot than the exposed hammer Taurus IMHO.
Moon
 
#3 · (Edited)
I have a Taurus 905 that I seem to be getting more and more fond of.
I don't find the recoil to be bad at all. I do wish I could get larger grips for it.
Even the slightly larger aftermarket Hogue's are Small for my large hands.
You probably have gotten used to all the 7.65 Browning you shoot Moon.
 
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#5 ·
I really didn't like the LCR in 9mm. The snap was just not nice at all. I have a Charter Arms in .45 ACP that's more comfortable. I suspect that the grip on the LCR is just too small for 9mm.


I have a Taurus in .380, which uses the same ammunition as Glock 42. That one is mostly okay, but I also replaced the grips on it.
 
#8 ·
surreal', as you might conclude from my nom-de-forum, I've always been fond of auto-caliber revolvers, particularly Smith 25s and 1917s. The 940 iteration of the Centennial has been out of production for no small time, and I had to track mine down on Gunbroker. The surprising, 'rappy', recoil likely had something to do with the idea's demise.
BTW, as regards the 'rappy' term, it's been used here to describe the .380 PPK; it's not just plain recoil, but a sting out of proportion to the cartridge. Three eighties in a G42 simply don't rap at all. Didn't realize the term could cause confusion.



As always, a bike glove will tame the snap of hard kicking, or even rappy, pistols far more easily than gihugo grips.
Moon
 
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#10 ·
Another pretty much apples to apples comparo; have a 4" Chiappa 9, and a buddy has the 2.5" .357 of that gun. The 9s aren't even slightly rappy in that, tho' they noticeably push straight back. Again, the magnums have more recoil, .38s less, by comparison.
With the Chiappas, if you want to puzzle someone, let them figure out that the bottom chamber fires.
Doubt I'd pay new money on a Chiappa (shop owner gave me a great deal on mine), but a used .357 would be of interest.
Moon
 
#11 ·
I am answering this thread from my perspective as a reloader and this makes the .38 S&W Special a favourite of mine. The only 9mm revolver that I own is a conversion cylinder for a Ratzeburg Korth Combat and extraction isn't stellar.

Like halfmoonclip I am also fond of the .45 ACP revolver with its moon clips and the advantage of the heavy lead bullet, that even with a light load, will work well on bowling pins but the 9mm does not offer me the same advantage over the .38 Special.
 
#12 ·
"Rap" ... A quick, sharp knock or blow: a rap on the knuckles or a rap on the door.

"Rappy" ... a hybrid of adjective and adverb????
 
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#13 ·
I've had two Smith 625s over the years. Never had a 9mm revolver though I lusted over the Smith 940 for a years.

An LGS had the .356TSW version sitting new in the case and unloved for years. I should have snapped it up.

I have sort of a love-hate thing with revolvers chambered in semi-auto cartridges.

The fast reloads were nice. Sort of an integral speedloader. Bent clips were a pain as was going through the "mooning de-mooning cycles".
 
#14 ·
According my information, the following 9mm revolvers use moon clips:

Chiappa Rhino
Taurus Model 905
Ruger LCR
Ruger SP101
AlphaProject 9261
FN Barracuda (ex Astra)

The following 9mm revolvers do not use clips:

Ruger Blackhawk
Korth Sky Marshal / Nighthawk Custom
Charter Arms Pitbull
S&W Model 547
Medusa M47

Not sure about the method of operation:

Manhurin MR73
 
#15 ·
zaitcev, yes, there are some out there, tho' many aren't common. Much as I'd like to, never even touched a Korth. Unhappily, most don't interchange.


Jimmo, the mooning/demooning have to be carefully managed, and often call for the right tools. The Chiappa especially was a stinker to moon, and it's possible to bend even .45 ones, demooning without a tool.
Moon
 
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#23 ·
Jimmo - 9mm PitBull: Rounds fired have been reloaded several times and some of the rims are no longer perfect. Once-in-a-while, a fired case slips past ejector star (within the cylinder).
The revolver serves a purpose and does so without having to find/have a second part(clip) in order to work.
 
#25 ·
Full confession; the 9mm Centennial had more to do with it being a Centennial than a 9mm. Really enjoy the humpback Smiths, and this one took serious looking on Gunbroker.

Objectively, the caliber in a revo can claim cheap ammo, and speedy reloads via the moonclips. These clips don't work overmuch well with longer cases, like a .38/.357. A charged 9mm moon slaps right in, just like a .45. The loaded moons are great for administrative loading/unloading.

The brass remains fine for reloading.

On the downside, there is the mooning/demooning business; extra moons (not cheap) are necessary before a range session. There is reputedly a 9mm AutoRim available, but I won't be shooting enough to justify the extra brass and inventory.

In the J-frame, recoil is surprisingly brisk, especially compared to a similar-weight auto.

My Centennial is part of what prompted friends to get their own versions.
Recoil is the downside to the idea; it just kicks more than it seems it should.
Moon
 
#28 ·
... I wouldn't have thought a heavier gun like the Ruger would of had to much recoil
Not sure of the Ruger's model number, but it is one of the partially poly, not especially heavy examples.
I reload as well, tho' I've found throweight of the projectile is the major expense.
Moon
 
#43 ·
The very early ones had 6 round cylinders. Very few went out before they changed to a 5 shot.

My daily carry is a Charter Arms, though I opted for the standard rimmed cartridge configuration. Given same weight and bulk, I'd as soon have the more powerful loads. For low cost practice, I just got same basic gun in .22. I have no complaints with either. I did initially have a problem with the .22, But I contacted Charter and they sent a Fed Ex prepaid return, fixed the problem, Fed Ex'd it back to me with a write up on their testing, what work they did, and details of the tests they ran to ensure it was fixed. All within 1 week.

They did recently release a 9mm Pit Bull with a 6 inch barrel and adjustable sights. Make a fun range gun.
 
#34 ·
Thanks for the response. Its appreciated.

I should asked this earlier but didn't think of it. Do you experience sticky extraction when attempting to unload fired cases?

The 940 was known for that early on. I think Smith made an attempt to deal with that in the -1 version. Not sure how big of a deal it was or if the "fix" worked. .
 
#37 ·
No extraction issues with my 940-dash-nothing. And my reloaded brass has generally had a hard life.
Moon
ETA- the bent moons are generally the product of demooning without a tool. I usually use the cylindrical one, but the stamped steel works too....the one made for .45s.
M
 
#40 ·
Full disclosure; carried the .45 revos, but the moons were handled with care. Never had issues with bent ones, tho'.
For field use, AutoRims make a certain amount of sense. A different tool head is all it requires for reloading them on .45ACP dies.
Moon
 
#41 ·
Thumbing thru' Pistols of the World, and found the Smith "9mm Military and Police, Model 547." Paraphrasing, it was intended to standarize on the 9mm round, and it was based on the Model 10, but the grip curve was tightened to help deal with the heavier recoil. It wasn't popular, lasting only 5 years.

The 'more kick than expected' thing seems to have been an issue.
Moon
 
#42 ·
After a few years of unsuccessful, but not very intensive search for a S&W Model 547, I have now decided to get a European alternative. It's the model 9231 of the Czech small arms manufacturer Alfa Proj. In contrast to the S&W model mentioned above, this revolver is operated with moon clips unfortunately.

Why did I buy this gun? First, I hardly have time to shoot, so I will never take advantage of the cheap 9mm ammunition. Second, I don't usually like 9mm guns anyway. Well, the only reason was actually my curiosity.

The revolver leaves a passable impression. The surface finish is not perfect and the fitting accuracy of the plastic grip plates could be better. But at least they do not move. The manual is very modest - both in its execution and at least in the poor German translation. The English text, however, is understandable.

The last photo shows that the dimensions of the 9mm revolver model is identical to the standard .357 Magnum version (Alfa Proj model 9530). Both models are available with fixed or adjustable sights.
 

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#45 ·
After a few years of unsuccessful, but not very intensive search for a S&W Model 547, I have now decided to get a European alternative. It's the model 9231 of the Czech small arms manufacturer Alfa Proj. In contrast to the S&W model mentioned above, this revolver is operated with moon clips unfortunately.

Why did I buy this gun? First, I hardly have time to shoot, so I will never take advantage of the cheap 9mm ammunition. Second, I don't usually like 9mm guns anyway. Well, the only reason was actually my curiosity.

The revolver leaves a passable impression. The surface finish is not perfect and the fitting accuracy of the plastic grip plates could be better. But at least they do not move. The manual is very modest - both in its execution and at least in the poor German translation. The English text, however, is understandable.

The last photo shows that the dimensions of the 9mm revolver model is identical to the standard .357 Magnum version (Alfa Proj model 9530). Both models are available with fixed or adjustable sights.

Others might have seen it as well, but it appears that Rock Island Armory is going to be (or are already) importing that revolver into the country. I like the concept of having a 9mm revolver, but I think I'd prefer a heavier 3" barreled one with a hammer such as this to the Ruger LCR that I own. I had though that it might make a decent alternative CC to my PPS/M1 but have changed my mind. That LCR is likely going to be sold off soon!
 
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