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  #1  
Old 08-26-2011, 04:07 PM
diceman3 diceman3 is offline
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Question 547 9MM Ammo Help!

Picked up the 4" 547. Gunsmith told me I was lucky that he had some old 9MM Federal for revolvers (N9FA) and then told me that the rims on present 9MM rims do not have same rims as the one Federal used to sell. Can anyone shed light on 9MM that will work as it should with the 547 extractor. I did note the difference in the rims and that the N9FA did have a better rim to extract on the 547 than regular Federal 9MM ACP. Any suggestion on best round to use with the 547 and where to get it?

All help appreciated.
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Old 08-26-2011, 04:32 PM
clang444 clang444 is offline
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You shoot regular 9 mm Luger or Parabellum from a 547. 9mm Federal is for the Ruger Security Six 9mm guns that need moon clips.
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Old 08-26-2011, 05:23 PM
CTG_COLLECTOR CTG_COLLECTOR is offline
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The 9mm Federal rimmed cartridge was designed specifically for the Charter Arms Bulldog, not for the S&W 547 or Ruger revolvers. Even if the Federal 9mmR cartridge fits in your 547, I don't think you'd want to shoot 20 year old collectable ammo in the gun. In addition, the 547 was designed around the rimless tapered case 9x19mm cartridge, not esentially a rimmed straight walled cartridge. I have no idea where the gunsmith got such an idea that modern 9x19mm ammo wouldn't work as the cartridge has remained unchanged for over a hundred years now. I suggest that you try various brands of standard pressure loads and see how well each brand/bullet weight functions and extracts from your 547.

Last edited by CTG_COLLECTOR; 08-26-2011 at 05:27 PM.
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Old 08-27-2011, 05:55 AM
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He's giving you bad advice. The 547 is designed for standard 9mm and not the rimmed Federal stuff. Mine functions just fine with all types and brands of standard 9mm Luger/Parabellum.
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Old 08-27-2011, 06:30 PM
diceman3 diceman3 is offline
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So far both on this thread and some emails, all of you have given the "green light" on using regular 9MM with no concerns. Seems I'm more concerned now with the old ammo that could be a problem, and I'll be returning it to my gunsmith. Should I stick with 115gr, and are hp's ok?
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Old 08-27-2011, 07:01 PM
David Sinko David Sinko is offline
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The only stuff that might be problematic is the +P+ loadings like Cor-Bon. That's the only factory load so far that has ever tied up my 940. Your K Frame 547 won't be as strong as the 940, so I suggest that if you do get fired cases that stick in the chambers, do not force them by pounding on the ejector rod. Pop them out one at a time with a dowel to prevent any damage to the ejector star. I haven't read of any serious extraction problems with the 547 but I suspect that's because forum members who do have these revolvers tend to baby them.

Dave Sinko
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Old 08-27-2011, 07:49 PM
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For sight in and carry I used a fair quantity of +P+ 127 grain Winchester and +P+ Federal 124 grain without any problems at all. I normally shoot Winchester White Box and Federal American Eagle for practice and plinking.

I would not feed it a steady diet of +P or +P+ as S&W considers them "obsolete" and will not repair them. The K frame should be stronger than any J frame unless you think the extraction system of the 547 makes it weaker somehow.
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Old 08-27-2011, 08:50 PM
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I fire Winchester bulk in my 547 without any problems.
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Old 08-28-2011, 12:27 AM
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I used to run into a fellow at the range that was a big 9mm shooter. He brought 9mm handloads to the range by the bucketful and shot them through a variety of 9mm pistols.

We both had M-547's. He shot some really hot handloads through his one day that wouldn't budge when he tried to extract them. He took the cylinder out of the gun after a while and pounded on the end of the ejection rod with a hardwood chunk hard enough that he pounded the little metal fingers on the ejector right through the brass cases! We ended up getting them out by using either a real hardwood dowel or metal punch (I forget which) to knock the cases out one at a time.

The little fingers are made out of a copper-beryllium alloy and are quite strong by themselves, but I don't know how many episodes of such treatment it would take to damage the mechanism.

He shot boxes of Austrian Hirtenberger 9mm ammo loaded hot intended for submachineguns through his, too. It is supposed to be hotter than +P+ and I won't shoot it through anything of mine. It worked fine through his.

These guns have gotten fairly expensive. They aren't going to make any more and if you break yours you may be up the creek. There is no industry standard for 9mm +P+ pressures. I don't see any reason to shoot anything hotter than +P through one, although some of it may do the gun no harm.
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Old 08-31-2011, 03:10 PM
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Diceman, I would never go back to that gunsmith, he does not know what the heck he is talking about and would be scared to have him touch any weapon of mine. Also, trust me from experience, you can fire any regular 9mm ammo out of your 547 and any Ruger 9mm revolver, only firearm that needed Federal 9mm cartridge was the charter arms 9mm revolver.
Eric
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Old 02-11-2014, 12:07 PM
702bdr 702bdr is offline
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Default S&W 547 ammunition

I recently purchased a vintage S&W 547 NIB as a birthday present for my wife. She likes the looks and reliability of revolvers. I took it to the range the other day with a couple of my other guns and tried to run various brands of ammunition thru it i.e. S&B, American Eagle, CCI Blazer, etc in 115 grain FMJ. I don't think I had shot 20 rounds before I started to experience problems. The brass casings would expand and freeze the cylinder from rotating or the hammer would strike the primer and it would not fire. I didn't have any problems with the CCI Blazer in aluminum.

Has anyone had similar problems and/or found another brand of ammo that also works for them?

Following is the response I received back from S & W when I asked for their suggestions.


Dear Customer,

When the model was made we tested them with Federal 115grn ammunition. You are correct that it was made in the 80"s. Your gun was 1982 and there is a good chance that I made the gun. That was a "K" frame revolver that was pretty sturdy. The extractor is what gave us headaches. We didn't make too many of that model.

If further assistance is required please reply accordingly.

Sincerely,

Don

Last edited by 702bdr; 02-13-2014 at 12:50 PM. Reason: Response from S & W
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  #12  
Old 03-20-2014, 02:38 AM
Enigmedic Enigmedic is offline
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I have a Smith & Wesson model 547 factory cylinder and 4" BBL. The bluing is just starting to wear on the high points/ sharp edges, but no rust or pitting is present. I am trying to get an idea of their present market value. The cylinder has the ejector star, ejector rod, center pin, and springs. It also has the spring metal ejector/ extractor tabs (hard to find). It is a complete cylinder sans the crane. The barrel has the lug, pin, and spring included with great lands and grooves. Due to their increasing scarcity, I haven't ben able to determine a CURRENT fair market value. Let me know if you seen recent sale prices, or, if you are interested, what you have to trade/ offer.
Godspeed,
Paul
P.S.- I am not sure why but I was unable to post this as a new thread; that is why I "piggybacked" it to the recent thread. If anyone knows why I can't start my own, please advise. I am new here, still trying to get a feel for the site.
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357 magnum, 547, 940, cartridge, ejector, extractor, gunsmith, j frame, k frame, ruger, winchester

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