Bought a 986+ and a Range Report

[Iowahunter]

Picked up a 986+ 9MM the other day and took it out to the range yesterday. Some good and some bad. Accuracy was good considering all I had was 1 box of Aguila and 1 part box of Fed American Eagle both 115 gr. Total of about 80 rds. Trigger pull is good and should get better with use. 1 moon clip would not hold in the round in 1 station. Fed was loose and Aguila would fall out. Sights were screwed all the way down and still (for me anyway} hit a little high at 25yds. On the box the label has Model 986 but, at the top of the label it has 989+ Pro Series . Maybe I"ll have a collectors box in 50 yrs !

[bananaman]

SOMEDAY... I will have a 9mm revolver! Congratulations on yours!
I do have a 625 JM, that uses moon clips (as you probably know) Don't mind the clips, but received 1 batch that binds in the cylinder. In other words, all clips are not created equal. Other than that, I consider them pretty handy. Does anyone make a demooner tool yet for 986? That is something I feel is indispensable. Enjoy it! Bob

[TANZER]

BMT makes a tool. Pricey but works great with my new 986.
Also purchased SS moon-clips from TK Custom.

BTW: My label only say's MODEL 986.

[dentkimterry]

I bought one and the jury is still out on it. I didn't even look when buying it as I was so excited but the barrel has a very slight cant to it. I was able to find a load it seems to like and with the rear sight all the way to the right it shoots fairly straight. Need to work with it some more and maybe put a Wolff kit in it. Need to order some lead for it! It likes 124gr LRN.

[Iowahunter]

Originally Posted by dentkimterry

I bought one and the jury is still out on it. I didn't even look when buying it as I was so excited but the barrel has a very slight cant to it. I was able to find a load it seems to like and with the rear sight all the way to the right it shoots fairly straight. Need to work with it some more and maybe put a Wolff kit in it. Need to order some lead for it! It likes 124gr LRN.

My barrel is on straight and I do have some 147gr lead for my 38 super that I want to try out. I did try to shoot without using the moon clips and the 1st cyl full was perfect, next couple were pretty poor.. only 1 or 2 per try. gave up after that. I have a moon clip tool and need to order the correct mandrel for it and some moon clips. I am like you and will have to give it sometime and see what works or not. Should be fun...

[S&W357]

I been waiting for a report on that gun. I want one and have one on order. Good luck = I hope to hear that this is your best Revolver......

[jaymoore]

Have shot a friend's 986 on the plate rack range a couple of times. I'm thinking it's better for my short fingered hands than the N frame. Come up faster and runs a bit quicker. His was not without drama at first, though. Extractor star was a loose fit in the cylinder cutout, making it short timed. He had a couple or three welds done to the extractor star tips (on the "driving fingers") which sorted things nicely after cutting them to fit precisely. Should be a thread on the subject in the forum.

If one presents itself for pre-purchase inspection I'll likely get one.

[David Sinko]

This isn't very encouraging. I don't have any trouble with the fit of mixed brass in the moonclips of my 940. Why would a seven shooter be any different? Do the clips need to be cut to different dimensions to accommodate the extra two rounds? Regarding the failure to fire without moonclips, are you sure the strain screw has not started to back out? Again, my 940 has no trouble at all firing without moonclips. And there's simply no excuse for barrel cant issues or lack of range of sight adjustment.

Try some .355" cast bullets. I'd like to know if they produce nice round holes or hit the target sideways.


Dave Sinko

[rbert0005]

It is not so much the clips as the brass.

Both of my 627s are brass sensitive.

Bob

[thusly]

I am new to the forum and pretty new to revolvers as well, so please bear with me as I stumble through my apparent problem.

I just purchased a 986 and had bought some moon clips from T&K. Went to the range with great anticipation and excitement (I have a number of 686s that work like champs), but ended up cutting my range time in half and leaving pretty frustrated with the situation.

I had the following problems:
- There were a number of times I could not get the trigger to release - it felt jammed until I applied quite a bit of pressure on the trigger until it discharged (I know, not very safe, but was getting frustrated).
- After shooting most of the rounds (but for the above issue), the moon clip with spent rounds would not eject easily using the extractor rod. I was able to release them once or twice by applying quite a bit (alot) of pressure on the extractor rod that ultimately released the moon clip with the spent rounds. Otherwise, I had to use a metal pick I had with me (fortunately) to release the moon clip, round by round, until I was able to use the extractor rod to release the moon clip.

Is this something with the brass that is causing it (I was using some Russian loads) to be "stuck" in the cylinder? Does the gun require some sort of lubrication prior to use (I didn't do any prep to the guy other than take it out of the case)? Is the gun defective?

I have never had any issues with any of my 686s so my expectation levels were for the same with the 986.

Again, my apologies for the terminology above.

Thanks in advance for comments....

[S&W1006]

It sounds to me like it could be the moonclips are too tight. I have a 627 38 super and I have one moon clip that is too tight with some brands of brass. For the moonclip to work properly there should be a little cartridge jiggle for lack of a better term. If there is no room for movement they will bind especially after being fired. If the clip to brass fit is right it will drop in with no effort. The hard trigger pull sounds like the cylinder is dragging most likely from the same tight clips and not being seated fully.

Moon clip revolvers are a different animal and you will find not all ammo will work with all moon clips. You can try different clips or different ammo. Also you can modify the clip to fit better.

[Nightowl]

Try some Winchester or Federal ammo. If it still happens, then it is probably something other than the ammunition.

[MWC2068]

The 625 in 45acp and the 986 in 9mm are both similar in that both shells have SAMMI specs for the groove that the moonclip goes in, that being said the 627 in 38/357 case has No specs and the groove varies alot from manufacture to manufacture, Starline widest and Winchester the smallest usually so the moonclips are offered in .020, .022, .025 for that model. TK Customs is right now the only maker of moonclips for the 986 7 shot 9mm.

[S&W1006]

Originally Posted by MWC2068

The 625 in 45acp and the 986 in 9mm are both sililar in that both shells have SAMMI specs for the groove that the moonclip goes in, that being said the 627 in 38/357 case has No specs and the groove varies alot from manufacture to manufacture, Starline widest and Winchester the smallest usually so the moonclips are offered in .020, .022, .025 for that modle. TK Customs is right now the only maker of moonclips for the 986 7 shot 9mm.

I agree that 9mm and 45 acp have a SAMMI spec but they do vary. My 627 is a 38 super with the chamber reamed for 9x23 and 9x19. I mainly shoot 9mm. With my moon clips Remington brass falls out but Winchester and Federal are tight. My shooting buddy has a 625 and not all brands of 45 acp fit his moon clips.

[thusly]

Originally Posted by S&W1006

It sounds to me like it could be the moonclips are too tight.... The hard trigger pull sounds like the cylinder is dragging most likely from the same tight clips and not being seated fully.

Moon clip revolvers are a different animal and you will find not all ammo will work with all moon clips. You can try different clips or different ammo. Also you can modify the clip to fit better.

Thanks all for the responses - I greatly appreciate it. I will continue to experiment and see what happens.