I was googling something the other day and a comment in a S&W forum thread popped up. The poster was stating he had no idea why anyone would want a 9mm revolver.

He was apparently offended that someone might choose a revolver when there were so many 9mm semi auto pistol options available.

Given that it was an off topic comment in a Jurassic thread, I figured I’d post my thoughts in a new thread rather than resurrect a dinosaur.

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I own three revolvers in 9mm (as well as a S&W 625 in .45 ACP). They include an L frame sized Ruger Speed Six, a K framed sized Alpha-Proj AL-9 and a J frame sized Taurus 905.



I see a few advantages:

9mm ballistics compared to .38 +P and .357 Magnum

A 125 gr .38 +P load in a 3” revolver will produce about 1025-1050 fps. In comparison a 124 gr 9mm will produce about 1150 fps. That’s still about 150-200 fps less than a 125 gr .357 Magnum, but the 9mm is a significant 100 fps more than the .38 +P but with a lot less recoil than a .357 Magnum.

In a J frame sized pistol, like the Taurus 905 below, it can make a big difference, being a lot more controllable than a .357 Mag in a S&W Model 60.

Reloads with moon clips versus speed loaders

From time to time I like to shoot the current FBI qualification course with a revolver.

Shooting my 3” 686 or 3” Model 13 and either .38 Special or .357 Mag ammo, I generally score 49/50. I drop one point on the 7 yard line where you have to start with 4 rounds in the gun, from the ready fire 4 rounds, conduct and emergency reload, and then fire 4 more rounds, all in 8 seconds as it’s not quite enough time to get off that last round before the target turns.

However, shooting a 9mm revolver, using moon clips for the reload, it’s enough faster that it lets me consistently make that 8th shot in that stage.

Moon clips are more compact to carry and more reliable than any speed loader. With round nose bullets they almost fly in the cylinder by themselves, and even with hollow points they are quicker to align than hollow points from a speed loader.

You also will never have a case get stuck under the ejector star with a moon clip.

Ammo availability and commonality

In the ammo shortages that have unfortunately become both periodic and long lasting, 9mm Luger is almost always available while .38 Special, .38 +P and .357 Mag can become hard to find.

If you prefer carrying a revolver, having the option to use 9mm Luger is a big plus when .38 and .357 are hard to find.

From time to time I’ll carry a 9mm pistol as my primary and a J frame sized 905 as a back up and it lets me use the same load in both my primary and back up handguns.

Even if you carry a 9mm pistol exclusively, rather than a revolver, if your significant other carries a revolver, the ability to use common ammo is a big plus. As noted above, the recoil is also manageable, while offering better performance than .38 or .38+P.

One more thought - if it goes 'click' you don't have to rack the slide - just pull the trigger again!

Well in my case I have a S&W 547. Most times you will be the only one there with that gun. Most all the other 9MM guns have plenty of look alikes!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

A 3” 547 is on my wish list, but I’m not interested in paying the prices they command.

Downside: You have to worry about bullet pull and bent clips.

More upside: You can usually carry 2 filled moon clips where 1 speedloader would fit.

My view from the cheap seats...

If you have a handgun that you shoot well and it does a really good job of punching holes in things then what difference does it make if it slides or spins?

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I acknowledge all your reasons given for 9mm revolvers have merit.
I am happy you are too.
I prefer 357.

I bought 10 K frame 9mm moon clips from TK Customs and reworked 2 k38 cylinders by reaming and recessing them to fire 9mms. Why? I figured I should have something to fire 9mm in case I ever come across some cheap.

Well,I have a 547 and like it. MY only issue is a 3” 9mm K frame with wood grips kicks harder to me than a 2” J frame 357, IME!

Someday though, I will have a medium size 4” moon clip fed revolver in 45 auto or 9mm.
You and I are in a small group shooting 547’s I’ll bet! There is a nice rub on Gunbroker right now for $2200….omg

I've had a handful of 9mm and .45ACP 5/6 guns. I loved the concept, but never really enjoyed the execution. I hated loading/unloading the moon clips, found them fragile, and found them bulky in the pocket compared to a speed strip or handgun magazine.

The ammo availability point is well taken, and while I never ran out of revolver ammo during the last shortage, I certainly could have. That said, I also found that I enjoyed shooting my 9mm revolvers much less than their .38/357 counterparts due to the hassle of moon clips, and less than the 9mm autos I had already. If I'd ran dry on revolver ammo, I'd wind up just shooting the autos anyways. As far as defensive/carry stuff, I found no benefit to one of the 9mm revolvers I had over an equivalent auto.

I know there were some revolvers made to chamber 9mm without a moon clip, and if one pops up in my budget when I'm shopping I'd be happy to have one of them, but I think the moonclips just aren't for me.

I no longer find the need to justify my firearm purchases but if I am pushed I respond to the inquisition crew ..."Cause they made it."

How sturdy are the 5 shot moonclips for the Taurus? I have a 640-1 Pro and the clips are thin enough to be fairly flexible. I carry with the rounds in a clip for quick extraction, but I carry speed strips for reload. It might just be a 9mm vs .38/.357 issue, but I’m worried about bending or warping the clips while carrying. The clips for my Model 610, Model 625, Model 1917, and my 10mm SRH are all thick and inflexible.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

Beats me. I don't know why anyone would want one of those revolvers chambered for a semi-auto pistol cartridge;-)

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

If I post "YMMV" without more the post will be too short and won't work so I'll write a longer sentence.

YMMV

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Come and take it!!

I’ve never liked any of the moon clips that came with any of the three revolvers above. They aware thick enough, but the steel wasn’t springy enough.

The Taurus clips however were an order of magnitude worse. When I first bought it, the cylinder was poorLy cut and while it would chamber and fire individual 9mm cartridges (I.e. the chambers were properly head spaced) when you tried to load a moon clip of cartridges the cylinder wouldn’t fit in the frame as the cylinder wasn’t cut deep enough to accommodate the thick moon clips.

I took it back to the gun shop and they gave me the option of waiting for it to come back from Taurus or a refund. I took the refund, but then bought it again about 4 months later when it came back. It was advantageous to buy it as it was old stock and was covered by the lifetime warranty.

That’s par for the course for Taurus. They make good guns, but their QA is bad and if you aren’t lucky you’ll have to send it back after you do the final QA checks on it.

The Taurus moon clips however were still too soft and bendy so I bought ten TK Customs moon clips for it.

In retrospect the TK Customs are enough thinner that I think they would have worked in it originally.

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The TK Customs clips are thinner in general, but well made and I’ve never bent one out of shape.

Every rationale for a 9mm revolver is defeated by 158gr Buffalo Bore 38spl +P SWCHP GC or 357, a half decent press, a decent revolver smith to cut a cylinder for moon clips. Except “because they made it.”

I have a 9mm S&W, I like it.

I bought a moon clip loader and then turned extra adapters for different sized moon clips on my lathe. It makes loading Them faster and easier. That said, the TK Customs clips are not hard to load by hand.

I also turned a few moon clip unloaders as well. They are not hard to make out of steel tube. Mill or cut away about 3/4 of the way around it about 1/8” deep leaving a tab to pry against the moon clip, and then knurl 3/4” or near the other end for grip and cold blue it. I make them long enough to accommodate however many unfired rounds are in a clip and slide a rubber cap on the end. It lets you unload a full clip and have all 5 or 6 rounds contained in the tube when you are done.

In case you haven't shot USPSA revolver, ICORE, or a revolver in steel challenge lately, the 8-shot 9mm revolvers dominate. The OKC ICORE had most of their stages set so a 6-shot revolver had no chance to even finish in the par time.

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Science plus Art

Had a S&W 940 for a while. Also had a Desert Eagle (actually two at two different times - and a model 25 'model of 1955' - and a model 625 'model of 1988'- couldn't seem to pass up a "good deal" ). . . for a while. Not trying to be killjoy, but I guess I'm just too dull. After the novelty wore off I examined the practical reasons why I should keep such and sent them on to the next 'curious enthusiast' to enjoy.

I understand the enthusiasm for such. I first caught the bug for a revolver chambered for a semi-auto round shooting with old school 'bullseye' shooters. Seemed like a good idea at the time. But my interests seemed to run in other directions. I saw, I lusted, I acquired, I played, and then . . . . decided they weren't for me. To each his own. Glad for the first hand experience. Variety - the spice of life !

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Qui plantavit curabit

OK, over the top and pricey but my Korth has .357 and 9 mm cylinders and doesn't need moon clips!

Why? Because they made it.

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This is a good reason. It keeps me in the top three against the semi auto shooters at our club events.

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I have a convertible Ruger Blackhawk, the 115 gr 9mm is about right for muskrat, skunk, porcupine, coyote,badger etc, that you run into on the farm. It seems a dozen 9mms in a pocket take up about the same room as 6 38s. Ammo available and cheap.

Works for me.

What he said!

You can't count out the 929. It's a great competition gun and the 9 mm offers lots of benefits. The case are shooter than .38 leading to faster reloads. Moon clips are faster than speed loaders, 9 ammo is easier to find that .38 or .357 and less espensive.

Ammo shortages have become a part of life and I have noticed 9mm and 5.56 seem to be more available than the others and atmore “reasonable” prices.

My S&W 940, Ruger SP101 9mm, & Ruger Blackhawk .357/9mm Convertibles aren’t going anywhere.

I really like my 940-1. I wanted it because the 9mm will perform better in that package than a .38 Spl +P, and IMHO would be more controllable than a .357 in that package.

Neither does my S&W 547.

Back when I was a young fellow, I used to think a Ruger Blackhawk in 357/38/9mm would be just about the best all around gun globetrotting. You could find ammo about anywhere in the world.

Of course at the time I knew nothing about the legalities of carrying a handgun in most places around the world.

I never got one. Never really missed it. I'd like to have had a 547 for the novelty of it, but only for the novelty. I couldn't think of anything it would have been "better" at than any other 38/357 revolver.

I've owned a couple of 45 acp revolvers. Didn’t like them and got rid of them quickly.

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John 3:16 .

I appreciate all my revolvers chambered for auto cartridges. Not sure why; perhaps I like something different. This past Sunday I found a 940 on GB to go with my 3” 625-3, 5” 625-2 and 6.5” 610-1. Although I reload, 9mm and 45acp are much easier to find on store shelves than 38 or 357; 10mm is also elusive.

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213th FBINA

For a do it all revolver consider the Taurus 692. It comes with a 9mm cylinder and a .38 special/.357 cylinder. Changing them is quick and easy. I usually shoot 9mm without moon clips as they are a pain to load. Extraction using a short dowel.

If you were an LEO who carried a 9mm duty pistol, having a back up revolver that takes the same ammo offered advantages.

9mm is also economical for range shooters who like revolvers and shoot factory ammo. It was and probably still is the cheapest centerfire ammunition you could get. Not that long ago, I was able to buy it for $5-$6 per box. The good old days!

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"I also cook."

+1. That’s why I bought my 940 when they were introduced (as I was issued a Beretta 92F a couple years earlier). I felt having one less cartridge to keep up with in my patrol car was a definite benefit.

I hate picking up brass. So +1 for revolvers.

I fired 12 full moonclips=72 rounds through my Alfa project 9mm on July 4th. I was shooting white box Winchester no problem with bullet jump.

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SWCA 1932 SWHF 135

UMC bulk crimps were good for 4 rounds… never tried more (I don’t reload partial clips). Hornady… I think I shot two or three four round cylinders to see if it would creep… and it didn’t.

I want to say it was TheYankeeMarshal who did a few videos on crimp jump and which crimps were good to go.

Moon clips are not for everyone.

Neither are semi auto pistols. Some folks prefer revolvers and others just can’t rack the slide on a semi auto. For example when my 80 year old mother decided she wanted to conceal carry and asked me for a recommendation her options were either a J frame sized revolver, a flip barrel Tomcat in .32 ACP or a delayed recoil locked pistol like the Kimber Micro, Colt Mustang or Sig P238 in 380 ACP. She went with a S&W 36 but a similar sized 9mm would have worked for her as well and it would have given her a 9mm option she would not have had otherwise.


All good points.


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The question my post sought to answer is “why would *anyone* want a 9mm revolver?” That’s different than “why would *everyone* want a 9mm revolver?”

[QUOTE=AzShooter;141509923]You can't count out the 929. It's a great competition gun and the 9 mm offers lots of benefits. The case are shooter than .38 leading to faster reloads. Moon clips are faster than speed loaders, 9 ammo is easier to find that .38 or .357 and less espensive.

[/QUOTE

Agreed.

Carrying a J frame sized 9mm in an ankle holster works fine for me, and when I fly, it’s often my primary as a flight suit doesn’t offer any concealed carry options other than a pocket holster.

“Full length” ejector rods are based on the full length of a .38 Special and they are 1/8” short on nearly all .357 Magnum revolvers.

It gets worse on smaller revolvers with barrels less than 3” in length. For example the ejector rod on a Model 36 or 60 leaves a lot of case still in the chamber.

With 9mm you get full ejection and then some on pretty much any revolver.

There are a few more…

- 9mm is still cheaper for casual plinking, even for folks who handload.

- For more or less equal .38 +P and 9mm performance 9mm in moon clips is shorter and more compact than .357 Mag in moon clips; and

- 9mm revolvers have more positive ejection in a short barrel revolver that lacks a full length ejector rod.

I started shooting practical pistol competition in the mid 1980s. Over the years I watched folks get badly off track pursuing the “speed” aspects of it at the expense of the “practical” aspects of it. They eventually ruined it with race guns. The addition of stock classes hasn’t fixed the mess it’s become.

Setting stages that eliminate traditional 6 shot revolvers from competing is just more of the same.

Why would anybody want a 9mm revolver? Or, for that matter, a 45 ACP revolver? But come to think of it, why a 38 spl, when a 357 is so much better. Or a 380, so little. Or, omg, a 45 colt, when a 44 mag is so much better.

OK, OK, just kidding. Looks like I might have all of the above. Why? I just like them I guess. No real reason and no need to splain why.

Moon clips are okay for a range toy, but are questionable for some match shooting and self defense. The only way to do a tactical partial reload is to dump the whole moon clip on the ground with unfired rounds still in it. Seems like a waste.
Moon clips are more easily bent than a Safariland speed loader.
Moon clips usually require some type of tool to reload.

Well…there’s no free lunch but your preconceived bias is showing.

Denigrating them as “range toys” further weakens your argument. I don’t know why people think going negative is a good idea, it’s not.

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Again to be fair, not all moon clips are the same and some of them are really poor quality. That said, I’ve yet to bend one of my TK Customs or Speed Beez moon clips, and I’ve stepped on a lot of the Speed Beez moon clips. However, for the sake of argument I’ll agree they are more easily bent than a Comp or Comp II speed loader. But then I’ll have to also point out they are a lot cheaper and I can stack 20 empty moon clips in the same space as a single empty speed loader.

——

Match wise, it probably depends on the match and match rules to some extent, but objectively speaking I can load a revolver with moon clips faster than I can a Comp or Comp II speed loader.

I have two Apache 1800 boxes. One has 36 (two layers of 18) loaded .45 ACP moon clips in it (216 rounds). The other has loading and unloading tools along with usually, a single layer of up to 18 loaded moon clips. That’s still 108 rounds loaded and ready to go. I can load them up watching TV the evening prior to the match and not have to ever bother loading a moon clip during a match.

——

In any case, loading cartridges into moon clips with a loading tool is super simple. However, even without a tool all you really need to load one is a hard surface. Lay the cartridge on the surface, line up the slot in the moon clip and press down. It snaps right in. Rinse and repeat until it’s full.

In terms of unloading, there are at least three unloading tool designs and all of them either already are or can be made pocket sized. You can literally carry one on a key ring. Lacking any of those, you can pop them out with a pocket knife.

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I’m trying to wrap my head around your tactical partial reload comment. You correctly state that to do that you’d have to dump the whole moon clip, which is correct. However to do a partial tactical reload without moon clips You still have to eject all the rounds, and then what? Sort them out on the ground and put the unfired rounds back in the gun - under stress and time pressure, possibly while receiving fire? It makes no sense in a match and makes even less sense in self defense.

The bottom line is that barring a match rule preventing it I can carry more moon clips in the same space that I’d carry speed loaders. For example, I have a shoulder holster with a pair of speed loader carriers on the off side, they’ll each carry a single speed loader in .45 ACP, or they will carry two moon clips with .45 ACP. With 30 rounds rather than 18, I can afford to drop a lot of rounds in partial tactical reloads.

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Self defense wise, I still greatly prefer moon clips to a speed loaders. They won’t accidentally dump rounds, they require less fine motor skills, and they go in the gun quicker, and I can carry more of them.

Seven years with my 9mm 642-1… haven’t managed to bend one (all S&W moonclips). Federal L/E and have the gun on me most of the time I’m up and not working (right now, for example). I use Del Fatti moonclip holders, which do an awesome job with carry and protection. I never worried about moonclips until I started trying different ways of carrying… which I posted a thread here and a few other forums.



For a tactical reload… it’s a five shot gun. I understand what you are saying, but it’s a similar argument as a half empty magazine. Eject it, stow, and put in the new ammo source. I’ll have to start seeing how tossing in a moonclip with three empties pans out next time I go to the range. That being said, unless I’m in the middle of Walmart when stuff lights off… one of the nice things to accomplish is to get back to my truck with the suppressed AR pistol and Level III+/POLICE marked vest in it. Sort of a depends on the situation… but if I only have a five shot J frame… I’ll do what I can.

I was never a Safariland guy… prefer HKS… but get what you mean. Problem when you have a rimless case, you either need a moonclip, a mechanical extraction system or a stick to eject empties. Moonclips are the more practical/cost effective method.

I went with these as my loader/unloader…

BMT Equipped, Inc.

Have the J frame 9mm and the N frame .45 ACP (for my 1917). I feel that loading/unloading is where you will mess up a moonclip, so a few extra dollars for the loader wasn’t an issue for me.

Bumper sticker/sandwich board material.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

The Israelis experimented with a 9MM revolver in either the late 1940s or 1951-52, I have read various accounts. Only about 50 made, they ended up as presentation pieces, the Israelis adopted the Beretta M1951.
A revolver chambered in 9MMP/38 Super makes some sense, IIRC the "official" bore diameter for 9MM is slightly smaller than .357, the 38 Super has more "oomph !"

Just like the .45ACP revolvers, buy one and shoot it and then no explanation or justification will be needed.

You 547 guys should try a pair of rubber stocks. They will improve your groups.

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I'm saving myself for a revolver chambered in .38 Super.

Good thoughts here in this thread.

For you competition shooters, is the 9mm totally taking over or are people still using 8 shot .38s with moon clips? Is the shorter case that much of an advantage? Also I wonder is there a difference with how the moon clips interact with the 9mm case with its distinct "waist" differently than a .38 case with a rim?

I still like my S&W .45 ACP for Revolver division shooting, although I don’t shoot nearly as much as I used to.

Under the USPSA rules there are major and minor power factor requirements in the Revolver Division, like the Open, Single Stack and Limited divisions.

Under the Major power factor rules, the minimum power factor is 165 *and* the maximum revolver capacity is six rounds. Under the Minor power factor rules the minimum power factor is 165 and the maximum capacity is 8 rounds.

Major power factor hits score 5, 4 and 2 points respectively for A, C and D hits. Minor power factor hits score 5, 3 and 1 points for A, C and D hits.

In terms of Major versus Minor and 6 shots versus 8, it comes down to how the stages at a match are set up whether an 8 shot Minor revolver has a competitive edge over a Major revolver.

Personally, I don’t think there is a significant difference between ejecting .38 Special versus 9mm cartridges on a competition gun with a full length ejector rod. A power factor of 125 is a full power load for a .38 Special, but they are not sticky during ejection.

A bigger consideration is if a competitor shoots a 9mm semi auto pistol in one of the other divisions. Shooting a 9mm revolver makes the logistics easier with common ammunition for both.