9mm vs. .357 2" J-Frame - Yep - got a 940 today

I was lucky enough to pick up a 940 today, and a 649. The 940 was unplanned and a nice surprise.

I want more than .38+p hence the 649 purchase. I will only keep the 638 airweight if the 649 proves too heavy for sweats/workout shorts.

Since I got this neat little 940 9mm I'm now completely stumped as to what snubby I should load up and carry.

So I ask for the communities input - the .357 or the 9mm?

Here's some 940 pics

Depends. You really should shoot both with whatever you plan on stoking them with and then decide. And don't just expect that .357 is the best choice for that 649.... 38 ammo these days is quite effective, comparatively speaking, not to mention much more comfortable to control and shoot. If you haven't picked your ammo, may I suggest Luckygunner.com's recent ballistic tests. Extensive, with pictures and video.

.38 is not an option.

Really wanting to know about .357 vs. 9mm out of a 2" J-Frame. Did Lucky Gunner include that in their ballistic tests? If so, do you have a link.

357 defensive ammo in a STEEL j-frame isn't nearly as bad as a lot of people make it out to be IMO. I vote for it over the 9mm - not that there's anything wrong with the 9mm. I just like the versatility of the 357.

I have a S&W model 940-1, as well as an S&W model 640 no dash, both built on the J Frame. Both my 357 five shooters are built on the J Magmun frame. I like my 940 best. Slightly smaller and nearly the power of 357. My thoughts on 357s even in a steel frame is kicks to hard for me. Guess I'll have to turn in my man card.

Considering the fact that my main CC is a 9mm, I'd prefer the 940 for the convenience of stocking the same ammo, plus the 940 would make an excellent BUG.

JFrames4ever said:

I have a S&W model 940-1, as well as an S&W model 640 no dash, both built on the J Frame. Both my 357 five shooters are built on the J Magmun frame. I like my 940 best. Slightly smaller and nearly the power of 357. My thoughts on 357s even in a steel frame is kicks to hard for me. Guess I'll have to turn in my man card.

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You mention 9mm has nearly the power of the .357. What's your opinion of power to recoil ratio for each? Does the 9mm have that much less kick?

Ranger514 said:

Considering the fact that my main CC is a 9mm, I'd prefer the 940 for the convenience of stocking the same ammo, plus the 940 would make an excellent BUG.

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I have the parts to reload .38/.357/9mm, but I don't even know if I'd go through the troubles. I'll only be shooting at the range to keep proficient, and I'd never load my own defense rounds so.....

As far as BUG.... hell I can barely figure out where to put one gun let alone a 2nd.

I would suggest the 9mm over the 357 for defense/carry. You won't be able to pick the time when you need it, and the 9mm has a lot less flash than a magnum round ( especially out of a 2" barrel ). I'd prefer to have the ability for a quick second follow up shot if needed over hitting once and not being able to see well. And I'd also say that with modern HP ammo, a 38 is a viable option. Don't discount it so easily. If it wasn't a good round it would have gone the way of the dodo.

I carry +P+ 9mms but aside from reduced muzzle flash, there's not much difference between these loads and most .357s. Shoot enough and:



Regular 9x19 isn't too bad and .380s are pleasant enough to shoot as much as you want. (Just be sure to clean the chambers well afterwards.)

jaymoore said:

I carry +P+ 9mms but aside from reduced muzzle flash, there's not much difference between these loads and most .357s. Shoot enough and:

Regular 9x19 isn't too bad and .380s are pleasant enough to shoot as much as you want. (Just be sure to clean the chambers well afterwards.)

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Are you shooting +p+ out of a j-frame?

I've read a lot of comparisons between .357 and 9mm out of short barrel revolvers and it is observably slightly better stats wise, however terminally I don't think it matters. With good 9mm SD ammo I'll give the nod to my 940-1. Slightly smaller gun I.e. J vs J Magnum frame moonclip reloading with easy empty case extraction and manageable recoil with enough power to suit my taste. YMMV.

Have for years and years. But not in huge quantities at any one go. Gets messy. Fortunately, the POI shift between different loads isn't all that large at usual snubbie distances.

jaymoore said:

Have for years and years. But not in huge quantities at any one go. Gets messy. Fortunately, the POI shift between different loads isn't all that large at usual snubbie distances.

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I was just making sure you were talking j-frame.... lol.

JFrames4ever said:

I've read a lot of comparisons between .357 and 9mm out of short barrel revolvers and it is observably slightly better stats wise, however terminally I don't think it matters. With good 9mm SD ammo I'll give the nod to my 940-1. Slightly smaller gun I.e. J vs J Magnum frame moonclip reloading with easy empty case extraction and manageable recoil with enough power to suit my taste. YMMV.

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I must need to revise my search words, because I didn't come up with much comparison info on the subject.

I want to keep the ability to penetrate barriers. It's a big reason I choose 9mm over .45. I got a .357 sig, but it was too big for me to carry. Anyways... I don't want to open up a can of worms lol....

Do you recall reading if the 9mm is reaching 1100 fps + ?

EDIT to add - Bullets a side, you make a great point on loading with the moon clips. I could have that done to the 649, and then I'd retain the bobbed hammer which I really wanted and the 940 doesn't have. Kind of just talking out loud here.....

Pdxrealtor said:

Do you recall reading if the 9mm is reaching 1100 fps + ?

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It might be worth buying a chronograph for some testing.

According to Speer the 124 gr.+P Short Barrel load hits 1150 with a 3.5" barrel. So, with a 2" barrel, I doubt you'll get 1100fps with that load. You might with say the 90 gr. +P+ load that Underwood Ammo offers. I'm not advocating that ammo but, if you really "need" to hit 1100fps., the lighter/faster bullet gives you the best chance. In my opinion, a really hot round like those Underwood's might be a bit much for a non-magnum J-frame.

The other question is, do you want to carry a revolver that requires the use of moon clips?

629shooter said:

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It might be worth buying a chronograph for some testing.

According to Speer the 124 gr.+P Short Barrel load hits 1150 with a 3.5" barrel. So, with a 2" barrel, I doubt you'll get 1100fps with that load. You might with say the 90 gr. +P+ load that Underwood Ammo offers. I'm not advocating that ammo but, if you really "need" to hit 1100fps., the lighter/faster bullet gives you the best chance. In my opinion a really hot round like those Underwood's might be a bit much for a non-magnum J-frame.

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Ya... I'm reading around now. It seems there is also the little issue of pressure escaping between the muzzle and barrel throwing off a lot of comparison data on the 9mm out of a 2" barrel.

Congratulations on a new addition

I have several 940s, they are always a conversation even starter around S&W enthusiasts



While this older picture shows my first 940 loaded with some original Ranger SXT (Black Talon in brass cases), I have opened up the cylinders on some of my 940s so that they may also shoot 9x21, 38ACP or 38SUPER

A 940 loaded with 38SUPER is a great package and since auto loader cartridges headspace on the moon clip in a revolver, the firearm can still shoot everything down to and including 380 ACP

357 Magnum ammunition still delivers several hundred feet per second of additional velocity over 9MM +P+ of similar weight, a good 25% or so velocity increase. That equates to a significant energy increase. If all you shoot is paper, that extra power does not mean much. If you might be facing a hostile assailant behind a door or windshield that extra power could mean everything.

I have many additional snubbies in the training inventory including J-Magnums



You will find when it comes to carry, that the shorts still prefer a 442/642 or a 340. The stainless guns swing too much.

Recently I lucked into some Performance Center 940 Specials. These are also known as the Pocket Rocket. These are 2" revolvers with the Power Port (Single exxpansion chamber compensator). The Performance Center 940 Specials are chambered for 356TSW.



The 356TSW operates at 50,000 PSI (15,000 PSI above 9MM) and gives 357 Magnum performance to this short cartridge. The 147 Federal Hydrashok moves out over 1200 FPS from the snubbies.

Muzzle Flash is a non-issue in self defense firearms if you are carrying one of the premium defense loads from the major manufacturers, they contain flash suppressant. Most muzzle flash comments come from people that are shooting inexpensive white/green/yellow box, foreign, boutique ammunition or hand loads. To save money cheap ammo does not include flash suppressant and neither does the powders available to hand loaders.

357 Magnum or 356TSW in a J-frame is not for everybody. There is nothing wrong if you cannot handle it, you should know your limitations. What I never understood is why so many people that can not it handle want to talk everyone out of trying it for themselves or try to justify why the increased performance does not matter.

Holy **** Colt_saa!! That's a very nice collection of snubs!

What's a 940 no dash in excellent condition worth?

What ammo would you recommend? I have in the cart right now some Gold dot short barrel 135, Golden Saber 125, and Critical Defense 125. A few boxes of each to see give them all a fair shot. But now I'm thinking I maybe should just grab some proven Buffalo Bores and go with it.

I have a very nice 940 purchased from another member on this forum, and given the choices that you posted, would carry that. .357 in a snub is a bit much for me. Fine in my 3" 65 or 4" 686 but too much in a snub.

I love the way the 940 shoots, but its really one of the grail guns in my collection. It goes to the range occasionally and then back in the safe. When I need to carry a 2" J frame, I carry my prelock Model 60 with Speer 135 grain Gold Dot Short Barrel 38 Specials.

I would load the 124 grain +P Short Barrel 9mm into the 940 if I was going to carry that. The Gold Dot 9mm has a pretty good reputation as a barrier blind round.