So I have a thing for revolvers chambered in rimless cartridges so I thought it would be interesting to see if the more knowledgeable members here might be able to list all the models and rimless cartridges S&W has chambered revolvers for. Off the top of my head I get the following list:

627: 38 Super (only a minority most are 357/38)
625: 45ACP/45GAP
610: 10mm/40S&W
646: 40S&W
929: 9mm
986: 9mm
I thought there was a 9mm J-frame also but the model number is not jumping to mind.

Where there other models or more interesting other rimless (or semi-rimless) cartridges S&W chambered revolvers in?

The J frame you are thinking about it is the 940

You also forgot about the 547 which was chambered in 9mm but did not require moonclips.

The 620 is a .357Mag/.38 Spl. You are thinking of the 610.

There was also a 686 in .38 Super made for, I believe, Bangers.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

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NRA Benefactor Member

Yes the 940 is what I was thinking about. I have never heard of the 547 before. Thanks!


Total typo on my part I knew that as I own a 610. I fixed the original post.

686 in 38 Super would be nice.

There's the models 1917, 325, and 25 in 45 acp.

I have one chambered for 22 TCM. Not going to find one on a shelf anywhere though and it started life as a model 10, then became a 22 Harvey Kay Chuck, then got the 22 TCM cylinder. Oh, and adjustable sights.

Why you ask. Because I could.

I have a M29 in .44 Auto Mag. Only one I know of, I built it. Uses modified .45 moon clips.

You can add the .30 Carbine experimental prototypes.

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Good shooting.

Would you mind sharing more details and even pictures if you got some? Adding a 629 to my collection is probably my next revolver purchase. The ability to shoot 44 Auto Mag on moonclips in it sound very appealing.

Talk to TK Custom. They can probably make that happen.

Dave

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RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

The Night Guard series that had aluminum frames alloyed with titanium and darkened stainless steel cylinders included the Model 310 10MM/.40S&W and the previously mentioned Model 325 .45ACP/.45GAP. There were other versions of the Model 325 including some with normal adjustable sights. The Night Guard series had large fixed rear sights installed in normal adjustable sight milling cuts combined with large dot tritium front night sights.

During WW II N frame prototypes were made for the previously mentioned .30 U.S. Carbine cartridge and 9 MM Luger.

Brands C, R, & T also made or make revolvers for rimless cartridges. Brand T made adjustable sight 5 shot Tracker .45 ACPs with 4 and 6 1/2" barrels and fixed sight snub nose revolvers in 9 MM, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Brand R made 9 MM Police Service and Speed Sixes and the current .45 Red Hawk fires .45 Colt and .45 ACP in moon clips. I think they also made 9 MM SP-101s but that's a fuzzy memory. Colt famously made U.S. Model 1917s for WW I.

You can add the 547 (9mm)

Simply milling a 629 cylinder for moon clips like TK usually does does not make a two cartridge .44 Magnum / .44 Auto Mag. The .44 Auto Mag was made by shortening .30-06 brass, inside reaming and giving it a straight taper down to .44 caliber. The remaining cylinder wall thickness in an N frame would not be strong enough.

Starting with an appropriately strong revolver one could have a moon clip loading .45 Winchester Magnum custom made.

Reaming a .357 Magnum Red Hawk for moon clip loading .357 Auto Mag is an interesting thought but the revolver might suffer from case set back like the .22 Jet Model 53. .357 Auto Mag was a shortened and necked down .30-06 so .45 ACP Red Hawk clips would work.

Yeah was doing a little research into 44 Automag and am realizing that the base of the cartridge is a bit larger in diameter than regular 44 Mag.

Several gunsmithing companies have milled Model 629 cylinders for moon clip loading .44 Magnum/Special. A few competitors have used them in local matches. Similar to .357 and .41 Magnum moon clips the draw back is expensive easily bent moon clips. Full moon clips for rimmed revolver cartridges are so thin that they are easily bent while filling and emptying them. Even slightly bent mainspring energy is wasted flattening them out before ignition. Around my neck of the woods competitors that buy custom guns lighten their double action pull to the point that the mainspring will only reliably set off Federal primes so you might not find it problem with a stock mainspring.

No other moon clip loading revolver is as fast to reload as an N frame .45. Round nose bullets and thin walls between chambers allow the moon clips to be tossed into chamfered chambers with a slight spin with the process in your peripheral vision. Moon clipped .357s are slow because longer cases result in bullet noses further out of alignment and you have to look at the cylinder to get them all in the chambers. Using shortened .38 Special brass helps. Also, locally, in our "revolver friendly" matches the 7th and or 8th chambers have to left empty so the cylinder has to be closed carefully so the first loaded chamber rotates up behind the barrel. The advantage to .357s is they can be loaded down to recoil less than a spit wad.

One of our best competitors uses a Performance Center Model 686 six shot .38 Super. That's a classy match revolver.

Don't forget the 1950 .45 Military (short action 1917) and the 1950 .45 Target. There were also model numbered versions of these revolvers.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I built mine for pin shooting 30+ years ago when that was a big thing. I made the brass out of .308 cut down and reamed out. Starline makes the brass now. I never loaded full power loads, just enough for pins. A 300 gr. bullet going 915 fps, power factor of 275. I will get a pic of the .44 Auto Mag revolver up soon.



Here is the .44 Auto Mag revolver. I made the barrel from a Douglas blank, the underlug from a bar of steel, did the action job, shortened the Wichita Rib with a lap joint, welded on the trigger guard spur and had the gun electroless nickled.



This view shows the barrel porting.



Closeup of the trigger guard spur, helps with recoil management.

The model 22-4 is available in 45ACP.

Lou

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

The Night Guards had Scandium Alloy Frames & Stainless PVD Coated Cylinders.

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Waiting for the break of day

Good catch. Their aluminum frames were strengthened by alloying them with a minute amount of scandium. While some of the Night Guard's predecessors had titanium cylinders the only company that I know of making titanium revolver frames was Taurus. With a moment's thought I would have known better.

Good information above. Let's all remember the cartridges mentioned above are not "rimless" but have a "rebated" rim, otherwise they would not work in moon clips (or extract in semi-auto pistols, if anyone owns one of those) .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Yeap, I agree with you, been competing in USPSA Revolver division since 2006 and recently been playing with IDPA also.

Started competing with my 610 6.5-inch using 40S&W. Later I landed a good deal on a 625 5-inch. Definitely the most fun revolver I own and I agree the fastest reloading revolver going. USPSA changed the rules in 2014 allowing the 7 & 8 shot revolvers to play. That de-throned the 625 as the best revolver to have and the 8-shot 627/327/R8 and the new 929 quickly dominated the division. I picked up a 627 just before the rule change and have been using that loaded with 38 Short Colt in competition since. The 38 Short Colt does load a lot easier than 38 Special or 357 Magnum and the shorter cases seem to bend moonclips alot less often. I can still reload my 625 slightly faster but the two extra shots make the 627 more competitive.




I think I get what you are talking about but in the industry 9x19mm, 40S&W, 10mm & 45 ACP are all consider rimless. Yes they still have a rim but it is the same diameter as the base of the case and thus called "rimless".

There are cartridges that have rebated rims and in those cases the rim is smaller in diameter than the base of the case body. 50AE and 50GI and 450 Bushmaster are good examples of cartridges with rebated rims.

38 Super is actually a semi-rimless cartridges as the cartridge looks very similar to a rimless cartridge like 9x19mm but the rim is actually .022 inch larger in diameter than the case body. 25 ACP and 32 ACP are also examples of semi-rimmed cartridges.

Then there are the typical rimmed cases like 357 mag and 44 Mag etc.

Agreed.

40 S&W SAAMI specs.pdf

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SAAMI - 45 ACP specs.pdf

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Waiting for the break of day

The 686-7 was the 38 super and there was a 940 chambered in .356 TWS. These are the two I thought of

I think there are some European S&W made for 9x19 or 9x21? I believe I saw someone in Europe post pictures of a 686SSR in these calibers.

Every revolver should be able to use moon clips. There is no faster way to load one. Just my $.02.

Korth sells 9 mm yoke and cylinder assemblies as an accessory for Model 686s. That's probably what you saw. If the idea tempts you, be warned, they are expensive.

All this talk needs more pictures.

Here's my 940 and 3" 547. Notice that the 547 has a pinned barrel and patent number. This makes it an early one.