SEEKING AMMO FOR S&W SP101 .356 CAL

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erick00

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Hello,

I recently acquired a S&W model SP101 .356 caliber revolver. I took it to my local gun range; they did not carry .356 nor could I find any on the internet. They tried loading with 9mm but they said it would not work without a moon clip; I also could not find a moon clip for this model revolver. Anyone have any suggestions so I can actually shoot this revolver? Thanks!
 
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Never heard of a s&w sp101. Sure its not a Ruger?
Ruger made a 9mm sp101 so maybe that is what you have.
Google for moon clips for that.
 
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Hmm...

Pictures would help, but I am pretty sure you own a Ruger SP101 in .357 caliber. Smith & Wesson does not make the SP101, and I don't think Ruger ever made any in a .356 caliber. I have been wrong before, though, so post a few pictures and we would know for sure.

If I am correct, any .38 special ammo would work, as would .357 ammo.
 
Sounds like a RUGER SP101. There was a 356 round made, called the 356TSW (Team Smith and Wesson). It was basically a hot rodded 9mm, though I don't think it was ever offered in the Ruger SP101. S&W did offer it in several auto's and revolvers at one time. I don't think ammo is loaded any longer, but if you are correct about the caliber, 9mm ammo might work in it with moon clips - you will have to investigate exactly what you have....

Larry
 
Since that was the OP's first post...any chance he was trolling?? That "S&W SP101" business is just too weird. Who confuses a Ruger with a S&W, particularly with the billboard Ruger plasters on their barrels these days.

Dave
 
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Dave T said:
Since that was the OP's first post...any chance he was trolling?? That "S&W SP101" business is just too weird. Who confuses a Ruger with a S&W, particularly with the billboard Ruger plasters on their barrels these days.

Dave
Click to expand...

Very reasonable question. But who knows?
 
Fishinfool said:
Sounds like a RUGER SP101. There was a 356 round made, called the 356TSW (Team Smith and Wesson). It was basically a hot rodded 9mm, though I don't think it was ever offered in the Ruger SP101. S&W did offer it in several auto's and revolvers at one time. I don't think ammo is loaded any longer, but if you are correct about the caliber, 9mm ammo might work in it with moon clips - you will have to investigate exactly what you have....

Larry
Click to expand...

Wow. I just learned something new. Thanks Larry!

The Ruger 9mm was a speed/security six. It looks almost identical to the SP101. Moon clips are available, but very expensive, ~ $60.00 per 5 or 10.
 
Wow, never knew the 356 round existed. Very interesting.

And as far as an sp101 smith, I'm not sure that exists lol..
 
I think some good ol' boy engineering could come up with something that worked and was safe.
Is the cylinder cut to headspace on the case mouth like my 625 ?
I have run the 625 without moon clips once or twice, just have to pluck the empties out one at a time.

If you were anywhere near me I would help you work this out.
maybe cut down some 357 cases and run them thru 9mm dies.
or cut down 38 super brass or some such.
I see this as an interesting and solvable challenge.
I would keep starting loads on the rather low side.

I think the OP just mixed up the caliber and the firearm manufacturer. An easily forgivable mistake IMO.
 
Varmint243: They did make a J frame in 356 TSW but it required the moon clips. The idea of using 357 mag brass was thought of: ( to not need moon clip and "stronger brass" { hot,hot loads } ), but they ran into some problems with due to case web ( too thick I believe?? ). I believe I read it in American Handgunner/Guns long ago. The cartridge was created to make major but still be a 9mm, instead of loading 9mm's to the edge of KABOOM. I should do a "search" through "my" archives of guns/AH , would be fun to look at the early mags again. Be Safe,
 
major bumm said:
Wow. I just learned something new. Thanks Larry!

The Ruger 9mm was a speed/security six. It looks almost identical to the SP101. Moon clips are available, but very expensive, ~ $60.00 per 5 or 10.
Click to expand...

Ruger made both SP101s and Speed Sixes in 9mm, they could be shot without moonclips just like the 940. To the best of my knowledge only S&W ever made any guns chambered for the 356TSW, the only revolver being the 940PC (200 made), and it also headspaced on the case mouth so it could be fired without moonclips unless you were using a cartridge shorter than 21.5mm.
 
Sounds a lot like a troll. One would think by now he would have returned.
 
Dave T said:
Since that was the OP's first post...any chance he was trolling?? That "S&W SP101" business is just too weird. Who confuses a Ruger with a S&W, particularly with the billboard Ruger plasters on their barrels these days. Dave
Click to expand...

Aw, he was spoofing you guys. His gun is one of them 38 SPL CTG's......
 
hotrod150 said:
Aw, he was spoofing you guys. His gun is one of them 38 SPL CTG's......
Click to expand...

Pfft. That's nothing. It just so happens that I own the very rare and much coveted Glock 7. I also have it on good authority that it's worth more than the monthly salary of the Chief of the Dulles International Airport police. :D

Edited to Add: All jokes aside, S&W did make a very limited run of 940s chambered in .356 TSW, so there exists a slight possibility that it is, in fact, the OP's mystery revolver.
 
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S&W .356 CALIBER REVOLVER

TAG 1 S&W REVOLVER 356 CAL #2.JPG

TAG 1 S&W REVOLVER 356 CAL #1.JPG


Hello Everyone,

I apologize for confusing everyone with labeling the revolver as an SP101. I am a newbie gun owner and was confused because the actual revolver came with a manual for the Ruger SP101 (which it looks like) but it is NOT a Ruger SP101. It is a Smith & Wesson and it has "356 TSW" inscribed on the barrel.

I am seeking the .356 caliber ammo for this revolver and also "moon clips" to allow it to shoot 9mm (although what exact size of 9mm I don't know). The revolver is supposed to shoot 9mm but when I tried it at the gun range, the 9mm did not seat correctly inside the cylinder.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Eric

p.s. sorry for the small pictures, don't know how to make them larger, but the "356 TSW" is on right side of barrel
 
Erick,

Looks like you're the proud owner of a very rare revolver, which is a Model 940 chambered in .356 TSW. I don't think S&W made more than about 300 of them.

Sadly, I don't believe commercially made ammunition in that caliber even exists anymore. Most of what you'll find, if anything, are older boxes of it.

Perhaps someone with more knowledge than me will chime in about reliable sources of ammo and/or the feasibility of reloading it, but it seems to me that you have a revolver that's little more than a collectible, albeit a fine example of such.

That is, of course, unless you can safely fire 9mm Parabellum ammo in barrels and chambers designed for the .356 TSW, but that again is a question best answered by someone more knowledgable about the latter than myself.
 
S&W 356 CALIBER MODEL 940 REVOLVER

Hello All,

I see that S&W online sells a moon clip for the M940. I have no experience using moon clips. Are the clips reusable? How long can you expect each clip to last?
 
The clips are stamped steel and reusable. They take some effort to put rounds in and even more to get the fired brass out, and there are tools available for both tasks.

I also don't know if 9 mm Parabellum can be safely used in your .356 TSW, but I'm awaiting the answer to file away in my mental folder of gun trivia :). Hope this piece of information is helpful.
 
Google 356 tsw. There is a month old result there, I think from Flaguns.com where the site administrator mentioned he was trying to sell a quantity of Corbon 356 tsw ammunition. It didn't sound like he got it sold, so it might be worth trying to track it down. Good luck.
 
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erick00,

For my S&W PC 940 356TSW I got my moon clips for Ranch Products. I hope this helps you.

THE ROLLING STONES
 
In regards to shooting 9mm Parabellum from a 356 TSW Wikipedia is your friend here. Both calibers use a 0.355 inch diameter bullet and the TSW case is basically an extended 9mm case. Since the 9mm Parabellum is loaded to a lower pressure than the 356 TSW I have no doubt that the 9mm Parabellum can be fired safely from this model 940 by using moon clips.

As noted previously Ranch Products is a great source for moon clips and I believe that the 40 caliber moon clips sold by S&W are actually made by Ranch Products. Good news about the Ranch Product moon clips is they are identical to what S&W sells at a much lower price per clip. Bad news is they only sell in bulk so you will be purchasing 100 clips. BTW, last time I purchased a batch the cost was 75 dollars for 100 40/10mm clips, or 75 cents per clip. A heck of a lot cheaper than S&W's price and it allows me to take the 610 to the range with a LOT (16 lbs.) of ammo preloaded in clips. More potential bad news is that Ranch Products is VERY MUCH small town Ohio and you cannot place an order for clips over their web site. Instead you have to go a bit Stone Age and order using an invention called the Telephone during their normal business orders. A monstrous and huge inconvenience for today's texting Twitterists but as someone who actually placed a few Mail Orders in my past not really that bad. BTW, those X Ray glasses sold out of the back of a comic book do NOT work as advertized.
 
I bought 9mm moon clips (for a 940) from Midway and from Dillon. They came in packs of a dozen. I guess I never realized S&W made the 940 in 356 TSW. As much as the recoil of the 940 in 9mm hurts my hand (sharp recoil) I can only imagine it in the 356 TSW. The TSW round was developed for those trying to make Major with a 9mm. I think it was about a 9X21.
 
MOON CLIPS FOR S&W MODEL 940 REVOLVER

Hello,

Thanks to all for the information provided on this excellent forum.

How does one actually use the metal moon clips? Do you have to have a special tool and crimp the bullets into the clips? Can they be reused?

Thanks!
 
The moon clips can be used until they wear out. That will be a long time, longer than the period for pistol magazines, but they are a wear item. I find my 9mm moon clips to be easier to fill and empty than the ones for 45ACP, and often do them with my fingers, which is not going to happen with the ones for 45ACP. The 356 is a 9X21.5 as I recall, and so 9X19 should not be an issue in that revolver as far as I know, but do your due diligence, don't take my word for it.
 
My recommendation to the OP is to trade the gun for an equivalent model (640) which can fire .357 mag or .38 special, which can be found pretty much anywhere that sells gun and ammo.

You're 940 is a very nice gun and a great collectors piece. However, unless you're a hand loader, feeding it is going to be problematic.


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