9mm revolvers

bluetopper

bluetopper

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Me and my shooting buddy these last few years have really got into benchresting at 25 yards with our reloads. All calibers, revolvers and 1911's to see who can come with the tightest groups and the best reload recipes. I'm thinking of getting a 5 or 6 inch 9mm revolver to see how good I can make it shoot but I don't know which one to get. And I'm not going to spend $1300 on a S&W 986.
The two I'm thinking about is a 6" Charter Arms 9mm or a Taylors/Uberti 5.5" single action. I've never owned any caliber in either brand. Is the Charter Arms cheap feeling? I know it's on a small 5-shot frame like a J frame. Do they have nice crisp triggers like a S&W?
Which would you choose?
 
Might try a 357/9mm convertible Blackhawk if you can find one. They're tough to get but my Blackhawk nearly out shoots my S&W Victory target 22 when using tailored hand loads. I don't have the 9mm conversion though I'd bet it can be made to do the same. Cast and jacketed bullets often shoot between 1" and 1.5" at 25 yards. This pistol single handedly made me a fan of single action revolvers.
 
Charter is not the way to go for accuracy and I agree that the S&W is too much.

Your options would be Taurus 692, Ruger Blackhawk, and Chiappa Rhino. The Taurus is nifty because it will also have a .357 cylinder and is a double action, but the Rhino is very unique as it fires from the bottom chamber of the cylinder, not the top as is typical of revolver.
 
I've only shot one once, but recoil on the Chiappa Rhino was odd. It was a full power 357 Magnum factory load, so I don't know how it would feel with a 9mm.
 
Yes, the S&W Performance Center 986 is a bit pricey. Originally, the 986 was available as a standard version of the L-frame revolver. They would only be foundvused these days but it should be more reasonably priced.

My 986 is great and moon clips rule.

The convertable Blackhawk would be a good choice as well.

Ruger had a 9mm SP101 available a few years ago. I’m not sure if it is still in production.
 
cfullgraf said:
Yes, the S&W Performance Center 986 is a bit pricey. Originally, the 986 was available as a standard version of the L-frame revolver. They would only be foundvused these days but it should be more reasonably priced.

My 986 is great and moon clips rule.

The convertable Blackhawk would be a good choice as well.

Ruger had a 9mm SP101 available a few years ago. I’m not sure if it is still in production.
Click to expand...
They seem to produce a small run every couple years.
 
I see none of you picked the Taylors/Uberti 9mm. I didn’t even know they made a 9mm until I saw one on the auction site. Don’t they make nice accurate revolvers?
 
i had a charter arms 9mm snubbie revolver. it went bang but was roughly made and unpleasant to shoot. i.e. rough edges beat up my hand. i was happy to be rid of it.

i have a ruger blackhawk 357/38/9 convertible single-action revolver. it came to me used 7-8 years ago for $350. well-built. pleasant to shoot 9mm. if you can find one at a price that you are willing to pay, jump on it.
 

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NIGHTLORD40K said:
Of course, if you wanna get crazy, one could always track down one of the semi-mythical M547s:
View attachment 1134874
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Ive actually seen exactly one in the flesh. Probably shoulda bought it, lol.
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Yep, but it probably cost an arm and a leg. The S&W 547, to me, stands with the Triple Lock (and also the 35 and 32 caliber automatics) as one of S&W's most over-engineered guns. A triumph of mechanical engineering and manufacturing, to be sure, but pretty much the definition going to too much trouble for the job at hand. Why S&W made the fundamental decision to avoid the use of moon clips in the Model 547, rather than regarding them as an advantage, baffles me. Heck, they invented moon clips!

PS - when I was thinking of S&W and over-engineering, I forgot about the "9mm Light Rifle" they tried to sell the British in 1940. It almost bankrupted the company. See the excellent "Forgotten Weapons" video about it if you're curious.
 
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Monac said:
Yep, but it probably cost an arm and a leg. The S&W 547, to me, stands with the Triple Lock (and also the 35 and 32 caliber automatics) as one of S&W's most over-engineered guns.
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Yes, the S&W 547 is probably more unavailable as the 32 S&WL K-32.

I regret that I did not have available funds to buy one when they were in production. Ya win some, ya lose some.

When the 547 was in production, in the 1990's if I remember correctly, moonclips were not the thing. Moonclips are more acceptable today. Maybe using moonclips in competition games has made moonclips more acceptable.

Besides 45 ACP revolvers, 9x19 revolvers and 10mm revolvers, I have three 38 Special revolvers machined to use moon clipped ammunition. I like using moonclips better than speed loaders.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Blackhawk if single action is acceptable. SP101 if you want DA.
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Being the owner of a .327 SP101 and having shot a lot of different ammo thru it from .32 ACP to S&W Lg to the H&R and Federal magnums, I don't feel the SP101 is capable of stellar accuracy, just good combat accuracy. Basically, its size doesn't contribute to it being an accurate gun.

This is not to say it is an inaccurate revolver, but if given the choice between it and a Blackhawk or Taurus 692, the SP would be last.
 
DMW1116 said:
I've only shot one once, but recoil on the Chiappa Rhino was odd. It was a full power 357 Magnum factory load, so I don't know how it would feel with a 9mm.
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In general people say the 9mm has a bit less recoil than .357 does, but that may just be from them shooting cheap, weak 115gr stuff.

I've not shot a Chiappa Rhino before, but I feel that its design and size should make it a good shooting and accurate revolver, not just for speed given its muzzle flip reduction, but that it is an accurate gun.
 
I cannot say it wasn’t accurate. I got the x ring on the first try from 10 yards. The question is could j do it again? Likely not but I gave it back and we’ll never know:D
 
I have a 357 Blackhawk with a 9mm cylinder and an SP101 in 9mm. I own four Charter Arms revolvers, and also a Uberti 357.

I wouldn't think about Charter Arms for this project. To me they are lightweight, close-range SD revolvers. They don't feel like they would stand up to a whole lot of shooting. FWIW, their triggers are decent and there's no particular reason the longer-barreled ones wouldn't be accurate. It just seems like an odd choice.

My Blackhawk is my most accurate 9mm handgun of many (recent thread). It's a 357 model, but I found a 9mm cylinder on Ebay that happened to fit.

The SP101 in general has never been that accurate for me. They don't fit my hands well. A 4-incher might work well for some people. The one I have in 9mm is a 2.5" snubby. It works just fine.

The Italian SAA copies I've seen have been very nice. My 357 Uberti has a very attractive finish, smooooth action, and is more accurate than I am. I wish I had a 9mm cylinder for it. The main difference between it and a Blackhawk is that the Blackhawk has large adjustable sights and the Uberti doesn't.

I'm pretty sure a gunsmith could make a 9mm cylinder for a 357 SAA.

Is the famous company called T&K? They do monclips and stuff. They will also convert any 357 S&W revolver into a 9mm that uses moon clips for $350.

Because of ammo cost and availability, I've been more interested in 9mm revolvers lately. I'd like to have one of the Taurus Trackers with the interchangeable cylinders. I had the 22lr/22mag version, and the cylinder swapping aspect worked very well.
 
Thanks guys….these responses have been a great help.
All this makes me wonder if there is anyone who makes a red dot mount for a Uberti single action?
Wouldn’t this be the ultimate in mixing old and new technology.
 
Tallball said:
I have a 357 Blackhawk with a 9mm cylinder and an SP101 in 9mm. I own four Charter Arms revolvers, and also a Uberti 357.

I wouldn't think about Charter Arms for this project. To me they are lightweight, close-range SD revolvers. They don't feel like they would stand up to a whole lot of shooting. FWIW, their triggers are decent and there's no particular reason the longer-barreled ones wouldn't be accurate. It just seems like an odd choice.

My Blackhawk is my most accurate 9mm handgun of many (recent thread). It's a 357 model, but I found a 9mm cylinder on Ebay that happened to fit.

The SP101 in general has never been that accurate for me. They don't fit my hands well. A 4-incher might work well for some people. The one I have in 9mm is a 2.5" snubby. It works just fine.

The Italian SAA copies I've seen have been very nice. My 357 Uberti has a very attractive finish, smooooth action, and is more accurate than I am. I wish I had a 9mm cylinder for it. The main difference between it and a Blackhawk is that the Blackhawk has large adjustable sights and the Uberti doesn't.

I'm pretty sure a gunsmith could make a 9mm cylinder for a 357 SAA.

Is the famous company called T&K? They do monclips and stuff. They will also convert any 357 S&W revolver into a 9mm that uses moon clips for $350.

Because of ammo cost and availability, I've been more interested in 9mm revolvers lately. I'd like to have one of the Taurus Trackers with the interchangeable cylinders. I had the 22lr/22mag version, and the cylinder swapping aspect worked very well.
Click to expand...
I do wonder if as a result of the shortages we had with .38 and .357 factory ammo for so long and still aren't past this recent primer shortage if 9mm revolvers won't become more popular given that was the only ammo people could get for a while and even now is what is affordable.

Maybe 9mm Federal could make a comeback after all.
 
I have a 9mm/38/357 Ruger BH revolver with a 4 (and a fraction)" barrel. It's accurate and I appreciate not having to chase brass. However, it really needs its adjustable sights. It requires a full- turn and a quarter on the elevation screw to put the group back in the center of the bullseye when going from 38 to 9mm...this at 50 foot range.

Unless you plan on adding some type of adjustable sight, I'd avoid fixed sight versions for this project.
 
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