Convert Detective Special to 9mm - could it be done?

[lindermant]

would it be possible to convert a Colt Detective Special to 9mm?

I don't know what I don't know, so bear with my (most likely flawed) thinking:
-reduce cylinder length for 9mm cartridge
-turn down 3" Colt DS barrel so cylinder gap mates with shortened cylinder

Aside from machine work, is there anything else I'm missing? Will 9mm work in the 38spcl barrel?

Thanks for entertaining my pie-in-the-sky idea

 

[Old Fuff]

What you really are looking for is not a Detective Special, but the older Police Positive that had a shorter frame and 1.25" cylinder.

But no, such a conversion would require 1/2 or full-moon clips that would fit the 9mm cartridge, and to my knowledge no one makes such a thing. Without clips you would have no way to eject the rimless cartridges.

 

[lindermant]

thank you Old Fuff!

 

[Jim Watson]

It is physically possible. Elmer Keith had a 1917 with the cylinder shortened to the OAL of .45 ACP; a friend of mine has a PPC .38 with the cylinder shortened to just take a .38 wadcutter.

Or you could just rechamber the cylinder to 9mm and let the bullet jump. There are several shops doing that work on S&Ws and Rugers.

But how do you plan to handle extraction? I don't know of a source for moon clips on the Detective Special chamber spacing.

I might as well ask how you plan to pay for it, the cost would be high in today's true custom gunsmithing market.

 

[lindermant]

I figured cost would preclude any action, I'm just curious...

 

[Old Fuff]

You might be interested to know that some years back, the Federal Cartridge Co. introduced a rimmed 9mm cartridge that would in effect offer 9mm Para. performance in a revolver cartridge. It failed because none of the larger handgun manufacturers would build a revolver that could take advantage of it.

 

[DWARREN123]

Bullet diameters are different. 9mm is .355/.356 while 38spl is .357/358.

 

[tinygnat219]

If you are looking for a 9MM snub-nosed Revolver. I have a 5-shot Taurus 905SS that I am willing to part with. It comes with 5 of Taurus's "Stellar clips". Say, 300 shipped.

It shoots ok, but sometimes the cylinder doesn't want to lock into place when it's pushed back into the frame. A trip to Taurus would probably fix it.

 

[Walker'47]

Would the higher pressure cartridge not be a problem ?

 

[lindermant]

Regarding the diff diameters of the rounds - I recall seeing something about a Ruger revolver that came with extra cylinders and could shoot 9mm/38spcl/357. That's what had me curious about shooting 9mm from a 38spcl barrel...

 

[461]

9mm shoots just fine from a .357 bore, my 4 5/8" Blackhawk is a 2-3" at 25yd combination with pretty much any 9mm ammo. 9mm in a moon clip revolver is a great little package, my 9mm SP-101 just flat rocks. You can pick up a Ruger, Smith or even Taurus version for a whole lot less than having a custom detective special made up and having someone make custom clips for you. You would get a six shot weapon though if thats your big turning point.

I paid a bit of a premium for my 9mm SP-101 and then sent it off to Gemini customs and had it gone over very well and have way less into it than you'd have to pay to get a custom Colt.

 

[Cosmoline]

The older PP's are going to be weaker than a second or third gen PPS or DS. I doubt they'd be up to the pressures of a 9x19

 

[Wolfgang2000]

I don't know about Colt, but both S&W and Ruger made 5 shot 9mm revolvers. I have a S&W 942. It takes a full moon clip. Nice little belly gun.

 

[Old Fuff]

Late pre-war production Police Positives, Police Positive Specials and Detective Specials had cylinders that were made from the same bar stock and heat treated to the same specifications.

But you have a point. I was trying to illustrate the size of gun that would be better for a 9mm cartridge. The cylinder itself would be borderline in strength.

From my perspective the conversion was unlikely to go forward because of the lack of clips, and therefore the idea would be impractical.

 

[cherryriver]

Wolfgang-
Not to be a big fussbudget, but that Smith is a "940".
I have one, too, and once Smith rebuilt it with a new cylinder and barrel to get past the frequently difficult ejection, it's a great gun. In fact, I traded off my other centerfire Js.
Pinnacle Guns in Pennsylvania recuts Js and Ls for 9mm, 9x23, and .38 Super, with what appears to be success. Some of the USPSA boys at the Brian Enos Forum have praised his work.
I keep thinking of having him cut a six-inch 686 for USPSA use.
http://www.pinnacle-guns.com/revolver.asp

 

[lindermant]

Thanks for the help all. I've seen the other 9mm revolver brands, I was hoping something could be whipped up with a Colt

 

[Maddock]

You might be interested to know that some years back, the Federal Cartridge Co. introduced a rimmed 9mm cartridge that would in effect offer 9mm Para. performance in a revolver cartridge. It failed because none of the larger handgun manufacturers would build a revolver that could take advantage of it.

As I recall one of the other downfalls was that the 9mm Federal would fit in .38 S&W chambers. Visions of somebody loading up great grand-dads top break Iver Johnson with a cartridge generating three times the pressure it was built for had to send shivers up the spine.

 

[Old Fuff]

I suppose someone might put a Super .38 round in an old 1900 Colt .38, or a .357 Magnum in an old 1877 Colt .38 D.A. Even so I'm delighted that neither of the newer cartridges weren't developed because of the possibility.

 

[Wolfgang2000]

cherryriver you're right it was just a typo. It's still a sweet little pistol.