S&W J Frame?

[Low_Speed_Notper8or]

So Im a pretty young guy, live a pretty boring life as an insurance agent and I shoot USPSA and have been carrying a makarov for a few years and Im looking to get hooked into something I can have as a pocket gun since I live in Indiana and have a permit but am near the Illinois border and I am looking to get a S&W 940 for a sweetheart deal from a friend's relative's estate sale.

I really enjoy shooting snubs and given that I already purchase something on the order of 2500-4000 rounds of 9mm ball a year for USPSA a J frame in 9mm really logistically makes alot of sense for me.

So with a smith and wesson 940 or 941 is there any issues? Does it have the tabs to hold 9mm without moon clips or do they take moon clips? Is there any ammo that has issues with bullet pullback? Would it instead be a better option to have a .357 J frame and get a gunsmith to convert the cylinder and cut it for moonclips?

 

[cfullgraf]

I do not have any experience with the 9x19 S&W J frames so I'm no help there. Whether you can shoot rimless round without a clip is hit or miss with some of the Model 25s in 45 ACP. Whether that got into the J frames, who knows.

I do not have any problems with bullet pull back in my S&W 986, but it is a tad bit heavier revolver than the 940. I've never tried shooting my 986 without moon clips.

TK Custom will modify the cylinder of a J frame to accept moon clips as well as many other revolvers. I've had two 38 Special S&W J frames modified. Turn around time was about a week if they are not busy. They also sell moon clips.

http://tkcustom.com

If you get serious about shooting lots of rounds with your moon clips, you will want a moon/demoon clip tool. There are many on the market that work well but I have found the BMT Equipped tool the most efficient. A bit pricey though. I have both the 38 Special J frame tool as well as the 7-shot, Model 986 tool.

http://www.bmtequipped.com/products.php

 

[Low_Speed_Notper8or]

Also anyone here shoot the Ruger LCR in 9mm, do those guns run well or have problems?

Also what would happen if say you shot your moonclip out and dumped the extras in once of those revolvers and just put 5 lose 9mm rounds in the gun, like stripping out of a magazine? I know extraction would be messed up, but would it fire the rounds and revolve to the next chamber?

I mean realistically if you have to draw a pocket snub weather as a backup or in your everyday life as a primary, its unlikely your going to reload, and even more astronomically unlikely that you will need a second reload out of a pocket pistol because your situation will resolve itself or you will be dead

Also is there anyway to carry speed strips in a pocket where they will not get bent? I am going over carrying in a pocket and Im not going to be keeping my week side pocket clear, and a thin metal clip jangling in a pocket with my keys, mini-leatherman, EDC knife and Iphone really just seems like a good way to get the gun to jam up

 

[bannockburn]

Low_Speed_Notper8or

My Bianchi Speed Strips which I carry for my S&W .38 Special J frames are made of some pretty sturdy rubberized material and do quite nicely with pocket carry. Cartridges stay put once they've been placed on the strip and I have yet to have one come off inadvertently.

I have no experience with 9mm. revolvers but instead have a Kahr CM9 in my pocket carry rotation to go along with my S&W Model 638 and Model 649 J frame revolvers.

 

[Gun Master]

So Im a pretty young guy, live a pretty boring life as an insurance agent and I shoot USPSA and have been carrying a makarov for a few years and Im looking to get hooked into something I can have as a pocket gun since I live in Indiana and have a permit but am near the Illinois border and I am looking to get a S&W 940 for a sweetheart deal from a friend's relative's estate sale.

I really enjoy shooting snubs and given that I already purchase something on the order of 2500-4000 rounds of 9mm ball a year for USPSA a J frame in 9mm really logistically makes alot of sense for me.

So with a smith and wesson 940 or 941 is there any issues? Does it have the tabs to hold 9mm without moon clips or do they take moon clips? Is there any ammo that has issues with bullet pullback? Would it instead be a better option to have a .357 J frame and get a gunsmith to convert the cylinder and cut it for moonclips?

How much was the "sweetheart deal" from your friend for the 940 ?

 

[Low_Speed_Notper8or]

I didn't buy it yet, looking to it over over thanksgiving

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Buy the S&W 940 over the Ruger and don't worry about all the stuff you are talking about. You carry a pocket revolver for SD, not an extended gunfight like a LEO would be involved with. I carry a J frame with one reload on a speed strip and see no reason for more. You shoot competitions so trust yourself to make good hits.

If you are going to somewhere very dangerous either don't go or carry a full size gun with more capacity.

 

[Stugotz]

I do understand your wish for the economy of using your already available ammo, there is at least one other consideration. For what I feel would be a boost in "terminal effectiveness" I personally would want my J-frame in a revolver round like .38 Special.

In .38 Special you can choose bullets with a cutting shoulder, such as the time-proven 158gr LSWCHP. In 9mm, you must use rounds that are designed to pull double duty by being able to feed through semi-auto pistols. That limits your bullet design choices.

When dealing with the already limiting factors of the snubby, I'd want at least a proven bullet design that's not necessarily dependent on velocity to be effective.

 

[Steve C]

The 9mm is a tapered cartridge. As such a revolver chambered for the 9mm would have tapered chambers in the cylinder. Moon clips are there to have a way for the ejector to pull the spent cartridges out of the cylinder since the 9mm is a rimless cartridge. Mood clips also give the advantage of being used like a speed loader.

I believe there was a rimmed 9mm once made for Charter arms revolvers to function like the .45 auto rimed to enable extraction in a weapon really designed for rimmed ammo but it is no longer manufactured. One should be able to load 9mm ammo in the cylinder designed to hold it and head space in the chamber. You would have to shake the cartridge loose to extract it or poke it out with a pencil or some other rod if not using a clip of some sort.

 

[paulsj]

So Im a pretty young guy, live a pretty boring life as an insurance agent and I shoot USPSA and have been carrying a makarov for a few years and Im looking to get hooked into something I can have as a pocket gun since I live in Indiana and have a permit but am near the Illinois border and I am looking to get a S&W 940 for a sweetheart deal from a friend's relative's estate sale.

I really enjoy shooting snubs and given that I already purchase something on the order of 2500-4000 rounds of 9mm ball a year for USPSA a J frame in 9mm really logistically makes alot of sense for me.

So with a smith and wesson 940 or 941 is there any issues? Does it have the tabs to hold 9mm without moon clips or do they take moon clips? Is there any ammo that has issues with bullet pullback? Would it instead be a better option to have a .357 J frame and get a gunsmith to convert the cylinder and cut it for moonclips?

The 940 is to heavy for pocket gun and the trigger pull is long & heavy. It's rarely seen because not many were sold that is why they stopped making it. What you need is alloy framed revolver chambered for .38 special. Colt police revolvers were better because they held 6 shots instead of five.

 

[springer99]

AFAIC, a S&W 642(38Spl) or, better yet, a 640(.357) would be a much better choice in a snubby. Yes, a 9mm 940 would make sense by sharing ammo with your other firearms, but as others have mentioned, will really limit your choices in bullet weights/styles. Plus, it will open you up to possible problems of bullet crimp jump that you will only find out by a lot of shooting. Even if it were a "sweetheart deal", for me, that gun would end up being a safequeen and rarely shot.

I would suggest that you look at the Smith 640 in .357Mag. as your best choice for a small carry gun. Since you mentioned that you've been carrying a Makarov, you'll find that even the weight of the SS 640 to be better suited to pocket carry. You'll also then have a gun with wide ammo choices and more than enough power for your needs.

 

[Tallball]

Me too. I would get one in an actual revolver caliber, such as 38 special. Having one in the same caliber as another handgun you own sounds great in theory, but bent moonclips, jumping crimp, etc. could make you a very sad panda.

 

[the Real Alpo]

It's heavy for a pocket gun. Unlike a 642 (same gun in 38) which has an aluminum frame with a stainless barrel and cylinder, the 940 is all stainless.

I see no reason for NOT choosing it based on bullet style. People have been bragging, for decades, about how great a manstopper a 9mm auto is. Why then, because it's in a revolver, is it a lousy round?

Mine does not need clips. The shells stop nicely on the little shoulder in the chamber, just as the gun was designed to.

Most people that carry a J frame for protection don't carry reloads. Many of the ones that do carry a reload carry one speed strip, with only five rounds in it.

If I were going to carry the 940 for defense, I would find a small single-stack 9mm magazine. Loaded cylinder, on a clip so it ejects cleanly, and any spare ammo would be in the magazine. Just thumb them outa the mag straight into the cylinder - 1,2,3,4,5 - shut the cylinder and you're good to go.

Getting THEM out, for a second reload - weeell, that's gonna take a little longer. But if you need more than ten shots for self-defense, you're probably gonna die anyhow.

 

[John Joseph]

Not a lot of steam behind a 1-7/8" barrel. Don't 9mms require a little velocity to morph into a .45?

 

[SteadyD]

Not a lot of steam behind a 1-7/8" barrel. Don't 9mms require a little velocity to morph into a .45?

They are moving at about the same speed as a 3 inch barreled semi auto. They have the free bore space of the cylinder plus the barrel length itself, whereas a semi auto barrel length includes the chamber in the measurement.

 

[bassjam]

I'll say it again, because it's important. The 940 is an all-steel revolver and is too heavy for pocket carry for most people, myself included.

Not sure what kind of deal you're getting on the 9mm, but a .38 special S&W 642 can be found new for $350-400 and is the ideal pocket gun IMO. Ammo is a little more expensive than 9mm, but you probably won't be putting 2500-4000 rounds through a lightweight snubby each year anyway.

 

[Gun Master]

I carry a S&W 638 because I have the SA/DA option, with the shrouded hammer.
The S&W 642 would also be a good choice.
Both are AirWeight and affordable.

 

[Low_Speed_Notper8or]

Hmm yeah I was certainly thinking the same thing especially in a backup role

 

[Low_Speed_Notper8or]

I'll say it again, because it's important. The 940 is an all-steel revolver and is too heavy for pocket carry for most people, myself included.

Not sure what kind of deal you're getting on the 9mm, but a .38 special S&W 642 can be found new for $350-400 and is the ideal pocket gun IMO. Ammo is a little more expensive than 9mm, but you probably won't be putting 2500-4000 rounds through a lightweight snubby each year anyway.

See thats the thing I actually do plan to put at least 600 rounds a year through it if not more, and Im planning on actually carrying a USPSA flat nose 147 "puff load" at about 900FPS in it as that round burns very quickly and will get the most power out of a short barrel with the least recoil and powder.

Actually I know a guy who is big into high power who is all about reloading, he personally reloads something like a USPSA puff load with 147 grain ammo and some fast burning powder, I could probably slip him some cash and 147 grain XTP bullets and get a round that should be within the XTPs expansion envelope and get a deep penetrating round with some acceptable expansion as well as see about getting a crimp or something on the rounds

 

[steve8261948]

I sympathizes with your geological location, I live 90 miles south of Chicago myself, and never visit said city without something on my person. Most of the time I carry a Walther PPK stainless in .380(concealable, light, hides well). Mind you I have no desire to shoot anyone so, mostly stay in my own neck of the woods.
Steve

 

[Rock185]

Hello low_speed, I have owned several 9MM revolvers, to include a S&W 940. The 940s are moonclip guns. My 2" 940 is 5 ounces heavier than my 2" .38 S&W 642. The 642 is easier to carry due to the lighter weight. The down side with the 642 might be that actual chronographed ballistics with +P .38 Special lag more than a little behind the 9MM in the same barrel length. With +P or +P+ 9MM ammo, the difference is even greater. As such, the short barreled 9MM revolvers fall between 38+P and .357 in power, however one prefers to define "power". Much as I like my 9MM revolvers, I'd have to admit that I think most shooters would be more comfortable with similar revolvers in .38 Spcl.........ymmv
Forgot to add, that I did some very informal bullet pull testing. After 8 rounds fired, the Federal 124 grain HST+P demonstrated .050" of bullet pull. With normal use though, in the several 9MM revolvers I've owned, whatever bullet pull there might have been has not caused an issue with any 9MM ammo used.

 

[Creature]

I have carried an all steel Colt Detective for two decades with zero issue, but I do not pocket carry. Trigger pull being too long and heavy is complete crap.

 

[SteadyD]

I'd just like to take one more opportunity to make a plug for the LCR 327. 6 round capacity, 17 oz, nice trigger, shoots 4 different cartridges (5 if you count 32 acp). I really think this revolver should be more popular than it is.

 

[bassjam]

See thats the thing I actually do plan to put at least 600 rounds a year through it if not more, and Im planning on actually carrying a USPSA flat nose 147 "puff load" at about 900FPS in it as that round burns very quickly and will get the most power out of a short barrel with the least recoil and powder.

Actually I know a guy who is big into high power who is all about reloading, he personally reloads something like a USPSA puff load with 147 grain ammo and some fast burning powder, I could probably slip him some cash and 147 grain XTP bullets and get a round that should be within the XTPs expansion envelope and get a deep penetrating round with some acceptable expansion as well as see about getting a crimp or something on the rounds

Unless you're getting a killer deal on 9mm, you're probably looking at an extra $80-90/year on shooting 600 rounds of.38sp vs 9mm per year. I think the big thing for you is deciding if the heavier 9mm will be comfortable for pocket carry or not. I have an SP101, similar in size/weight to the 940 and I slipped it in my pocket once and decided it was way too heavy and needs a belt holster.

 

[sean m]

I have an older Ruger Sp101 in 9mm. Its a good gun and a nice compromise between 38 special and 357 magnum. But I think I would prefer a 357 for the ability to shoot both 38 and 357. Moon clips work pretty good but I have found the longer cases for the rimmed rounds are easier to stoke into the chambers.