Why Arent 9mm Revolvers More Popular?

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I have the 9mm revolvers big brother, a 40 S&W revolver from Charter Arms. I ordered directly from the factory and requested a 5" barrel. It is nice for its price range. I carry it when I hog hunt with my 40 caliber Glock carbine.
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TPD211, you have my thanks. I had forever sworn off Charter Arms revolvers. Now that there is a spector of a chance I can order one to spec I may go get one for the fiancee who has been crushing on the Lavender Lady for some reason (thinks it's pretty, wants a pretty guns to go with her XDs .45). Seriously if I can order a 9mm Pit Bull done up Lavender Lady Style with a 5" barrel I'll drop about $450 for it. Then I'd be done hearing about how she wants a pretty gun (she seriously suggested buying two Taurus PT92s, one blued, one stainless, and then switching the uppers on the receivers, NFH).

For myself, I want a Model 15 style 9mm with moon clips. Give me that and I'll spend $450 and be happy. There's the catch though, no one will do it for $450 unfortunately.
 
Wow! . . .awesome carbine conversion. Thanks for pics. This is a Mechtech unit I presume?
 
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I think that part of the answer to the original question is in the OP's original post. Very few companies have made them and they are now in fact discontinued. I feel taurus and charter both make good money on them simply because those few who do want a rimless revolver will buy theirs because they are the only ones still in production. A 40 s&w model i might be interested in and bite someday but I do not like the idea of a stiff push-in method of loading an already slower than auto revolver (but I still do love all my revolvers) :D and I never really warmed up to moon clip method. 9mm is a nogo for me personally because I can use the many 357 magnum revolvers I already have to get similar responses. 357 mag surpasses the 9mm that can be easily shot through a pistol without being +p+ factory rated (good luck finding one readily available) and 38 special can be as good as standard 9mm dependant on the round made/aquired. I think it would be neet to have a rimless revolver for a conversation piece or a "look at the cool thing ive got buddy" gun but I have always found another gun to fill the void. I think it would be a blast to shoot one (literally) :neener: and maybe someday I will buy one in 40 s&w for that reason but for now it just doesn't do it for me enough. I am glad however the OP loves the gun and hope he has nothing but good luck and good times with it.

I honostly do not know about prices in other states or counties around the country but i do know that I can buy 38 special just as cheep if not cheeper than 9mm because of the whole gun scare thing that happened. Wasn't too happy when I went to fuel my Tanfoglio Witness Combat 9 though let me tell you. :fire: :cuss:
 
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weblance said:
Ok... well I have my answers now. Some people will never embrace a new idea, and are so narrow minded that they will push against anything they dont understand with every ounce of energy they have. If you guys want to keep shooting your .38s and spending your money on a weaker, more expensive round, simply because most people are shooting a .38 revolver, then thats just fine with me. I feel I have found something that is really worth telling people about, but not many are listening. I will continue to shoot my revolver, enjoying its cheap ammo, getting more snub nose practice, and smiling all the while.
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And that is why 38 special is only a range round for me for the most part... the point of a revolver to the revolver crowd is to have a reliable piece of steel with an enormous amount of powder behind a bullet like a 357 magnum. Yes, yes, yes, the 9mm is better than the 38 special; the 357 magnum is where it is at and is the point people are trying to make. There are so many small revolvers and every other size chambered in 357 magnum that unless the oz of weight are really counting against you, you get it chambered in 357 not 38 special because you can use both. Which since the 9mm is chambered in the same frame as the 357 most of the time weight does not seem to be an issue here, so the 357 magnum with it bonusly (I made that word up) shooting 38 special it is because 357 is greater than 9mm in these revolvers. When you ask someone why they carry a revolver the answer is usually "I like having a reliable gun chambered in a nasty round rarley usable/found in an auto on me" (357 magnum, 44 magnum, ect) .To most people carrying the 9mm in a revolver is redundant, the whole point of me and most people toting around the extra weight of a revolver is the fact that when it is loaded to kill in our defense it has something much more nastier than my 9mm in a controllable, reliable, sexy package. As a range gun yes you do have an ammunition advantage in price but when using it as a defensive tool the reason we prefer 357 magnum isnt for the price. I never bought a defensive gun because I thought to myself that the amunition is cheap because then I guess I would be carrying a .22lr all year round. Tit for tat when comparing the prices of defense amunition of all cartridges, price savings is not the first thing most think of no matter what bullet is being bought, its expensive no matter the bullet... so those opting for the 357 magnum think the extra $ is worth the extra takedown power. Same principle as 40,10mm,45,357 sig. ect over 9mm, just in revolvers the caliber to size ratio limits you to 357 over the 9mm because going any bigger would usually warrent a dirty harry gun... usually.
 
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There are people that have small relatively weak hands. Possibly hundreds when you take in the population of the country. They may be able use a revolver but not able to rack OR CLEAR an auto.

The same small demographic, may also not be be good at controlling high recoil handguns. A 9mm gets into the general killing capability range as a .357, but is not as bad for recoil. The round performs better than the other candidate, the .38. I have a Pitbull for my wife. She fits into this odd demographic. The 9mm Pitbull has an annoying level of recoil; but controllable.

I carry 9mm. Thus, she can use my ammo. I need to carry, buy or reload only one caliber. In a self defense situation, I believe most (or certainly a whole bunch) citizens carry only what is in the gun. In dire and probably very unusual circumstances I can give her a spare mag for reload, or peel a few out of my mag. I really don't see this to be a major consideration in buying the 9mm revolver. She has 6 shots. I only have 8. But we have them with us and can use them.

I can conceal a spare mag or loose rounds much better than a revolver that needs either a bendable loader or the more robust quick loader. It significantly lessens the comments about me being glad to see someone.

Lastly, if there is a market, why are some so hostile (in my perception) toward people who want the gun. No skin off your nose if I want a 9mm revolver.
 
When considering all of the data/accounts of different pistol bullets stopping a human, I can't say I'm swayed to find the 357Mag as a better man stopper. Most information (not just shooting into jello or reading velocity and energy stats on a box) seems to point to all pistol rounds being sub-par and most quality JHP nearly equal. That said, I'm satisfied with the performance of a quality 9mm. I've got a handful of different 9mm auto loaders. I buy lots of 9mm to feed them. I also reload as well, though a bit less in 9mm than 45ACP due to factory loaded prices. The press is a Hornady LnL AP. Not the worst press in the world to setup, but also not a 2 minute job to do a caliber swap. I'd rather buy/load 9mm that worked in all platforms than have to buy specific dies/shell plates/powder meter inserts/cases/bullets to load 357/38 or have to hunt down both types of factory loaded ammo. The vast bulk of my shooting is range time casual shooting. As such, ammo cost (in terms of money and time spent reloading or searching for ammo) is a very high priority.

In my area, 9mm can be bought by the case at $15/50 in multiple places and in near endless (for my budget) quantities. 38 range loads are at $20/50 and are sporadic to find in stock. 357 range loads are pushing $25/50.

This is the reason I went with a S&W 625 in 45ACP. I load ammo for my 1911s and toss it in moon clips when I plan on shooting the 625. No need to stock both 44 and 45. It makes things simple when budgeting for ammo stocking, it is one less caliber conversion for the press, and I can buy twice as many components at a time and typically get a better price buying in more bulk.

I like 38/357 better in a revolver for a few reasons, but with the way things are today, any new purchases will be in a common semi-auto caliber to minimize ammo inventory issues. I no longer have the time to spend tweaking a press to devote to endless calibers and I don't shoot enough to justify a dedicated progressive press for each chambering.

As for moon clips. They are a pain to load by hand. Luckily, tools are cheap and/or easy to make to speed up both loading and unloading the clip. A piece of PVC pipe with its ID closely fitting the OD of your cartridge takes a minute with a Dremel and a cutoff wheel to have a case remover. Two pieces of 1/4" thick by 1"-1.5" wide steel/aluminum bolted together will lever the rounds into the clip effortlessly. Moonclips are fast and easy to use. Plus, for the reloader, everything is hooked together when you're rounds are fired. You don't lose a few cases here and a few there. No lost speed loaders. The only issue I see is that in a carry gun, you may bend the clip with pocket carry, but I'd hate to try to reload with a pocket carried moon clip anyways.
 
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benzy2 said:
I can't say I'm swayed to find the 357Mag as a better man stopper.
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Then you have never seen something other than a target get shot by one. Lets say an animal since I doubt most people have seen a body been shot by these rounds in person. A deer (or similar) shot with a 357 magnum is miles beyond a 9mm; no comparison as not argued before. When using similar loads from the same brand ie using american eagle target 9mm and american eagle target 357 magnum with close to same bullet weight and barrel length so no bias between loads occurs, it is common knowledge and fact that the 357 magnum does more penetrational damage and widespread micro damage. The 357 is a 9mm lead with more velocity, that statement would be like saying the 10mm is not more of a stopper than a 40 s&w. The 357 is sometimes too efficient of a round with penetration which brings to light why most leo are not authorized to use them... they can go straight through the target with the right load/bullet combo; which obviously is not good in crowded places. The 357 mag can also reak major havoc on an engine block, 9mm not so much.
 
.....I'd hate to try to reload with a pocket carried moon clip anyways.
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I'd suggest that for a carry situation that half moon clips is the way to go. The half round clumps of three rounds would fit into the pocket far better. Or if set up for storage in a belt they would fit into a belt with cartridge loops spaced at the right distance to hold the two outer cartridges and the middle one is suspended by the clip. Either way it would provide a compact and low profile option over full moon clips or speed loaders.
 
I'm a little bit of a purist in that I want a 9mm length cylinder, not a cylinder designed to hold the 357 magnum cartridge.

I don't know the length of the cylinders on the Charter Arms PITBULLs, not sure if the frame was especially made for the 40 S&W cartridge or 9mm cartridge or not.

Most revolver makers use a 357 frame for their 9mm revolvers, and most again use a 357 sized cylinder - over all dimensions not chamber dimensions.

The AlfaProj line of revolvers use 357 frames but have 2 choices as far as the cylinder. You can have 357 sized cylinders and the subsequent bullet jump, or they make models where the barrel comes back into the cylinder frame against a cylinder that's about 1.17" long
 
Had one once. It was a good shooter, but it didn't make much sense. Moon clips are annoying. I wasn't saving any money with 9mm over .38 for target/plinking, and if the guns are the exact same size, why would I choose hopped up 9mm over .357 for self defense?

I think the novelty idea is cool, but outside of that I don't see much point in a revolver shooting typical auto-loader calibers. You can load .38s to be very soft shooting, so that defeats the purpose of a .380 or 9mm revolver if you were looking for something easier to manage

However, I do like revolvers that can shoot auto-loader calibers along with the calibers they are supposed to shoot (i.e. a S&W Governor that can shoot .410, .45 LC, and .45 ACP). I wouldn't buy one JUST to shoot .45 ACP, but it's nice that it can be done and would certainly be a selling point if I were in the market for a vehicle/snake gun
 
Then you have never seen something other than a target get shot by one. Lets say an animal since I doubt most people have seen a body been shot by these rounds in person.
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I have not seen first hand effects of what any bullet does to the human body, so you are correct on that point. I'm not concerned about what it does in a deer as I'm no deer hunter. In all the data I've seen relating to persons shot with a firearm, there wasn't a statistical difference in the effectiveness or number of rounds required between any of today's major pistol rounds. None have a temporary cavity significant enough to be meaningful and the permanent wound cavity as well as penetration of quality JHP all run about the same, or in some cases excessive penetration. I won't try to argue that the .357 is equal on paper, just that I've never seen a study of actual GSW data that shows it to be a more effective fight ender.
 
The 357 isnt the same on paper if your talking stats. It is superior to a 9mm. It is right on the packages, lists, or a persons chrono if you don't believe the companies. As far as that goes look at it like this, an object moving faster than the last is going to be more dangerous, many of us can attest to that with punches, the faster the punch the more dangers. If your talking hole in a paper then yeah it is the same but so would .380 auto (9mm kurz), 9mm makarov (9x18), and 38 special ect because of the use of the same diameter bullet. But I agree with you that defensivly paper holes mean nothing. So as far as cavity/damage goes you can defenatly tell a 9mm wound from a 357 be it human, deer, pig whatever. The cavity is larger and as stated before does more outward lasceration damage (un-patchable in most cases). Although I do admit the flat nose bullet that some 357 magnums offer does help in the cavity opening. Slightly getting off topic of the pistols but similar case, the damage/cavity factor is one reason many people hunt with 16" 357 magnums or pistols even and not with 16" 9mm let alone a pistol. As stated before that is the advantage over a 9mm pistol, the powerhouse 357 magnum. I have a 9mm and love it, mine is a full size combat and that is what I use it for (17 rounds of fury) but when I feel like I need to carry something that I know will drop a "bad guy" who is harming me or another whith a shot center mass, I grab my 357 on my way out.
 
I run 45ACP and 9mm thru several revolvers. I have loaded these 2 rounds for a long time and did not want to get new dies and have start loading something new. The revolvers in these two sizes are strictly recreational guns I enjoy shooting.
 
Revolvers are great for hand loaders. You do not have to chase brass.
I have seen what a 124 gr Fed HST 9mm from a four inch autoloader does to a person from twelve feet.
Wasn't pretty, not that you would think it would be, and did what it was designed to do. May I never see that again.
 
Dearest Moderator,
With kindest regards to this post, I feel compelled to point out the following:

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Sincerely,
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I like this thread.

But I'm one of those people who has a fascination with 9mm revolvers...

This thread just sort of hangs around and every so often someone will purchase a Taurus 905 or pickup a Charter Arms PITBULL in 9mm and they'll come here and post.

CzechPoint USA is going to get the AlfaProj 9231 in stock in a few months and I'm planning to buy it. :)
 
Why aren't 9mm revolvers more common?

Same reason 357-Mag auto's aren't common. Because the 9x19-Para round is made to feed from a magazine into an auto/semi. There are better rounds for firing from a revolver. No need to re-invent the wheel for most people.
 
I had a Taurus Model 905CIA, first generation. It shot fine. After one box of ammo on the range, the web of this ol' geezer's hand was a-gittin' a might sore, with gloves.

Came one night, in the wee hours, when a bangin' on my door woke me up. (Shades of Ayoob - 'Don't answer the door!') I grabbed the 905, and was puttin' a moonclip in, when a few of the cartridges fell off! So, I grabbed my kukri, instead, and waited. The bangin' stopped.

My dear friend asked me 'about my little pistol', so it is now their's, moonclips and all.

Now, it is single-action pistols, and service-style revolvers, only.
 
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