[MitchSC]

I decided to buy my children ages 49, 47, 42 each a handgun. My oldest son got a Shield Plus 9 mm and my daughter got a P365 9 mm. My youngest son wants a revolver. He likes our LCR 22 but agrees he should have something with a little more oomph for protection. After 2 years in the present ammo shortage with 9 mm being the only handgun caliber I have seen on the rebound I thought that would be a good recommendation. It may be a moot point since I have been searching for a Charter Arms Pitt Bull (no moon clips) to no avail and revolvers in general are scarce.
So for those of you with 9 mm revolver experience. How much of a PITA are moon clips? How big of a problem is crimp jump / creep?

 

[SR-22 DRUM]

I decided to buy my children ages 49, 47, 42 each a handgun. My oldest son got a Shield Plus 9 mm and my daughter got a P365 9 mm. My youngest son wants a revolver. He likes our LCR 22 but agrees he should have something with a little more oomph for protection. After 2 years in the present ammo shortage with 9 mm being the only handgun caliber I have seen on the rebound I thought that would be a good recommendation. It may be a moot point since I have been searching for a Charter Arms Pitt Bull (no moon clips) to no avail and revolvers in general are scarce.
So for those of you with 9 mm revolver experience. How much of a PITA are moon clips? How big of a problem is crimp jump / creep?

Well I guess I'm a little bias but if you have the cash a Smith and Wesson Model 547 would be my choice.

It doesn't use half moon clips.

 

[MitchSC]

Very Nice! I was wondering why I didn't see that until I saw the used price. Although I appreciate them, being a 1911 guy I'm not that familiar with expensive revolvers.
My wife carries a LCR 327 loaded with 32 HR. We have a LCR 22 for cheap practice and several stash Taurus 38/357 for her benefit.
We're in the $600 - $700 range. Preferably something they can carry in their auto or concealed for protection.
Thanks for sharing I learned something.

 

[Pizza Bob]

Again, depending on your budget, get a S&W. They currently catalog two models chambered in 9 mm. An 8-shot Model 929 built on the N-frame, and a 7-shot Model 986 built on the L-frame. The L-frame gun is available in either a 2.5" barrel or a 5" barrel. The longer barrel is more readily available, but still may not be easy to find. You are also looking at appx $1000 - $1200 if you find one. The 929 only comes as a 6.5" barrel, which includes either a false muzzle or a ported muzzle cap. Again, if you can find one, expect to pay $1200 - $1400.

Moon clips for both the 986 and the 929 are available from: Ez Moon Clips and do not require any special tools. These polymer clips also are not fussy about what brand ammo you use. Metal clips are a PITA for the casual shooter.

I shoot a worked-over 929 for USPSA and use the polymer moon clips

9 mm revolvers that S&W no longer makes, that you can find in the secondary market, are the Model 547 as in the above post. These do not require moon clips but have long ago entered the collector's realm. If you find one, usually $2000 and up. They were built on the K-frame. The other 9 mm would be the Model 940. This would be a J-frame, 5-shot snub-nose revolver with which you would need to use moon clips which are only available in metal. 940's, also collectible, generally run $1100 to $1400 if you can find one.

Ruger made several 9 mm revolvers, and since we are on a Ruger forum, I'll let somebody with more expertise with that marque fill you in on those. AFAIK, all Rugers require metal moon clips.

Good luck.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[ROK185]

I like 9mm revolvers and don't mind moon clips. I do believe though, that most buyers are going to prefer traditional rimmed cartridges for their revolvers. I have owned S&W 547s, a Ruger Blackhawk convertible and SP101, S&W 940 and a 686 conversion. Unfortunately for me, I sold both my S&W 547 revolvers before they became hi-dollar collectors items.
Perhaps the little Ruger LCR revolver in 9mm, or used S&W 940 or Ruger SP101 9mm might be worthy of consideration? Crimp jump is real, and may be a tiny amount or significant. But it has never interfered with the reliable function of any of my 9mm revolvers.

FWIW, I would not be inclined to purchase a Charter Arms revolver. They do not have the best of reputations.....YMMV

 

[tinhorn]

Revolvers.

 

[fxstchewy]

I bought a SP101 9mm a couple of years ago just to shoot 9mm because i have alot of that....I like the SP101 with the moon clips, i have no issues with it, It lets me save a little on ammo cost's and be able to save my 38/357 some.
I also have a couple more SP's in .357 so it's kinda like a lower cost training revolver to me.

 

[Sixgun100]

Since your family is already familiar with the LCR platform, I’d recommend the 9mm model. Best wishes

 

[CtYankee]

Moonclips require a separate reloading procedure, but once the clips are loaded, loading and unloading the revolver is fast. The real PITA is unloading a 9mm without moonclips. I have shot with a number of people with 9mm revolvers and have seen very few instances of crimp jump. That seems to be more of a theorhetical problem than a real problem. Look into Taurus revolvers, they have three models of 9mm revolver. The one I have has interchangeable cylinders for 357 Mag and 9mm (the whole crane with the cylinder is removable). I have two Taurus revolvers, they are less expensive than Smith's and Ruger's. but I find their quality to be comparable.

 

[JVogler]

Have you considered a new model Blackhawk convertible 357/9mm? The best of both worlds, in more" normal" times a plethora of ammo choices. If love to get a six inch barrel, stainless steel convertible.

 

[BoBo522]

I have an LCRx 9mm, and if I had it to do over I would have gone with the .357 Magnum instead. Maybe the .22LR LCR is not such a bad choice either - I have one of those as well and it has proven extremely reliable. Eight shots of Federal Punch or CCI Velocitor is nothing to sneeze at.

In the 9mm, crimp jump has been fairly common with certain budget ammo types (Blazer Brass is a notorious offender, at least one complete separation and lock-up every other cylinder), and even with Federal American Eagle you can see some consistent jump (but not too many separations) on the 5th cartridge. Haven't had any crimp jump issues with Federal HST 124gr +Ps but I haven't shot nearly as much of it.

As stated above moon clips are kind of a pain to load and unload individual cartridges but are very fast to load and unload the revolver. I carry my spare loads in a plastic film canister. One special bonus for the reloader - you don't have to chase your spent brass!

 

[Amishman44]

I bought a SP101 9mm a couple of years ago just to shoot 9mm because i have alot of that....I like the SP101 with the moon clips, i have no issues with it, It lets me save a little on ammo cost's and be able to save my 38/357 some.
I also have a couple more SP's in .357 so it's kinda like a lower cost training revolver to me.

I have a friend who has several SP101's, including a 9mm, which she will never get rid of!
She has a SP101 in a 3" barrel and it'll handle +P+ 9mm ammo all day long, which is why she keeps it!
Buffalo Bore, Double-Tap, Littlestones Ammo, etc. all manufacture +P+ rated ammo, which requires a little tougher platform to shoot it through!

 

[Bill-66]

Has anyone ever actually seen, out in the world, a Super GP 100 in 9MM? I'm a buyer if I find one..

(I wrote Ruger customer service in re to this. The response was basically knee slaps and cackling..)

 

[89074]

I have 2 9mm revolvers. I like both.
This is an Alfa project 9mm that uses moon clips.

This is a Korth Mongoose dual cylinder 357/9mm. The 9mm uses a system similar to the S&W extractor.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I've owned 4 different 9 mm revolvers from Ruger and SW.. None of them ever impressed me with accuracy or any perceivable tactical advantage over more conventional chamberings. All are long gone. IMHO, if you want a carry revolver, look to the proven and more flexible 38 special round on a SW J frame or Ruger LCR/LCRX. ( Having sold them for a few years, I'd also stay away from charter arms in anything new.) . As for your reasoning for 9mm selection , I'd ague that the trick with any caliber is to stock up when it is plentiful and cheap.

 

[Bill-66]

I've owned 4 different 9 mm revolvers from Ruger and SW.. None of them ever impressed me with accuracy or any perceivable tactical advantage over more conventional chamberings. All are long gone. IMHO, if you want a carry revolver, look to the proven and more flexible 38 special round on a SW J frame or Ruger LCR/LCRX. ( Having sold them for a few years, I'd also stay away from charter arms in anything new.) . As for your reasoning for 9mm selection , I'd ague that the trick with any caliber is to stock up when it is plentiful and cheap.

9MM Smiths, were barreled in .357 so, running 9MM ammo made them a bit sloppy, if running reloads and using .357-.358 bullets, they shoot well. I don't know what Ruger used. As a competition shooter though, the short length of the 9MM can't be beat with fast reloads in moon clips and, we're only looking for 3" accuracy at 25-30 yards on the clock, DAO so, a bullseye gun isn't needed.

 

[Wee Hooker]

9MM Smiths, were barreled in .357 so, running 9MM ammo made them a bit sloppy, if running reloads and using .357-.358 bullets, they shoot well. I don't know what Ruger used. As a competition shooter though, the short length of the 9MM can't be beat with fast reloads in moon clips and, we're only looking for 3" accuracy at 25-30 yards on the clock, DAO so, a bullseye gun isn't needed.

Odly, my Performance center 929 wouldn't even give me 3" at 30' with any 9mm loads. It shot near twice as large. Two trips to SW and I sold it off. I do get the short round and moonclip advantage as I own a 625 in 45 acp as well as a 627 Pc that I load 38 short colt for.

 

[Bill-66]

My Performance Center 627 was badically a kit that you complete yourself..😂 it is a good shooting gun though.. yoke and cylinder fell off in a match once though..😂

 

[KimberLover]

I shot 9mm in S&W 60-14 as it extracted the spent shells without a problem.

 

[MitchSC]

I decided to buy my children ages 49, 47, 42 each a handgun. My oldest son got a Shield Plus 9 mm and my daughter got a P365 9 mm. My youngest son wants a revolver. He likes our LCR 22 but agrees he should have something with a little more oomph for protection. After 2 years in the present ammo shortage with 9 mm being the only handgun caliber I have seen on the rebound I thought that would be a good recommendation. It may be a moot point since I have been searching for a Charter Arms Pitt Bull (no moon clips) to no avail and revolvers in general are scarce.
So for those of you with 9 mm revolver experience. How much of a PITA are moon clips? How big of a problem is crimp jump / creep?

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. My son came over and shot my limited supply of revolvers. He decided he would like to have a DAO 357. He grew up shooting guns but married a liberal. As have a lot of folks they have recently faced the reality that they should be able to protect themselves. He felt his spouse would feel more comfortable with the safety of a DAO. At the gun store they had a LCRX 9 but he liked the feel of the SP 101 and DAO. So while the Sales Person was getting the SP101 357 2.25" Spurless hammer I noticed a Stainless GP100 2.5" Cushioned Rubber with Hardwood Insert grip partially hidden on a lower shelf. When the SP came back I ask if I could look at the GP100. He (the SP) said "I forgot that one, it's the one I want" I remarked "Me too" and we laughed. I admired it than handed it to my son.
He got the look on his face of a dog shopper when a puppy picks them. He said "This fits my hand perfectly, I'll take this one". I asked if he realized it was DA/SA. He smiled and said "It will be alright."