9mm Snub Nose?

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
So this is going to be a bit of an oddball thread, but does anyone make a good reliable 9mm snub nose revolver?

Im thinking this would make very good sense as a backup gun since I can share ammo with my primary carry.

Also in terms of training since I already shoot large volumes of 9mm doing USPSA I would not have to go out and buy .38 special like most snub noses and training with the firearm would be much simpler and cheaper. Just simply slipping it into the range bag and running a half a box through after shooting my regular 9mm would be a huge advantage, as well as having inexpensive ammo to shoot IDPA backup gun matches (I know Im not a fan of IDPA but its a venue to test out and familiarize myself with the gear under pressure)

Now I was looking at a Ruger LCR-9 but I heard bad things about it from a few of the guys on my squad at USPSA yesterday. Anyone have any first hand experience with those things or have any other recommendations
 

MisterHelix

Newbie
S&W used to make one, the model 940. I had one for a while, but foolishly let it go.

It took moon clips.

You can probably find one on the used market/gunbroker/S&W forum.

Won't be cheap. IIRC, mine sold for $600 or so.
 

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
had one for a while, but foolishly let it go.

It took moon clips.

You can probably find one on the used market/gunbroker/S&W forum.

Won't be cheap. IIRC, mine sold for $600 or so.

Fair enough, Im seeing Charter arms and Taurus has 9mm revolvers but I won't buy either pieces of junk, I have a piece of copper jacket still lodged in my leg from a defective 1990s Titanium taurus revolver that AD'd on me. Never again

Anyone else make a decent 9mm snub nose revolver?
 

MrMurphy

Regular Member
With the advent of mini 9s, the 9mm snub makes less sense. I've carried .38 snubs on and off for years. I can shoot better, faster and more accurately with a G43 or Shield very easily. And i started out as a revolver man.

Figure out if carrying a BUG concealed is even viable for you. Ive carried concealed for 17 years, except in certain circumstances like heavy winter clothing it hasn't been for me. Working professionally carrying concealed is a bit different story as odds of it being used go waaaay up. A small fixed blade i consider (if legal) more likely to be used for CCW backup, most encounters being at close range.

I still have wheelguns and a 642 lives in my safe.... but a Shield is my 24/7 gun and on duty BUG.
 

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
With the advent of mini 9s, the 9mm snub makes less sense. I've carried .38 snubs on and off for years. I can shoot better, faster and more accurately with a G43 or Shield very easily. And i started out as a revolver man.

Figure out if carrying a BUG concealed is even viable for you. Ive carried concealed for 17 years, except in certain circumstances like heavy winter clothing it hasn't been for me. Working professionally carrying concealed is a bit different story as odds of it being used go waaaay up. A small fixed blade i consider (if legal) more likely to be used for CCW backup, most encounters being at close range.

I still have wheelguns and a 642 lives in my safe.... but a Shield is my 24/7 gun and on duty BUG.

*Shrug* For me this would probably 90% of the time be used as a deep cover and winter jacket pocket gun, and something that would be kept in a safe under the seat of my car as I live near the Illinois border(yeah I know guns in cars its bad but with an Indiana permit I can't leave my car with a CCW and have to lock it up).

Also I seem to be the only guy in the world who doesnt really care for the shield, I have had a friend who had issues with an early model and I shot a later model and really I didnt care for it much at all, In fact I would rather CC my makarov for a gun that size, especially if you use the base extension. (with a 3-3.5 inch barrel 9x18 especially in buffalo bore loading does not give up much energy to 9x19, and also there is much less unburned powder and muzzle blast, especially if you used hotter +p loads in a shield to get acceptable velocity for expansion, though >3.5" barrels 9mm trumps)

Finally I was also looking for something as a pocket gun, I mean if I wanted to rock a 9mm and was going to go mounting the gun off of the belt IWB or OWB I could just get a aluminum framed CZ-75 p-01 compact and run that with a comp and daweson precision sights with fiber or tritium front sights and with a tall and wide rear sight (astigmatism kind of makes red dots blur out on me and I have shot two of my friends carry optics and really unless Im shooting past 25 yards I don't see much speed advantage of a red dot over fiber if you have good body positioning)

Also is there any reason why modern PPK/s's would not work reliably?
 

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
S&W used to make one, the model 940. I had one for a while, but foolishly let it go.

It took moon clips.

You can probably find one on the used market/gunbroker/S&W forum.

Won't be cheap. IIRC, mine sold for $600 or so.
Actually I may have an inside line on acquiring a 940 from a friend's relative's estate sale for a great price.

I thought they made a model that had the tabs in it in a J frame

Also would there be any issue with getting a used .357 J frame converted by a gunsmith to 9mm and cut for moonclips? I know .357 is higher pressure and mechanically it should be good but would there be any other issues?
 

MrMurphy

Regular Member
A G42 or 43 are true pocket guns, as to the Walther, I've never seen a post 1945 model as reliable as the originals. They'll shoot, but ANY of the current. 380s including the LCP tend to run better. Sample size in PPKs, 20 or so between 1975-2010 production pieces.
 

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
A G42 or 43 are true pocket guns, as to the Walther, I've never seen a post 1945 model as reliable as the originals. They'll shoot, but ANY of the current. 380s including the LCP tend to run better. Sample size in PPKs, 20 or so between 1975-2010 production pieces.

Hmmm thats a shame, I have heard some so so things about them but thought it was BS. Truthfully, even though its not P&S modern operator stuff a polish P-64 or FEG walther PP/PPK copy or derriviative probably would run better and you get the added benefit of another 10% of bullet weight and 50-75 FPS with 9x18.

*Shrug* For me this would probably 90% of the time be used as a deep cover and winter jacket pocket gun, and something that would be kept in a safe under the seat of my car as I live near the Illinois border(yeah I know guns in cars its bad but with an Indiana permit I can't leave my car with a CCW and have to lock it up).

Also I seem to be the only guy in the world who doesnt really care for the shield, I have had a friend who had issues with an early model and I shot a later model and really I didnt care for it much at all, In fact I would rather CC my makarov for a gun that size, especially if you use the base extension. (with a 3-3.5 inch barrel 9x18 especially in buffalo bore loading does not give up much energy to 9x19, and also there is much less unburned powder and muzzle blast, especially if you used hotter +p loads in a shield to get acceptable velocity for expansion, though >3.5" barrels 9mm trumps)

Finally I was also looking for something as a pocket gun, I mean if I wanted to rock a 9mm and was going to go mounting the gun off of the belt IWB or OWB I could just get a aluminum framed CZ-75 p-01 compact and run that with a comp and daweson precision sights with fiber or tritium front sights and with a tall and wide rear sight (astigmatism kind of makes red dots blur out on me and I have shot two of my friends carry optics USPSA Roland Special glocks and really unless Im shooting past 25 yards I don't see much speed advantage of a red dot over fiber if you have good body positioning, with my shitty eyes)

Also is there any reason why modern PPK/s's would not work reliably?
 

Chris Taylor

Random Factor of the K Power
The 101 would give you a 5 shot snub the size and weight of a G19....
^^^ This.

Although I do love the SP, it’s overkill in amything but 357 (although the 327FedMag is a wonderful alternative).

We used TK Customs at a previous shop, and he does great work.

I’d probably bite the bullet, so to speak, and just track down a 940 if I had my heart set on a 9mm snubbie.
 

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
^^^ This.

Although I do love the SP, it’s overkill in amything but 357 (although the 327FedMag is a wonderful alternative).

We used TK Customs at a previous shop, and he does great work.

I’d probably bite the bullet, so to speak, and just track down a 940 if I had my heart set on a 9mm snubbie.
'

Yeah those a pretty big guns, I mean if you are going to go the size and weight of a SP101 you can get a 6 shot k frame in a snub with a nicer trigger and probably still less weight and similar size. Though if you convert a .38 special model 10 snub to 9mm wouldn't you risk a kaboom on a .38 frame

Hopefully I can pick one up from a friend of mine, a S&W 940,

However I have been looking at the LCR 9mm anyone have any experience with those? I hear the OEM moonclips can get bent but if you get better quality after market moonclips they run fun
 

Low_Speed_Notper8or

Regular Member
^^^ This.

Although I do love the SP, it’s overkill in amything but 357 (although the 327FedMag is a wonderful alternative).

We used TK Customs at a previous shop, and he does great work.

I’d probably bite the bullet, so to speak, and just track down a 940 if I had my heart set on a 9mm snubbie.
'

Yeah those a pretty big guns, I mean if you are going to go the size and weight of a SP101 you can get a 6 shot k frame in a snub with a nicer trigger and probably still less weight and similar size.

Hopefully I can pick one up from a friend of mine, a S&W 940,

However I have been looking at the LCR 9mm anyone have any experience with those?
 

Grayman

Established
You can have a J-Frame machined to take moon clips. This will be cheaper than finding a 940...

As for the J-Frame vs pocket rocket argument:
I found after months of attempts I was unable to find a consistent and comfortable way to carry my shield as a BUG. I like the idea of consistency between Ammo but found the deficits to outweigh the potential benefit. The J-Frame's form better fits where and how I carry the gun.

As I have said to many others I'll take a gun carried over an ideal solution paid lip service alone.
 

Mike C

Newbie
Just saw this thread FWIW Pinnacle does 9mm conversions on J frames. He uses a custom reamer and does good work from what I hear. I’ve been contemplating getting a cylinder done with them. A member on another forum has had conversion work done to his S&W J frame and I have spoken with him directly. He is very happy with it. The conversion is somewhere around $160. This could be done to a 642/442 but you’d be better off doing it to something like an M&P 340 or the like. Cheapest route is obviously the Ruger LCR in 9mm.
 
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