Gentlemen - I have a S&W 65 and 66. I'm wondering about the feasibility of procuring stainless 9mm replacement cylinders cut for moonclips. The idea is to save some money on training ammo and speed up my reloads. Thoughts? Thanks. ELN
Gentlemen - I have a S&W 65 and 66. I'm wondering about the feasibility of procuring stainless 9mm replacement cylinders cut for moonclips. The idea is to save some money on training ammo and speed up my reloads. Thoughts? Thanks. ELN
2 things - what grips are on that 66?
And you can find stainless cylinders on eBay, gunbroker and other online sources. Just need to give them to a gunsmith to get squared away with your revolver. Thought about doing the same on a couple of occasions. TK Custom can do the 9mm conversion. So can Pinnacle.
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I have zero experience with this so I'm just thinking it through.
Wouldn't it be ideal-er to start with a .32 cal (or anything smaller than .38/.357) cylinder and have it rebored for the shorter 9mm case and to have the throats correctly fit the smaller bullet diameter? You could then set it up to headspace properly on the case mouth so the clips were floating in the grooves; a slightly bent clip wouldn't act as a suspension spring that absorbed the energy of a firing pin strike.
If the gunsmith was really switched on, he could adjust the positions of the holes to get each one more perfectly aligned with the barrel with the gun as it locks up on each hole. That would provide best accuracy and minimize force and wear on the timing/lockup components. Probably not easy or cheap to do... Would take a lot of 9mm rounds to make it about the saving of money. But awesome can be worth it.
Also, if one was going to go over the top on that, starting with a M64 or M67 and its shorter cylinder might be of benefit.
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 03-08-2019 at 05:40 PM.
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Not another dime.
9mm conversion is $250 at Pinnacle, $300 at TK; TK clips are $8 each, plus the price to buy and fit a spare cylinder.
It is going to take a while to recoup the cost with econoball 9mm.
Do you plan to return the .38 cylinder for carry? If so, why does speed of loading 9mm matter?
Me? I just load up a batch of .38s, the Dillon is set up for that now while I have a good supply of 9mm on the shelf.
Gee, Olong, a K .32 cylinder to do a precision conversion to is vanishingly scarce. Could you use a K22 cylinder? Is it going to be as strong as a centerfire cylinder.
Last edited by Jim Watson; 03-08-2019 at 05:53 PM.
Code Name: JET STREAM
VZ 320 with the finger grooves ground away. I like 'em.Originally Posted by Lon
I'm not to sure how practical a 9mm revolver really is in practice. Moon clips are notorious for bending and thus rendering them unusable until bent back. There are ejection systems for rimless cases but are there practical speedloaders for them? I reload so maybe I'm biased but .38spl/.357mag work really well with speedloaders and ejection is simple and positive.
I had a blued 4” Ruger security six that had a lot of finish wear. I should have converted it to 9mm instead of selling it
Last edited by Poconnor; 03-11-2019 at 09:53 AM.
I have some TKs in .40. Anybody who could bend one unintentionally could screw up a crow bar.
9mm revolvers are actually the way to go for USPSA. Moon clips are the fastest reload and rimless rounds work much better.
Korth sells a 9mm conversion cylinder for L-frames that function without moons, but with cost + gunsmith fitting, you’d have to do some serious 9mm shooting to make it pay for itself.
But why not pay those conversion costs for a reloading outfit, for even cheaper ammo?
I've bent/broke things that should never be broken. Reminds me of the '57 Willy's Jeep I was restoring, broke a bunch of sh!t on that puppy.. I don't shoot USPSA often and I shoot IDPA once a month... In revolver division. A moon clip 9mm doesn't make sense in that game. I'd love a Korth but $$$.
9mm revolvers aren’t even legal in IDPA. One of their many bass-ackwards revolver rules.
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