snub caliber Q

[Old Virginia]

Not surprising that many send their revolvers off to get cut for moon clips. They work great, they can be fast to load, etc. The LCR9mm is not much more different than shooting the Airweight 38. Again, the more you shoot the more immune you get to the recoil. Yes, when I first started shooting the 9mm, I could feel it. Now do not even think about it.

The 9mm has so many benefits. None of the harsh recoil of the 357, not as loud as the 327, abundance of ammo choices, cost less, and already cut for moon clips. What do you want? Eggs with your beer?

[SCCY Marshal]

I cast my lot with the 22 Long Rifle. Backcountry camping is that much more satisfying when I can buck one or more soggy rounds off the wood destined to split for firewood, stand them up in front of a natural berm, toss in ear plugs, and shoot some ball and dummy (shoot, spin cylinder, repeat) at them on and off through the day.

[Clusterfrack]

I can’t believe I’m in a revolver caliber debate. But I’m still not convinced by the moonclips are bad argument.

5 rounds in a functional moonclip go in the gun. 5 rounds in a strip go in your pocket. If you need more, you might want to carry an auto?

Also, the small 5-shot speedbeez clips are pretty tough. I’m having a hard time seeing how one would get bent in a pocket.

[deflave]

I can’t believe I’m in a revolver caliber debate. But I’m still not convinced by the moonclips are bad argument.

5 rounds in a functional moonclip go in the gun. 5 rounds in a strip go in your pocket. If you need more, you might want to carry an auto?

Also, the small 5-shot speedbeez clips are pretty tough. I’m having a hard time seeing how one would get bent in a pocket.

I like all revolvers but the moonclips do negate their number one selling point. Which is simplicity.

[mmc45414]

I can’t believe I’m in a revolver caliber debate.

I can't believe this turned into an argument.
We have so many great choices right now. I have seven 38/357 revolvers, including five J-Frames, ETA: and I got my eye on a couple more, and I am intrigued by the 9mm LCR. Probably mostly because I am a gun nerd, but seems like the short barrel revolver could benefit from the option for a cartridge that was designed as a high pressure round instead of something that was derived from a low pressure black powder round, without going full nutty with 357. ETA: The standard pressure 147gn rounds seem to hold on to their performance better as the barrel gets shorter, we are essentially talking about a G43/Shield in a revolver format.
Oh, and I also still want that 317...

But I’m still not convinced by the moonclips are bad argument. 5 rounds in a functional moonclip go in the gun. 5 rounds in a strip go in your pocket. If you need more, you might want to carry an auto?

On the occasions when I have a J-Frame as primary 5+5 is the most I have. The OP started the thread around discussion of a gun that is Not A Gun, but might get toted in circumstances that the forty ounce auto gets left behind.

Also, the small 5-shot speedbeez clips are pretty tough. I’m having a hard time seeing how one would get bent in a pocket.

Some people separate carry mags from range mags, having a vetted moonclip that doesn't get loaded and unloaded much might be a good idea. And the whole moonclip idea came from a military need. The original implementation was a three round clip, maybe in this scenario of using the clip only for ejection it could be severed with a little cutoff wheel into a 2/3 two piece arrangement that would be less prone to potential bending and binding.

Maybe because this was presented as a poll the inclination is to declare a winner, when each option has advantages and drawbacks.

[Gun Mutt]

I have a .22LR LCR and I flat out love it. I wouldn't mind having one in 9mm.
But the next one I buy will be in .327 and loaded with .32H&R magnums.

[Clusterfrack]

I can't believe this turned into an argument.

I don't feel like I'm arguing. But my comment about being surprised by entering in a revolver caliber debate was aimed at myself. I don't like revolvers, and would own zero if I weren't convinced that 1) they are a useful defense tool for some situations, and 2) Mrs. CF dislikes it slightly less than an auto.

So maybe my choice of the 9mm LCR makes more sense in this context?

[Half Moon]

And the whole moonclip idea came from a military need. The original implementation was a three round clip, maybe in this scenario of using the clip only for ejection it could be severed with a little cutoff wheel into a 2/3 two piece arrangement that would be less prone to potential bending and binding

Experience with .45 ACP N Frames is half moons are more prone to issues than full moon. As I understand it the half moons were never intended for more than a single use. I load half moons with FMJ for practice and full moons with defense ammo. Makes it easy to know what you have by feel.

I've never had a full moon bend. Then again I'm using 45 ACP in 6 shot steel moons. No idea how these compare to 9 mm moons for durability.

On the overall topic: I'm in the 38 Special camp. Expansion out of snubs is not something I expect so penetration and accuracy are my ammo goals. Wadcutter hits those goals with light recoil to boot. Plus in lighter weight 9 mm snubs you have potential issues with the bullet separating from the cartridge. Why lower the revolvers one advantage of reliability in the feed cycle?

[revolvergeek]

Except work without moonclips, unless you have one of the relatively rare S&W 547 revolvers. If you are willing to live with moon clips, and their various deficiencies with respect to everyday carry (bulk and fragility, to name two) and if you also are willing to experience noticeably greater recoil in similar rounds (9mm’s higher chamber pressure makes recoil noticeably sharper than 38spl, even when comparing 9mm 124gr FMJ to 38spl 130gr FMJ), then you are correct that 9mm is a better choice than 38spl for defensive use due, primarily, to the greater variety of quality ammunition. I don’t see moonclips as a decisive argument in favor of 9mm in a small revolver because my experience has been that, with hollow point bullets especially, it is very easy to hang up a moonclip reload on the cylinder mouth of a 9mm revolver.

Having had both in as identical of guns as possible (S&W 640 and 940), I prefer 38spl due to the easy availability of factory low-recoil loads. I can duplicate those loads in 9mm easily by hand loading, to be sure, but I prefer not to use handloads for carry.

I have tried to love 9mmP revolvers time and again and just never have stuck with one. My experience with moon clips for the Taurus ?905? and Ruger LCR is basically as described above. Great in theory for carry but I kept bending them to where I either could not close the revolver, or if I did they would sit proud and drag and the clip rotated making for an erratic trigger pull. I could not pocket carry them, and if I was going to deal with the bulk of belt carry in a pouch for moon clips I might as well just carry a CompI for the .38 spl.

I never shot a Ruger SP101 in 9mm so I can't comment on that. I did shoot a Speed Six in 9mm some back in my teenaged years and that setup seemed to work fine. I had good luck with a S&W 940. Those clips were tough and resistant to bending, but I stupidly traded mine off for a 547 thinking that extractor system would solve my problem. I have had two 547s now and both substituted easier extraction for somewhat slower or at least different loading. In both of mine cartridges had to be pushed into the chambers and would not just drop in and 'plunk'. Not a problem, but distinctly slower reloading with the old HKS speedloaders than an equivalent .38/357 setup. Now I wish that would have kept at least one of them for the collection to put with the other M&P variants.

As for defense against four or no legged critters I think the .38 comes out on top. CCI .38 shotshells hold 100 pellets of #9 vs 53 pellets of #12 for 9mm. That may not be a factor for you, but down here we have a lot of venomous snakes. Also you can get lot of straight line penetration out of a snubby with a 173 - 200 grain hard cast LSW even at rather modest velocities with better wounding than 9mm FMJ (which in fairness has a good bit on penetration also).

[Baldanders]

I deal with clips in my 640 and 625.

With TK Custom demooners, no problem at all.

I don't carry a reload, but a pill bottle of the right size will hold a 640 clip well, carried upside down with the loaded clip facing bullet side up. Clip sides out fast when you unscrew the top.

Only reason I thought .38 might be superior to 9mm is the fact that many 9mm owners say the recoil is appreciably higher than .38.