9mm in .357 barrel accuracy??

[JohndeFresno]

Taurus is announcing their 9mm/.38 Special/.357 Magnum convertible double action revolver.
Ruger Blackhawk already markets (or marketed) one in a Single Action model.

I have researched several threads that talk about putting a 9mm cartridge in a .357 firearm but so far have not seen this discussed:
Given the .354-.356 caliber of 9mm Luger bullets and .357-.358 inch diameter of the .38/.357 family, is there a significant accuracy problem when firing the 9's in a .357 caliber barrel?

Anybody with a 9mm/.357 convertible who has noted this on his/her target shooting?

[crs]

IME, (E for experience) not a problem.

Maybe in some .357 rifle barrels, but not in mine. Years ago, I read and saved an article on using 9mm fmj at moderate velocity for turkey loads in a .357 rifle.
The author provided load data and so I tried it in my old 1892 with 20 inch Douglas .357 barrel and it worked fine. Such cute tricks became unnecessary when I bought and scoped a REAL turkey gun with .22 Hornet over 3 inch 12 gauge.

I probably still have the article if anyone really needs proof, but the test shot targets are long gone.

[JohndeFresno]

Wow - in a rifle.

Then the concept of a convertible 9mm/.357 handgun sounds like a good idea.

I have been similarly impressed with my .45 ACP/.45 Colt convertible Ruger SA handgun. In a situation where one might have to scavenge for ammo in times of shortage, that new Taurus double action 7-shot might prove to be a terrific self defense choice.

Thanks for the info, CRS.

[crs]

To be clear, I hand loaded the 9mm .355 bullets into .357 revolver brass. I did NOT fire 9mm ammo in the rifle.
The hand loads were plenty accurate and deadly for Turkeys and other small game with little damage to the meat.

[piller]

Does anyone remember the Medusa revolver? It was made on a Smith & Wesson frame with a cylinder drilled so that the spring star shaped ejector in the center could hold .357, 9x19, 9x23, .380, 38 special, 38 colt (if you could find it), and a couple other less common cartridges. My oldest brother still has one. He says that .357, 38 special, and 9x19 Luger are all accurate. .380 gives mediocre accuracy for him. He thinks it has a lot to do with the length of freebore before the bullet from the .380 contacts the forcing cone. He has not tried any of the other calibers it can supposedly shoot.
If I recall correctly, the inventor was a NASA engineer. I need to look that up.

[Nath]

Taurus is announcing their 9mm/.38 Special/.357 Magnum convertible double action revolver.
Ruger Blackhawk already markets (or marketed) one in a Single Action model.

I have researched several threads that talk about putting a 9mm cartridge in a .357 firearm but so far have not seen this discussed:
Given the .354-.356 caliber of 9mm Luger bullets and .357-.358 inch diameter of the .38/.357 family, is there a significant accuracy problem when firing the 9's in a .357 caliber barrel?

Anybody with a 9mm/.357 convertible who has noted this on his/her target shooting?

There won't be any issues if they fit the 9mm barrel in the first place! I mean just shoot the .357" bullets through a .355" barrel.

N.

[JohndeFresno]

There won't be any issues if they fit the 9mm barrel in the first place! I mean just shoot the .357" bullets through a .355" barrel.

N.

...pressure issues with a full load .357 jacketed round??

[JohndeFresno]

Does anyone remember the Medusa revolver? It was made on a Smith & Wesson frame with a cylinder drilled so that the spring star shaped ejector in the center could hold .357, 9x19, 9x23, .380, 38 special, 38 colt (if you could find it), and a couple other less common cartridges.

Found this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNoDR1MMCQ

Totally cool! Why didn't Taurus go this way? Milling and manufacturing expenses?

[crs]

Medusa Revolver info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa_Mo ... _revolver)

[Chuck 100 yd]

IME, (E for experience) not a problem.

Maybe in some .357 rifle barrels, but not in mine. Years ago, I read and saved an article on using 9mm fmj at moderate velocity for turkey loads in a .357 rifle.
The author provided load data and so I tried it in my old 1892 with 20 inch Douglas .357 barrel and it worked fine. Such cute tricks became unnecessary when I bought and scoped a REAL turkey gun with .22 Hornet over 3 inch 12 gauge.

I probably still have the article if anyone really needs proof, but the test shot targets are long gone.

Same here. My Ruger BlackHawk convertible shoots 9mm quite well. I just loaded a batch of 9mm ammo with
Powder Coated Lee 130 gr RN bullets over 6 gr. of HS6 to try out. These bullets finished out , coated, at about .358" .
I will be running them through my BlackHawk and a Glock 32 with Wolf barrel next week. We will see how they do and report back.

[KWK]

There won't be any issues if they fit the 9mm barrel in the first place! I mean just shoot the .357" bullets through a .355" barrel.

...pressure issues with a full load .357 jacketed round??

Nope. Just last week I noticed that SAAMI pressure barrels are spec'd with a .355" groove. I've likely looked at the page at least 50 times over many years but never noticed that. Pages at both Uberti-USA and Cimarron say Uberti uses nominal .355 grooves in their pistol and rifle barrels.

[JohndeFresno]

Nope. Just last week I noticed that SAAMI pressure barrels are spec'd with a .355" groove. I've likely looked at the page at least 50 times over many years but never noticed that. Pages at both Uberti-USA and Cimarron say Uberti uses nominal .355 grooves in their pistol and rifle barrels.

You never stop learning at this forum. Thanks, all!

[M. M. Wright]

I've used .355 dia bullets to load 38 S&W for my break top Smith belly gun. ffg and 125 grain cast bullet makes a great load for the side match. I've even been known to drop it in my pocket when going out.

[earlmck]

My Colt Python is something between .355 and .356. I believe that was how Colt did all their .357's. Maybe still do?

[JohndeFresno]

My Colt Python is something between .355 and .356. I believe that was how Colt did all their .357's. Maybe still do?

Never woulda knowed that. I have one of those great old 6" Pythons, too.

Thanks again, all.

[gundownunder]

When I first got my Marlin .357 I bought some hard cast bullets from a local commercial manufacturer. They were marked 9mm/.357, but I'm guessing they were sized for the 9mm, because accuracy was pretty much non-existent from the rifle. As long as the chambers allow the correct bullet diameter to be loaded for both the 9mm, and the .357 cartridges I don't see why there would be an accuracy problem. Of course if your barrel is .357 diameter and you have to load .358/359 you could find 9mm case life will be short.

[Rusty]

Years ago when I was a LEO, back in the 70's there were some departments that were switching over to 9MMs. In an effort to make low cost practice ammo one of the departments near us was loading a 121 gr. cast bullet load. That bullet was very pointed, much like the KTW armor piercing rounds that were made at the time for handguns, the infamous COP KILLER BULLETS. Being the poor civil servants that we were we couldn't afford special ammo that cost $1.50 a round. We were able to borrow a mold for those 121 grain bullets and cast a pure linotype bullet with it though. We ended up with a 90 something grain bullet that gave good accuracy and a bullet that would punch through a 1/4" steel plate when fired through our .357 Mag duty guns.

[Paladin]

My wife bought a 9mm/.357 Blackhawk after shooting my .45s. We have fired many rounds of 9mm (commercial 124 gr) and .38 and .357 ammo through it. IT shot very well with all ammo we have used in it.

[piller]

My Blackhawk with the .45 ACP and .45 Colt cylinders shoots more accurately than I can with the .45 ACP rounds. It seems reasonable to me that 9mm in a .357 revolver could be really accurate, too. Based on what others have experienced, it sounds as if they are.

Has anyone here used moon clips to hold 9mm into a .357 Mag revolver? I assume that the right moon clip would make it work.

[vancelw]

Has anyone here used moon clips to hold 9mm into a .357 Mag revolver? I assume that the right moon clip would make it work.

You can't unless the cylinder is milled to receive the moon clip. Otherwise there isn't enough space for the moon clip and 9mm case head to fit between the cylinder and the frame.

[M. M. Wright]

My Colt Python is something between .355 and .356. I believe that was how Colt did all their .357's. Maybe still do?

Earl, I believe your Python and everyone else's has a choke or tapered bore. Not much, but a little. Just like the original C&Bs. What I have been told by the big boys.