Annnnd…that happened:
A Ruger SP101 in..wait for it….9mm.
Why? Well, thats a case of numbers trumping tradition. I have a couple 5-shot snubbie Smith and Wessons in .38 Spl and they are, no two ways about it, fine guns. But the Ruger product, while just s tad bulkier, is substantially more rugged. And, when I buy guns for the long haul, ruggedness, durability, and survivability are what I’m after. Love or hate Ruger, the fact is they make extremely durable products.
I’d been wanting to up my snubbie game and was thinking an SP101 in .357 Mag would give me some nice options. But then I started reading and it appears, as I read it, that when you get into stubby barrels and cylinder gaps you wind up losing so much energy that a cartridge like the .38 Spl actually gives worse performance than the 9mm. Head on over to Ballistics By The Inch and you can look at the numbers.
What about .357? Surprisingly, not much difference when fired from the 2″ barrel. The 9mm and the .357 wind up being close enough, in some loadings, as to be virtually identical. However, .357 does it at the expense of significantly more muzzle flash and recoil.
So, since my handgun choices are predicated around 9mm and .38/.357 it seemed to make ballistic sense to go with the 9mm. As an aside, it appears I can also shoot .380 ACP as well using the moon clips. Why I would want to is a bit of a mystery but, hey, the option is there. What I would really love, love, love to see is a ‘convertible’ SP101…something where Ruger sells the gun and a spare cylinder so you can do .38/.357 and 9mm. They used to do it in their single actions, and even a few convertible .30/9mm autos.
Taurus was supposed to have the ‘Triad’ years ago that would shoot 9/38/357 interchangeably but it appears to have been vaporware. Colt experimented with the Survivor which eventually wound up as the Medusa…(or maybe it was the other way around)…and went nowhere. And, of course, Smith experimented with a 9mm (the Model 547) that did not need moon clips to eject. It was supposed to be the vanguard of a line of revolvers meant for rimless cartridges but, again, it never materialized. The relative small run of 547’s that did get made bring crazy prices now. Interesting to note that years later at least two gun companies, Ruger and S&W, brought out revolvers for the rimless 10mm cartridge. (And, come to think of it, while Im not 100% sure I think Taurus or Charter had a .40 snubbie at some point.)
Also, I believe Ruger was supposed to be coming out with a DA revolver that took .45Colt/ACP interchangeably. Not sure where they landed on that one.
Oh, and Charter also experimented with the ‘9mm Federal’ which was basically ‘9mm AutoRim’….a rimmed version of the 9mm cartridge, identical in all respects except for having a rim to facilitate use in revolvers. Why haven’t we heard more about it? Because it would fit and chamber in ancient .38 S&W break open revolvers and turn them into hand grenades when you pulled the trigger. (.38 S&W vs. 9mm = 14,500 psi vs 35,000 psi max pressure) [Similar to the problem with .375 Winchester being dropped into old .38-55 guns.]
The SP101 is also available in .327 Federal, which, ballistically speaking, is quite the cartridge. However, I own nothing in .327 Federal whereas I have a metric buttload of .38, .357, and 9mm handguns. So….no .327 Federal, thanks for asking.
This gun can shoot the 9mm cartridges without the moon clips if necessary, you just have to eject them with a stick. I’ll pick up a dozen more clips just for the sake of future availability. This is a gun that you really don’t anticipate reloading, although I’ll keep a spare clip handy just in case. Which reminds me, it is darn tough finding someone who makes a belt carrier of the non-competition style for 9mm clips.
Off to the range tomorrow to test fire and then go shopping for a holster.
I was pretty interested in the Redhawk that Ruger made that fired either .45 colt or .45 auto, with moonclips, since I’m heavily invested in the latter caliber. The trigger was definitely not light in single or double action lol. If i had’ve already been invested in .45 colt ammo, especially the “nuclear” loads since that is the allure of the .45 colt rugers, I might would have purchased it. Instead I picked up another 629.
The Ruger Redhawk that handles 45 Colt and 45ACP with moon clips is a real thing. Saw one “in the wild” at a dealer.
Once.
In the almost two years it’s been out.
Priced 15% over MSRP.
Ruger has the New Model Blackhawk SA in 357/38 with a separate cylinder for 9mm. Been thinking about it.
I own a 4″ barrelled S&W 547 and its really nothing special to write home about. Accuracy is okay and it is very reliable. Speed loaders are available but difficult to find. Iron sights are bulletproof, but lack of adjustability can be a real pain with some ammunitions requiring a lot of ‘Kentucky Windage’ at ranges past 15 yards.
If I had to pick an EDC snubbie, I think I’d choose a 1st Gen Charter Arms .44 Spcl. Bulldog. Light and well balanced, the 3″ barrel points instinctively. I sure wish .44 Spcl. ammunition was more popular and less expensive. THAT is where the 9mm especially shines.
A .45ACP snubbie would be very nice too, but then you are getting to Glock 30 package size, the latter having double the shot capacity.
I’ve been intrigued by 9mm revolvers for a long time, but what ultimately turns me off is the fact that the firearm is useless without a moon clip. The Ruger revolvers are (as you point out) very rugged, but when the functionality of the gun hinges on a thin metal clip–which like magazines are a consumable–that translates to a deal-breaker for me.
To my knowledge, the one exception to this is the Sky Hawk 9mm revolver by Nighthawk/Korth. It is designed to function with 9mm cartridges without the need of a moon clip. It also retails at $1700 so…
My Glock is useless without a magazine, so by this reasoning a 9mm auto has the same limited utility as a 9mm revolver.
Do the casings from your spent ammo remain in your magazine? Speed loaders are probably a better comparison to a magazine than are moon clips.
Plus, you could always load a single round into a semi-auto and still fire it. Most, at least, will fire without a magazine in the well. Not so for a 9mm revolver, which is truly useless without a moon clip.
Moon clips are flimsy, thin, and small pieces of metal. The benefit is that they’re easy to carry when unloaded. The downside is that they’re easy to lose and cumbersome to load and unload. That’s why they make special tools for it.
Don’t get me wrong, a 9mm revolver is neat. It just doesn’t have a place in a preparedness arsenal…not mine, at least. YMMV.
Be aware that the SP101 9mm does NOT use the same moon clips as the Ruger LCR in 9mm. I have found the moon clips made by Ranch products (www.ranchproducts.com) to be a more robust product (and easier to load/unload) than the original circle style Ruger moon clips that load from the center outward. Huh– Ruger no longer offers that style moon clip and now offer the star pattern as well– interesting.
Also test that your carry rounds are crimped well enough to withstand the inertia forces when fired– I am sure you are aware this phenomena, but just a reminder anyway.
Ruger (shopruger.com) makes an inexpensive moon clip carrier that splits the rounds on either side of the belt to reduce the bulge when carrying. It requires a side twisting motioning to release from the carrier, but is low profile.
Del Fatti (delfatti.com) makes some terrific leather moon carriers, but they aren’t cheap and they do add a lot of bulk to your belt.
TK Custom (www.tkcustom.com) also make moon clips for the SP101 but they are more expensive, but they also carry moon clip carriers that slip into a pocket.
And finally, I would recommend getting a demooning tool that is basically a hollow shaft screwdriver with a notch cut out to slip over empty brass to peel the case out of the moon clip if you are going to shoot this revolver often. Definitely reduces the odds of bending your moon clips and is much easier on your fingers. Ruger, Ranch Products and TK Custom all offer a very similar tool for that purpose.
I have both the Ruger Red Hawk in .45acp/Colt and the GP 100 in 10mm/.40S&W. Love them both. I also have an Alfa Project 9mm. all with the appropriate amounts of Moon Clips. And yes the .380 can be fired in the 9mm with the moon clips. I do like my multiple caliber options. The Red Hawk will not fire .45acp with out moon clips only the .45 Colt. The GP100 will fire 10 mm with out moon clips but not .40S&W. So there are limits to the versatility based on Moon Clip availability and condition. They can and do bend if mistreated. I planned for 30 clips per gun, initially then more as the money allowed. TTFN
Commander Zero, Ruger makes several styles of moon clip holders for the belt and I’ve tried them with 9mm and 10mm and they seem to work. Take a look at the Ruger online store TTFN
I’ve got a SP101 in 327 mag with a 3″ barrel. Quite a pop! It also shoots all varieties of 32. I like shooting the 32 mag which my “better half ” can handle better than the 327 mag. It doesn’t go with any of my other ammo types, but I’ve put up enough rounds to last the rest me of my life as a back-up to my back-up.
I had a Taurus ss revolver in 9mm for a time.
It was fun and worked well.
The reload with clips was a PIA, so it went away.
My 9mm’s are all semi’s now.
Ah, the Ruger SP101… When I was doing PPC, I had the chance to pick one of these little wonders up cheap and passed on it. To this day I regret my decision. It would have made a great companion/backup gun to my 4 inch S&W 19 and Winchester .357 trapper. I would buy one today if not for all the hoops a guy has to jump through. Since the barrel is less than 4.1 inches long, it falls into the prohibited category
I ordered a 3″ 9mm SP101 in the late 80’s (I think). I’m patient, but having to wait two years was a bit much. I bought it to take hunting in wet forests. I still shoot it occasionally, as a plinker, so loading moon clips from the inside isn’t a problem, it’s not for carry. I bought 3 extra 10 packs of moon clips at the time, so I’m set for life as far as this gun goes. I don’t know if the .380 ACP rounds work with the old moon clips, I’ve never tried. Stout, easy to clean and accurate within its sight radius, if I do my job.
I’ve heard that some speedloader pouches will hold two moonclips stacked. I would think ones that use velcro for the flap would be more accommodating for this method.
Yep…You’re correct and they fit nicely head to head overlapped inside standard speed loader pouches. Bought a Ruger 9 mm SP-101 last month because I love my S&W Model 625 revolver shooting 45 Colt using moon clips. So fast to reload…. beats the speedloader of my 38 SPL every time!
“Taurus was supposed to have the ‘Triad’ years ago that would shoot 9/38/357 interchangeably but it appears to have been vaporware…”
Some years ago, FN marketed the “Barracuda” revolver that could do this. It was nicely made in Spain by Astra. Unfortunately, the timing was wrong for a revolver, just as police forces worldwide were switching to crunchenticker pistols. The Barracuda was a commercial flop, and FN ended up scrapping most of the stock on hand plus all the spare parts. Now a rare and somewhat valuable revolver. I like mine a lot.
Local FunShop had the Ruger SP101 in 9mm on sale for 429 last month.
Tempting…
But I have a Blackhawk Flat Top Stainless Convertible in 357/9mm already, and if (when…) I get another 9mm (soon…) it’s going to be the Ruger carbine.