9 mm revolvers

W

Wild Irish

New member
Good afternoon, everyone. For the most part, I'm your average gun nut lurker, but decided today was different.:cool: Am looking for info on the *&* Model 547, the 9 millimeter revolver they produced in the early '80's. A local purveyor of 2nd Amendment party favors has a used one for $395, which really means about $450 by the time it leaves for my house. Condition is 95%, blue finish, cylinder locks up nicely, 3-inch tube, and balances just right. It would be a fun gun, as the 226 and 239 Sigs are for serious business.
Thankyou for allowing me onto these pages. . .
Wild Irish.
 
Welcome Wild. really nice gun but that one looks to be bout hunnert n fifty bucks high relative to goin price here and blue book.

Bout 240-250 askin would be more in line.

Sam.
 
I do not believe that model is encountered very often. If you check over at gunsamerica.com, there is one there advertised for $1000.00 with a 3" barrel----says it is rare in that barrel length.
Don't know if they are worth that but I would not mind having one to supplement my 625-2.
I have never shot a 9mm revolver but most articles that I have read state that they offer good power with minimal recoil. Have not read anything on the accuracy.
 
Take it! Its a good deal!:)

The 547 was made for the French Government in the early eighties and for some reason the contract was cancelled with S&W. The French liked the FBI model 13 in .357 but wanted the wheelgun in a more familiar caliber. Thus the Model 547 was born. Great gun with a unique ejector system.

Enjoy.
 
I admire the gall of the advertisor askin a grand for one. The 4" tubes came with the square butt frames and the 3" tubes came with the round butt frames. There seems to be no premium on either style. They were made up till 1985. A 100%er should go for around 300 bucks in either style.

What it is really worth is what it is worth to you tho.

Sam
 
Rare in 3" barrel my fanny. Certainly not common, but not a $1000 gun, either.

A more realistic price would be between Sam's Blue Book quote (not sure what they're smoking) and what the dealer is asking (he might be smoking California loco weed).

In Northern Virginia one of those would be fairly priced, depending on condition, in the $300 to $350 range.
 
Bout six months ago saw a 3" go over the counter at $250.00, between 98% and LNIB. With box n papers. Lower than usual but they are out there for less than 300 by a bunch.

Sam
 
Thank you all for the input! When the salesman pulled it from the display case and handed it to me, I got that rush (a.k.a. IMPULSE BUY!), but as the holidaze are so close, maturity (grrrr) and doing research seem to have won out.
 
Irish,

I have a 4" square butt model 547 in excellent condition, that I bought for $300 earlier this year. Saw a NIB unfired 4" on one of the auctions a few months back (complete with all papers), for $515. They show up occasionally at gun shows here, between $350 and $450, in good to excellent condition.

My groups with the fixed sights on the 547 were pretty average, but I recently mounted a Tasco Propoint red dot sight on an Aimtech mount, and attached it to the 547.

I'm sitting here looking at two consecutive 5 shot groups, fired at 25 yards from a rest, using reloads. The first group is 1.25", and the second is .93" !!!!

That is an outstanding group for me, so I'd have to say the 547 is superbly accurate! :)

Price is relative, and I wouldn't hesitate to pay more for something I want, within reason of course. :D

Bill
 
Bought my 547 in the early eighties brand new. Still it is one of my favorite handguns. Suprisingly accurate considereing the fixed sights. I have been looking for another for a long time for my wife since she likes mine so much. In my neck of the woods, they are few and far between. I have never seen one in a shop or a gun show.

Would not hesitate to buy another but not at the prices some have discussed here.
 
I bought a 3" round butt model several months back from Auction Arms.

It was listed as like new with the cardboard box, and all papers. The gun had no turn line, nor distinctive burn rings, on the cyliner when I got it, so if it had been fired it was very little.

As I admitted at the time, I paid a little more than I wanted to (the opening bid was $395 and I was the only bidder), but I wanted one in said condition and so...

BTW, mine is a great shooter and a unique addition to my modest collection of 3" S&Ws.

FWIW
 
Congratulations 9X19! :)

That price was well within the range I'm seeing, and it sounds like you got a fine shooter for your money.

I always suspected that the 9mm was an accurate cartridge, and the 547 has proven my theory. :D

Bill
 
Here's a (not very good) picture of my Smith...

sw-549.jpg
 
I always wanted one. Have you guys tried different brands of 9mm on them. I remember hearing the the extractor was finicky on some.
 
The extractor works perfectly when ejecting empties, on everything I've fired in mine.

The only problem, and it's not much of a problem at that, is the extractor fingers do not retract fully under tension of the extractor spring alone. This makes reloading a little tricky, as the new cases tend to catch on the protruding fingers.

I suspect that my extractor spring is a little weak, as pulling very lightly on the extractor rod retracts the fingers completely.

Any of you other 547 owners seen this? :confused:

Bill
 
I got a chance to shoot (alas, not buy) one of those a couple of months ago. An OK gun and worked fine, but a pop gun compared to a full house .357 or even hot .38 Special loads.

Trouble with 9mm is that factory ammo has to be kept in the correct parameters for use in autoloaders. And you can't develop special revolver loads, since the powder space is limited.

The idea makes sense only to police who must or seriously wants to use a revolver and must have ammunition compatibility with other officers or another force. The French police wanted a revolver, but wanted to use the same ammo as the army.

For U.S. civilian use, the gun is an interesting novelty, and I would love to have one for the collection. But for practical purposes, an S&W Model 19 or 686 beats the heck out of it.

Jim
 
Haven't had any problems with ammunition except for some reloads a friend asked me to try. They got stuck inside the cylinder. Wasn't hard to get them out. Last time I shot anyone else's reloads. Really dirty cases.

No problems with the extractor as reloading works fine. Second the opinion that it is a pop gun compared to a .357. Nevertheless mine is very accurate, much more so than my two 357's, or my three semi-auto nines.
 
Are 9mm revolvers very hard to find? I have been looking for a 9mm SP101 for my wife and cannot find one anywhere.
 
Bernie,

I think the SP101 in 38 Special is much easier to find, and would probably be just as pleasant to shoot, plus it doesn't need moon clips.

You can also shoot 38 Special loads in the 357 version, and still have the full power capability if needed. Best of both worlds, is shooting 38 Special loads in 357 cases, which you can do if you reload.

Any particular reason your wife wants a 9mm?

Bill
 
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