Revolvers firing autopistol cartridges?

For me?

1) Speed of reloads. Speedloaders are fast, but moonclips are faster yet.
2) As far as the 625 and 610 go, .45 ACP has a better self-defense ammo selection than .45 Colt, 10mm has a better selection than .41 Mag.
3) It is my duty to collect funky S&W variants.
4) Because I can. :p
 
Tamara, my friend . . .

I am not sure I agree that the “.45 ACP has a better self-defense ammo selection than .45 Colt”; more top defensive loads certainly, but better rounds I am not sure. Examples of first-rate .45 Colt defensive loads include:
a) Speer 250 grain Gold Dot @ 900 FPS
b) Georgia Arms 200 grain Gold Dot @ 1100 FPS
c) Winchester 225 grain Silvertip @ 900 FPS
d) Cor-Bon 200 grain JHP @ 1100 FPS

The forgoing are standard pressure rounds, not +P loads. Is there a standard pressure, ~200 grain, .45 ACP that provides >1000 FPS? And, obviously, we are not evening venturing into hotter .45 Colt hand-loads.

Now, none of this suggests either the .45 ACP isn’t available in a wider variety of excellent defensive loads or the .45 ACP isn’t VERY effective. I only wish to suggest the .45 Colt has several outstanding personal defense loads that are readily obtainable.

With respect and best regards -- Roy

PS: My next revolver will be a S&W 610, so I certainly agree re the advantages of the 10mm (and, also, the .45 ACP, for that matter).
 
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Rwk,

Oh, I like the 250gr Gold Dots, I just think that they seem to be optimized for very controlled expansion and deep penetration. IOW, hunting loads. (Went through the whole row of milk jugs and only the barest bit of expansion out of my 3" 625...)

The 200gr loads in .45 Colt are no doubt good performers, but I'm a traditionalist and prefer a 230gr in this bore size. ;) I sure would like to see a 230gr Gold Dot or Golden Saber in .45 Colt.
 
You're right; Speer does make a 230 grain .451 Gold Dot, but I cannot find a commercial laoding.
 
I would also nominally challenge the idea of the premium .45 Colt defensive rounds being "readily available".

Compared to the ready availability of high-end ACP loads, I would say "Not hardly." Most outlets will have a few ACP loads available, with perhaps 2-3 premium defensive flavors. The same outlet will have 1-2 loads for the Colt at all, IF ANY. The Colt is enjoying a wider popularity as an available load thanks mostly to CAS shooting, which doesn't bother with high-end hollowpoints. The ACP has ALWAYS been a defensive load, one of the standards by which others are judged. Additionally, I imagine one would be hard pressed to find any LE departments using .45 Colt as an issue round.

A good gun store would have 3-4 Colt loads, with one defensive load if you're lucky. The same store would probably have 10-12 ACP loads, with a good third of those being premium-grade defensive fodder. For the average non-forum-reading gun owner, I don't think that'd qualify as "readily available". More like "Tracked it down with a bunch of calls and effort, finally found it online at my buddy's house who's got DSL."

Maybe I'm just being cynical. But this reflects my own experience, and I live in the S.F. Bay Area, the fourth largest metropolitan population center in the country. We have EVERYTHING here, usually in more than one iteration. Of course, this IS korny Kaliforny, so what do I know...;)
 
I'll chime in on the 940, a J-frame in 9x19.

Why? Because:
- ballistics are not too distant from .357 Mag, but gun is much more controllable than .357 Mag Js (and much superior to .38 Special)
- short case length means much better extraction with short ejector rod than with either .38 Special or .357 Mag

Drawbacks?
I am going to put myself in a class of one and say that I am not a huge fan of the moonclips. 9x19 rounds clipped into the moonclips wobble a fair degree, which makes getting all five lined up in into the charging holes no faster and probably a touch slower, for me at least, than the Comp I speedloaders. The Comp I is great...secure, compact, and fast. Push and close. Faster for me than moonclips and way faster than HKS. I admit that I have never met anyone who agreed with me on this, though.
 
Hand Rifle Guy: I take your point, but would emphasize the obvious answer: AmmoMan, CheaperThanDirt, Natchez, Georgia Arms, and ALL the other internet/mail-order ammunition sources.

JNewell: Sorry and respectfully, I simply cannot concur that the 9x19’s “ballistics are not too distant from .357 Mag”. Even at <125 grains the differences are appreciable, while for heavier projectiles, the disparity is enormous. To document this point:
Winchester 9x19 Silvertip 115 grain 1225 FPS 383#
Winchester 357 SuperX JHP 125 grain 1450 FPS 583#
Winchester 9x19 Silvertip 147 grain 1010 FPS 303#
Winchester 357 Silvertip 145 grain 1290 FPS 535#
Winchester 357 Supreme JHP 180 grain 1180 FPS 557#
I selected a single, high-volume manufacturer – Winchester – to reduce disparities. Saliently, in EVERY case the .357 magnum’s energy was AT LEAST 40 percent greater than the 9x19's. To me, that is distant.
 
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RWK-

I in turn will grant YOUR point. It takes all of two minutes to find online sources like you describe. A gun store worth anything probably would have a net connection, and there's really no excuse for a store not to have a box or two of a good defensive round for for something that's gaining in popularity. Turns your SAA into a more viable defensive choice, particularly if it's your only handgun.

Now, this qualifies as thread veer, as we don't yet have an autoloader for .45 Colt. SAA's, however, are EASILY fitted with a cylinder for the ACP, which takes a little wind outta the sails of Colt defensive rounds, but NOT in the context of DA revolvers.

Personally, one of my collecting bugs is .45 caliber wheelguns, and right this second I think there's more available in ACP than Colt. Taurus makes a whole line of 'em, in fact, in both calibers.

None of which are available in MY stupid state. Sombody kick Taurus and make 'em run that stupid extortion racket the state runs so I can actually THINK about getting 3-5 guns from 'em. Gol-dern DOJ drop-test BS.

I want the Taurus guns chambered for the .30 Carbine, too. There's a serious revolver round for you! A Blackhawk is a great piece, but I also want a DA wheelgun to go with my Automag III. I shan't hold my breath, however.
 
RWK, look at the test barrels. The data is correct but not indicative of what happens when you reduce barrel lengths. There was an American Rifleman test several years ago that had some numbers for .357 Mag and 9x19 from 2" revolvers, and the margin between the two shrunk a great deal.
 
JNewell,

You may be right for snubbies, small snubbies at that. My point, as you obviously know, was focused at the far larger population of 9x19s and .357 magnums with barrel lengths >3 inches – and especially 4 inches and greater.

Regards.
 
I'd love a 610 and a 625!

I just got into reloading, and the thought of having 100% brass recovery is great! Between these two guns, I'd have the more popular rounds covered.
 
got the 610 4 inch

love it.it is hot in the 40 have not even tried it with the 10 mm yet.pick up your brass 6 at a time what is there not to love.talk about case support it's got it. im getting 1200 fps with a 180 in the 40 with it.wothout going over max with longshot,thanks,keith
 
45 ACP and 9MM provide some cheap shootin' in a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible. Also provide alternative defensive ammo if the primary caliber ammo you can buy is not available or suitable.
 
Just newly the pleased recipient of ... M625-6 - 5" tube .... for .45 acp ..... now itching to get out with it and do some shooting. :)


m625-6-01_s.jpg
 
RWK, look at the test barrels. The data is correct but not indicative of what happens when you reduce barrel lengths. There was an American Rifleman test several years ago that had some numbers for .357 Mag and 9x19 from 2" revolvers, and the margin between the two shrunk a great deal.
Click to expand...

Most .357Mag ammo is loaded w/ slower-burning powder for optimum use in longer barrels (6", 8" & longer.) Going shorter than 6" leaves a lot of powder unburned--resulting in less velocity & more junk to clean... :(

OTOH, 9mm ammo (except for the hot-loaded SMG ammo) is loaded w/ faster-burning powder for optimum use in shorter (4" or less) barrels. Makes for better performance from a snubby platform... :D

I have a serious itch for one of the 9mm Taurus 5-shooters out now. I'd be even more jazzed if they made them on the "Ultra-light" CIA platform.... :cool:
 
Moon Clips are the only way to go in competition and I tend to like the way they load even for practice. I load up 40 of them and just go to the range and shoot until they are all spent.

I have one 4" 646, one 4" 686 (9x23), two 5" 625, three 4" 625, one 940 (reamed to .38 super) and one more 940 on the way. I guess you could say that since I switched from pistol to revolver, the Smiths have become a sickness.


Greg
 
OTOH, 9mm ammo (except for the hot-loaded SMG ammo) is loaded w/ faster-burning powder for optimum use in shorter (4" or less) barrels.​

True, which is basically where you're at with a 940 with its ~2" cylinder + 2" barrel. :D
 
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