LCRx in 9mm... makes sense... I think (nope)

[Jayne]

Still struggling with the toy revolver idea. I've done the small 357s, no thank you. I like the idea of a small 357 using 38s or handloads. Usually have more mass than their 38 counterparts and you can beat yourself up if you care to.

However, I'm going back to favoring an LCRx in 9mm for:

1. range toy / training aid (in DA mode it will teach me trigger control)
2. snake gun (ok not really, just put that in to bother @Slacker )
3. BUG matches, have wanted to try a wheelgun just for kicks
4. sharing with new shooters

The reasons for 9mm over 38/357 is:

1. moon clips, the LCRx is cut for them and they'll make BUG matches way way easier than without or with speed loaders
2. 9mm is cheaper and I stock lots of it (I reload it but I also reload 38/357, so kinda moot there)

The reasons I can come up with that the 357 version would be better:

1. moon clips, don't need them and they can be fiddly
2. guns themselves are easier to find used / cheaper
3. zillions more choices vs. 9mm offerings (this is both a good and bad thing)
4. no crimp jump (although probably not an issue here since I won't be cycling ammo through over and over again)

I think the 9mm is built on the 357 frame, so the weight difference and less recoil of the heavier gun isn't in play here.

What am I missing?

Bonus to the black LCRs, don't have to clean them so much. I hate trying to get stainless wheel guns clean again. What a thankless chore.

 

[Slacker]

A 9mm revo will run super bunny fart 2.5gr of titegroup just fine. That's a gazillion rounds per lb.
It's a pleasure to plink with. Just a little embarassing when it gets stuck in the cardboard uspsa target.

All kidding aside, ejection is way faster with the shorter case length.
Plus the smaller case volume lends itself to light charges better than the giant 38/357 case.
If I were to buy an LCR for the uses you list, it would be the 9mm.

If it were for a strictly carry gun then it would be in 357. I'd put 125gr JHP under 20gr of H110 and set folks on fire with it.

"Muzzle burns indicate 20gr of H110 under a light load of snake shot "

 

[BBD280]

I had a LCRx in .38spl that I never should've gotten rid of..... to me, it handles recoil better than a j-frame and has a better trigger.

 

[Jayne]

If I were to buy an LCR for the uses you list, it would be the 9mm.

So here's the thing, the more I read about the crimp jump problem in small 9mm wheel guns, the less I can ignore it. It appears that it's not just some internet thing, people who's opinion I would generally trust have seen it happen in the real world.

yes, you can mitigate it with special reloads, or getting lucky with factory ammo, until you're not lucky. None of my guns are 'fiddly', require anything special or weird. I've decided now I don't want a special snowflake 9mm that I can't just pickup and shoot 100%. It's a revolver, who wants an unreliable revolver?

There are several custom shops that can cut the 357 model to use moon clips. So this can be solved with more money. The moon clip conversion also lets you shoot without them without issue, so I could have the best of both worlds for $150 over the price of the LCR.

 

[Slacker]

Crimp jump happens with 357/38 also.

 

[two77]

I have an LCRx in .38+P 3"bbl that I'm happy with. It is almost unbelievably light at about 15 ounces dry/17 ounces loaded, and it has a very decent trigger, especially considering it's a Ruger. It shoots well considering how light it is. I find the grip to be very ergonomic. Here it is beside my 686 4".

 

[Jayne]

Crimp jump happens with 357/38 also.

Compared to 9mm though.... how often? Is it like glocks malfunctioning where it happens and everyone is astounded, or is it like 1911s malfunctioning where it just happens so often no one bothers to talk about it?

 

[Jayne]

it has a very decent trigger, especially considering it's a Ruger.

Isn't that one of the selling points of the LCR, the trigger is known to be good?

 

[Tim]

All kidding aside, ejection is way faster with the shorter case length.
Plus the smaller case volume lends itself to light charges better than the giant 38/357 case.

ding ding ding

 

[two77]

Isn't that one of the selling points of the LCR, the trigger is known to be good?

My experience with Ruger triggers in anything has not been good. I bought this at a gun show where I was looking at some of the different smaller Smith revolvers. I really liked the feel of it and asked the vendor if I could dry fire it, and that made the sale after he let me do just that.

 

[dalek]

1. What is crimp jump?
2. If you want to shoot 9mm in s 357 revolver, is the only thing you need is a spare cylinder to be modified for the caliber and moon clips?

 

[Jayne]

What is crimp jump?

9mm isn't meant to be shot out of a revolver so the bullets aren't crimped well enough in all cases to do so. There are some youtube vids about people testing various ammo types and some work and some don't. Those that don't work, the bullets work their way out of the unfired rounds under recoil and either just change the OAL randomly, or come completely out of the case. It's possible that the bullet that's no longer in the case can just walk forward and jam the cylinder rotation.

I tried to ignore the evidence, but couldn't ignore it long enough to buy one (in 9mm, I got a 357 version and it's doing fine).

 

[dalek]

I am still confused here: in a semiauto a lot of times the bullet smacks onto the ramp/barrel as the round is slammed in by the slide. Shouldn't badly crimped rounds caused, say, the bullets to be pressed into the brass or something, which is not a good situation to be? Or is that impulse too long compared to the recoil in a revolver, which then would act like you are using an inertial bullet puller?

 

[Jayne]

I am still confused here: in a semiauto a lot of times the bullet smacks onto the ramp/barrel as the round is slammed in by the slide. Shouldn't badly crimped rounds caused, say, the bullets to be pressed into the brass or something, which is not a good situation to be? Or is that impulse too long compared to the recoil in a revolver, which then would act like you are using an inertial bullet puller?

it's the rearward impulse that makes the bullets back out. In a semi-auto the bullets have a maximum 'forward' they could go, they're blocked by the front of the magazine. In a revolver cylinder the rear of the case is locked into the cylinder so the all of the inertia is transfered directly to the bullet, not the bullet+case. It's as you indicated, basically a inertial bullet puller.

In a semi-auto you can get the bullet to set deeper into the case if you cycle the same round through the gun a bunch. That's what happens to carry ammo that gets manually cycled into the chamber day after day by those who unload their guns for storage then reload before putting them back into service. I think that's officially called "bullet setback", not crimp jump.