Anybody here ever tried shooting .380 from a 9mm revolver?

[TruthTellers]

I like revolvers, they're versatile, cool, and reliable. I've been thinking about 9mm revolvers because I think they'd make a good backup gun for a 9mm pistol. In thinking about 9mm revolvers, I thought about if they'd be okay shooting .380 from them as I've seen videos of people shooting .380 from 9mm semi-auto pistols, but they don't cycle the slide so they have to be manually operated.

Seems pointless to run a .380 in a 9mm pistol when it basically becomes a single shot, so a 9mm revolver would make more sense to shoot .380 from since all you have to do is pull the trigger.

Anybody here ever shot a 9mm revolver with .380?

 

[MarkT]

I have not, but I can't think of any good reason to shoot less powerful, and more expensive, ammunition through a revolver that wasn't designed to shoot it.

 

[71montess]

I like revolvers, they're versatile, cool, and reliable. I've been thinking about 9mm revolvers because I think they'd make a good backup gun for a 9mm pistol. In thinking about 9mm revolvers, I thought about if they'd be okay shooting .380 from them as I've seen videos of people shooting .380 from 9mm semi-auto pistols, but they don't cycle the slide so they have to be manually operated.

Seems pointless to run a .380 in a 9mm pistol when it basically becomes a single shot, so a 9mm revolver would make more sense to shoot .380 from since all you have to do is pull the trigger.

Anybody here ever shot a 9mm revolver with .380?

Don't believe everything on the internet.

 

[greencobra]

Seems pointless to run a .380....

end of story!

 

[Picton]

If you get enough rubber bands, you could probably figure out how to turn a 9mm revolver into a slingshot, as well.

It would make about the same amount of sense.

 

[gerrycaruso]

The .380 has a smaller base diameter than the 9mm. I,m guessing it would cause problems with support and extraction. It's also 1mm shorter and might fall too far into the chambers depending on the design of the revolver.

 

[browncoat]

If you are using clips, and the 380 will fit in the clips, it will work fine. As others point out above it would be pretty pointless but it would function. The brass might end up ruined.

 

[PATRON]

WHY?

 

[Patriot579]

you should try it out and let us know how it works out. take some photos of the brass after too

 

[MisterHappy]

I'd say that the best backup for a 9 x 19, is another 9 x 19.

After all, who thinks that the space-saver spare on a car is as good as a full size?

 

[Radtekk]

After all, who thinks that the space-saver spare on a car is as good as a full size?

Stupid people and accountants.

 

[Toast]

After all, who thinks that the space-saver spare on a car is as good as a full size?

At least it's something. My last two cars have come with run-flats and no spare. I've ended up getting a space-saver to lay in the trunk, as there's not even a well under the trunk floor to put one in.

 

[Scott7980]

Definitely make an unboxing video of this also

 

[dhuze]

I have not, but I can't think of any good reason to shoot less powerful, and more expensive, ammunition through a revolver that wasn't designed to shoot it.

This pretty much says it all.

 

[FalArAk]

 

[strangenh]

If you are using clips, and the 380 will fit in the clips, it will work fine. As others point out above it would be pretty pointless but it would function. The brass might end up ruined.

This, pretty much. There are well-done .357mag revolver conversions to take 9x19 in moonclips (and thereby also compatible with some other 9x/nn/ ammo - but not all by any means), and they are still accurate and safe even with .38 special (which, on the 1mm-shorter comment above, are over 3mm shorter than .357mag). The possible off-center position of .380 in a 9x19 revolver, and the brass expansion on .380s are the two issues I'd worry about. If the revolver is tight and the clips hold the round well, it should be OK. But I don't understand why one would be doing that (.380 in a 9x19 revolver) in the first place other than ****s-n-giggles or TEOTW, given the relative pricing. Lots of bad ammo ideas won't blow up a gun. Doesn't make them good ideas.

 

[Howland]

WHY?

For the same reason people shoot .38 Special out of .357 Magnum revolvers - just because they can.

However the .357 & .38 are closer to each other in case dimension than the 9mm & .380. Perhaps the .380 could be safely shot out of a 9mm revolver using moon clips, but that doesn't address the real issue here. The OP has missed the obvious and failed to recognize that he needs a new gun. If one doesn't exist, he would have to go down the wildcatting rabbit hole.

He should get demerits against his man card, which should be like points against your driver license. Accumulate enough and you are on probation. Too many result in a temporary suspension.

 

[Zappa]

Ruger once made a Blackhawk .357 that came with a 9mm conversion cylinder.
It didn't use moon clips, which would be impossible anyway unless you removed the cylinder.
The 9mm cartridge headspaced on the case mouth, which worked fine, and extraction was via ejector rod anyway, so nothing needed to hold the cartridge rim.
.380's didn't work with this arrangement because they sat too deep in the cylinder so the firing pin never reached the primer.

 

[TruthTellers]

Huh, look at all these videos of shooting .380 out of 9mm pistols. Gee whiz, I wonder why they didn't blow up and turn the shooters into meat jelly?


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkJuu7rwNEc



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNbnS30TV7o



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBDycno-SFE


I guess because you can shoot .380 out of a 9mm gun. Now, I know these are pistols and the .380 is being held in place by the extractor, otherwise it would slide down the chamber too far and the pin wouldn't hit the primer, but my question is for revolvers.

I know moon clips would be the only way to hold .380 in a 9mm revolver. That or the Charter Pitbull would hold them with that extractor tab it has.

 

[TruthTellers]

If you are using clips, and the 380 will fit in the clips, it will work fine. As others point out above it would be pretty pointless but it would function. The brass might end up ruined.

Don't really care if the brass is ruined, I don't reload .380.

The idea is to test proof of concept. I'm not going to use it in any situation other than to try it at the range or if all the 9mm ammo in the world suddenly vanished because it was abducted by aliens who were going to start the zombie apocalypse and didn't want 9mm to be used against zombies.

 

[enbloc]

Its been tried before...

 

[TruthTellers]

I see the trolls are strong in this thread.

Whilst they've never tried it, they already know it will blow up the gun and kill the shooter cuz "pressure issues"

Yet the .380 is lower pressure than 9mm, so there's no way it would blow up the gun, but because it's not a 9mm it will magically cause higher pressures because it will because they just know because they're from Asshatchusetts.

 

[Picton]

I see the trolls are strong in this thread.

Whilst they've never tried it, they already know it will blow up the gun and kill the shooter cuz "pressure issues"

Yet the .380 is lower pressure than 9mm, so there's no way it would blow up the gun, but because it's not a 9mm it will magically cause higher pressures because it will because they just know because they're from Asshatchusetts.

If you think that’s what we’re saying, you need to reread some of the replies here.

 

[TruthTellers]

If you think that’s what we’re saying, you need to reread some of the replies here.

Not talking about those people and their posts. I understand the why question, but those aren't the trolls.

 

[shootymacshootface]

I shoot .380 bullets out of my 9mm open gun . It can be scary if you are off to the side of me. It' super loud.

 

[Woody1911a1]

you've been here 6 mos. and you haven't figure this place out yet ?

Not talking about those people and their posts. I understand the why question, but those aren't the trolls.

 

[E.Stoner]

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. If I was in a gunfight and 9mm and ran out of bullets and but I happened to have a .380 loose round in my pocket, I'd give it a go. I were in the zombie apocalypse and I would probably give no shits as long as the round went boom, because f- it.
Otherwise I don't see the point to shoot a less capable more expensive bullet.
It's different as say shooting 38 special in a gun designed for .357 magnum where cost/ comfort shooting can be a major factor.
If we were talking hypothetically about max bullet compatibility in the end of days, I might be mistaken but I think you can fire 9mm out of a .357 cut for moonclips. In this case you'd have .357, 38S, 9mm, and 380.
I think Frank Grimes is on to something with his Python.

 

[ioman2]

i watched all of the videos the OP posted. I won't do it for one reason. My cheapest .380 cost me .30/round and my cheapest 9mm cost me 14.5/round. maybe if i was surrounded and it was TEOTWAWKI...but that is what the .357 mag revjolver is for like tom hanks at the end of saving private ryan (i know he had a 1911 but this is my post)

 

[TruthTellers]

^That's really the only reason I want to try it. If President Winfrey enact similar bans on "military ammunition" like they have in Europe (i.e. 9x19 Parabellum/Luger) and I've got myself a 9mm revolver and it's now rendered useless because of some stupid future law it can still work with .380, which is not military ammunition.

Not saying I'm gonna start shooting 100's of rounds of .380 in a 9mm revolver, but I would shoot a cylinder full to see what the result is and probably never do it again... unless President Winfrey is elected and says she'll give everyone who turns in a gun a new car.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I see the trolls are strong in this thread.

They mostly come out when you start a stupid thread. Which you should know by now.

You might be the most thin-skinned member of this forum. You start ridiculous threads then get butt hurt when people make fun of you.

At least it's not a make-you-own black powder thread or yet another NAA Mini thread.

To answer your question, the .380 case head is about 0.015" undersized compared to the 9mm, so the brass will be ruined, and the case won't properly seal in the chamber. Since the cartridge is less powerful than the 9mm to begin with, and you're going to lose more than the normal amount pressure both because of the extra free bore and out the back of the chamber because of the poor seal, your biggest risk is going to be sticking a bullet in the barrel, then piling another one down on top of it.

However, if you can find a video on the internet where someone did this and didn't turn into "meat jelly" I'm sure you'll be fine, because everybody knows that the best way to determine if something is safe or not is to first see if someone did it in a video, then ask on an internet forum.