380 in 9mm?

22sport

Can I shoot 380 ammo(9mm short) in a S&W 940 or 986 safely? Also have an older S&W 9mm that doesn't use moon clips and would like to know if anyone has tried to use 380 in it. Thanks!

charliemeyer007

Not much info on their web site, sad.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_750001_750051_796653_-1_775655_757896_image

I would think that if your pistol used some sort of half/full moon clips 380 would work, as you need something to headspace the shorter cartridge on. Sort of a 38 Special in a 357 Mag.

Added yep there is 0.005 difference in the rim thickness and almost .020 in the case diameter. So they might not fit or go off and if they do they could split.

MIKE WISKEY

not a good idea, the .380 has a smaller case dia. than a 9x19mm = case splits or blow back.

spas12

Try putting a .380 round in it, if it goes to far into the chamber then the answer is no. If it doesn't go in to far, but feels very loose then it's probably not a good idea. Even if it seems to fit alright it's still not advisable.

Toolman286

We actually had a patrolman try to qualify with 380s in a 9mm. Half way through he complained that not every round went off. He didn't know any better, DOPE! We figured that the extractor must have held the rounds & the primers must have been soft.

rufe-snow

The Medusa revolver was specifically designed to fire both 38, 9mm and .380 ammo, threw one platform.

How successful it actually was, is questionable though? It came and went on the market very quickly.

Here is a photo I got off the net. Of one and the different cartridges it supposedly fired. The only way I could envision that it worked, was that the chambers were over sized. And it had individual spring loaded extractors, that held the base of the cartridge against the face of the breech.

Ray B

the only 9mm I have any experience with is the Browning Hi Power, but it headspaced on the case mouth; as does the only 380 that I'm familiar with, the Colt Mustang. Since they both headspaced on the mouth and they are both different lengths it seems to me that unless you have some method of holding the case back against the bolt face, it isn't going to work.

tsr1965

Yes, you can do just about anything you want. However, I would not, unless you are excited about the probability of hot gas, unburnt gun powder, and metal fragments hitting you. Not saying that will happen, but the coin tossed is weighted in favor that it will.

Best

competentone

quote:Originally posted by MIKE WISKEY
not a good idea, the .380 has a smaller case dia. than a 9x19mm = case splits or blow back.


+1

Line up a row of about ten 9mm rounds on their sides (side to side) and do the same with .380 rounds. When you see the "curve" forming with the 9mm rounds, while the .380 rounds line up "straight," you'll understand that while the .380 is called (more in other parts of the world than the U.S.) "9mm short" it is NOT built from just a shortened 9mm case.

Hawk Carse

.380 is so much smaller head diameter that it will likely fall out of a 9mm P clip. I don't know if the "umbrella" extractor in a 547 will engage the rim or not.
The only objective review of the Medusa that I saw said that it was NOT reliable with .380.

Then there is the risk of the undersize case rupturing.

Don't do it.

rufe-snow

quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
.380 is so much smaller head diameter that it will likely fall out of a 9mm P clip. I don't know if the "umbrella" extractor in a 547 will engage the rim or not.
The only objective review of the Medusa that I saw said that it was NOT reliable with .380.

Then there is the risk of the undersize case rupturing.

Don't do it.



This bug a boo about a undersized case rupturing, is more theoretical, ( old wives tale ), then realistic. In my personal experience.

At various times in the distant past. I have shot 357 Sig, in 40 S & W. And .380, in 9mm Makarov. With the only negative result of bulged unreloadable brass cases. No damage to either the pistol(s), or the shooter.

p3skyking

Some weapons have an extractor that will grip and hold the round. In these cases, you will be able to fire a .380 in a 9mm with fair up close balistics.
In an emergency, I'd give it a whirl. There's many other combinations (.308 in 30-06, 16ga in a 12ga) that will work but are considered bad manners by the black and white people.

Improvision is sometimes the difference between life and death. Have the knowledge to know what's possible and what isn't is also a plus.