[jarbot]

I carry a usp40 as an issued service weapon and i want to get a nice ccw revolver with no hammer and can be concealed easily in say a pocket holster or similar,...

basiclly i want to use the same ammo type in the two weapons so i dont have to carry difffernt ammo types, if th BG gets my main gun i want to be able to go for my back up and if i need to reload i can drop rounds directly from my Magazine into the revolver no problem,... (of course i will practice this on the range)

so the requirments:
revovler
.40 cal ammo
5 round capacity
small frame easily ccw
no (or integrated hammer) so no clothing will snag if fired from inside pocket or under cloths

notify me directly at
[email protected]

 

[Captn66]

I personally don't know who makes revolvers in 40 S&W. But I'd look at a S&W 340 in 357 mag. Its got all the features you're after other than the caliber. Small, light (only 12 oz), no external hammer, and easily concealable. My wife's uncle carries one in his coat pocket and says it so light he can forget its there. Also pretty accurate although he did have to add some better grips to get his groups to where he wanted them.

 

[uglydog]

I believe you are out of luck on your desire, I don't know of anyone producing a revolver of any sort in 40 S&W. Getting a pistol round to work in a revolver is pretty difficult as there is no rim on the case for extraction or headspacing. There have been a few makers who have done so but it has been with full sized handguns. Best bet I can think of for a back up gun would be one of the compact autos. I have a Kel-Tek P-40 in 40 S&W as a back up but unfortunately they are no longer made. Best bet would be to look at the various subcompacts in 40 S&W if you wanted to stay with on cartridge, or check out the S&W revolvers if you insist on a wheel gun but realize you will need to pick a different chambering.

 

[huntswithdogs]

What they said. I don't know of any that use both cartridges.


HWD

 

[Bunnyman]

I seem to recall Smith & Wesson had a 10mm Auto revolver that fed with moon clips, and *might* work with .40. But even if you could scare one up, it'd be a full-size, which defeats the original purpose...plus you'd have to take rounds out of the magazine, snap them into a moon clip, and load them in the revolver, which seems a bit unwieldly in an o-crap-I'm-gonna-die situation.

 

[jarbot]

ok so wait,... so say i match ammo types say a .357 or .38 in both auto and revolver,... obviously im showing my ignorance of hand guns here,... lol, id much rather use my m-4 but,... could i potentially then perform the procedure of dropping rounds out of the mag into the revolver,... i would only need to do this if the initial load was expended and i wasnt able to retrieve my primary,... then id be forced to reload the backup,...

or am i just waaayy of the hook and the same caliber ammo type is different for revolver and auto and wont work,...

im thinkin i can swap my duty for the sig p229 and use the .357 round.

 

[huntswithdogs]

I believe the round for the SIG will be a bottle necked case which will not interchange with a 357 Mag or 38 spec. Same bullet diameter but not case. I think there was only one auto that shot a 357 mag. If I remember correctly, it was a Desert Eagle and those things need wheels, they're so huge!
I don't know if there are any revolvers made that shoot the 357Sig.

Somebody else better step in here.....

HWD

 

[huntswithdogs]

If ya backed away from needing a revolver as a backup and went to an auto, you would be more likely to match ammo and guns. Lots of Manufacturers make compact versions of their full sized ones. Just another thought.

HWD

 

[Captn66]

If you went with the auto as a back up you could match ammo, but your magazines probably wouldn't be interchangable unless your back up was a compact version of your service weapon. I know glock magazines are interchangable between their full size versions and their compacts. For example the glock 37 magazine will fit and work in a glock 38.

I think if you're talking about pulling rounds from one magazine and trying to reload them into a different magazine would be darn near impossible to do quick enough to matter in a SHTF senario.

 

[Bunnyman]

Agreed.

The main problem here is that revolver rounds are rimmed, whereas autoloaders use 'rimless' cartridges. On a rimmed cartridge, the lip on the back of the case extends beyond the main body of the case, and supports it in the chamber, whereas a rimless design uses the front rim of the case to keep it from sliding forward. Designing an autoloader for a rimmed case is possible, but generally difficult/unnecessarily complex (the previously mentioned Desert Eagle and the Coonan series of handguns being exceptions). The only common rimmed autoloader actions are in .22LR caliber.

Another thought...if you got a USP P2000 subcompact, you *may* be able to carry the same mags for both guns...use the flush-fitting compact mag for carry, and use your duty magazines for reloads. Anyone know if this can be done?

 

[uglydog]

A point I forgot to mention, if you get to the point that you are trying to feed rounds from one gun into another, you are so far behind the curve you likely will not ever catch up. I carry a back up and an extra reload for it. If whatever confrontation lasts longer than this, you have done something very wrong and are about to learn first hand what Darwin meant. If using an auto, the spare mag is easily carried and virtually unnoticeable. A revolver is a little more uncomfortable if using speed loaders but about the same if using speed strips. It would be wise to see if another HK compact or sub-compact model can use the same magazines as then you could reduce the amount of "baggage" a little bit.

As others have mentioned, the revolver and semi-auto fire differently shaped cartridges for the most part. The 357 SIG is a 40 S&W round with the mouth (case end) necked (squeezed down) to a smaller diameter. The 357 magnum is of a smaller diameter and longer in length than the 357 SIG so they are most definitely not interchangeable. If you are in the service, go speak to one of the armorers. They will set you straight as to what is possible and what is not.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

Taurus made a revolver in .40S&W for a short while