Short colt in a 929

[Mcfoto]

Despite trying to keep everything the same caliber, I ended up with a 929 since dear wife has taken over the 627. After I’ve sorted my brass and done some test loads with 9mm, on a whim I put a moon of short colt in the 929. Shot great, ejected fine. The brass looked a little bit swelled but went through the sizer die fine and fits the .38 gauge. Can any of you technical guys tell me why this would not a good idea?

[RangerMcFadden]

 

[Mcfoto]

Thanks. I remembered that this subject had been discussed recently but apparently my search engine fu is weak. FWIW mine were resized in a short colt die and don’t look anything like his. Haven’t reloaded them and see if they go through the 627. Kind of moot since I’ve got my 9mm load and moons dialed in but was curious.

[RangerMcFadden]

1 hour ago, Mcfoto said:

apparently my search engine fu is weak.

No problem. And it’s not you the Enos search can be very lacking.

[Bill Sahlberg]

Have owned 627s and 929s, kept the 627s and couldnt get either of my 929s to run nearly as good as their older better built non MIM parts brothers.

 

Hmmm...tapered 9mm case in a straight walled cylinder....IMHO I see nothing but long term trouble in this scenario.

 

However, in 1996 when I bought my first 3 early 627s through Lew Horton, I got lotsa crap about shooting 38 Colt Shorts (north of 120K+ without having to replace anything yet)

 

I have also shot 38 Super in my 627s with great accuracy & success but they too are a straight walled case.

 

Please keep me up to date on your success or failures!

 

 

 

 

 

[Toolguy]

I'm shooting 38 Short Colt in my 929, it works great. I made another cylinder for it from a 357 cylinder. All I have to do is switch cylinders to shoot 9mm or SC. It takes about a minute to change over.

[ysrracer]

3 hours ago, Bill Sahlberg said:

Hmmm...tapered 9mm case in a straight walled cylinder....IMHO I see nothing but long term trouble in this scenario

 

I think it's the other way around, a straight walled case in a tapered cylinder.

[MikeyScuba]

One can shoot brass that is free?  I’m still loading processed blazer I did years ago though I am down to my last 5k.  Got a lot of work to do this offseason, I’ve got buckets of dirty brass everywhere  

[Dr. Phil]

1 hour ago, MikeyScuba said:

One can shoot brass that is free?  I’m still loading processed blazer I did years ago though I am down to my last 5k.  Got a lot of work to do this offseason, I’ve got buckets of dirty brass everywhere  

I heard somebody invented a way to clean it now?

I shot with a guy about 5 years ago that had an Olhasso-tuned 929. He shot short colts. He claimed that once you shoot them in the 929 they stay with that gun. Said they won't work well in the 627 anymore.

But I wonder why try if you are set up with cases, a load and the way to reload it?

Guess I like simple more than that.

[Mcfoto]

20 minutes ago, Dr. Phil said:

I heard somebody invented a way to clean it now?

I shot with a guy about 5 years ago that had an Olhasso-tuned 929. He shot short colts. He claimed that once you shoot them in the 929 they stay with that gun. Said they won't work well in the 627 anymore.

But I wonder why try if you are set up with cases, a load and the way to reload it?

Guess I like simple more than that.

Depends on the definition of simple. I already have a good supply of short colt brass and a time-tested load. Saves me having to change the shell plate and sizer die plus keeping track of inventory. If I have to keep track of which brass is for 929 vs 627, I’m going to go ahead and load 9 so I can tell at a glance what ammo is at hand. Agree that that life would have been simpler if I’d gotten another 627 but haven’t been able to find one in over a year. The 929 popped up out of the blue at a match and a FTF cash deal made it an easy choice.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Mcfoto

[Dr. Phil]

Makes sense to me. I went from a 686-plus to a 327. Then the 929 came up and I liked the way it handled, I guess due to the years of 686s and model  29 (what I started steel and bowling pins with).

Like the 929. No problems now that those early ones were fixed. Going on 75K and only 1 (or 2) trigger re-freshes so far.

[pskys2]

I shot a few dozen 38 short colts in a buddies 929.  Worked great.  They didn't swell horribly and sized down with my 357 die.  Then shot them in my 627 with no issue.  

Repeated firing in a 929 may show issues after a while when going back to a 627.

Another thought is the chamfers on some more aggressive, which could cause more swelling?

[pskys2]

5 hours ago, Mcfoto said:

Depends on the definition of simple. I already have a good supply of short colt brass and a time-tested load. Saves me having to change the shell plate and sizer die plus keeping track of inventory. If I have to keep track of which brass is for 929 vs 627, I’m going to go ahead and load 9 so I can tell at a glance what ammo is at hand. Agree that that life would have been simpler if I’d gotten another 627 but haven’t been able to find one in over a year. The 929 popped up out of the blue at a match and a FTF cash deal made it an easy choice.

You could have the 627 reamed out to 9mm too.