Multi Caliber Revolvers

EmsRescueGuy

EmsRescueGuy

Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
1,067
I remember years ago reading about Medussa Multi caliber revolvers in american survival guide, these seemed like a really good Idea for SHTF type situation, or just for a budget concious shooter.

These revovlers were equipped with a specialized cylinder that allowed, them to use any bullet with a .357,(9mm) Diameter, that included 9mm luger .380 (9mm Kruz), 9mm Macarov, 9mm super, .38 special, .38 super, .357 magnum, and acording to the literature 30 other sizes.

I know Colt breifly introduced a Revolver called the Survivor that had similar capabilities, and I believe Taurus introduced a similar gun, but I can't find either of them, for sale anywhere, and havent spoken to anyone who has owned or used one of these or the Medusa, I was wondering if anyone here had one or knew of a company that still made them, or has experience with these guns.
 
i believe Ruger still makes some multi-caliber convertible single-action revolvers. years ago, a buddy had one in 9mm/.357 mag/.38 spc. it was reliable, strong, accurate, and fun.
 
Ruger you need to swap the cyclinder out to change 357 to 9mm. Awesome pistol. I love my Ruger sp101 and gp100
 
A co-worker and I have been talking about buying The Judge by taurus. It shoots a pistol round (i believe .45) and/or a .410 shotshell. perfect sidekick for hunting. great for shooting snakes. even a good close range gun for home protection with some .410 buckshot.
 
The concept of a multi-caliber revolver (in terms of the cartridges used) sounds good in theory. Making it work well in the real world might be another matter because of the difficulty in establishing headspace and extracting fired cases for cartridges that were intended for use in autoloading pistols. I've never owned or even handled one, but I do know the idea never caught on. The Medusa and maybe one other similar type were double-action revolvers and it will now be difficult and probably expensive to find one. The good news is that Ruger always will make some of its excellent single-action revolvers that come from the factory with extra cylinders that will let you shoot other cartridges that use bullets of about the same diameter. The most common Ruger "convertible" is their .22 Single-Six that will safely shoot .22 Long Rifle as well as .22 Magnum cartridges in its two cylinders. The cylinders will swap out easily and quickly without the need for tools. In the past Ruger has made .45s that will use both .45 Colt (.45 LC) and .45 ACP (.45 Automatic) in its two cylinders. Ruger has also made a .357 that will fire both .357 Magnum and .38 Special from one cylinder, as well as 9 mm Luger from the other cylinder. I seem to remember Ruger also making a more limited run of a single-action .32 that used .32 Magnum, .32 S&W Long, and .32 S&W Short in one cylinder and .32-20 (.32 WCF) in the other cylinder. You'll have to go to Ruger's website to see what they currently offer in the way of convertible revolvers, though the chances of finding a used model are fairly good. A very few S&W double-action revolvers have had extra cylinders, either factory fitted or custom fitted, to enable the owner to fire other cartridges using similar diameter bullets, most notably .22 LR and .22 Magnum.
 
It has been produced by Phillips & Rogers but I don't know the current status. I've only handled one in the store, nicely fitted and finished at about $800 new a couple of years ago. They are reportedly quite accurate with some loads. Try (409)435-0011. That's the last contact I can reference. ss
 
The FN Baracuda was a DA revolver with a .38/.357 cylinder and another in 9mm. These are rare guns now.

The Ruger Single-Six will fire any .22 rimfire from CB caps to .22 mag. With the CB´s it sounds like an air pistol and with the magnums it turns into a whole different gun.

I´ve always liked the convertible concept. Mac
 
I have a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible, 9mm/.357Mag/.38Spl. As mentioned, you must change out the cylinder to change calibers. Great for plinking, as 9mm tends to be significantly cheaper than .38Spl. Ruger also makes them in .45LC/.45ACP.

I also have a Heritage SA in .22LR/.22Mag. It's only had six rounds of .22Mag through it (those suckers are LOUD coming out of a handgun). This is pretty much a dedicated .22LR plinker.

Double action dual caliber guns do seem pretty rare. Never seen one and I can't even think of any models off the top of my head.
 
I've heard a little about the Medusa. Apparently, the mechanism that allows it extract everything under the sun is finicky, doesn't like going into the real world. Works great on the range though. While I haven't shot it myself, I'll give this heresay some credance, based the complexity of the task involved here. Afterall, it is designed to fire just about every .38/9mm commercial pistol round loaded in the past century with the exceptions of 9mm Mak, .357 Sig, .357 Maxiumum, .38-40 and maybe 9mm Mauser.

While on paper the scavenger abilities are nice, in practice, I like revolvers becuase they don't mind playing in the dirt so much.
 
Hello friends, this is not my idea, i saw it on the web. If you buy just one big caliber hand gun or rifle, you can just cut down on the powder and bullet gr. I know swaping out cyclinders can and will add to the cost of the weapon, as i say, this is not my idea, but it sounds good to me. Your friend at the post Donald S.
 
The "judge" would be an ideal survival gun. A good hot 45 LC with birdshot ability for small game?

Perfect!
 
Horrible concept in practice. The Ruger 357/9mm conversion was designed to allow the use of 9mm bullets for practice, because they are cheaper the obtain and manufacture. Only issue is that 9mm bullets are .355 not the .357 caliber of 357magnum/.38special. As a result I have seen best results with 9mm LEAD unjacketed ammunition. It expands slightly to the barrel, and is available as a reloadable component through Speer and other companies. It's not really a survival tool. I like a 357magnum, 44 magnum, or 454 Cassull primarily because they have understudies, and can also be handloaded to lesser velocities for differing uses. The 357 does this best IMHO because it can be had in a medium frame revolver (slight advantage in concealed carry.) There are several power levels to choose from, full house magnum down to 38spl target wadcutter. It allows alot of versatility. If you "HAD" to shoot snakes, there is snake shot available, or easily reloaded using speer capsules. Its versatility allows it to be adjusted to the skills of the user, and allows it to be practiced with often (the most important component in self defense whether it be 4 legged or 2 legged variety).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top