I’m a fan of 9mm revolvers. What helped me learn how to shoot snub nose revolvers was an LCR in 9mm. The price of revolver ammo, like .38 Special, remains high, and 9mm makes it a fair bit easier to shoot. Plus, there are plenty of defensive ammo options, and you can use reduced recoil ammunition without fear of reliability issues and more. I like 9mm revolvers, so imagine my satisfaction when SHOT showed me two new 9mm revolver options. 

The Diamondback SDR 

I’m not a revolver expert, so my opinion is barely worth a spit. However, if I had to describe my perfect carry revolver, the SDR would get pretty close. I’d cover the hammer, but I wouldn’t change much else. I’d probably change even less now that it’s in 9mm. The SDR comes in a nice shiny chrome finish that wears smudges just perfectly. 

The SDR is an almost perfect revolver (Travis Pike for TTAG)

The grips are long enough to fill my hand, and the barrel is a true two-inch long option. The gun is nice and heavy, which sucks for pocket carry but makes it nice shooting. Oh, and did I mention the sights? The dovetail rear sight and the high visibility front sight. Real sights make this thing a blast to shoot. 

The new 9mm version uses moon clips, which I don’t mind. I wish I knew if they were interchangeable with something like the Ruger LCR moon clips, but I’m not sure. (I’ll look into that and report back later.) The SDR feels like a high-quality gun and shoots like a high-quality gun. It might be time for me to see if Diamondback is interested in sending one out. 

The Charter Arms Double Dog 

The Charter Arms Double Dog was the first time I realized Charter Arms was still in business. As the owner of a Bulldog, I appreciate the company, but they seem to go in and out of business like I go in and out of Taco Bell. I do like their novel approach to firearms design and that they take risks and do things differently. The Double Dog is an excellent example of that. 

Charter Arms always does things different (Travis Pike for TTAG)

The new Double Dog is a snub nose revolver, one of the Pug series, but these aren’t your average 9mm revolvers. The Double Dog comes with two cylinders. One allows you to chamber .357 Magnum and .38 Special, and the second allows you to shoot 9mm. The standard .357 Magnum model uses your normal revolver ejection design, but the 9mm cylinder uses the built-in extractor designed for automatic cartridges.

Who needs moon clips (Travis Pike for TTAG)

This means you don’t have to worry about moon clips. The cylinder can extract the spent cartridge easily enough and a dummy round was on hand to show just that. Being able to swap calibers allows for cheap practice with 9mm and effective carry. You could swap to the mightier .357 Magnum if you hate your hands and love noise. 

Two New 9mm Revolvers

As a fan of 9mm revolvers, it’s rare we see one, much less two new guns. What’s best is that these aren’t just your normal revolvers. They both stand out. The SDr features a lot of modern touches that make it a solid shooter. The Double Dog allows you to swap calibers I like different, and I’m excited for both of these guns. 

23 COMMENTS

  1. Taco Bell has a tendency to go out of me rapid fire.
    Revolvers, I like mine with a rim on them.
    38spc can be loaded pretty hot, shoots heavier bullets then a 9mm too.

  2. Good points. However, usually 9mm can be obtained more economically and that helps in promoting longer, and perhaps more frequent, range sessions.

  3. The way to really increase revolver sales is to go 9mm. The fact is 9mm is far cheaper that any traditional revolver caliber ammunition.

    But is do like 32 s&w and 32HR magnum.

  4. Current Charter Arms has been in business for well over a decade now and makes some great products for the price. A 45ACP Pitbull Nitride is one of my most carried firearms. No moon clips needed

    • Evidently you’re unaware that quality at Charter Arms has experienced a drastic decline over the last 2 decades. Unreliable fragile junk.

      • Completely disagree. If you don’t own one you’re basing your opinion on internet rumors. Mine has been reliable for nearly 5 years and about 600 ish rounds. Sample size of 1 but I’m happy with it for the price. I’ve owned 2 GP 100’s since I bought it, and I no longer own them but still own the Charger if that tells you anything.

      • Current Charter is solid, if unremarkable. You have to pay attention which iteration of Charter you’re buying but the current company makes good enough revolvers.

  5. “…the 9mm cylinder uses the built-in extractor designed for automatic cartridges.”

    That explains it! The extractor is acting as a kinda-sorta ‘moon-clip’, by having it built into the cylinder itself.

    Quite cool! The only downside I see is reloads will have to be manually done, but I could accept that. Others may not, and that’s on them.

    Is the ‘Double-Dog’ name a riff on “I double-dog dare you” in ‘A Christmas Story’ about licking a metal pole in sub-zero weather? That’s the kind of thing someone only does once… (So I’ve heard, *cough*) 😉

    • The Charter design is pretty ingenious, it’s far simpler than the old S&W 947. The extractor star has a spring loaded tab in each hole that indexes with the cartridge lip. It holds the rounds in the cylinder so you can turn the fully loaded cylinder up side down and the rounds don’t fall out. The cartridges also headspace properly so it’s not just the little tab keeping them in while firing. It also aids in extraction, the spring loaded action positively kicks the cases out. The only downside is you have to charge the cylinders intentionally, so that a speed loader wouldn’t work without hanging up. That’s not a big issue as I’m not aware of any revolver speed loaders designed for auto cartridges anyway. You can still load from a speed strip just fine, only a tad slower. I have the 45ACP Pitbull and it’s a neat little snubby.

  6. Still waiting for the day a manufacturer can make a 6-shot revolver cylinder that can take both 9mm and .357 Magnum without needing moon clips or swapping cylinders.

    • Charter arms did a 6 shot 9mm with no moon clips briefly. They changed it to a 5 shot due to extraction issues and the cylinder geometry. You can get a 6 shot .380 with no moon clips from them today. Taurus makes the 692 with convertible cylinders.357/9mm, it’s 7 shots too. The only thing the Taurus doesn’t do on that list is no moon clips.

    • Firearms design, like all engineering, is a game of compromise. The wild difference in cartridge shape between the short and tapered 9mm case and the straight walled 357 make reliability a problem. Complicated workarounds like the Medusa violate the KISS principle, again making reliability a problem. I’d much rather have two guns, one in each cartridge, especially since the .356 diameter of most cast 357 bullets makes the barrel much less accurate for the .351 diameter of most 9mm bullets.

      • 9mm uses .355 for jacketed rounds and .356 for lead. The 38 special and 357 mag use .357 for jacketed and .358 for lead. 9mm bullets work fine in 357 bores in my experience not much accuracy loss.

  7. Charter Arms understands concealed carry, and Diamondback is still sticking with rubber grips. Why? the only thought that goes through my head when I see a revolver with rubber grips is “If I want it, that’s another $30 at least to get grips that won’t get me killed because they snagged my cover garment/pocket lining.”

      • “I suggest practicing your draw more if rubber is giving you problems.”

        Rubbers can solve expensive problems that can haunt you for 18 years… 😉

  8. I’ll be curious to see how the accuracy/keyholing is with the swappable cylinder, not that it probably matters at distances one of these revolvers will be used at.

    • This ^^ Bullet diameter on these can vary by up to .005, rendering either the 357 dangerously over pressured or the 9mm barely touching the lands with plenty of blow by

  9. I can tell you right now that LCR moon clips will not fit the SDR. It would be a real feat to make 5-round clips fit a 6-round revolver.

  10. SHOT Show 2025 introduced two exciting new 9mm revolvers, capturing the attention of firearm enthusiasts. These models promise enhanced performance and versatility, making them stand out in the competitive handgun market. SHOT Show 2025 continues to showcase innovative designs, further solidifying its reputation as a premier event for gun enthusiasts.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here