I am a right hand shooter with worsening arthritis in my left hand. I would like to obtain a 9mm handgun at least as a backup to avoid having to go to .380 as a concealed carry handgun. Suggestions as to both weapons and preferred ammo that will reliably work in such handguns would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Are you positive that you can run a revolver with your hands as they are?  I have worked with folks that struggle with revolvers if their hand strength is diminished.

Have you tried a Smith EZ9?  

Any Smith 9mm revolver will be great if you’re sure you want a revolver.

Left hand giving trouble, right hand good. Thanks for the suggestion.

https://grabagun.com/ruger-sp101-9mm-2-25-ss-fs.html


https://grabagun.com/smith-and-wesson-m-p9-shield-plus-9mm-3-1-barrel-13-rounds-w-crimson-trace-rds.html


S&W J frame .38 Special  <====<<< this

Friends don’t let friends use moon clips.

I've got a total of seven revolvers using either 9MM or 45ACP, five of which use moon or half moon clips. If you are having issues with arthritis, i would recommend against anything that uses moon clips. For just the shooting, unloading, reloading of the gun itself, it will seem like a good idea. However you must load and unload the clips themselves. That is where you will have some major problems if you lack hand strength. If you can get one of BMT's loading tools, that will help. I've got several different ways to load and unload the clips, and that seems to me the best for loading the clips. The other issue is that a 9MM revolver will kick more than you expect.  Due to the case being slightly tapered it seems to get a running start out of the chamber before striking the breech face and acts kind of like a dead-blow hammer causing recoil much out of proportion toits size.  Elmer Keith wrote at length about using tapered cases in single action revolvers and the associated problems. The 45ACP does not seem to have this problem. (if you get a chance, shoot dual cylinder single actions in 357/9 and 45 Colt/ACP and you  will notice the affect that im referring to-if you were in  East Texas i'd take you to the range and show you)  That being said, once the clips are loaded the moon clips does make reloading a revolver much faster, but you do have to practice at it just like with normal speedloaders.

As far at which revolver, i have both a S&W 940 and a Ruger SP101. i'd recommend the Ruger because it is heavier, meaning it will kick less, and having a normal hammer it can be cocked and fired in single action mode if you cannot pull the triger for some reason.  The nice thing about a revolver is there will be no feeding issues. As one of my instructors said, the malfunction drill for a revolver is to pull the trigger again.  If that does not result in  a bang, your problem is to bad to fix quickly.

I'm not really sure what you're after?

If it's less recoil, I'd look into a Ruger LCR in .327 or the new S&W 432UC/632UC in .32 H&R.  These revolvers can shoot .32 S&W short or long (like shooting a .22 Mag), .32 H&R (which feels less than a .38 to me), on up to .327 Mag.  You really can tailor these to your recoil comfort level.  And even the light shooting .32 S&W Long in a wadcutter load will get you 13-14 inches of penetration.  You can also look into the S&W 8 shot .22 LR or 7 shot .22 mag.  If your right hand is good, you shouldn't have a problem with recoil.  Although reloading with your left hand may be a hassle.

Both S&W and Ruger make 9mm Revolvers.  But you may not like the recoil impulse.  

As other suggested, the M&P EZ may also be an option.  

I'm glad I've got smarter friends

How about a k frame sent out to tk customs to be rechambered?

LCR with 147gr HST' s work well for me, I kinda like the moon clips. The split TK custom clips load and unload easier.

Just an FYI from Ruger about the LCR when I asked about using 124+P HST:

I'm sure its not the best but my Charter Arms Pitbull 9mm works well for me.

It has fired everything I have put in it reliably and decent accuracy for a snub nose. I use Hornady Black 124gr XTP standard pressure for carry in it.

It does not use moon clips so reloading is slower with no speed loaders available. Also makes extraction of spent cases a little different. I open the cylinder and point the gun up vertical then hit the ejector rod and the empties fall out. If I don't point the gun vertical sometimes the empty closest to the side of the gun doesn't fall off the ejector star without help.

Thanks, I do run a lot of 124gr S&B, Norma and some std pressure HST and haven't found a huge poi difference but have found that 147gr Lawman for practice and carry std pressure HST's shoot to the sights besides being ballistically superior in a short barrel. I've checked rounds in the cylinder and haven't found any pulled but, those are the only 147's I shoot and always shoot what's in the cylinder so they get one revolution.

Please explain why you think a 9mm is a better choice than .38 Special as a "backup."

I have nothing against quality 9mm revolvers. But just as a practical matter I'm not seeing the 9mm as being a better choice than a .38. At best, the 9mm is only on-par with .38 -- and with various valid concerns about operation complexity.

If this is truly to be a "backup" gun, you probably won't be shooting it a lot anyway.

If you want a rec-fire gun that doesn't involve competition, and shooting a whole bunch or rounds in the shortest period of time, look at something single-stack. The "E-Z" series mentioned is very good. I have one, and its fun to shoot, and easy to load. And that's assuming a .22 won't meet your rec-fire needs.

Moonclips
Cheaper practice ammo
Better self defense ammo

I don't even have a 9mm revolver but those 3 are pretty big.

I reload so the second 2 are moot. You can easily find more powerful .38 ammo but 9mm HSTs at 900fps are about as good as you can get until you step up in calibers.

I have one of the Czech Alfa revolvers that RIA brings in. About the size of a Smith K frame, three inch barrel, uses moon clips.  I bought it on a whim.  I've had it to the range once.  It works but I don't think it does anything remarkable.  It's a bit snappier than a 38, less than a 357.  Accuracy was fine.  It's a quality piece.

Many manufacturers have tried the 9mm revolver.  None  of them have taken off.  The market simply isn't there.  Moon clips have a following but it's small.  

Save your money.

I've seen those. They seem like a great gun if the quality is good

I’ve recently gotten to shoot several 32 H&R revolvers. They make shooting a j frame absolutely enjoyable.

Thanks for the thoughts. Trying to concentrate my carry ammunition and weapons, although I have 38/357 and 45 as well.

My comments about the superiority of the .38 are premised on my opinion that snubnose revolvers are pretty far down on the list of "fun guns" to shoot.

I shoot quite a few other guns.

I only shoot the snubnose rarely, and when I do, its just to have a small refresher of familiarity. No way I'm going to spend range time with a snubnose on a regular basis. I consider it a bellygun, and nothing more. Push, point, fire, and run. I find my skills-devopment in that regard to be 99% a MENTAL exercise. I'm familiar enough with the device that "practice" firing it is low priority. Maybe some people just enjoy shooting them. I am not included. I'm pretty sure I have NEVER missed a shot at a man-size target at three feet at the range with a snub. But if you do want to spend a lot of time with a snub, by all means get one that best meets your needs, and your budget, for fun. Time is precious.

9mm is closer to .357 performance than it is a .38 Special. The average .38+P is only 18,500 psi while 9mm +P is 38,500 psi. That is over double. Typically 9mm is going to be around 100ftlbs above .38 as well. Things look even worse for the .38 vs 9mm when you start talking about shorter 2” barrels.

Other reasons..
Moon clips are fast, ammo cost is lower if you already have a bunch of 9mm pistols you don’t need to add a new cartridge. Personally I think .38 is pretty anemic. In the same space you can fit a .357 or a 9mm I see no reason to choose .38 over .357 or 9mm in a snub nose revolver. Can .38 get the job done? Sure but with limited capacity and a slow reload, I want a round that performs exceptionally well. Plus with a .357 if you want you can always use .38. I’d almost prefer a
.32 H&R or .327 Fed mag over a .38, at least you’d gain an extra round.

Best 9mm revolver is the S&W 547, but they are very difficult to find, I think only a single manufacturing run was ever made.
These revolvers can't be used with moon clips, and the ejector star has small fingers that hook into the ejection groove of the cases to positively eject the case.