Triad, Medusa, and the multicaliber dream

Ian, aka ‘Gun Jesus‘, has a neat little video about the Medusa revolver.

Basically, the idea was to have a revolver that would shoot, essentially, any straightwall case cartridge, rimmed or rimless, that fired a bullet around 9mm…9×19, .38 Special, .357 Mag., .380 ACP, 9×21, .38 Colt, etc. It would be a ‘survivors’ gun since you could scrounge ammo from just about anywhere.

It wasnt an original idea. It was supposed to be the Colt Survivor but Colt let it languish and it never went anywhere. (But prototypes do turn up.) The story, as I rad it, was that ATF tol Colt that if they made this thing they wouuld have to give it very distinctive rifling so that bullets could be identified as having been shot outta the thing since it could, in theory, fire dozens of different cartridges.

Anyway, about ten years ago Taurus decided they’d got on the bandwagon and announced the Taurus Triad…a more modest caliber selection: 9mm/38/357. It was pure vaporware and although it was cataloged I never found one.

Ruger made their single-action Blackhawk convertibles in 9/357 but required a cylinder change. It’s only as of late that they have made something of a comeback with their new .45 Redhawk that fires .45 ACP/.45 Colt. However, I still want a revolver that shoots 9mm/38/357 interchangeably.

Taurus just announced that they are bringing out a DA revolver that, with a spare cylinder, will allow you to shoot the 9mm/38 cartridges but only time will tell if they actually make the bloody things.

I rather like the idea of a DA revolver that can digest three of the most common cartridges found in this country. But, is it practical? Ehhhh…..not sure. But on paper it seems like a good idea.

 

5 thoughts on “Triad, Medusa, and the multicaliber dream

  1. It would be much handier than the barrel adapters they sell for single/double barrel shotguns. The adapters do come in handy though. 22 shorts out of a H and R shotgun are pretty quiet except for the hammer fall clack.

  2. Why would you not have your favorite 357 cylinder milled to accept moon clips? Seems the easiest way to get the revolver you want and use all three (albeit you need moon clips)

    • Interesting thought. If the gun would then accept .357/.38 with AND without clips it would be a nice option.

      • I’m sure the engineers have looked, formulated and had prototypes but the energy/stress of the 357 on the cylinder probably hinders cutting into it for some sort of extractor, much less a release mechanism.
        You could have a setup much like the Colt SAA with a gate to hold everything. This would allow a small spring clip to hold the 9mm but you would have to force it out, a la the SAA so no speedloaders.

        If moon clips are still good enough Jerry Miculek, it would be good enough for me, (And might still be if I get the S&W Governor)

  3. It’s an idea that sounds good in theory but fails in the real world.

    Just how many rounds of handgun ammunition do you think you would actually be able to fire in a SHTF world? Handguns are for last-ditch “I fucked up” situations. If you need more than a handful of ammunition it’s because you’ve done so many things wrong, so often, that you’ve found yourself in a situation that is not survivable in reality.

    Your handgun is for “Where did that guy come from!?” while you run to your rifle. Scenarios like that are not ones that anyone will survive often enough to need more than a single box of ammo.

    There’s a place for ammo-scrounging concerns. It’s in keeping a utility rifle functional. In the US that means a .30 caliber (most common projectile size) rifle; a .308 Winchester for example. Something that can be fed with readily available bullets (.30-06, .30-30, etc), using scavenged powders (pull-down of common factory ammunition like .30-06, .30-30 and so on), common large rifle primers and if necessary common re-configured brass cases (.30-06, 8mm Mauser, .243 Win, etc, etc).

    If you think you will need to be able to utilize multiple handgun ammunition options, just buy a 9mmx19 pistol and a .357 Magnum. A police trade-in Glock 17 and S&W 586 or similar. Stick each in an ammo can with a couple boxes of ammunition, basic cleaning gear, and worry about something more important.

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