Taylor’s & Company introduced the Pietta Model 1873 TC9 single action (SA) in the versatile 9mm several months ago. I applaud the addition of this cartridge chambering for a variety of reasons. Even though most ammunition has finally become readily available, the 9mm can be found everywhere I’ve looked recently and in good supply and in multiple options to choose from. The 9mm can handle many jobs, from Saturday afternoon plinking of tin cans with bulk ammo to small game hunting and personal defense. Lower-recoiling 9mm ammunition is a good choice for beginners to learn handgunning basics, especially in full-sized guns like the TC9.
For me, this gun is simply a pleasure to shoot and is a lot of fun. Many law enforcement agencies issue 9mm pistols to their officers and agents and I relish the opportunity to carry a SA revolver, my favorite style of handgun, in this potent, easy-shooting cartridge.
The TC9
The TC9 is simply the mirror image of a Colt Single Action Army revolver, providing the same handling characteristics of the timeless classic. The old plow handle grip is second to none in feel and makes pointing the sixgun seem as easy as pointing at an object with an index finger. This particular gun comes with checkered, thin black plastic grips that feel good in my hand but offer a bit of texture, ensuring a solid grip. The fit and finish of the TC9 are really nice with the blued barrel, cylinder, and grip frame, and color-cased frame and hammer. The front edge of the cylinder is beveled nicely for ease of holstering the gun. It also adds a refined look.
This revolver should be carried like an original Colt SAA, with the hammer resting on an empty chamber. Load one chamber, skip one chamber, load four chambers, bring the hammer to full cock and carefully lower the hammer on the empty chamber. To be sure the hammer is resting on an empty chamber you can look at the gap between the frame (recoil shield) of the revolver and the back of the cylinder near the top strap. You should NOT see a cartridge rim at the top-center of the cylinder, where the firing pin rests. Be sure to read the owner’s manual and contact the manufacturer if you have questions. These old-style guns are safe, but you must use your head when carrying them.
Timing of the action is correct, and the hammer is easy to cock and has a very smooth function. The trigger breaks nice and crisp at 3.5 pounds. The fixed-blade front sight measures 0.09” with my caliper
TC9 Range Time
I headed to the range on a typical, windy West Texas day. To my mind, the TC9 is a gun to be shot for fun and maybe not so much precision as say, one of my adjustable-sight hunting guns. I decided on a standing, two-handed hold at 10 yards to see how well I could group three different loads with the 9mm. I had two different Buffalo Bore loads on hand, their 9mm +P Outdoorsman 147 gr. Hard Cast FN bullet (Item 24L/20), the round Phil Shoemaker killed a charging brown bear with a few years ago, and their 124 gr JHP +P+ load (Item 24B/20). Hornady provide their Critical Defense 115 gr FTX load for testing.
These loads all performed well in the TC9 and three groups from the two manufacturers averaged 1.7 inches. That’s not bad for a fixed-sight revolver at 30 feet. My best group was with Buffalo Bore Ammunition’s JHP load at 1.17 inches, followed by Hornady’s at 1.31 inches. Looking back now, I kind of wish I had shot from a rest to see how tight this gun and these good loads will actually shoot!
I experienced no issues other than noting the hard cast Buffalo Bore load took a bit more force to extract the case from the chamber. I had some bulk Winchester 9mm on my shelf, so I broke it out to work on the steel torso silhouette at 30 yards. Firing while standing and using a two-handed hold, I had no trouble rapidly ringing the plate with this slick-shooting sixgun.
Too Good to Pass Up
The TC9 is definitely a handy SA revolver and the added benefits of the 9mm chambering make it one you should definitely consider adding to your collection. Overall quality, fit, and finish are really good on these guns and accuracy is top self as well!
