Quote:
Originally Posted by JIMLOU
There's a world of difference between moonclip and non-moonclip revolvers.
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Jim:
I think that's a pretty broad statement and only somewhat accurate when comparing guns within the rules of IDPA. Within those rules the ESR gun most often used is the 625. The SSR usually a K or L frame six-shot .38 or .357 - given that, the speed of loading the 625, via moon clips, is offset by the recoil generated with the 155 PF ammo required. The SSR guns, loaded via speed loaders, only have a PF of 105 so recoil is negligible and spits are faster.
People that buy the eight-shot revolvers and intend to use moon clips, based on experience gained with six-shot .45 ACP, are in for a rude awakening. Wit the .45 a slight wiggle in the clip actually facilitates quick loading - short, nose-heavy, round-nose cartridges practically load them selves. .38 Spl or .357 Mag are long cartridges (comparatively speaking) and trying to hit eight, closely spaced holes with wiggling cartridges is no easy task - especially when you are on the clock. Even a six-shot .38/.357 loaded with moon clips is far from easy without the proper clip/brass combo. Competitors that are using 8-shot 627's usually use .38 Long or Short Colt brass. The short 9 mm cartridge of the 929 is why it has become so popular.
Speed loaders used in competition for the six-shot .38/,357's usually hold the cartridges rigidly (no wiggle) and cover quite a bit of the body of the cartridge. Now you have a shorter protuberance, with no wiggle, with which to hit the six holes in the cylinder.
I have shot (and still do) both ESR and SSR subdivisions in IDPA, and shooting at my level (poor) I can shoot almost as fast in SSR as I can in ESR. The small time savings garnered by using one device over the other may be meaningful to an Expert or Master shooter, but below that, there are many other things that you can concentrate on to improve your scores (times).
Adios,
Pizza Bob