Speed strips vs. Speed loaders

Maximumbob54

Maximumbob54

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I can see the strips would be far easier to carry while the loader will always be another mystery bulge on you. But then the loader will have it in speed and ease of use over any strip. I assume strips will be cheaper but I’m not crying over a ten dollar unit that could save my life. I have tried looking for a strip with notches that would roll sideways and you could just pull away at an angle but no one seems to make one. Maybe it risks tearing apart too much. Is there really a good benefit to one over the other or is what I already said above pretty much the cut and dry of it?
 
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I think that's about it. Speed loader = fast. Speed strip = compact. Loaders are not all the same - I like simplicity of operation of Safariland & Jetloaders best, others like simplicity of construction of HKS best. I carry speedloaders in the open right front pocket of my vest, or sometimes in a sport jacket or suit pocket. Otherwise, strips.
 
There is one advantage speed strips have over speedloaders beside compactness and cost that I can't recall anyone mentioning. How many people carry a K-frame primary with a J-frame as a back-up gun? Presuming you'd want to carry a reload for either gun, you could carry 1 or 2 speed strips and reload either gun with it. The technique would be the same and you could keep the strip(s) in the same place on your person without having to think about which strip goes to which gun while under stress. With speedloaders you'd have to have one for each, plus be able to get to them and distinguish between a J-frame and a K-frame speedloader while under stress. Granted, you could keep your speedloaders in dedicated locations, i.e. J-frame loader in your pocket and K-frame loader on your belt, but that's more complicated than I'd like it to be. In this situation I think the speed strip offers a simpler solution that is more reliable and consistent for reloading under stress.

Of course, this would be a moot point if you only carry one or the other and not both at the same time.

Maximumbob54 said:
I have tried looking for a strip with notches that would roll sideways and you could just pull away at an angle but no one seems to make one. Maybe it risks tearing apart too much.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that would work too well. The reason you want to peel the strip away perpendicular to the cylinder is that peeling it by rotating it flexes the holes holding the other cartridges, possibly resulting in losing those rounds before you had a chance to reload them. I'm not sure a notched speed strip that's designed to roll for cartridge release would hold them securely.
 
Spedloaders are the only way to go with a K or L frame. J frames are kinda finicky towards 'em. THere's just not enough clearance for a speed loader on the little guys.

Also, like was mentioned earlier, speed strips carry a helluva lot easier than speedloaders do.

Here's a good video on how to properly use a speed strip. I load mine a little different than Mas does. I load two rounds, skip one then load the last three. The little space gives me more wobble/fiddle room and insures that I get those utmost important first two rounds in there.

YouTube - ‪037 Massad Ayoob Demonstrates how to Reload the Revolver with the Bianchi "Speed Strip"‬‏
 
ContinentalOp makes a good point about being able to use the same strips for both a six-shot primary and a five-shot secondary revolver, and I usually do just that when carrying one of each. I also agree with Glock 'em down about the speedloaders seeming to be a bit more finicky with the smaller guns.
While I like the speed of the loader, I have too many other things that I have to carry in my pockets to risk putting the loader in with my keys, knife, etc. With a jacket or cargo pants/shorts it's not a problem due to the extra pockets, but with jeans it's just easier to tuck a speed strip into the watch pocket.
 
The grips on some j frames are just to large to allow the use of a speedloader. With a little practice the strips are almost as fast and they are much easier to carry.
 
I like the ease of carrying the speed strips and my thinking (wrong or right) is that the reload will hopefully not need to be done in too much of a hurry. If the first five don't get me out of the trouble, I'm probably in more trouble than a J frame can handle and am not going to walk away.
 
russp1 said:
I like the ease of carrying the speed strips and my thinking (wrong or right) is that the reload will hopefully not need to be done in too much of a hurry. If the first five don't get me out of the trouble, I'm probably in more trouble than a J frame can handle and am not going to walk away.
Click to expand...

True, but let's say you did take care of bizness and get yourself out of forseeable "trouble" after expending your 5 shots, why would you be standing there with an empty gun while scanning for additional targets/bad guys?

Always, always, always keep your weapon topped off.
 
Glock 'em down said:
True, but let's say you did take care of bizness and get yourself out of forseeable "trouble" after expending your 5 shots, why would you be standing there with an empty gun while scanning for additional targets/bad guys?

Always, always, always keep your weapon topped off.
Click to expand...

That is a good point that I had not thought about until I read that.
 
I must be the odd man of the crew as I much prefer a speedloader or two in my pocket over a speed strip which doesn't seem all that speedy to me. Th only person that cares what is in my pockets is ME. No one else notices or cares. With more and more gang activity, it seems to me that too much ammo is almost enough.
Randy
 
Glock 'em down said:
True, but let's say you did take care of bizness and get yourself out of forseeable "trouble" after expending your 5 shots, why would you be standing there with an empty gun while scanning for additional targets/bad guys?

Always, always, always keep your weapon topped off.
Click to expand...

I do carry a speed strip to reload if needed and even though I practice with it, I still hope I never get into a situation that I have to do a quick reload. I don't think it would work.
 
I load 5 in mine and used to do 2 space 3 but the top round would sometimes peak out of my watch pocket...I now load it with 5 in a row and I cut the tab off so the whole thing is hidden...I don't find the tab dies much anyway...I rather grab the solid end of the strip.
 
I would have thought that with enough practice and some smooth loading bullets like Golden Sabers or similar you could reload from muscle memory with a speed loader and not even be looking at it. No good reason to break eye contact with the threat. I know the USN isn't all super tactical like the USMC is but even I learned how to very effectively reload the M9 and not take my eyes off the target. I would think that would be pretty difficult, not impossible, but pretty difficult with a speed strip. So I guess it just depends on what you want from your carry and how much practice you want to put into it. Right now I’m favoring once I get my permit to buy my 442 and carry at least two speed loaders. I had thought about an M&P9c or the Ruger SR9c only because they are both compact and have good reliability and that same trick I learned about using your finger on the front of the mag to guide the insertion would still apply. But the little 442 just looks SOOOO much easier to carry…
 
sipowicz said:
I load 5 in mine and used to do 2 space 3 but the top round would sometimes peak out of my watch pocket...I now load it with 5 in a row and I cut the tab off so the whole thing is hidden...I don't find the tab dies much anyway...I rather grab the solid end of the strip.
Click to expand...

I had never thought about cutting off that tab. I think I may try that on one of my strips and see how it works out. Thanks.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
No good reason to break eye contact with the threat. I know the USN isn't all super tactical like the USMC is but even I learned how to very effectively reload the M9 and not take my eyes off the target. I would think that would be pretty difficult, not impossible, but pretty difficult with a speed strip. So I guess it just depends on what you want from your carry and how much practice you want to put into it.
Click to expand...

This is how I practice with my reloads using the strips. I can consistently get my gun reloaded without looking at it. One thing that helps is to get a good physical index. The grip I use is similar to Ayoob's scalpel grip with the index finger along the back of the strip and the thumb along the side. However, I have my middle finger extended along and slightly behind the second round in the strip and my ring finger extended along and slightly behind the fourth round in the strip. I use those fingers to make contact with the cylinder during the reload and to help guide each pair of rounds into the chambers.

As for practicing, I try to do at least 10-15 minutes of dry-fire drils 3-4 times per week (I'll admit to not always being successful at keeping to this schedule, though). I usually practice things I can't do at my range with live ammo, such as drawing, moving, multiple targets, strong/weak side one-handed reloads, etc. I also incorporate reloading in each session. When I do live fire practice at the range (I try to do live-fire practice at least every other week, but again, I'm not always successful at that) I try to incorporate at least a few speed reloads with the strips.

However, I should add that I've never had to do this with someone trying to kill me, so I can't really say if my method is effective or not. But it works well for me.
 
I've had speed strips for years and carried them in the past. For me they are a lot slower than speed loaders. I don't care about another bulge in my pant or jacket pocket.
When it comes to J frames I suggest HKS speedloaders. I like the Safariland, but it holds the cartridges very rigidly, making it difficult to use with most grips on J frames, which I carry a lot. The HKS speedloaders have a good bit of wiggle when holding cartridges which make it easier for me to insert the cartridges in a J frame gun. I rarely carry my K frames and I've never carried my only N frame, a Mod 58. I generally opt for one of my semi auto pistols if I'm not carrying a J frame or an old Colt Agent I have.
 
A few thoughts on the subject...

Speed strips give you the ability to "top off" the gun. Speedloaders require you to dump the "good with the bad" if you see what I'm saying.

Speed strips are ~much~ easier to carry.

Speed strips work with every grip style.

Speed strips will work with any J, K, L or N as long as the caliber is the same.

Whether speed strip or speed loader... If we're having to reload a J (which more often than not is a backup), we're in deep poo and should start looking for a non-gun solution.
 
Whatever

Glock 'em down said:
True, but let's say you did take care of bizness and get yourself out of forseeable "trouble" after expending your 5 shots, why would you be standing there with an empty gun while scanning for additional targets/bad guys?

Always, always, always keep your weapon topped off.
Click to expand...
Whatever Whatever Whatever
 
Whichever option you go with the key will always be practice, practice, practice.

Just spent a couple days on revolver training and started out with idea to go with speed loaders with my J frame but took the speed strips to work with as well.

Then I decided on the 2nd day to dedicate the entire day to getting more comfortable with the speed strips. Best move I could have made. Got more proficient with them and it paid off in the long run.

Now I just need to keep practicing, which isn't always my strong point.

The other point that was made was to keep the gun up in your field of vision when reloading. This was taught and reinforced whether using strips or loaders. Another bad habit I have that needs some work.
 
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