So, if you're carrying a 5-shot J-frame . . .

[Muss Muggins]

. . . and speed strips have six holes, do you load five or six in the strip to slip in your pocket?

 

[Telecaster]

I load 6 in the speed strip. No such thing as too much ammo.

 

[scott53]

6 just in case I lose one if I fumble the reload. Which I have done a few times during reload drills.

 

[silversnake]

Four. Easier to reload with a space at each end and in the middle.

 

[Squarebutt]

I load 6 in the speed strip. No such thing as too much ammo.

Ditto. Sometimes two strips.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Four. Easier to reload with a space at each end and in the middle.

An awesome response . . .

 

[okiegtrider]

Five here.

 

[ContinentalOp]

While it's been a while since I've used strips, when I did I used 6 round strips and loaded 4 rounds.

My logic for doing so:

I have 5 chambers. With the 1st pair of cartridges I've got a 2-in-5 shot at getting those rounds chambered. With the 2nd pair of cartridges I've got a 2-in-3 shot at getting those rounds chambered. I can do that pretty quickly. If I had 5 rounds in the strip, that last round has exactly one chamber it can go in, which can be tricky under stress and takes longer to do than either of the previous pairs because it requires a little more precision. As soon as the rounds are chambered I drop the strip, so a 6th cartridge would just end up on the ground once I loaded all 5 chambers. By having the space in between the pairs it gives me a little more control and a little less likely to fumble the reload. By gripping it as I do in the photo I can get a good physical index between my hand and the cylinder to get the ammo loaded. This lets me reload without looking at the gun so I can keep my eyes on my surroundings.

So, my priority is to get the gun back in action quickly if I need to reload, and with as little potential for fumbling the reload as possible. After some experimentation with different combinations (6 rounds, 5 rounds, 4 rounds in different arrangements, etc.), I settled on 4 rounds in the strip. It works for me. I use speedloaders now, but I still practice occasionally with strips in case I need reloads with a lower profile.

 

[njr]

Michael De bettencourt wrote the instructional for tuff strips. I can't remember all the details but one thing I remember from him or John Farnham maybe is:

One bullet and the gun is loaded! (If an attacker is advancing close in)

Load 2+2 and get the gun back into action! The fifth round is more difficult and time-consuming to load.

That said, I carry six on a strip. Load four, gun back into action two go back in pouch.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Muss Muggins]

Another awesome response . . .

 

[blues7]

I load 6 in the speed strip. No such thing as too much ammo.

Same. I see no advantage to do otherwise.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Michael De bettencourt wrote the instructional for tuff strips. I can't remember all the details but one thing I remember from him or John Farnham maybe is:

One bullet and the gun is loaded! (If an attacker is advancing close in)

Load 2+2 and get the gun back into action! The fifth round is more difficult and time-consuming to load.

Yup. I originally got the idea from Michael deBethencourt's blog.

 

[JH1951]

Five. One complete reload available.

 

[njr]

So, my priority is to get the gun back in action quickly if I need to reload, and with as little potential for fumbling the reload as possible. After some experimentation with different combinations (6 rounds, 5 rounds, 4 rounds in different arrangements, etc.), I settled on 4 rounds in the strip. It works for me. I use speedloaders now, but I still practice occasionally with strips in case I need reloads with a lower profile...



Now that I read your post and go over what deBettencourt et all have said, 2x2 probably makes more sense than a full six because most people switch hands when unloading and loading and by the third step when you're ready to close the cylinder returning the last two rounds to the pouch is wasted motion and another step to Fumble.

Reloading a revolver is harder and more time-consuming and attention focusing then using a speed loader and certainly putting a magazine into a semi auto well that said I guess if I have the time to reload hopefully I have the time to return the last last two to the pouch even if it is a bit more fumble prone than using magazines in a semi-auto. Because it's a revolver I like carrying a p32 as a backup with a ten round magazine.

I also don't really notice a big difference between 4 and 6 on the strip because I just tend to grab the whole thing gross motor and pinch the first two rounds on the gap between my forefinger and thumb and then index into the first two holes. After that I just rotate the cylinder clockwise for the next two strip close ready to go. I like loading 6 because it gives me more to grab onto gross motor. regarding speed strips in vs speedloaders I carry one strip on the Belt in a tuffs velcro pouch. It's much lower profile than anything carrying a speed loader and easier to thread on a belt.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[viceunit]

I load 5. It gives me a little better purchase on the strip compared to the little tab only on the end. But, I do like the idea of 4, leaving a gap between the pairs of rounds. Good idea, I may try that.

 

[gmiller0737]

5 Here mainly because I mostly carry The Strip in My Watch Pocket (Blue Jeans) if it has 6 sometimes the Top Cartridge is visible to others.

 

[haywood]

Two Strips 6 rounds each or Two speed loaders. Two Snubs.

 

[OldK22]

Two speed strips - 6 rounds each of the same load in the revolver.

 

[njr]

Speed Strip | blog by Michael debettencourt. Long but informative.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Alk8944]

Six, since my "J-Frame" CCW is really a K-Frame, actually often two of them.

But when I do carry a "real" J-Frame it is still 6!