I had to use them as an Air Force cop, hated them and they were to small to accept a speed strip. When I got involved in civilian law enforcement I I immediately adopted the Safariland Comp II speedloaders in "split six" carriers.
Dumpers?
- Thread starter JayFramer
- Start date
I found a couple in like new condition on ebay
jimgoldth
US Veteran
As a Police Officer known to have a knowledge of revolvers, a Sargent asked me to look at his service revolver. He was having trouble taking it out of his holster. One look at it and I asked for his gun, holster and belt and told him I would give it back to him before his next shift. Fortunately I had my cleaning material as It would get a good workout in the few HOURS. The Service Revolver, a personally owned Ruger Security Six. I had great difficulty just opening the cylinder. The ammo was so corroded I had to pound the rounds out of the chambers with a brass rod and hammer. I had to pry the rounds out of the double 6 round pouch. When I started I was afraid that I would have to cut them out the pouches. After a couple hours of much scrubbing, oiling, wiping, scraping, polishing, and 18 rounds of new ammo I finally had a revolver that the cylinder would work, the double action and single action would function. The new nickel plated cased ammo would load and eject from the cylinder and would fit in the cleaned up double 6 round pouch. I could not believe prior to this that a Police Officer would allow his equipment to become not useable.
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xfarfuldog
Member
I became an auxiliary officer in 1978, We had to buy our own leather gear and furnish the gun. I first used the dump pouches on duty and through the academy. I used HKS speedloaders when I first saw them. I attended an advanced patrol tactics class at OPOTA and immediately switched to Safariland loaders. It was rough back then buying all the necessary equipment. They would not allow the speedloaders for the Ohio Highway Patrol for a few years. Our local Troopers would simply put the speedloaders in their pockets.
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jimgoldth
US Veteran
I too bought HKS Speed Loaders and pouches as soon as I saw them. Others liked the Safariland speed loaders. We soon learned that we had to sometimes modify the top of the left grip to allow the speedloader to smoothly load the cylinder. I like the HKS because it will carry well in a pocket with out dropping its load but when pulling a Safariland Speedloader out of your pocket you may leave some or all of your rounds in your pocket. I preferred the positive holding of the HKS. I did try the Safariland Speedloader holder that held 4 Safariland Speed loaders on my duty belt but soon went back to just 2 HKS Speedloads jn a pouch on my belt.
Double-O-Dave
US Veteran
I was never a LEO, but I'm old enough to remember most LEOs carried their extra ammo in belt loops. The ones who started using dump pouches were viewed as "radicals" at best. My favorite in the woods gun is a Ruger Security Six chambered in .357 Magnum. My favorite holster is a (reproduction) WW-II chest holster. I don't like bullet loops - they're just a bit too insecure for my liking. So I use a Safariland dump pouch for my extra ammo. The extra ammo is loaded in Bianchi Speed Strips - note the ammo in the top pouch is aluminum cased - they're .38 Special snake shot rounds. The other speed strip contains 158 gr. JSP ammo in .357 Magnum.
Regards,
Dave
Regards,
Dave
Attachments
sigp220.45
US Veteran
Oh heck yeah. As my AF homies have said, they were standard issue with the mighty Model 15. Here is a cringe-worthy selfie, circa 1987 or so, showing my issued Model 15 with the unauthorized target grips, my personally bought unauthorized thumb-break holster, my unauthorized black web belt that I thought was really cool, my dump pouch with two speed strips of 130 grain ball (tabs broken off the speed strips, rendering them unworthly of the name), and my Motorola brick which doubled as an (unauthorized) impact weapon.
I'm sure I just walked around like this, arm awkwardly held out, so I could whip out that Smith and make some noise.
I'm sure I just walked around like this, arm awkwardly held out, so I could whip out that Smith and make some noise.
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elm_creek_smith
US Veteran
Until recently, six months after retirement, I carried Speer "Short Barrel" +P 135 gr GDHPs in speedstrips in dump pouches off duty and in plain clothes. On duty I carried two double speedloader pouches, a backup Model 642-2, and two speedstrips in a pocket. My issued duty revolver was a Model 686-6. My last week I carried my old Model 65-1. Yes, I was the last revolver toter in my agency except for one dispatcher who carried a nickel-plated Model 10(!).
Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
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LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
In 1972 just about all of us carried our extra ammo in cartridge loops. When reloading I practiced withdrawing and loading 2 rounds at a time, thinking that would cut down reloading time.
About 1975 we started seeing the Bianchi Speed Strips, which became very popular very quickly. As others have pointed out, selection of a pouch that would accept the Speed Strip was critical (not all would do so). Also, after long use the cartridge pouches could begin to collapse, losing their original shape, and this could make it difficult to withdraw the loaded Speed Strip.
Shortly after that HKS introduced their speedloaders, in virtually the same design as still seen today (a testament to an excellent design). Safariland followed with their own speedloader design, also very good. For either type carry pouches can be an issue, all being somewhat bulky on the belt, and some not allowing an easy and solid grip on the loader as it is withdrawn.
Throughout the 70's and 80's I've seen many different problems associated with reloading revolvers quickly under stress. On the range, during timed events requiring reloading, I've seen ammo scattered around on the ground and guys scrambling around trying to pick the loaded rounds out of all the spent brass. Tabs torn off the Bianchi Speed Strips were very common, and after some use the rubber around the cartridge rims could tear away. Grabbing a speedloader out of the pouch by the release knob can cause inadvertent release of the cartridges leaving the shooter with an empty speedloader in one hand and empty revolver in another hand. Dump pouches dropping 6 rounds into the hand for reloading seems like a good idea until you have to fumble with them under stress, frequently having to pick up several off the ground.
Interesting story about an old timer I knew back in those days. On the range or on the street he never used cartridge carriers. He carried his ammo loose in a pocket, reloading one round at a time as needed. His range routine was to eject his empties and put those in another pocket, saving the need to police up his brass after the end of the course. One night he was involved in a gun fight with a couple of bad guys barricaded behind a car, after which he found 12 fired cases in one pocket, where he had put them while reloading his revolver twice.
About 1975 we started seeing the Bianchi Speed Strips, which became very popular very quickly. As others have pointed out, selection of a pouch that would accept the Speed Strip was critical (not all would do so). Also, after long use the cartridge pouches could begin to collapse, losing their original shape, and this could make it difficult to withdraw the loaded Speed Strip.
Shortly after that HKS introduced their speedloaders, in virtually the same design as still seen today (a testament to an excellent design). Safariland followed with their own speedloader design, also very good. For either type carry pouches can be an issue, all being somewhat bulky on the belt, and some not allowing an easy and solid grip on the loader as it is withdrawn.
Throughout the 70's and 80's I've seen many different problems associated with reloading revolvers quickly under stress. On the range, during timed events requiring reloading, I've seen ammo scattered around on the ground and guys scrambling around trying to pick the loaded rounds out of all the spent brass. Tabs torn off the Bianchi Speed Strips were very common, and after some use the rubber around the cartridge rims could tear away. Grabbing a speedloader out of the pouch by the release knob can cause inadvertent release of the cartridges leaving the shooter with an empty speedloader in one hand and empty revolver in another hand. Dump pouches dropping 6 rounds into the hand for reloading seems like a good idea until you have to fumble with them under stress, frequently having to pick up several off the ground.
Interesting story about an old timer I knew back in those days. On the range or on the street he never used cartridge carriers. He carried his ammo loose in a pocket, reloading one round at a time as needed. His range routine was to eject his empties and put those in another pocket, saving the need to police up his brass after the end of the course. One night he was involved in a gun fight with a couple of bad guys barricaded behind a car, after which he found 12 fired cases in one pocket, where he had put them while reloading his revolver twice.
max503
Member
As a kid in the 60's I remember my neighbor who was a cop. He used to walk to work. At times I would walk with him and I distinctly remember looking at the bullets on his belt and thinking how cool that was.
Marshal Tom
Member
Started in 1971. We furnished all of our own gear then so I could pretty much carry anything I wanted. Due to the salt air on Marthas Vineyard almost all of us carried mod. 66's. The FBI was teaching firearms at the academy then and had us load single rounds out of our pocket. I am a lefty and I still became very fast at doing a reload, often reaching into my pocket and getting six rounds. Had hinged dump pouches for a short time but then went to Safariland speedloaders. Never liked the pouches.
Not all LEO's are gun guys, in fact, the majority are not. They fire them during training and qualification, the rest of the time the ammo and weapon stay holstered and often poorly maintained. Nickel plated ammo and stainless steel/plastic firearms greatly improves the operational status for such officers.
I went through the Advanced Patrol and Tactics class in 1980, it was a lot of fun.
I remember the OSP and their custom handcuff/belt loop carriers. A trooper and some local officers were chasing an armed offender through the woods and made it known how different it was for the officers with speedloaders to reload. They then had custom handcuff/speedloader cases made up and found they couldn't get their handcuffs out, so they had to recall and remake them.
I started carrying Safariland speedloaders when I first got into LE. I have more HKS loaders but didn't care as much for them and only carried the HKS's until I found some .41 mag Safarilands. I did have drop boxes and dump pouches but never used them on duty. There was one, I believe it was a Safariland model, that had a plastic box inside, the box could be removed for speedstrips and would also hold .41 magnum ammo.
Marshal Tom
Member
I love my many revolvers but thank god for Semi Auto loaders. Faster, flatter and much faster to reload. Still love my round guns though!
jimgoldth
US Veteran
I never used dump pouches but there were pouches that were hinged and the pouch swung down when unsnapped. Others did not move and should be on the belt so they open at the bottom as Turnerriver shows in his pictures. Still more that have a flap on the top and another flap that opened on the bottom. The majority of the pouches I saw on gun belts over the years opened on the top and were not hinged The smarter Officers used speed strips in them and you can see the speed strip end sticking out of the top.
Biggfoot44
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Yes, yes I have ..... albeit only in conjunction with speed strips .
Once upon a time , I carried two, sometimes three HKS Speedloaders , And pouch with Speed Strips, And one of those six round ctg slides combined with two key ring hooks . The later was mainly for bling , but what the heck , I needed the key ring holders anyway, so might as well multi task .
And to this day use various Uncle Mike pager cases with two speed strips for CCW .
And for the above question , when carrying speed strips in a pouch- like container , the bullets have to point opposite directions to fit two . Not really a problem , as you index them by the tab .
Once upon a time , I carried two, sometimes three HKS Speedloaders , And pouch with Speed Strips, And one of those six round ctg slides combined with two key ring hooks . The later was mainly for bling , but what the heck , I needed the key ring holders anyway, so might as well multi task .
And to this day use various Uncle Mike pager cases with two speed strips for CCW .
And for the above question , when carrying speed strips in a pouch- like container , the bullets have to point opposite directions to fit two . Not really a problem , as you index them by the tab .
jscott
Member
The only practical use for the dumpers was to entertain the clowns who went around at uniform roll call unsnapping everyones pouches.
Yeah, I've used them. I thought they worked fairly well and were a step up from the issued loops. I shortly thereafter bought my own Safariland speedloaders and pouches. I don't have any of that stuff now as it was all that clarino stuff that eventually cracked and peeled. I do still have my original speedloaders that still work. I had the roll pin partially work out but that was an easy fix. But the dump pouches work OK unless you're squatting or in some other position that makes them ineffective.
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