Hello S&W Forum menbers. I am new here & could use some friendly advice on speedloaders.
First I am shooting a 586.
What brand of speedloader do you recomend, & why?

Thanks in advance for your responces.

I prefer HKS speedloaders. They're rugged, easy to use, and readily available. I've used them for 30 years so I'm set in my ways. Others will have different opinions.

What do you intend to use the speedloaders for? Concealed carry? ICORE competition?

I'd been using HKS, primarily for action shooting events at my club.
Last night a fellow loaned me a couple Safariland loaders and I was impressed. Not to the point of changing entirely over yet but if I was just starting...
If you belong to a club or have shooting friends maybe you could borrow/try out the different brands.
Good Luck, Kevin

Another vote for HKS.

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Misty

It's wonderful to be a revolver shooter in the 21st. century, as there is such a plethora of speedloaders and moonclips available that, it is possible to have just as many of them as jam-a-matic owners have "clips." (Har har har )

Anyway, all joking aside there are more choices now than there was just two or three years ago.

Let's start with speedstrips, which aren't speedloaders but are great for concealed carry because they can lay flat in your pocket, but will be much slower than a speedloader reload.

• Bianchi makes their famous speed strip, which has been around forever, but it only comes in .38/357. Model 580 Speed Strips™ Bianchi Leather Holsters

• A new company, Tuff Products makes them for just about all revolver calibers, some rifle and even shotgun gauges, and even in different lengths for different quantities of ammuntion.QuickStrips™ :: Tuff Products

Now, for speedloaders- my favorite subject.
Speedloaders now come in many various pieces for nearly ever single revolver out there- which hasn't been the case until now.

• HKS is the old standby, and makes good quality inexpensive loaders for most makes of revolvers from .22 to .45. They have a good chart that will give you the number of the gun they will fit. Also, they are made of lightweight plastic and aluminum and will not drop the ammunition until the knob is rotated. The disadvantage is that they aren't quite as fast as others. HomePage

• SL Variant makes some of the most expensive speedloaders there are and many people love them. They also are adjustable in some ways for tension and load the cylinder by just pushing on them. They are are made in Germany and very high quality- I only have a couple of them in K-frame size .38 and love them. Extention handles are made for them too which help in competition or range shooting. They are fairly secure and wouldn't be worried about them at all for concealed carry use. The feller that is bringing them into the U.S. is Bobby Mac, and I've bought two of them from him so now I have three. The only disadvantage to these loaders are they are more expensive than the HKS, but they load so much faster. http://www.bobmacs.com/variantcatalog.htm
  

• Safariland speedloaders are great because they are inexpensive (at least they used to be) and they load the revolver by pushing on them instead of twisting them. They have three different models which are the following: Comp I (for use as concealed carry because of its low profile), Comp II (which has a larger knob and completely covers the back of the cartridges for a better look or to keep debris from entering the speedloader on a duty belt), and the Comp III (really a range or competition loader). The big drawback to Safariland loaders of late is that they have discontinued many fitments of various revolvers. Also, some competition shooters I know have complained because the plastic used in these speedloaders is not as tough as others and the little piece that holds the catch tends to wear smooth and the speedloader "wears out." Of course, most people never wear one out, but if you use it a whole lot (weekly) I guess it's possible- I haven't yet. Duty Gear | Speedloaders | Speedloader Holders - Safariland

• Jetloader Speedloaders imported by Buffer Technolgies is a great loader. I picked up two of these at the local shop for my J-frames and really like them. They are made in Austria and seem to be of a tougher plastic than most others. They are almost a Comp III on steroids (Comp III's have never been made for a J-frame). They make these for J,K, and L frame S&W's and are more affordable than the SL Variants, but very high quality. Loaders @ Buffertech

• 3D Inc billet aluminum speedloaders are some of the nicest and likely tough ones money can buy. They function like that of an HKS, but are a bit more stylish and likely, tough. The knob is a bit easier to turn because it is larger and the flutes on the side of loaders help to locate the charge holes on the cylinder. They make these for many various pieces in calibers and frame sizes all the way up to the .500 S&W! 5 Star Firearms Home | Firearm Accessories | 100% American Made

• DS-10 Speed loaders are great for .22's, and that is only caliber he makes them for- which is great if you need one for a 10-shot 617. He also makes them in 6,8 and 9 shot as well for other .22's. They are high quality and make shooting a rimfire revolver super fun- at least for me! DS-10-SPEED is a custom made speed loader for S&W 617 10 shot revolvers. - Windows Live

• There are various antique speedloader designs out there, such as the old "Revolver Clip Cartridge Company" folding speedloader (which is neat, but very expensive compared to others if you find one), Prideaux loaders in .38 and .455 (several hundred dollars) so if you find one or two of these, they are worth more than for their use. Colt and other companies made them too, but they are very rare and not very useable, even if a person can locate or afford them.

Now, on to moonclips!
Moonclips can be adapted to almost any centerfire swing-out cylinder revolver. All that has to be done is send off the cylinder and yoke/crane and have it machined to take them. Even once machined moonclips do not have to be used, but make loading and unloading much easier. If you reload, the brass will stay in the moonclip for easier retrieval if you just drop the whole thing on the ground. Clips are cheap enough that if you bend or break one you won't fret about it too much (unless you're a tightwad crumdungeon like me). The only problem that will be encountered is that machining cannot be performed on old style "recessed" cylinders.
Check out the following site to answer just about any and all moonclip questions and where to get your revolver "clipped": Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com



Wait, I forgot a couple!!!

• Maxfire speedloaders- these things are silicone rubber and very light and work by holding them by the ring and then pulling down on the loader in order to "wipe" them off into the cylinder. Great for competition, but if dropped they rounds tend to want to come out of the loader. They are inexpensive, since they are around $14 for two of them. MAXFIRE

• Thunder Ranch 8-shot N-frame .357 speedloader. I don't know first hand about it, but have read reviews and it seems to be well made. I think Thunder Ranch is the only place they sell it, and it isn't made to fit any other firearm. Looks neat though, but at $65.95 it's the most expensive single loader currently made.

If I forgot anything else that needs to be mentioned, let me know.

__________________
Lost it all in a boat accident

Just for action shooting. Concealed carriing would get me arreated here in Canda.

Thanks Andy. Now that is what I call sharing information! I'll be on those sites for a couple hours for sure.
I appreciate your time in putting all that info together, thanks again.

Then you need to check the rules of the game you wish to shoot. If the rules support, the Safariland Comp III or the Jet Loaders are the way to go. They are significantly larger and easier to handle than other loaders and are spring loaded to "inject" the cartridges into the cylinder.

BUFFER TECHNOLOGIES : REVOLVER JETLOADER - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools

SAFARILAND : COMP III SPEEDLOADER - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools

Many years ago, I shot a lot of PPC and speedloaders were just beginning to be produced. ONe of the first was the Dade, which used a spring to hold the ammo in. When dropped the rounds popped loose. The HKS and Safariland came out about the same time and I picked up the Safariland and some HKS. I still have some of the Safariland that I have used for over 30 years. I preferred the Safariland because they were secure and faster than the HKS. You don't need to move your hand from the body and twist the knob like the HKS. Both are high quality and will last forever unless you run over them with a big truck!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

Here's another vote for the HKS loaders. They were the first brand I tried 25+ years ago and I too am set in my ways. I tried the Safarilands but didn't quite like the way they felt. Best wishes with your choice.

Kenny

I use the Safariland Comp III with my 586 for ICORE (Classic Division), IDPA, and USPSA Competition. They are fast and reliable. Some people modify them by cutting them down (I forget where I saw a post describing the process), but mine are all stock. For holders, Safariland makes one that holds 3, though I prefer the single kydex holders by Ready Tactical - they are secure and fast (I wear up to 3, and if need be, back them up with one of the Safariland triples for high round count stages). One tip - good idea to mark them or apply a return address label so if you temporarily lose one on the range, it can find its way home to you.

Thanks to you all for the great information. I do appreciate your input. Now I have some direction.

Well I ordered 3 of the HKS yesterday, & half a dozen A-Zoom snapcaps. I did some research & found these best suited my needs.
Thanks to you guys & gals for the help. Especially you Andy Griffith for all your info & links.

Well my HKS speed loaders & A-zoom snapcaps arrived today, & I am impressed. They are great. Excllent fit & function.
Thanks again to you all for your information.

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Which would be in your opinion the best jet loader or safariland III carriers in competition ,of course.

I don't see any real difference between them.

sorry ,I meant in reference to their speedloader holders.

I have HKS speedloaders, but the last 2 speedloaders, I purchased were 3D Inc billet aluminum speedloaders from 5 Star. They are more expensive. But they are all around better speedloader than the HKS. The bullets release quicker and cleaner, knob turns much easier, the little pin that the knob rolls over to release the bullets is stronger.

I can’t count the times that little pin has broken off on the HKS’s, because it got stuck, but then I have some HKS's that are over 20 years old and they operate, smooth as silk, but the last 3 or 4 I bought weren't up to there usual quality, IMHO. 2 of them the little pin broke and the other 2 the pin kept falling out, until i put a smidge of super glue on them and that seemed to solve that problem.

I’ll be purchasing the 3D’s from now on.

CB

I use Safari-land Comp 2s. I have used HKS and the safari-land comp3s. Here are my thoughts the HKSs don't always release cleanly I have to jiggle the loader sometimes to get all the rounds to fall. The comp3 works great, feels good in the hand and load very fast. However it is HUGE and is only useful when you are competing. The Comp2 takes much of the advantages of the comp3 and puts it in a package the size of the HKS loaders. Thus that is what I recommend you use. They are great for CC and competition.

What part of Manitoba? I was born and raised in Brandon until I moved down here 20 years ago.

Here, we are limited to revolvers of .38 Special or Autos of .380 or under, so even Canadian gunlaws look great from where I'm sitting. However, our weather is better here than yours is gonna be.

This forum is just great. The amount of information you can find out for the price of just logging in is mind-boggling.

Ah! Can't speak to that. I never used either of them.

The Speed Beez carries custom made .22 speed loaders for the K and L frame S&W revolvers in both the 10 shot and the classic 6 shot as well as loading blocks you can order them off their website at www.speedbeez.com

Andy Griffith: excellent post with great information; however, one correction: Bianchi also makes a speedstrip for .44/.45 caliber. I have 2 I purchased recently for my .44 Special and .45ACP revolvers.

Speedloaders: I prefer the Safariland - I use the Comp I and Comp II without any problems except as noted earlier - Safariland doesn't make them for the newer model revolvers in different calibers.

Best of luck,

Dave

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ibon
Which would be in your opinion the best jet loader or safariland III carriers in competition ,of course.


I'm pretty sure that this is true in competition. In daily carry, however, the Jetloaders are reasonable in size, whereas the Comp IIIs are not.

look at [email protected]
Aluminum Billet speedloaders and Loading Blocks.

I think Bianchi came out with the .45 speed strip after I wrote that. I think they did because they had other makers cutting in on their business and finally saw they were losing money.

What is the address of the speed bee loader maker? I can't find an address on the website at all- I would recommend posting that as soon as it can be done. I never buy anything unless I can find a physical address on the website or from other users of it that I can verify. Likely, I guess it's a sight oversight on a new website.


If you haven't looked in a while, DS-10 speed has innovated a bit- they even have inserts for the triple Safariland speedloader holder in K-frame for the 10-shot speedloaders. Also, they have a new injection molded loader without metal in it. I prefer the metal myself, but that's me because I'm not worried about scratching anything.
DS-10-SPEED

__________________
Lost it all in a boat accident

I used HKS and Safariland when I had my Speed Six .357. I took each brand and tested some things: such as how they would hold up when tossed onto concrete. They both worked great in that department.
If you ever do carry them in your pocket, be advised that the HKS will drop the shells, into your pocket. You can inadventently spill the rounds out that way, because of the twist-knob release.
The Safariland is more secure that way, you have to push them onto the cylinder, to get them to drop.