Just purchased a 442 Pro and after the moon clips are loaded , they do not fit in the 442. Using CCI Speer GD. They seem to be to tight. Do not go in all the way. I will call TK Tues and SW when the return from vac.
My buddie's Ti 357 with not work with them either. The MC's he bought from Clark about 5 years ago work fine. I will call Mr Clark Tues, also.
Any ideas would help. Thank you. 442 was NIB.

Maybe someone with some specific experience with the J frame moon clips will reply. My experience has only been with the N frame moon clip guns and I don't trust them for serious use. I ended up selling all my moon clip .45 revolvers.

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Centennial Every Day

I have a Model 642 with a Model 442 cylinder that was TK Custom modified for moon clips. As I recall, the moon clips are ammo sensitive, but I cannot recall specifically what brands of ammo are acceptable, and which ones are not. Have you tried loading with a different type(s) of ammo? Are you using factory fresh ammo, or reloads? Are all the rounds from the same manufacturer, or mixed? I would try using a different brand of ammo, factory fresh, not reloads, and all rounds from the same maker. Also, are your moon clips flat and not bent or sprung? I've never had a problem with my moon clips.

Best of luck,

Dave


Yep, here's the link to the TK Custom website for S&W J-frame revolvers:

http://www.tkcustom.com/cart/shopdis...dels%3C%2Fp%3E

and here is what they say about the brass:

Fits most Brass except Starline & Absolutely NO Winchester Brass.

Regards,

Dave

I bought my 442 Pro a year ago August, and to date have found no brand of ammunition that works acceptably well. R-P standard pressure 158-grain LSWC at least let me close the cylinder, but it wouldn't rotate freely.

Moondancer
Sounds like you have a clearance issue of some sort.
Does it work fine with loose rounds?
If the problem surfaces with moon clips only, I would have someone with revolver experiance to take a look at it. It could be a machining issue, clips that are to thick, etc.

I have 4 moon clip revolvers, and all work fine. The 38/357 is the biggest pain due to brass undercut differences.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

Thanks to all. My rnds are GD 38 and Horn CD 38. All new. Talked to TK
this am and he said there are several shooters with my problem. He asked for di of the extration groove on each rnd. I am returning his moon clips I bought from him and the measurments he asked for. I am trying to find Jim Clarks phone number to ask about his MC's. TK said he will try to fix the problem and send the corrected MC's back. SW is on vac and the person I called before Christmas knew nothing at all and was to have the gunsmith call and I guess they might when they get back/or I will call again.

I realize this thread is a couple years old but I have a 442 Pro en route and was wondering how it worked out for you.

642-1 PRO with Winchester SXT works perfectly....all five rounds snap easily into the Moon clip and the entire package fits perfectly into the cylinder.

Good to hear - thanks for the reply!

Just attempted moon clips for 442 Pro with Speer GD 135. 2 of 3 okay, one couldn't get last cartridge in. Bent clip in attempting to do such, perhaps "operator error" with procedure to load clips. Loaded clips wouldn't freely drop into cylinder with Altamont S&W combat grips. Switched back to factory stock grips and no problems. Will rethink use of moon clips as I like the Altamont grips.

Have used multiple different defensive and plinker rounds with three factory moon clips in a 442 Pro -- zero issues; all seat and ignite fine. Same without the moon clips. Check regularly.

Only issue is some rounds fit moon clips loose. Choosing the right round for the moon clip, or purchasing the right moon clip for preferred rounds largely solves this.

Preacher Dave: strongly suggest a BMT Mooner or Moon Clip Tool instead of loading/unloading by hand.

Hapworth - thanks for the suggestion, I will take a look at a moon clip tool.

The 38 Special/357 Mag head spaces on the rim. Thus unlike rimless semi auto cartridges (9mm, 45 ACP) there is no industry standard for the width or depth of the groove which provides for the moon clips. In some cases one finds brass without any cut.
I use 6 shot moon clips in a 586 and 8 shot in a 627. In my experience the WW brass has the tightest fit, Rem & Fed a medium tight fit, and Starline is downright sloppy. A lot depends on the geometry and thickness of the moon clip. You have to find the brass that works with your moon clip.

I just loaded five rounds of Winchester (130 grain "practice" ammo) with one of my new TK .020 moon clips. My first time doing this. Seems to fit together well -- I can see the argument that you have to match the moonclip to the ammo and both to the gun.

The gun? My 442 Pro is enroute to the LGS. We'll see how this all works. I'd like to be able to carry 5 + 5 + 5 rounds when carrying the gun. I can go with 5 alone -- on the theory that the J frame you carry is better than the 18 round P226 that you leave at home. But my plan is to look for a small case to hold two sets of ammo in clips.

If I cannot get the 442 to work well with the ammo I have or can readily obtain, and with my reloads (I plan to hand-load 125 grains XTPs with lower end amounts of Trailboss, to create a very soft practice round), then I will buy a new cylinder (maybe bright stainless steel!) from S&W and replace the moonclip cylinder -- and sell it in the Classifieds. But for now, I think I can make this work. Just loading the first moonclip was an education.

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S&W Rover

None of the various types of ammo fit in the cylinder with either the .020 or .025 moonclips. The bare moonclips don't fit flush with the cylinder, making me think the star wasn't machined enough. Would just stop right here but have $100 wrapped up in the moon clip loader, extra moon clips, and moon clip holder. Very disappointed. Back to S&W to have it machined some more? Or just use it, although to some extent the star is compromised by being so thin. Mistake on my part -- should have just gone with a couple of Comp II speedloaders and the standard 442 no lock for $60 less.

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S&W Rover

No mistake on your part -- you had a reasonable expectation of purchasing a functioning product.

Doesn't reflect on the 442 Moon Clip, either -- it's a superb deep concealment personal defense piece.

The fault, provided no user error (and it doesn't sound like that's the case), is S&W QC.

Send it back for warranty repair or replacement on their dime. Do not "just use it" -- based on your description , it's malfunctioning from the factory. They should correct this and make you a satisfied customer who got what he paid for.

User error is always possible - this is new to me - but I've looked at it ten different ways. The moon clip should sit flush with the top of the cylinder, that's why it was relieved to a depth of about the thickness of a moon clip, right? That is so the rounds headspace as normal, and allow the cylinder to close, it seems to me. The fact the moon clip rocks back and forth on the center, nearest the star, is a give-away something is wrong.

This is going to be hard to explain to S&W on the phone... we'll see how this turns out after I ship it back.

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S&W Rover

Your understanding of the machining and function is correct. From what you're describing it does sound like the clips are either bent, poorly machined or the wrong ones for that revolver.

Too, if you're using a moon clip tool, presumably you're securing the rounds themselves correctly in the clip.

Calling S&W is best; members report better experiences than trying to go through email. If explaining over the phone doesn't convey the issue well, get your advisor's email and send him/her some pictures.

S&W sent me a return shipping label. We'll see how this turns out!

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S&W Rover