Help me understand 'moon clips' please

gr8smiles · Jul 22, 2016

Even though I have over 100 Smiths, I have never had one with 'moon clips'. I stumbled on a 640-1 with all the goodies today and it came home with me. It had a baggie of moon clips with it. I read the manual and wasn't sure if they are necessary or optional.

The gun is a 357 magnum. Am I correct to assume that 357s are ok without the clips, and they are needed for 38 specials? I tried some 38 specials in the cylinder and they seemed to fit ok.

Thanks for your help. I don't want to blow something up by mistake

Stopsign32v · Jul 22, 2016

S&W J frame moon clips - YouTube

Chuck24 · Jul 22, 2016

Originally made to use the rimless 45 acp in a revolver to make loading and ejection easier. In 357 or 38 acts as a type of speed loader, use is optional.

Cal44 · Jul 22, 2016

In the case of a 640, you don't need moon clips with either 357 magnum or 38 special.

The value of moon clips with your gun is they hold the five cartridges in position for fast loading and unloading of your gun.

With practice, you should be able to reload faster with moon clips than you can with a speed loader.

Where moon clips are required (not optional) in when you shoot a cartridge made for semi-autos like 45 acp in a revolver like the 625JM. Without the moon clips, the cartridge might fall too far into the cylinder to be properly struck by the hammer and fired.

The reason for this is certain cartridges like 45 acp and 9mm don't have a rim the holds the cartridge at the right position in the cylinder. The rim prevents the cartridge from moving too far into the cylinder. Both 38 special and 357 magnum have rims and don't have this problem hence you can shoot them without moon clips.

gr8smiles · Jul 22, 2016

Thanks gang. Great video as well. This proves that you can learn something new everyday

two-bit cowboy · Jul 23, 2016

Hi gr8smiles,

Nice choice. Just got my new 640 Pro back from the factory a few days ago (they replaced the dead Tritium front sight and the trigger -- smoothed the action right out).

I'd been fiddling with the moon clips while the gun was "away" and discovered some interesting bits. TK makes the moon clips for Smith. They sell the OEM clips that come with the gun, and they offer others for different brands of ammo. They say the OEM clips aren't for "Winchester, Hornady Critical Defense & Speer Gold Dot ammo" but will accommodate "Federal, Remington, Starline & most brands except as noted."

My Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 +p 135 gr ammo works flawlessly in the OEM clips, but my Remington Golden Saber .357 125 gr Brass Jacketed HP ammo won't work (I can get four in the clip, but the fifth won't go). My Federal .357 158 gr Hydra Shock JHPs also work well.

Based on this experience I'm unsure which way to proceed in ordering more clips from TK. Here are their offerings:

Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com

Enjoy your 640 Pro -- gr8 little piece.

Cheers,

Bob

bigwheelzip · Jul 23, 2016

One more point. On snubbies with short ejection rods, the brass from fired magnums may not clear the cylinder when emptied. The clips can help with fast brass removal.

NB4EST · Jul 23, 2016

If loaded moon clips are to be carried in a protective pouch, they're good to go. If simply loaded and dropped in a jeans pocket, they're subject to bend. I'm a fan of the little rubber loaded-clip holders T-K offers. They help prevent bending the clips when carrying in this manner.

Neumann · Jul 23, 2016

The best tool I've found for loading moon clips is made by Deluxe Moon Clip Tool. You need a $5 arbor to fit each particular model of moon clip. It also has a de-mooning feature which works on any moon clip, according to caliber - .45 or .38.

For low-volume loading, you can use a pair of sharp nosed pliers to snap cartridges into place. Some you can load by hand, but the last one is almost always too tight.

For best results, use cartridges with a roll crimp rather than a swaged crimp. The latter leaves a sharp lip which hangs up on the cylinder. The step in SWC bullets is another hangup. Ordinary jacketed and HP bullets are no problem, depending on the crimp.

For SD carry, quick loading strips are the most compact option. Speedloaders are better for pocket or pouch carry. A company I just came across makes them for all revolvers, 5 to 8 round.

http://www.5starfirearms.com/

bobbyd · Jul 23, 2016

Moonclips actually work a lot better in 45acp/9mm than .357/.38.
Those short, stubby cartridges, especially with a round nose bullet, fall readily into the relatively large chamber opening.
The longer and thinner 38/357 cartridges are obviously of a different proportion, have a longer and straighter "loading path" into the chamber and simply do not insert, at least for me, as readily into the chamber.

mscampbell2734 · Jul 23, 2016

Cal44 said:
In the case of a 640, you don't need moon clips with either 357 magnum or 38 special.

The value of moon clips with your gun is they hold the five cartridges in position for fast loading and unloading of your gun.

With practice, you should be able to reload faster with moon clips than you can with a speed loader.

Where moon clips are required (not optional) in when you shoot a cartridge made for semi-autos like 45 acp in a revolver like the 625JM. Without the moon clips, the cartridge might fall too far into the cylinder to be properly struck by the hammer and fired.

The reason for this is certain cartridges like 45 acp and 9mm don't have a rim the holds the cartridge at the right position in the cylinder. The rim prevents the cartridge from moving too far into the cylinder. Both 38 special and 357 magnum have rims and don't have this problem hence you can shoot them without moon clips.

Sir you are incorrect

The purpose of moon clips is to allow ejection of rimless cartridges when loaded and fired in a revolver.

Think about it. On normal revolver cartridges the rim is caught by the ejector star and ejected. If one were to fire a rimless cartridge in a revolver the ejector star would have nothing to grab onto.

Now about the cartridge sliding too far into the cylinder. On original 1917 revolvers, and most runs of Smith Model 25s, the cylinders are cut with a shoulder to headspace the cartridge so it could be loaded and fired without moonclips. If shot in this fashion the shooter would need to use a rod, such as a pen or pencil, to eject each case individual. While slow the original intent was to make sure a solder could shoot his handgun without clips in an emergency.

rwsmith · Jul 24, 2016

Choice of bullet profile.....

The shape of the bullet nose makes a difference in how easy they are to work. RN bullets work best and full wadcutters can be difficult to load still. Also, they need to be stiff or the bullets can flop out of line.

Help me understand 'moon clips' please

gr8smiles

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Stopsign32v

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Chuck24

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Cal44

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gr8smiles

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two-bit cowboy

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bigwheelzip

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NB4EST

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Neumann

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bobbyd

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mscampbell2734

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rwsmith

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