Moon Clips - Blued vs. Stainless

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500SNW

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Hey all. I've been shopping around for some moon clips for my 627 PC and so far I've discovered that 1. they are fairly expensive (for what you get) and 2. they are offered in blued steel or stainless...with the stainless being slightly more expensive. My question is - both types perform a painfully simple function, so what is the point of the stainless steel moon clip?
 
Same reason they make both blued and stainless revolvers. The stainless will hold up to the elements better than the the blued, that and some people like to have their moonclips match the gun.
 
No difference in function. If you're worried about rust, I guess the s/s are more resistant to that. I've been using the same blue ones for years. I have five 45acp revolvers that get fired a lot. I attribute the longevity of the clips to the BMT moonclip tool I use and highly recommend.
 
Thanks. So far, I don't see stainless having any advantage for me. I'm not too worried about corrosion. I guess my main interest was in whether there was any difference in friction between the different metals...maybe one was easier or harder to load/unload. As for looks, as uncleted327 suggested, I'm not that picky. I suppose those same sorts of folks will only use shiny, nickel plated cartridge cases so it matches their gun ;)
 
On a little different note, are you going to use them for field carry, or just range use? If it's mostly range only, go with a polymer moon clip such as Rimz, or the like. The are flexible and easy to load by hand, and you don't need a tool. Keep a couple metal ones for field carry if you need to.
 
Generally the Stainless clips offered are for brass specific cases. Mostly by TK customs.
I use Ranch products 327/627 moonclips. 025" for Starline and Winchester brass. I also load my 38 short colts and use them on my 327/627's. It'll load on most mixed range brass that I get.
But if you need specific brass needs for your clips, TK customs has a chart on their website somewhere. And they are Stainless and expensive.
The ranch products are a little more 'cost effective ' for my needs and uses.
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Thanks everyone. Toad67 I am going to use them for serious business, my 627 snub is my Winter EDC and I have a couple of those half dollar sized "anco" brand plastic coin tubes which fit the moon clips perfectly and store well in my pocket. That said, the polymer ones you mentioned sound worth checking for casual use at the range. Lou The Welder - Yeah, I placed an order for the blued TK Customs they should fit my Starlines well and I know that my vintage Norma cases will be a nice tight fit. Up to now I've only had the measly three moon clips that S&W gives you when you buy a new PC product. I don't grasp that...its almost a thousand dollar gun and they only give you three stinkin moon clips :rolleyes:
 
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Just as a heads up, I buy the clips from Revolver Supply. They are a lot less expensive than TK Custom and work well with all of my revolvers (4 S&W and 1 Colt ).
 
A Slightly different answer...

Moonclips made of blued steel are generally stamped out of spring steel and are mass produced. Stainless steel moonclips are usually produced by the EDM machinery, are very precise and more expensive. People who use revolvers in serious competition frequently buy TK Custom clips.

You indicate your moonclips will be for loading a carry gun. Blued clips are fine for that purpose, BUT you should always test each loaded clip to verify it fits perfectly in your gun before relying on it.
 
Thanks. Even more good advice. I'll look in to everyone's suggestions. I'll probably buy/try a few different styles/brands in the near future. I just needed a quick stash to get beyond having a measly three of them. So far, I only have experience with the factory issued ones that come from S&W.
 
I will put in another good work for the folks at Ranch Products

I have known them and used their clips for 30 or more years.

I buy a hundred at a time.

A day or so before I am going shooting, I sit in my recliner with one of the news shows on and load 20-30-40 or more moon clips.

After shooing I sit back in that same recliner and de-moon directly into my brass bucket.

I think it works great. If you look at Lou_the_welder's pictures it looks like he does something similar

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I stay away from the plastic style moon clips. They hold the ammunition way to poorly for me.

Drop a loaded plastic moon clip on the ground and rounds go everywhere. Even if you have a few in the range bag, they can pop rounds out of the clip with way too little force. No good for carry purposes.

So we will get a few folks that tell us just to use them for target practice and use metal clips for serious business

Personally, It makes more sense to me to train/practice with what you are going to carry.
 
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gnystrom said:
Also, be sure which brands or brass are friendly to your moonclips. I have found differences to be slight but important.
Click to expand...

Agreed. My only experience so far is with the factory supplied set of three. IIRC they have a tiny "TK" marking on one of the tines. In my experience Starline brass is really loose in the S&W factory issued moon clips... while the nickel plated brass that Speer uses lock in really tight. I have some old Norma cases (1960's-1970's) from my Dad and those lock up really tight as well. Unlike what some, perhaps many people say about needing some play in the cartridges to facilitate loading them into the cylinder...I myself prefer them to have ZERO wiggle.
 
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I have been a fan of Ranch Products for nearly 5 decades. Mine are blued steel and fit the 45 ACP. Over the years I have purchased them 100 at a time. Some break, some get stepped on, I give some away but RP is kind enough to sell me more. Great product and great vendor. I imagine the 357 clip is more of the same.

Kevin
 
Thanks. I'll consider RP next time, as there certainly has been a lot of recommendations for them. I got mine in the mail today and they look decent. One was slightly bent, but I loaded it up with bullets and it seems to seat properly in the cylinder etc. I'll mark it and use it as a "beater" for target shooting.
 
In one of your posts you mentioned needing a loading tool. Well, I have one that I use to load 100 rounds in just a few minutes and unloads them even faster. It's made by BMT and is a bit costly at $100 but if you load a lot, it's the cat's meow.
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Tk custom stainless for competition, Revolver supply company blued for practice! BMT and clipped ammo gauge. All the goodies for revolver fun!
 

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I'm using Ranch Products clips for my 1917. FWIW they offer three different "flavors".

Full moon clips - 6 rounds each
1/2 moon clips - 3 rounds each
1/3 moon clips - 2 rounds each

I have and like the full moon 6 round and 2 round 1/3 moon versions - I haven't tried the 3 round 1/2 moon clips but I bet they are just as good and reasonably priced as the other two versions.
 
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