Help with 8 Round Moon Clips

[dwever]

Ran through about 400 rounds in a training event Saturday. Was pleased using a Perf. Ctr. 627 Eight Shot with 2.625" barrel.

My one hinderance was re-loading having to occasionally tease in the 8 shot Moon Clips loaded with .38. Besides avoiding flat headed bullets that can catch on the chambers and pointing the weapon at the ground so gravity doesn't effect alignment with those flimsy moon clips, what's the wisdom, if any, with getting a fast re-load with this weapon?

Used twenty-five brand new moon clips - loaded and stripped using TDK de-mooner and moonier.

Thanks

 

[Ignatz]

A bullet shaped like the Berrys 158 RN drops in nice. The Billy Bullet 170 has a nice shape and the extra weight to help. Clean burning powder helps when your in events over 200 rounds. Some powders leave a slight residue and some leave the cylinder spotless.

 

[David Sinko]

During a 400 round episode the cleanliness of your powder will have more to do with how the gun behaves than the shape of your bullet. A fast, clean burning powder like Clays behind a plated or jacketed bullet can get you through a 400 round match or practice session without having to scrub the chambers. The slower powders that generate the velocities suitable for street use tend to leave behind a lot more residue. Were you using factory loads or handloads? It doesn't get much better than 400 trouble free rounds out of the sometimes fickle 8 shooters.

Dave Sinko

 

[dwever]

During a 400 round episode the cleanliness of your powder will have more to do with how the gun behaves than the shape of your bullet. A fast, clean burning powder like Clays behind a plated or jacketed bullet can get you through a 400 round match or practice session without having to scrub the chambers. The slower powders that generate the velocities suitable for street use tend to leave behind a lot more residue. Were you using factory loads or handloads? It doesn't get much better than 400 trouble free rounds out of the sometimes fickle 8 shooters.

Dave Sinko

I started with Winchester White Box .38's, but within 24 rounds thinking the flat top bullets might be catching on the cylinder chambers and contributing to the problem, I switched to a round nose till I ran out in a hundred rounds and went back to the Winchesters. Round nose was better, but still is an occasional problem I have to solve or it could really hurt me in the production division of USPSA.

You know, just loading six of the eight in the revolver division goes MUCH more smoothly strangely enough, and it is much easier and faster to index the cylinder than you would think.

 

[tomcatt51]

Besides avoiding flat headed bullets that can catch on the chambers and pointing the weapon at the ground so gravity doesn't effect alignment with those flimsy moon clips, what's the wisdom, if any, with getting a fast re-load with this weapon?

Nothing will improve your reloads in a moonclipped 627 more than HearthCo moonclips Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com
https://apextactical.com/store/product-info.php?pid11.html with Remington or Federal brass and RN or pointy nose bullets. If you use Starline brass get the HearthCo 38 short colt moonclip, it's optimal for Starline brass.

 

[dwever]

Nothing will improve your reloads in a moonclipped 627 more than HearthCo moonclips Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com
https://apextactical.com/store/product-info.php?pid11.html with Remington or Federal brass and RN or pointy nose bullets. If you use Starline brass get the HearthCo 38 short colt moonclip, it's optimal for Starline brass.

They are out of stock and, OMG, they are $8.00 a piece! What makes them worth it?

 

[tomcatt51]

They are out of stock and, OMG, they are $8.00 a piece! What makes them worth it?

They're EDM'ed and stiffer and are a tight fit on the brass. The rounds don't "sag" in the moonclip. They make a HUGE difference in your reloads. 10 for $60 from TKCustom and worth every penny of it. I use Ranch moonclips for my 625 but HearthCo's for my 627's. You do tend to cry when someone steps on one.

 

[dwever]

They're EDM'ed and stiffer and are a tight fit on the brass. The rounds don't "sag" in the moonclip. They make a HUGE difference in your reloads. 10 for $60 from TKCustom and worth every penny of it. I use Ranch moonclips for my 625 but HearthCo's for my 627's. You do tend to cry when someone steps on one.

Okay, I'm in. I'll order from TKC as I've had good experience with them in the past.

Thanks!

 

[tomcatt51]

Okay, I'm in. I'll order from TDK as I've had good experience with them in the past.

Thanks!

......TDK?

 

[dwever]

Tomcat51 - Great lead sir. I received 10 Match grade from Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com.

Really easy, even with flat nose loads. THANKS!!

Are the TK Custom Match as good as the Heathco?

Thanks

 

[tomcatt51]

Are the TK Custom Match as good as the Heathco?

Did you get the .020" thick clips for Winchester brass? It may be the only difference is the clip thickess. Winchester brass has a narrower "groove" needing a .020" thick clip and a .025" clip won't work. Starline brass has a smaller groove minor diameter and works best with the .38 short colt clip which is made for only Starline brass. The grooves vary between manufactures and aren't a SAAMI spec item.

 

[sar4937]

The only thing I ever got to work was finding a boxed bullet, or loading a round that was roll crimped. The step on the front of the brass in a taper crimp was what was catching for me. Yes I have the T-K moonclips, in both thickness's.

 

[tomcatt51]

The only thing I ever got to work was finding a boxed bullet, or loading a round that was roll crimped. The step on the front of the brass in a taper crimp was what was catching for me.

They can catch if you don't crimp enough or break the chamber edge. I use a (very) small 1/2 round file on the chamber edges that the factory chamfer misses (on 627's). Doesn't take much. You can use a deburring tool on the outer corner of your brass mouths too

 

[TSQUARED]

If you want to shoot 400 round matches you are either going to clean the cylinder chambers after ca 200 rounds or use a plated bullet with a very clean burning powder. If you use lead bullets then you will have to clean the chambers after ca 100-200 rounds.
The 8 shot moonclips are inherently more flimsy than 45ACP moonclips since they are much thinner. Matching the moonclip to the case will help. Starlione brass requires the expensive moonclips to hold on to the c artridge. Winchester brass is the tightest fist in Ranch Products moonclips. Federal and R-P have "extractor" cuts which are not as loose as Starline but looser than Winchester. Also slight difference between nickel plated and brass cases.
LSWC bullets have a sharp edge and will never provide for speedy reloads. Im use a 158 gr. LRN or 158 gr. Berry's RN.

 

[dwever]

Did you get the .020" thick clips for Winchester brass? It may be the only difference is the clip thickess. Winchester brass has a narrower "groove" needing a .020" thick clip and a .025" clip won't work. Starline brass has a smaller groove minor diameter and works best with the .38 short colt clip which is made for only Starline brass. The grooves vary between manufactures and aren't a SAAMI spec item.

I got 627 HearthCo is all the invoice says; and I'm shooting Winchester white box. Does that answer the question?
Thank you!

 

[tomcatt51]

I got 627 HearthCo is all the invoice says; and I'm shooting Winchester white box. Does that answer the question?
Thank you!

Might measure the clip thickness. I would expect .020" for Winchester brass. I have the .025" clips for my Federal brass and if I get a piece of Winchester brass mixed in and don't notice there's no doubt when trying to get it in the moonclip. It will bend the moonclip. HearthCo makes several 627 clips (3 I think) for 627's to fit different brass. Glad you like the clips. For me the others were just annoying.

 

[Tom_Revo]

TK Custom & HearthCo Full Moonclips

I manufacture ALL HearthCo clips.

Tom @ TK Custom

 

[TSQUARED]

The 8 shot 38/357 moonclips are thinner than the 45ACP variety. That being said you can increse stiffness by choosing the proper moonclip and brass combination, Rach Products moonclips will be quite stiff with W-W nickeled brass and outright sloppy virtually unusable with Starline brass. Remington and Federal are somewhere in between. With the Hearthco moonclips the Starline brass provides a snug fit and you cannot use the W-W nickel cases.
Also use a full round nose bullet to prevent snagging on the chambers.

 

[Frank237]

They are out of stock and, OMG, they are $8.00 a piece! What makes them worth it?

They are $8 per .......as people are stupid enough to PAY $8 each.

 

[imashooter2]

I choose not to disparage the Hearthco product as it is clearly very, very good with the proper Remington, Federal or Star brass. But I found it considerably less expensive to replace all my Remington brass with Winchester and buy 100 Ranch moons for $75 delivered.