MOON CLIP QUESTION

[idarbc]

I recently purchased a Model 625 JM revolver. This is my first .45 acp revolver and also my first revolver that requires the use of moon clips. I realize the use of moon clips make it easier to eject the spent casings, but other than this, why are moon clips required for this weapon?

 

[kimberst245]

The moon clips aren't required for firing the revolver; you can place the cartridges in the cylinder and fire them without the moon clip. Getting them out after firing will require a punch/ballpoint pen/pencil type object most of the time. You can fire it with .45 Auto Rim ammo and the extractor claw should work like any normal revolver.
Moon clips also make loading much easier than trying to load the rounds individually. To my knowledge, there is no maker of a .45 ACP speedloader, hence the necessity of the moon clips.

 

[Macinaw]

45 acp is a rimless cartridge. In a 1911 the cartridge head spaces on the front of the case. In a revolver moon clips are needed to hold them in place; so they don't fall into the cylinders' camber.


Kimberst245 : I didn't know that. Thank You! Mac

 

[cooperduper]

Actually, lots of 45 ACP revolvers are chambered to headspace on the mouth of the case. The OP's 625 would be, I think. I could be wrong, but I think only the earliest 1917s were a bored-through chamber. Maybe all the Colt's were. So, anyway, if you look in the cylinder and see a "shelf" in each chamber, it will fire 45 ACP without moon clips. Ease of loading and extraction is the real use in that case.

 

[Newark Devil]

45 acp is a rimless cartridge. In a 1911 the cartridge head spaces on the front of the case. In a revolver moon clips are needed to hold them in place; so they don't fall into the cylinders' camber.


Kimberst245 : I didn't know that. Thank You! Mac

Then why didn't they make a .45acp with a rim?

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Then why didn't they make a .45acp with a rim?

They did, and still do. It's called a .45 Auto Rim.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Actually, lots of 45 ACP revolvers are chambered to headspace on the mouth of the case. The OP's 625 would be, I think. I could be wrong, but I think only the earliest 1917s were a bored-through chamber. Maybe all the Colt's were. So, anyway, if you look in the cylinder and see a "shelf" in each chamber, it will fire 45 ACP without moon clips. Ease of loading and extraction is the real use in that case.

I believe that the later Colt and all of the S&W 1917 revolvers had the "shelf." I'm not sure, but I think that the 1917 revolvers and Model 22 and 25 revolvers were more precisely headspaced than the current S&W revolvers, although I have no idea why this should be so. S&W doesn't seem to stand by their headspacing in current instruction books, and hints that using moonclips would be more reliable for ignition. I certainly trust my 25-2 for ignition without moonclips. I don't actually recall ever having a FTF in my 325, my 22-4, or my 625-10 (before it self-destructed), but loaded rounds seem to slide more easily into my 25-2, and stop more positively. I think S&W knows whereof it speaks.

 

[scott625b]

In WWI, the government could not make enough 1911 45ACP pistols to meet the demands of the war. In order to supply troops with weapons, S&W and Colt were requested by the government to supply a large frame revolver that would chamber the rimless 45ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge. As a side note, it is rare that rimmed cartridges are designed to shoot in semi-automatic pistols and rifles. It seems that the rim gets in the way of rounds sliding on one another.

You can shoot a 45ACP revolver without moonclips, but if you roll form your crimp when reloading, then the bullet will slide into the chamber farther, thus changing the distance between the primer and the firing pin. Probably not to your advantage. Just my 2 cents.

 

[smithnframe]

The moon clips are a pain in the butt! I've seen some plastic/rubber ones that might be easier to load, I don't know. I bought 1000 pcs. of 45 auto rim brass so I'm set for awhile!

 

[Muley Gil]

Actually, lots of 45 ACP revolvers are chambered to headspace on the mouth of the case. The OP's 625 would be, I think. I could be wrong, but I think only the earliest 1917s were a bored-through chamber. Maybe all the Colt's were. So, anyway, if you look in the cylinder and see a "shelf" in each chamber, it will fire 45 ACP without moon clips. Ease of loading and extraction is the real use in that case.

This was discussed about 18 months ago. All of the S&W 1917s are supposed to be able to chamber and fire a .45 ACP round without a moonclip, although at least one Forum member reported finding a Smith that required moonclips.

It has been written that the first 50,000 Colt 1917s did not have proper chambers and needed moonclips in order to fire. It has also been said that the US Gov't was unhappy about these Colts and that the factory replaced the majority of these cylinders. I personally have not encountered a Colt '17 that was so chambered and I have looked at at least a hundred or so in the last 40 years.

 

[cooperduper]

I did say I could be wrong...

 

[625 Shooter]

The moon clips are a pain in the butt! I've seen some plastic/rubber ones that might be easier to load, I don't know. I bought 1000 pcs. of 45 auto rim brass so I'm set for awhile!

Whew, boy, I gotta respectfully disagree!

In my youth, I used to wonder why anyone would want to mess with moon clips. But after I purchased a S&W M625 .45ACP many years ago, I learned why - they are wonderful - no other form of revolver speedloader works as quick nor as well.

Sure, one hardly needs moon clips if one only goes to the range and stands there in one spot and leisurely pops off a few rounds. BUT get into any form of competition (FUN stuff!) like USPSA, ICORE, steel plate or bowling pin shooting, and you'll be glad to have a moonclipped revolver; many folks have their non-moonclipped revolver machined to accept moon clips. Or a more serious example, the need for a speed reload in a defensive situation.

And, of course, tools are readily available to make to make it easy to load and unload the brass in/out of the clips.

Now I wonder why ALL revolvers don't come from the factory to accept moon clips!

 

[scooter123]

Heck, even if you are just standing there and shooting paper moon clips are flat out the best thing since sliced bread. Typically I'll head for the range with either 2 or 3 boxes of ammo clipped up for my 625.

BTW, the American Eagle large primer 230 gn. 45 ACP boxes will hold 8 clips, so it's very conveniently sized.

As for loading and unloading, I made a tool to unload my clips that's basically a copy of the screwdriver tools sold by Brownell's and similar sources. For loading I'll generally do it by hand and use a pair of pliers for a particularly stubborn cartridge. I've found that if you roll the cartridge as you snap it into the clip they actually go in fairly easily most of the time. However, about 30% of the time that very last one of 6 can get pretty stiff so that's when I reach for the pliers.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Chamfer cylinder bores and get mooncliptool.com

 

[Dale53]

I have a pair of 625's (a 625-6 with 5" barrel Model of 1989 and a 4" 625-8 Jerry Miculek Special). They require moon clips with .45 ACP cases for proper headspacing (After much debate at Smith & Wesson, they changed the specs from the WW I revolver specs).

I have Ranch Products Steel full moon clips and they require tools to moon and re-moon. I also have some of the early RIMZ polymer clips. They work fine for range us and allow you to easily moon and re-moon with your fingers. However, they don't retain the loaded rounds as securely as the steels.

Just recently, I bought 15 of the New Hydrocarbon-Polymer full moon clips (Model 25 clips). They retain the loaded rounds quite well - I would trust my life to them. You can also load and unload (moon and re-moon) them with your fingers. They are my "new standard":

Ez Moon Clips

Dale53

 

[OK Hog Shooter]

Feeding my new Smith & Wesson addiction to large bore revolvers, l now have two 625s, a Model of 1917 and two (incoming) 610s... with the proper moon clip tools moon clips are a snap to load and unload! When it comes to range time l'd recommend about a gazillion loaded moon clips cause you're gonna shoot a bunch and... and you don't gotta chase no brass!

Hog

 

[cooperduper]

My 22-4 works just fine without moon clips. It is one of the TRR series, so not very old, at all.

 

[smithnframe]

They do make speedloaders for the 45 ar! I just prefer the auto rim cartridge. My dad had a model 25-2 that was marked 45 auto rim on the barrel!

 

[Jerry N.]

with the proper moon clip tools moon clips are a snap to load and unload! When it comes to range time l'd recommend about a gazillion loaded moon clips cause you're gonna shoot a bunch and... and you don't gotta chase no brass!

Hog

That's is how I do it. No loading at the range means more time shooting. I keep a set of Rimz (plastic clips) in my bag in case I want to shoot more, but have not had that happen. I tried out the Rimz and they work very well and load and unload by hand. Bottom line is that for range shooting, moon clips work great.

 

[JordonC2]

RIMZ Moon clips work great and are easy to load.