Moon clips and brands of brass, input needed

[RonS]

I am slowly adjusting to the new economy where you can't just go to the store or gun show and buy any brand of any ammo or brass you want. I want to pick up some Starline brass tomorrow at the gun show but I also want to be prepared in case there is none to be had. I have read that Winchester .357 Magnum brass isn't good with regular S&W moon clips because the groove is too narrow. How about the other brands? I sometimes see Remington brass available or Hornady.

If you own a moon clipped .357 what brass have you had good luck with? I can say that CCI Blazer Brass works but seems to be a touch loose.

 

[Hapworth]

I've had good luck with Speer's Gold Dot line.

Check out this page and select the link that best applies to you to read what TK Custom says about which ammo goes best with which moon clips:

Full Moon Clips and Revolver Clips - TK Custom

 

[colt_saa]

I have read that Winchester .357 Magnum brass isn't good with regular S&W moon clips because the groove is too narrow.

All encomasing statements like that are usually FALSE.

S&W factory supplied moon clips have been manufactured by 3 different comapanies that I am certain of, though I think there is a fourt that I do not have examples of.

All were different thicknesses.

Why don't you just bring one of your moonclips to the show and try it yourself?

 

[BobR1]

Normally the Standard 38/357 factory Moon Clip works pretty well with Remington, Federal, and Speer.
When I am sorting 38 Brass for moon clips I just sort out Remington and Federal head stamps.
Some others will work, but are not worth sorting.

Winchester needs a thin clip. Not worth messing with to me.

As was said above take a Moon Clip with you and check the fit. Starline might be a little to sloppy.
Normally with new brass it is hard to go wrong with Remington with normal moon clips.

Bob

 

[RonS]

Thanks for the info folks.

 

[nebmike]

I've yet to come across the perfect combination. What I 'can' say though is that the worst brass I've come across is Double Tap... very loose in the moonclips.

 

[RonS]

Well, found a bag of 250 new Starline brass, Remington 125 gr JHP bullets and some misc stuff at the gun show. Could have spent a lot more, there was a guy with about 6 tables of S&W revolvers and a case of Pythons, Lawman MKIIIs etc. 15's, 19's pretty much anything you would want other than real exotics and on one table he had some customs, PPC and IHMSA guns. I had a budget of $100 for components and hit it to the penny, purely by accident. A good morning.

 

[David Sinko]

I too use only Remington and Federal brass in my 627's moonclips. These two brands are very plentiful and I never have any problems with the fit. Somebody at one time made thicker moonclips just for Starline brass. I don't remember who made them or if they're still available.

Dave Sinko

 

[wantmoresmiths]

The moonclip/brass relationship is only important if you need fast reloads for competition. The exception being when using Winchester brass with thicker moons, since the brass may not fit in a thick moon. If the brass fits loosely in the moon it will wiggle when shaken from side to side. If you are shooting competition this wiggle could prevent your ammunition from easily dropping into the cylinder, whereas moons specifically sized for a particular brand of brass holds the rounds quite rigidly and allows the rounds to line up with the cylinder more easily. For simply going to the range, pretty much any moonclip will work with any brass.

I believe Smith & Wesson includeded Ranch Products moonclips with their new guns for a while. I have found that the Ranch Products moon clips will accept all types of brass including Winchester. I use the Ranch Products moon clips with Winchester brass for ICORE matches since this gives me the tightest, most rigid fit without buying the "premium" moon clips. For Steel Challenge type matches I use the Ranch Products moons with mixed head stamp brass since reloads are off the clock and I can take an extra few seconds to allow the rounds to wiggle into the chambers.

The thicker moonclips made for specific brands of brass are sold by TK Customs http://www.tkcustom.com/cart/shopdi...+6+&+8+Shot</p><p>Large+N++-+Frame+Models</P>

 

[RonS]

Interesting, as you say, looks like they have been made by different vendors over time. The three originals that came from S&W mic out at 0.024-0.025". The 5 that I bought from Brownells, which I think were supposed to be S&W brand, mic .0215-.0225. Laying them on the table in strong light, the 3 original clips have more of a radius on the edges on one side, leading me to believe that they are fine blanked or stamped. The 5 from Brownell's don't show any difference between the two sides, no real radius on the edges. I am guessing these were made with a wire edm.

There is obviously more to it than thickness also, the OEM clips load easily, but without risking bending them I cannot load the Brownell's clips with finger pressure. I wonder if they will hold better once loaded with a moon tool?

Does anyone have one of these tools? How do you like it?
Deluxe Moon Clip Tool

Fun learning all this stuff, even the simplest things are more interesting if you start to dig into them.

 

[Hapworth]

Does anyone have one of these tools? How do you like it?
Deluxe Moon Clip Tool

I don't have that one, but it's quite well reviewed; I've got the BMT made tool, which is a marvel and highly recommended.

BMT Equipped, Inc.

 

[wantmoresmiths]

I had one of the deluxe moonclip tools, and wasn't especially happy with it. Bought the BMT tool and have never looked back. In fact I have 2 BMT tools, 1 for 38's and 1 for 40's.