Moon Clips?

[shottist]

I need some clips for my new 627-3 but I am confused by what is available. S&W offers clips with no published restrictions. TK customs offers clips both Carbon steel and SS but notes these are not suitable for use with Winchester brass. Why? I certainly can see me using Winchester loads particularly their 147gr Silver Tips and I would prefer Moon Clips that are satisfactory with all kinds of brass. What gives???

 

[OKFC05]

TK is advising you that moon clips work better with some brass than others. There is no such thing as a moon clip guaranteed to work with all brass in all guns, due to manufacturing variations in all the hardware involved.
I was unable to use thin clips in my 646 with the brass I use, but the TK thicker clips work better than the S&W. You just have to try them and see is all I can suggest.

 

[madmikeb]

I bought some from Midway. Don't know who made them but the cases are easily inserted and removed without a tool and during the last match I shot the cases stayed put in the clips just fine. For my money they are far superior to the factory ones that came with the gun and I intend to buy more.

 

[Pizza Bob]

If this is a range/fun gun and moon clips are being used because they ease reloading just about any clip that fits will work.

If you intend to use this gun in timed competition, then you want the clip that gives the least cartridge "flop" and you need to chamfer the charge holes in the cylinder. If a competition gun, you will also want to use the shortest OAL cartridge and RN bullets. People using 627 usually use .38 Long Colt or .38 Short Colt (a little harder to make major PF with the latter).

Try several brands/thicknesses to see what works best with your gun/cartridge combination. Some vendors may send you a sample or two if you ask real nice.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

NOTE: Cartridge "flop" may actually help facilitate loading cartridges like the .45 ACP - a short cartridge with heavy round nose bullets - into a 6-chamber cylinder. Not so much with longer, skinnier cartridges into an 8-chamber cylinder.

 

[HorizontalMike]

S&W Moon Clips ARE from TK

I need some clips for my new 627-3 but I am confused by what is available. S&W offers clips with no published restrictions. TK customs offers clips both Carbon steel and SS but notes these are not suitable for use with Winchester brass. Why? I certainly can see me using Winchester loads particularly their 147gr Silver Tips and I would prefer Moon Clips that are satisfactory with all kinds of brass. What gives???

Here you go. I just got these in a couple weeks ago:

 

[505Gibbs]

As with almost everything that's manufactured by stamping[which almost all of the TK clips are - the blued ones most certainly] there are small measurable variations. Same goes with the manufaturing of brass. Tom is going by his experiences when he makes the recommendations.
You can load your silvertips - just don't use WW brass. FWIW
Additionally, I believe he makes all of the factory 929 & 986 clips which come with the piece.

 

[Ignatz]

Ranch Products moon clips work ok with Winchester, and they are about $75 per 100. Thats for their 8 shot-38spl moon clips. You have to call them to check a price, then send them a check.
Understand, brass like Remington and Starline will fit looser in these moonclips.
I use Ranch Products moonclips in my 627pc for 38 spl mixed brass shooting in our Steel shooting league, and Herthco 627 8 shot moon clips with Starline 38 colt short for USPSA and ICORE.

 

[dakota1911]

I have had good results with ones I ordered from Brownells.

 

[S&W Rover]

...TK customs offers clips both Carbon steel and SS but notes these are not suitable for use with Winchester brass. Why?

The issue is matching the thickness of the moonclip with the width of the groove at the base of the shell. On Winchester brass, and many others, the groove is too thin to allow a proper fit. What is a proper fit? The moonclip has enough tolerance to allow the clipped rounds to move just the right amount!

As always with moonclips, it is all about testing the moonclip and ammo combination in the particular revolver. I was disappointed at first that some ammo didn't work well (e.g., the clipped rounds wouldn't fit all the way into the cylinder) but got over it when I found ammo that worked. .38 Special Speer Gold Dots and Buffalo Bore (Starline) work fine in my moonclipped Mdl 640.

Nothing is faster in reloading a revolver than a properly fit moonclip.

 

[Revolver Rookie]

I too had a problem with moonclips, and Hornady .357 magnum loads. The 3 that came with the gun worked just fine. I've tried TK, Revolver supply, and finally Ranch.
I know believe the 3 that came with the gun, are in fact clips made by Ranch.

If you are target shooting buy Ranch. The ones Smith will sell you are TK's and at $3.00 a pop, are quite expensive. As others have noted TK will only work with certain manufacturers.

 

[dwever]

Additionally, obviously the stainless steel ones don't resist bending as well as the carbon steel. And if you're one to carry a spare clip in your pants pocket like I do, some carbon steel ones are in order.

I have bought both TK Custom in 0.025 and 0.020 The perfect fit is Federal brass in a 0.025. And, some brass only works well with certain moon clips in certain guns. For example, Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P bullets using 0.020 TKC SS works fine in my 627 8-Shot, but bind in my 586 L-Comp 7-Shot with the same thickness SS 7-shot moon clips. For the L-Comp 7-Shot, I have to use the carbon steel for whatever reason.

 

[S&W Rover]

To hold and protect a moon clip in your pocket, instead of keeping the moon clip "loose" and potentially subject to damage or entanglement in pocket litter, try a small pill bottle with the top (from the shoulder up to the cap) cut off. Just find a pill bottle that fits!

Or, for the 5 shot J frame clip, try a Nalgene® 1 oz. bottle (which can be bought at REI). It works great, and costs $1.50. REI

The TK Custom moon clip holder is professional grade and works well, but costs $29.95. Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com

The picture shows, left to right: a moonclip in a modified Nalgene® bottle; a moonclip with 158 gr SWC-HP Buffalo Bore ammo (in Starline cases), and the TK Custom moonclip pocket holder. And in the background, my moon clipped Model 640.

 

[BBQer]

Does the TK Custom moon clip holder work well? I've liked at them and it seems the tension adjustment would be tricky, too loose and it would come off inside the pocket or too snug and it wouldn't come off when you took them out? I guess I just need to be talked through how they work. The Maltese and pill bottle ideas sound good, do you have any problem with the clip coming out while it's still in the pocket with those?

 

[growr]

With my 25-2 .45acp I use whatever clips I find at gunshows or online...never had a problem with any of them. doesn't seem to care what brass is used. They are used in USPSA and ICORE matches and all run just as they are supposed to...pop them in and when done they drop right out.

Guess I am the odd man out on this topic.

Randy

PS. I simply use HKS speedloader pouches to care them in. Works well and I already have them so no need to go out and buy anything.

 

[APS]

Isn't the primary advantage of reloading with moonclips the speed and simplicity compared to using a speedloader? How does using a moonclip holder that requires two hands to release, better than using a speedloader that only requires one hand to use?

 

[Handgun Hunter]

Isn't the primary advantage of reloading with moonclips the speed and simplicity compared to using a speedloader? How does using a moonclip holder that requires two hands to release, better than using a speedloader that only requires one hand to use?

I don't carry my 8-round moon clips in a pocket. I use moon clip holders that go on your belt. The $8 ones made from stainless spring steel work best for me. I adjust the tension until I can get the clips out fast but they still are held firm. The magnetic clip holders cost more and do not hold your clips firmly enough. They do work great at the range. Moon clips loaded with pointy bullets like Hornady Critical Duty or Critical Defense go in the chambers easy and are fast to load. The .025 thick clips work on Hornady rounds and Starline brass. All of my reloads for .357s are Starline brass and my factory carry loads are Hornady. Buy the best moon clips you can get. TK and Revolver Supply are good. Buy the best clip loader/unloader tool. With it all you do is twist and the rounds are loaded on the clip, same for taking the rounds off. You can load 100 clips fast. That's 800 rounds for the 627.

You can also use old speed loader carriers worn upside down, but they're not as fast as moon clip holders and they're bulkier. You have to unsnap and let the clip fall in your hand.

 

[APS]

Yep, I was primarily referring to the carrying method shown in that pic above. They look like two handed operations. I've seen the speed of a competition carrying setup with the full size moonclips, it sure is fast.
BTW, I got some of the 5 shot TK moonclips for my talo 642 in the thickness size for Speer cases (carry load is 135gr Gold Dots). They worked for a few loadings - I never drop them on the ground. Now they are no longer working without bending the clips to get the last round in. I have ruined 2 clips trying to get it to work. This is with the 'moonclip tool'. So it would seem that cartridge case consistency changes by ammo lot.
Now I just keep my snapcaps in one of the clips that came with the gun for dryfire practice and my initial load in the gun is non-clipped. I reload with a Jetloader.

 

[bananaman]

For the range, RIMZ poly moon clips work very well. NO TOOLS needed to load & unload. I do have metal clips, & a tool. They normally sit. Bob