Seven 8 Shot Moon Clips Ruined: Normal? Help Please

[dwever]

Yesterday in a USPSA Competition I reloaded 7 moon clips around 5 times by hand. Each time I reloaded the moon clip dropped in with a little more difficulty until at the end of the match when you could see the bullets in the clips leaning a bit towards the center.

What do I need to do to avoid this? Are there devices I need to carry to de-moon and re-moon my clips that will preserve their integrity?

THANKS for your help!

 

[pfcustom]

moon clips

dwever: My wife & I shoot Smith 625s in USPSA competition with moon clips..of course for the .45 acp round.
In our shop we do moon clip conversions for J & K frame Smiths.
From what you are saying it sounds like you may be bending your moon clips. Since they are usually made from heat treated steel this is pretty hard to do just loading them, not impossible..but! Stepping on one usually does the trick. However, from my experience when they get bent they will usually bind up the cylinder as it tries to turn.
Question, are you trying to "force" them into the holes or just letting the entire moon clip "drop" into the cylinder?
My next question is are they chambers getting dirty from carbon build up? This is usually a problem ejecting the fired rounds, not putting them in the holes.
Just a couple of ideas to bounce around...can you give me more details?
Tom at: TKhttp://www.moonclips.com
Tom has some moon clip loading and unloading tools...and some of the best moon clips made.
HTH: Phil Flack

 

[tomcatt51]

I use this for loading moon clips for both 627 and 625, just use different mandrels.
S&W REVOLVER MOONSETTER - Brownells

 

[dwever]

Tomcatt51 Thanks!

PF Custom, thanks for your thoughtful response. It's not carbon build up because once the bullets are lined with the chamber they drop right down, the problem is, after about four de-moons and re-moons, the bullets cant slightly towards the center meaning getting each bullet head started takes a little fiddling, but once all 8 have found the chamber they drop the rest of the way down.

My theory is that I am causing slight damage de-moning with a steel rod. I just stick the rod in an empty shell, and pull the shell out of the moon clip. Who knows. I'll just get a couple of devices for each direction and see if that preserves them better.

Look forward to checking out your web page.

 

[Jebus35745]

The grooves in the brass of 357 are cut to different depths by all the mfgrs. If you use all Rem they will wobble and be hard to load in the gun. I alternate Rem with Fed or Win or what ever case is there. Use the Rem cases in every other one. The 8 shot moon clips are a different ball game then the 45 acp clips. It may seem like a hastle but the 627 is one of my favorite guns. I use needle nose pliers to squeeze them in and a de-mooning tool to take them apart. I use a long piece if conduit that is cut down at the end to de-moon the clips. Brownells sells one just like it and I copied it. Larry

 

[cyberiad]

While they are not cheap, I use the BMT moon clip tool for my 627 BMT Equipped, Inc.. It's a great piece of equipment and is small enough to fit in any range bag.

 

[thomasinaz]

Are the rounds a little loose in the clips when loaded fully or are they really tight? I ran into really tight rounds with some brands of ammo, including Winchester, in certain brand clips. The clips would warp when fully loaded with Winchester brass, due to tight case/clip fit. Different brand moon clips work better or worse with different ammo brands. I've had the best overall success with Federal cases. (It figures because I have about 3000 pieces of Winchester brass.) I've used the clips from S&W, Brownell's and Dillon Precision. The best for me so far are the ones from Dillon. They seem to be just right, and work well with an assortment of brass. Dillon also sells a really useful mooning tool, that has a ring on the handle for de-mooning. I suggest experimenting with different brand clips and the ammo you use most. The 8 round 357 clips are a little more difficult to use than the wide 6 shot 45s, but worth it in my opinion.

 

[imashooter2]

Setting new cartridges by hand is no problem. The clips bend when you demoon without a tool. Most of the guys at USPSA and ICORE carry some variation of this:

 

[terrancemc]

Moonclips

I agree with cyberiad, the BMT mooners are the best for loading and unloading moonclips. I have them in 8 shot 357 and 6 shot 45acp. i have used all the others and will not go back to them.

 

[dwever]

Wow. That is all incredibly helpful.

I was using S&W clips with Winchester ammo; fit seemed about just right, same as PNC ammo, but after use, I was apparently slightly bending the clips in such a way that the bullets slightly leaned to center. Seems like I was really torquing them most demeaning by hand.

So I'll be buying a mooner and a demooner very soon and ordering more clips! I need no hinderances competing in the Production Division against those semi-auto guys.

Thanks again.

 

[Chuck Jones]

7 and 8 round moon clips are way different from their older and much sturdier .45ACP brethren. For someone who shot a 625 for years it was a shock to see how flimsy .38/.357 moon clips are.

In part, it's the cartridge, .45ACP are made for moon clips, they're short and stubby, easy to grip, and the huge recess around the rim is ideal to easily snap into the clips.

38s? Not so much.

The groove ahead of the rim is tight and as a result the clips are much thinner gauge steel, that and the crowding of the rounds means .38/357 clips are nowhere near as sturdy as the .45 clips.

So, yeah, a tool really comes in handy, but even with a tool, in general, the .38/.357 clips don't last nearly as long before they deform.

YMMV but I like this for my 8 shot N frame: Deluxe Moon Clip Tool

/c

 

[TLE]

YMMV but I like this for my 8 shot N frame: Deluxe Moon Clip Tool

/c

I recommend this tool as well. I sold off all my other moon tools after getting this one.

 

[Bodyguard]

Chuck Jones hit the nail on the head. The 8 shot 38 moonclips are a lot flimsier than the 6 shot 45 clips. The first time I unloaded the 8 shot clips I bent the heck out of them. Maybe some other manufacturers clips are stiffer than the ones S&W supplies? Anyone try other brands?

 

[imashooter2]

Wow. That is all incredibly helpful.

I was using S&W clips with Winchester ammo; fit seemed about just right, same as PNC ammo, but after use, I was apparently slightly bending the clips in such a way that the bullets slightly leaned to center. Seems like I was really torquing them most demeaning by hand.

So I'll be buying a mooner and a demooner very soon and ordering more clips! I need no hinderances competing in the Production Division against those semi-auto guys.

Thanks again.

Call Ranch Products at 313-277-3118 and order your moons direct. 100 pieces for $75 shipped. Ranch is where S&W gets them...

 

[Dick Craig]

I just recently purchased a 627-5 and the three moon clips that came with the gun drop 1 or 2 rounds. I heard from a friend that shot an ICORE match that he saw a tool that was a two piece round that let the shooter put the clip over a round post and pounded the other piece with a recess in it to straighten the clips. Have any of you heard of or seen one?

 

[TLE]

Tom at TKCustom Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com used to make that moonclip straightener tool but no longer does. You can straighten them pretty good with a pair of needle nose pliers and a flat piece of glass to check them on. It takes a lot of patience to get them right but if they are Hearthco moons at $7.00 each, you develop some patience and a knack for getting them right.

The 38 caliber moons are thinner due to the limitation of the groove on the 38 cartridge.

 

[Drail]

If the rounds don't "jiggle" a little when clipped together they will fight you on reloads. A little "jiggle" is a good thing.

 

[dentkimterry]

I too bought the Deluxe Moon Clip Tool and highly recommend it. It works great and does not bend the moon clips.

 

[DHENRY]

When you're serious about .45acp revolver shooting, you really should have one of these.
Don

 

[m657]

A bent-nose needle nose pliers is handy in any phase of loading/unloading the 8-shot moon clips.

I have an earlier version of the Deluxe Tool. It is wonderful but does require a bit of extra attention in the loading of the flimsy 8-shot clips.

Sometimes I load them by hand but always need a standby Tool.

It's a great idea, but the 8-shot cylinder loading requires a bit of practice and TLC.

Regardless of my own annoyance with the 8-shot clips, the only really unserviceable ones I've had after 4 years of monthly matches, is what I've stepped on in my frenzy to shave another 30 seconds off that bloated timer!!!