Speed loader vs. speed strip?

[riverrat38]

If we need to use our guns in the gravest extreme, we will not be able to reload them.
They will be in an evidence bag.

Best,
Rick

 

[HarrishMasher]

HarrishMasher, how do you carry the spare moon clips?

I just toss a couple in the front pocket of my cargo shorts. I live in South Florida and wear shorts 365 days a year.

 

[rburg]

I can still run faster than I can reload.

It may work for you young, skinny guys. The rest of us are too old to fight and too fat to run. Life is never simple

 

[David Sinko]

A J Frame isn't the easiest thing to reload quickly no matter what system you use but I'll take a speedloader every time.

I don't trust moonclipped rimmed cartridges for street use. The clips are too thin and too easily bent. They're convenient and fast in the matches but too vulnerable on the street. Whenever I carry my 627 I always use a speedloader reload.

And I remain unconvinced that a backup gun is a faster "reload." Unless the primary has been disabled or incurred a serious stoppage, my shot timer tells me that a reload from a concealed location is always faster than fishing out a backup gun from its concealed location and getting it into action.

Dave Sinko

 

[one eye joe]

Or use a six shot speed strip, and only load it with five. Or a seven shot speed strip (for a six shooter), and only load it with six. Why handicap yourself?

I GOTTA ROLL WITH THE REAL HAWKEYE ON THIS ONE. I USE SPEED STRIPS MYSELF. I OFTEN CARRY A SNUBBY 686+, AND A 642. TWO SPEED STIPS, HOLDING 12 ROUNDS, GIVE ME A COMPLETE RELOAD FOR BOTH GUNS. I LIKE THE IDEA OF CARRYING 7 ROUND STRIPS. THEY WEREN'T AVAILABLE WHEN I PURCHASED MY STRIPS. I'M GOING TO UPGRADE TO 2 SEVENS, LOADING 6 IN EACH……….

 

[HarrishMasher]

A J Frame isn't the easiest thing to reload quickly no matter what system you use but I'll take a speedloader every time.

I don't trust moonclipped rimmed cartridges for street use. The clips are too thin and too easily bent. They're convenient and fast in the matches but too vulnerable on the street. Whenever I carry my 627 I always use a speedloader reload.

And I remain unconvinced that a backup gun is a faster "reload." Unless the primary has been disabled or incurred a serious stoppage, my shot timer tells me that a reload from a concealed location is always faster than fishing out a backup gun from its concealed location and getting it into action.

Dave Sinko

A lot of assumptions here. I don't know where you keep your backup, but mine is just as accessible as my primary. It can even be used as a primary depending on the situation.

Never had a moon clip bend on me once it was loaded. Keep them in my front shorts pockets. The two that are in my pockets now, I have carried for months. Look just like they did the day I loaded them. After 6 months or so, I shoot my carry moon clips and replace it. Really don't see having a problem with them. You can even buy a belt pouch for them if you were really worried.

 

[Kid44]

I've seen pictures of people's carry set ups here on this forum, some include speed loaders. Let me ask this: Has anyone here ever HAD to use a speed loader in a defensive setting? Sometimes, if not always I think it's just something extra to lug around. My thought is that if you need more than 5-6 rounds in your gun you don't need more ammo, you need backup. I will admit this is not ALWAYS the case, just about 99% of the time however. (Law enforcement excluded)

 

[JayFramer]

What is the difference in these items and which is recommended/preferred for quickly reloading an S&W 5-shot 642 Airweight?

OP: I carry Bianchi speed strips for my 642-1. In summer, it's one strip with five Speer Gold Dot .38 Special +P 135 grain Short Barrel rounds in my left jean pocket, and in winter the same with an additional loaded strip carried in my coat pocket.

I would rather use HKS-36 speedloaders but have not yet found a way to implement them into my EDC system. However, I do keep some of these on hand for traveling to keep in the car if needed. They are considerably faster than the speed strips, but are bulkier for carry on the person.

As for the speed strips that I carry regularly, I practice this method of reloading from Massad Ayoob:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAXlT3ZLzs

As you can see, with practice, these are far better than fishing for loose cartridges in your pockets and feeding them one at a time into the cylinder. The strips are so lightweight and compact, there is no reason not to carry an extra five or six rounds on you at all times if you carry a revolver.

As for moon clips, while they may be faster than the speedloader, problems can and do arise when a slightly malformed moon clip is used. This can cause binding of the cylinder and lock up the revolver. The thin sheet metal construction does not lend itself well to hard street use, and with good technique the old speedloader is just hardly slower than the moon clip guns, but is much more rugged and when the rounds are loaded the speedloader simply falls away and has no bearing on the "feeding" of the revolver if you will.

To the person who said they just throw a couple moon clips in their shorts pocket, I would be careful with this method. If you ever fall or are tackled, or simply bump into a table or something the wrong way, those clips could well deform out of whack just enough to make things really hairy for you if you have to reload your gun and expect it to function when you start pulling the trigger.