Yea or Nah on Moonclips?

Kinman said:
...I had a friend that lost a serious pistol match to a bent moon clip...
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Did it bend during the match? I always checked my loads in the cylinder before a match. Heck, I did it before practice rounds just so I did not have to worry. I was not using moon clips but if I had been, they would have been checked also.


Kinman said:
... They usually get bent while unloading or loading, especially when someone is trying to be a good guy and do it for you ...
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Proper techniques prevent that as does communication. Folks are welcome to use my equipment as long as they understand what I expect from them.

Kevin
 
Golddollar said:
The half moon clips that were invented over 100 years ago would diminish this problem significantly.
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True.
I have a few full moon, half moon, and third moon.
I like the third moon best. Easier to reload the clips too. No tools require, and they lay flatter in my pocket or pouch.
As soon as I am able to get several hundred more .45 Auto Rim brass, I will likely stop using the moons altogether.
Most of the time I shoot .45 ACP ammo. When I need to reload, when I open the cylinder and point the muzzle up they all fall out on their own. On the rare occasion one or two do not fall out, I punch them out with my ink pen.
The gun is a early 1950 target with a long slim barrel. Don't remember how long it is. Wish it was 4" or less instead to make it more practical to carry around.
I inherited it 4 years ago from my younger brother's estate after he died. Nice gun, too.
 
I like the full moon clips but I have not tried the half clips yet. Currently have two revolvers set up for moon clips in 45acp and 38/357. I don't shoot the auto's much anymore because I hate chasing the brass.
 
I bought my N frame .357 moon clips (8 shot) from Midway, of all places. Not too long ago they had them for a little over a dollar a piece--a great deal apparently no longer offered.

They were noticably thinner and more flexible that the 3 that came with the gun, and at first I was concerned about how "flimsy" they felt. After shooting the gun however, I bought a few more sets--they work fine with the brass I use.

Apparently, there's at least 3 different stock thicknesses used; some work better with particular brands of ammo--it's not necessarily one size fits all.
The thin ones I got seem to work with all brands of brass I have--CBC, Western, Federal, Remington and Winchester, also some military brass.

With RN or SWC reloads the clips take a little jiggling, then they drop right in. It's still WAY faster than plunking them in 2 at a time and WAY WAY cheaper than speedloaders.

Like most, I pre-load my clips at home and I unclip the cases at home, after cleaning the gun.

I don't compete, nor do I CCW, so for me, on the range, the clips work fine, haven't had any problems yet.
 
I shoot a 929, 627 Pro, and two 625s all using moon clips. There's no denying they are the best invention since the swing out cylinder. Loading .357s with plated round nose bullets makes for a pretty darn quick reload. The factory chamfered cylinder no doubt helps too. Many of my 625 moon clips are over 10 years old and I've never bent one or had to trash one. As posted earlier the key is to deal with these at home and just go to the range with a bag full of mooned up rounds.
 
I like moon clips for the 625, 610 and 986. The longer 10 auto rounds requires more care in feeding.
 
I compete and also carry using moonclips, but in different ways. Competition is its own thing and pretty self explanatory.
For carry, i have a 442 pro series that's cut for moon clips. I always have my rounds in the cylinder moon clipped. The reason is that i get more positive ejection. Those long 38 special cases and that very short ejection rod can lead to a case to two getting hung up on a reload. Fiddling with a hung up case during a self defense situation is no bueno. I found that having the empty cases moonclipped led to way more positive ejection and therefore a faster reload with my speedstrip. I don't carry my reload in a moonclip as they bend too easy in my pocket. But they do have a place in concealed carry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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I am going to cut and ream a 38 special cylinder into a 9mm cylinder. I currently have 0 9mms of any type. The only place I have found 6 shot 9mm clips for a S&W is TK and they are spendy. I bought some to use on 22TCMs in a cylinder set up for that round that fits in my 22Harvey. They are real loose on the tcms unless modified a bit.

I love moon clips, yet can see how they might not appeal to everyone. But, I certainly can not understand why some people seem to hate them. I think a lot of that is not having the right tools to load and unload the clips and doing it during a shooting session. THAT is not the way to use them and they were not designed to be field loaded even the military 1917 1/2 moons came loaded in clips. I can see how there might be more problems with more rounds or longer cases.

Bent clips. Bent magazine lips. Hey if you drop it you should check it. I used to do matches wearing an old wearing an old Vietnam era camo utility shirt with the baggy bottom pockets full of loaded clips. Enough in the left pocket for each stage. Move enough from right to left between stages Never had one messed up and at the beginning of the match there was quite a jumble in my pockets. This was before anybody came up with the pegs on the belt deals. Never ever ran out of time.

I got into them with PPC too. Back around 1980, when it was still mostly revolvers. Used a Brazilian milled for adjustable sights. Big bullet that makes big holes that with cut a line that a 38 would not, fast reloads, and would function well with light loads even better than what my one shooting companion, now a retired chief of police, called his 1911 jam a matic.
 
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steelslaver said:
First of all with bowling pins why reload? Really, your out of the money. Next all kinds of people have misfires when they set up the spring tension to low. I have never had one of mine not fire a round in a clip, But, I gave up on super light triggers and went to-learning to be abetter trigger puller. I would rather have a smooth 10 or 11 # DA trigger that fires every time than a#8 one that don't. Maybe they need a stronger finger instead of a lighter pull.
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1. Well, that is not always true about being out of the money if you have to reload. There are a lot of variables involved shooting bowling pin matches at different locations, including how many pins you are shooting at, the number of rounds in the chamber, the number of reloads you are allowed, distance to the pins, classifications, what kind of tables the pins are on and how many positions qualify for a prize.

2. Although I manage to do pretty well at pins, I'm there for a good time and really don't care about the awards. Here in cornfields and cows country, pin matches are mainly about bragging rights, anyway.

3. I don't know all the reasons for the shooters I have witnessed having problems with moon clips and don't care. I still don't like them. For those that like moon clips, good for you. You certainly have a right to your opinion.
 
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StrawHat said:
I am curious how they would get so bent? Did it happen while loading or unloading?

Kevin
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Not sure , might have gotten squashed in my range box under a clamshell box of 240 gr
They go to the range loaded and i just throw them in a 50 cal steel ammo box with the rest of the day's ammo
 
Just did a search and looked at sites selling Ranch Products. Could not find any K frame clips for 9mm. L frame. J frame, 929, Ruger security 6 and others, Nothing for a S&W K frame unless the ones for the Security 6 fit of those for another gun work.

Some speed loaders will work if they are close, put clips have to be right.

Like a CA Bulldog speed loader will let me start the rounds in a my 696, 396 or 296, but thats it and you have to jiggle a bit to do that as CA has a smaller chamber pattern.
 
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I have a 625 and 627. My 627 has an additional cylinder machined for 356tsw which also fits 9mm, 38 super. Needless to say, I predominantly use it in 9mm. I enjoy the moonclips in my idpa and uspsa matches. Fun games.

Short rounds that fit snuggly in the moon clip is best for rapid reloads meaning my 9mm & 45 reload quickly- 38s not so quick......
 
Loyaljeeper said:
I hate to derail but other than specific sizes for 38/357, what are the issues with them over 45acp moonclips? I am seriously considering getting my 2.5 686 cut.
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My 586L comp came cut for a 7 round moonclip. As I stated in an earlier post, they are a great aid in making sure of a positive extraction of the initial load. Carrying the longer cartridges is somewhat bulky and most of the time the rounds are not held firmly enough to make a quick, positive reload. I found a moonclip of .357 loads was akin to trying to load an octopus.

You might try working with a speedloader before investing in a re-cut of your 686.
 
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