moon clip or speedloader?

B

bad seed

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looking to buy an airweight 442. anybody have experience with the two options, speed loader vs. moon clips? which is easier and quicker to reload?
 
I believe the moonclips are only for rimless rounds like 45ACP and 9MM -- in essence the moonclip fills the role of the rim to seat the cartridges. For rimmed rounds we use speedloaders.
 
Actually moon clips are only generally for rimless rounds. Smith and Wesson has several revolvers, among them some of the J frames, that use moon clips with the rimmed rounds like 38spc .357mag etc.
They work great in the J frames although not appreciably faster than speed loaders. Personaly I prefer speed strips as they don't force you to do a complete reload.
 
Clarks Custom does moonclip conversion on almost all S&W revolvers. It works with .38 Special or .357 Magnum just fine. I'd say moonclips are faster than speedloaders.

Personally, for a j-frame I'd just go with speed-strips because they're more concealable and pack flat in a pocket. And I'm cheap.
 
If the revolver you purchase comes already set up for moon clips, then that's fine. You can use 5-round moon clips if you want. They are a tad faster than using a speedloader. However, they can get bent in which case they can cause problems with the cylinder closure or rotation.

I still prefer speed loaders and speed strips. When weather permits a jacket to be worn, speed loaders go in the strong side pocket. Speed strips, being flat can be carried in a shirt pocket, inside jacket pocket, fanny pack or a number of other ways.

Keep in mind that for civilian carry, you're probably unlikely to need to reload even a 5-shot J-frame. If it becomes necessary, your first step will be to move (run) behind cover to reload. Once you've reloaded, those next 5 rounds should cover your further retreat because things have gone from bad to fugly.
 
moonclips will be faster but you'd have to have the gun modified to take them. safariland comp I/compII speedloaders are pretty fast too. I have a bunch of them.
 
Buds sells 642's from Smith already to go with moonclips.

I am very interested in replies from people who have used those 642's as I would think trhat moonclips are miles faster then speedloaders or speedstrips.

Jerry Mucilek ( I know I get his name wrong everytime) is a professional pistol shooter who is a legand at using these things and i just think it's easier to:

1.empty the revovler in one pull of the moonclip and

2. to jam the moonclip down in the cylinder all rounds attached to it and then close the cylinder sure the rounds are set right.

Speedloaders require you to clear the gun using the ejector rod and make sure the rounds have seated before you close the revovler cylinder.

I just have to believe that reloads (as long as the moonclipped rounds are kept in a closed plastic housing on the belt where the moonclips cannot get bent) using moonclips are the way to go.

Just to add to that-according to one buyer on the Buds Gun Shop comments section-you can fire the 642 without using the moonclips as well.

I am surprised that more gun buyers have not chosen the moonclip option.
 
I am very interested in replies from people who have used those 642's as I would think trhat moonclips are miles faster then speedloaders or speedstrips.

Jerry Mucilek ( I know I get his name wrong everytime) is a professional pistol shooter who is a legand at using these things and i just think it's easier to:
Click to expand...

A couple o' things:

JM's fast because JM's fast, not because he uses moons. He'll be pretty darned quick with speedloaders, too.

Moons alone make you a fast reloader in the same way that simply owning a piano makes you a pianist. I've seen plenty of guys who are slow with moons, and I've seen a number of speedloader users who can beat most semi-auto shooters. Whatever you choose, practice is the key.

Moons make the most sense when used with short fat rounds, like .45acp or .40S&W. Used with longer & skinnier .357s or .38s, their advantage is lessened, as it's somewhat like dangling & pushing spaghetti.

When it comes to a 442 for SD, I recommend keeping it simple. Buy some speedloaders or strips, some dummy rounds, and practice your butt off.
 
From a purely speed standpoint, moon clips are by far the fastest way to get a revolver reloaded. That being said, I would not choose a weapon that uses moon clips for concealed personal defense.
 
The 442 Pro comes factory cut for moon clips. This is the way to go. It is NO LOCK for one thing. Next you can load it with: Loose Rounds, Quick Strips, Speed Loaders, or Moon Clips. When doing the moon clip cut, they leave a ring on the outside rear of the cylinder for the 38 rounds to head space on when not in a moon clip.

If you do not choose to use moon clips, you do not have to, it will still load like every other 38 J Frame S&W. I personally like the added option of moon clips. The moon clip 442 is not all that expensive either. Something like an extra $30 I believe. Probably worth $30 to me to not have the Lock.

The J Frame 38 Special does have a couple things to keep in mind when using moon clips.

01. All 38 Special ammo is not made alike. The undercut at the rim on Winchester and Starline is to tight for moon clips. Use Remington or other brands with a larger cut.

02. The 38 Special J Frame moon clips are .025 thick, or Thin might be a better term. They are not as robust as 45 and 10mm moon clips. You do need to treat them with some care not to bend them. A custom single post North Mountain Carrier might be a start for carrying two reloads. Use a moon clip loading and unloading tool, the tools will keep you from bending the clips.

If you get to using moon clips you will likw them. And like I said above, you can still load with Quick Strips, Speed Loaders, and Loose Rounds, like you would any other J Frame 38 Special.

Bob
 
This does not speak to the original question but there were speedloaders available for the 9mm S&W Model 547, a K-frame revolver, which did not take clips. However, that particular revolver could eject the rimless 9mm casing.
 
I did not think I would like moon clips untill I tried them on a friends revolver. I now have a 627 with moon clips
 
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