I have a model 66 and j frame that I sometimes carry in colder months.

One of my weaknesses with revolvers is the slow speed of my reloads.

Would having the cylinder cut to accept moon clips be a viable upgrade for CCW and speeding up reloads?

I would practice more with speed loaders before I would go to the trouble of going into moon clips. Having had revolvers that use both I still prefer the speed loaders.

Friends don't let friends use moon clips.

Thank you guys.

I will work on my reloads more.

I have been using snap caps but I may put powder and seat a bullet into a case with a spent primer to practice with. More practical

Clean fast reloads only come through good practice and a revolver with speedloaders is one of the best examples of that. Much more going on vs a semi with mags.

Moon clips are nice for the range  but I don't think I'd get a revolver cut for them if it isn't already. If a moon clip gets even slightly bent it won't load and you may not find it until until it's time for a reload.

For CCW speed strips are a great pocket option. Zeta six makes some nice ones. I like the staggered double stack ones.

Thank you

Maybe.

Not because moonclips aren't awesome but because rimmed cartridges aren't awesome in moonclips.

For my m66 I'm not getting it milled. Speedloaders are good enough.

If you ever want a 9mm or .45 acp revolver then moonclips are much faster and less prone to not quite seating 1-2 cartridges like with a speed loader.

Bent moon clips are like bent feed lips on magazines. Sure it can happen but with good ones it's not easy. Especially if you check them.



I'm actually about to start experimenting with .45 win mag so I can utilize the thicker ACP moonclips in my .45 colt mountain gun.

double tap

in my early USPSA days I fooled around with my Security Six and used at the time what were called the Rogers Six Packs and twist HKS speed loaders as they were more reliable (consistent) than the slightly quicker Comp push to release loaders... I think Safariland still lists their version of the six pack which allowed the speed loader to be carried straddling the top of your gun belt, 3 cartridges on each side... the carrier was a snap activated  clam shell that fit under the speed loader and belt and was form fitted  to the loader, and wrapped around the the loader.....open at the side, you grasped the side of the speed loader with thumb and bird finger, released the snap with index finger... made for a compact rig.... Bill Rogers and Rosie Rosell were God awful fast with a M13 out of such a rig

I use a speed strip on the occasion I carry my 442... good luck with your search

https://www.simplyrugged.com/ecommerce/Sidewinder-Speedloader-Moon-Clip-Pouch.cfm?item_id=3929&parent=671

I have three of these pouches from Simply Rugged. All are the "L/GP/PY/RPR" gun model type, they fit Safariland speedloaders for my 6-shot L frame and also fit 7-shot moon clips for my other L frame. I've used other pouches as well, but these seem to be a nice mix of concealability and ease of access.


As for the moon clip vs speedloader debate, I think speedloaders are a little better. I actually prefer the larger 'device' to grab ahold of when reloading, also keeping the ability to 'top off' reload isn't a thing if you rely exclusively on moon-clips. I often carry 2-3 speedloaders along with 1 speed-strip when I carry my 4" 686... If I carry my 686 Plus, I don't bother with a speed-strip because I'm relying exclusively on 2-3 moon-clips instead.


Side note: Yes I've been begging Safariland to make a friggin 7-shot speedloader for years now... If they ever do, I'll probably relegate moon-clips for range-use only and not 'EDC'...

No, carrying them is a pain in the ass and if they get bent you are fucked.

Every one in USPSA uses them.

I did.  I wouldn't mod a vintage Smith to use them.  Buy one that is already set up and get it out of your system.

I have seen me fuck up a reload two times in a row with speed loaders.  Mooners are more idiot proof.

Yeah more so if you shoot .45
You can basically throw it at the cylinder and it will load itself.

Have three revolvers that take moon clips; Smith 1917, Colt 1917, Alfa (Czech) in 9mm.

They're ok.  Not good, not bad, they work.  I don't think they're all that magical and would not convert any of my other revolvers to them.  

The Smith 625 seems to have found a niche in the speed games.

They're no harder to carry any magazine or speedloader.
Attached File

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What happens when you fall on one of them or hit a wall or something like that?

They're not that fragile. Both methods do offer support but I've stepped on empty ones at matches and they're fine.

Their fragility has been grossly overblown

Agreed. I like the option on some guns more than others and they are very handy.

45 win mag brass in .45ACP moon clips in a .45 colt Attached File

Moon clips and full circle clips can become bent and jam up a revolver's action.

A few thoughts on the subject to clarify some of the partial and misinformation:

1) Not all moon clips are created equal. I’ve encountered some OEM moon clips that are crap and will bend easily.   That has not been my experiences with TKS Custom or Speed Beez moon clips. They are very springy and won’t bend or deform under any normal use.




2) Moon clips work great in cartridges that are both short, and rimless, and with a round nose profile bullet they are very easy to drop into a cylinder.  They are significantly faster than speed loaders with those short rimless rounds and round nose bullets, and that’s why you see them widely used in revolver competitions.

They work less well with flat pointed profile hollow points.

They work less well with longer rimmed cartridges.

On the plus side, you won’t ever end up with a case failing to eject and ending up stuck under the ejector star, which is a plus for actual defensive use.





3) There are lots of speed loader and speed strip options and they all have pros and cons.  I have four different brands of speed loaders for various revolvers plus speed strips and the K-Pak variant on the speed strip.  They all have their place and their specific uses, and one isn’t best for everything.






Some hold the bullets snugger than others while some are looser. What works best can depend on the revolver, the caliber and bullets being used and the grips.




Speed loaders can be carried pretty low profile with a slip over speed loader carrier:



But sometimes a speed strip can be a better choice, and I like the K-Pack speed strip as you can load six rounds in not much more time than a speed loader with practice.






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What ever you choose to use, practice with it.  I have not done an administrative reload in decades with a revolver.  Every administrative reload is an opportunity to practice a tactical reload, whether you are using mon clips, speed loaders or speed strips.  Do 2-3 practice reloads per day and it’s practice tactical 750-1000 reloads per year.

No different then any part of a gun.

It's a much overblown trope though.

I trust moonclips from RS or TK custom as much as any magazine feed lips.

I've heard that moon clips for revolver cartridges like 38 special and 44 special are more finicky than those for 9mm and 45 acp, namely that the groove in the cartridge is thinner, making the clip more prone to bending, and that the grooves are not a SAMMI spec on revolver cartridges, so you have to be careful to match the clip to the brass. I'm trying to decide how big of an issue this would be for me.

I got my first (technically second, but the j-frame I traded because I sucked with it doesn't count) revolver, a model 29 in 44 magnum, about a year ago. It has an 8 inch barrel, and I bought it partially because I wanted the gun of Dirty Harry but mainly because I want to deer hunt with it. I simultaneously got into hand loading to support, and started shooting it in local ICORE matches, and have been having a blast. My local match allows you to shoot twice in different divisions, but the logistics of doing so are such that I would want to use the same gun twice, or at least a gun that uses the same holster so that I'm not spending three strings switching gear and not helping out with target pasting. I'm considering the following options.

1) Get a 6.5" model 29 to shoot 44 Russian with speed loaders for classic, and a 6.5" model 25 to shoot 45 ACP with moon clips in limited 6.
2) Get a 4" model 29 to shoot 44 Russian in classic and a 4" model 627 to shoot limited with 38 short colt with moon clips.
3) Get a 4" or 6.5" model 29 and mill it for moon clips. Shoot 44 Russian in limited 6 and classic.
4) Get a k frame model 19, 14 or 15, mill it for moon clips, and shoot 38 short colt in both classic and limited 6.

If it weren't fore ICORE, I'd be looking to buy the following.

8 inch model 29 for deer hunting (check).
4 inch model 29 for open carry at family barbecues to make the libtards that people felt compelled to invite antsy, and for my hypothetical family vacation to grizzly bear country (Yellowstone).
Several J-frames for stuff in a drawer or pocket guns.
A model 1917 S&W because I don't own anything from the Great War and because they are cool and would let me LARP at one match a year as Indiana Jones.

I'm currently in post childbirth debt reduction mode, so it'll be awhile before I buy any more $1000 guns, but I'm hoping to buy a second gun for competition in the next six months. I have a particular love of old guns with worn blued finishes and walnut, and half the fun of ICORE for me is being able to shoot the kind of gun a cop in 1970 would have used competitively, so I'm not particularly interested in 8 shot guns at the moment.

You can pick up a simple S&W model 10 series gun for under $500. I am old enough to recall when they were under $200 all day long but no more.
Yes a K requires a different holster and support gear ( so your commment regarding swapping things out in a match is valid)
N frames tend to be harder to come by ( especially the old classic blued steel ones that look so much better than stainless and perform equally well)
And more expensive.

Regarding moon clips, I have tried them in the past with good results, but that was in 45 ACP. I did manage to step on and mangle one at a match.
So far I have stuck to speedloaders for 38/357. Also be aware when someone like TK cuts the gun for clips, you can still load loose rounds or other methods. So it does not make it a dedicated moonclip gun.

I like the ranch dog moon clips for my GP100 10mm

they are made of some type of spring steel.

Yet to bend one even after stepping on it with empty cases.
Ruined a few cases but not the clip.

The factory ruger clips the gun comes with are junk sheet metal and bend with just your fingers.

I bought some teflon/plastic clips just for home range use.
You can load and unload them by hand very easily.

The ranch dog clips need a tool to load and unload and are for real carry or comp.
I have a old WWI moonclip tool I use left over from my S&W Gov.1917

I would NOT cut a gun to take them but would go the speed loader route.

I had ordered a Smith 442 Pro when first offered.  Its my EDC gun whenever I'm home.  I carry it with a full moon clip in the gun for positive extraction as there isn't much case length pushed out with that short barrel.  My reloads are on Speed Strips in the back pocket for their flatness.  I use HKS speed loaders for J (.22 Mag/.38), K (38/357), N frames (.41/.44), CA Bulldog .44 and Colt D frame.



CD

You pull the cartridges out of the moon clip and load them singly, then use your pen to eject them after firing.