Posted: 4/23/2005 9:25:56 PM EDT
OK I'm either an idiot or I don't know what..... So I ordered two speedloaders from Brownells. They are Safariland Comp I speedloaders and the package says for S&W J frame 5-shot 38 spcl. which is exactly what my 642 is. Problem is I can't get it to work. I think the factory rubber grips are in the way. How else can you get any thinner on the grips!?!?!? Will these work with the Crimson Trace LG205 grips? Like I said I don't know what else to do. I knew I should have just listened to Lumpy and got the Bianchi Speedstrips.... 
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| I don't know what kind of grips you have on your gun(I assume they're the new Boot grips from UM's). All of these grips are relieved for speed loader use. You might have a different type of grip that was installed by a previous owner that aren't relieved. Maybe your technique is wrong. I don't like the Safariland reloaders as much as I like the HKS's. Try and see if the HKS's work before you give up and go for speed strips! Speed strips are very fragile and tend to lose rounds in your pocket as you pull them out! Good Luck! |
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Here are the speedloaders I know of that work with the S&W 642 HKS Jetloader SL Variant (possibly not sold in this country anymore) Maxfire (Dillon's Precision) and the Bianchi Speedstrips I find the speedstrips are slower for me than the SL Variant or Jetloader. I hate the way the rounds rattle around in the HKS loader, and I don't like the mechanism although it's a pretty simple one at that. The Maxfire is an all rubber, round unit in which the rounds slip into their places from one direction. You line up the rounds, advance them into the cylinder and pull the loader perpendicular to the cylinder to load. The rounds don't stay seated in their little slots too well. The SL Variant is made in Europe and was being sold by a couple in Nevada. I got a notice earlier this year they were no longer going to sell it. It's a spring loaded affair similar to the Jetloader. I really like it for my Ruger SP101. The Jetloader is by far my favorite speedloading system for both the SP101 and the S&W 642. I have tried several types of grips on both guns and it does matter which grips are on and which loader you choose. The Bianchi Speedstrips load the same no matter what type of grips you have. They have a nice flat profile, which attracted me to them in the first place. You can drop one into the coin/watch pocket of a pair of bluejeans, or buy one of those fancy leather snap pouches for your belt. No matter how you do it, these are easy to conceal. The other positive factor is that you can carry six rounds for a five round gun. You can 'top-off' after firing which would be pretty tricky. You can dump your empties and quickly insert 2 or 3 rounds depending on how you train and your cylinder size and be back in action. Then again, I can dump my empties and quickly insert the whole 5 rounds with my Jetloader. Jetloader Maxfire |