44 magnum moonclips

[missouri dave]

I've owned a 45 acp revolver and used moonclips. Thinking about getting a 44 magnum. My question is how well do moonclips work in 44 magnum? Anybody with any hands on experience please respond. Thanks.

 

[GBExpat]

.44Mag is a rimmed cartridge and, therefore, requires no such clips.

 

[missouri dave]

I know it doesn't require them. I'd like to know how well they work on a 44 magnum.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, you can have your cylinder machined to accept moon clips.

http://www.tkcustom.com/content/machine.asp

http://tenring.com/moon-clip-conversions/

The problem is, moon clips for rimmed rounds are much thinner then those for .45 ACP you are familiar with.

Some brands of brass my not have enough, or any groove ahead of the rim for the clips to fit in.

And the thinner clips, combined with the longer .44 Mag rounds will not align & load was easy as the shorter auto pistol calibers.

And they bend more easily if handled roughly.

IMO: Your best bet with a .44 Mag is to just buy some speed loaders.

rc

 

[Drail]

My experience with moon clipped rimmed cartridges is that they are more trouble than they're worth. The thick heavy gauge moonclips work very well for short fat rimless ACP rounds with wide extractor grooves that let them rattle around and self align. Speedloaders would be more positive and reliable. My 2 cents.

 

[blueskyjaunte]

I'll just echo what the gents above have already said.

Even .38spl/.357mag clips tend to be a shaky proposition--and they are much more popular than .44mag clips (do those even exist?). Some brands of brass will fit the variety of clips that I have, some won't.

Sadly I haven't really found a speed loader brand that I'm perfectly happy with. HKS speed loaders are noisier than baby rattles. I like 5-star better but I seem to encounter sharp edges on them (maybe I'm just an overly-sensitive girly-man). Safarilands are nowhere to be found around here so I've never tried them out.

In the end I stick with "speed strips". They're more compact anyway...

 

[Sunray]

You don't want moon clips. You want speed loaders. And what does a bit of rattling matter?

 

[BobWright]

Moon clips don't work worth a hoot in my guns!



Bob Wright

 

[Drail]

Your guns don't need no stinkin' moonclips. Those are beauties. I don't see no Bisleys though.

 

[blueskyjaunte]

You don't want moon clips. You want speed loaders. And what does a bit of rattling matter?

When I walk, I prefer to avoid sounding like I'm wearing spurs.

 

[Jim Watson]

I recall M. Ayoob had one converted to shoot .44 Automag in clips. I think it retained .44 Magnum capability.

Now, where do you get .44 Automag ammo?

 

[rcmodel]

When I walk, I prefer to avoid sounding like I'm wearing spurs.

I guess you never have used a properly fitting speed-loader belt case have you.

I make my own, and they fit & don't rattle.

rc

 

[Lafitte]

It is possible to get the cylinder modified to accept ammo in moon clips. If you have a big old hand full of 20's you can get just about anything done but my question is why?
Lafitte

 

[tipoc]

You may also want to look at the products offered by California Competition Works...

http://www.demooner.com/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=28&strPageHistory=cat

You can also look here, .44 caliber speed loaders, out of stock from Safariland, but...

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/20316

tipoc

 

[blueskyjaunte]

I guess you never have used a properly fitting speed-loader belt case have you.

I make my own, and they fit & don't rattle.

rc

Actually, I have - but speed loader pouches don't CCW very well for me. That is to say: they print very badly.

 

[56hawk]

I haven't had any of my 44's cut for clips yet, but I do have a 357. Only real issue is that you need to match the brass with the clips. Since it is a rimmed case, there isn't a standard extractor groove size. Clips will be tight with some brass and loose with others. I bought all Starline brass and got clips to match.