Best speedloader in combat
- Thread starter jski
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mcb
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I talked to him at at that show (NRA 2019) and played with his demo products but have never used them at a range. The round speed-loader is very similar to the functionality of Speed Beez with a with a push through to release functions. I personally like the more positive tactile release of the Safarland push to release speed-loaders but I am sure they would work once you got use to them. The speed strips were cool but still just a fancy speed strip. Faster than a regular speed strip but not nearly as fast as a speed-loader.
Jim Watson
Member
Never heard of them. If they showed up someplace I regularly order from like Amazon or Midway, I might splurge on one. Python speed loaders are thin on the ground. They show the same loader for Python and Smith L, which does not work with Safariland although it does with SL Variant.
1942bull
Member
The first question would be who is carrying a revolver into combat in this day and age?I vote for indirect fire or air support...
A combat reload with a revolver would be an ugly situation for sure, even in LEO or self-defense situation it's going to be pretty desperate.
I totally agree. I am not knocking revolvers, and in a SD situation they can be as effective as any other handgun in a down an dirty encounter. But if it is necessary to get into a continuous fire situation the speed of reloading and the number of reload you can carry will matter. I just cannot see a real-life encounter in which a revolver can be reloaded as fast as a semi. I know there are videos of extremely fast revolver reloading, butt they are not under combat conditions when you may have to run to and/or take cover. Under pressure the least amount of manual dexterity needed is reloading is the best option. I cannot imagine what it would have been like for me tonclearing buildings in Hue City with a revolver rather than a M1911.
mcb
Member
I agree and I am a revolver lover. I can, when the stars align, hit that 2-second revolver reload, bang to bang, with my competition revolver setup, sub 3-second reloads on the move are pretty routine. That said, in anything remotely close to combat I want a high capacity magazine feed firearm (unless belt-feed or link-less hopper-fed is available). Even a fast revolver reload take more focus, more fine-motor control and more concentration than a magazine feed reload in the same situation. Not to mention the capacity issue forcing more of these difficult reloads.
Now the last time I did battle with the up-armored opossums the Safariland Comp IIIs proved more than adequate to get home safe to dinner.
mcb
Member
I think it would be more accurate to say that reloading a revolver in an active self-defense situation is going to be unlikely done successfully due to the many factors shared above. It is certainly not impossible but it is significantly more difficult and requires significantly more practice to have a realistic chance compared to a magazine feed weapon.
jmorris
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I don’t, for those that don’t want to watch a 6:18 video and just wants to see them in action, FF to 3:40-3:45 or 5:21-5:26.
This one is a complete cylinder change 2:50-2:54
Then the worlds fasted one from :59-1:00.
mcb
Member
Probably, that makes us both right.
And for slightly more cynicism:
If it makes you feel any better I carry a revolver (for almost anything I use a handgun for, CCW, woods, hunting, competition) far more often than a semi-auto. But I also acknowledge that I am running with my foot in a bucket.
Well, I must say my I guess obsolete Carry Comp is a bit more petite than your obsolete carry gun.Probably, that makes us both right.
And for slightly more cynicism:
View attachment 924873
If it makes you feel any better I carry a revolver (for almost anything I use a handgun for, CCW, woods, hunting, competition) far more often than a semi-auto. But I also acknowledge that I am running with my foot in a bucket.
Maybe we can console one another with the stats that say a shootout involving a double digit total number of rounds fired is very rare.
mcb
Member
But your is much noisier than mine. 357 Mag revolver and a ported barrel, ouch my ears are ringing just thinking about shooting that thing without ear-pro.
With my other 4” K-frame 357, I mainly shoot what I guess would be considered 38 Special +P+ loads: 7 grains of Unique with a 158 grain bullet giving me 1075 FPS. Not creampuffs but Goldilocks rounds. Not many full-house 357s.
BobWright
Member
I always liked the eight round clip of the M-1 rifle.
Bob Wright
Bob Wright
1942bull
Member
No, that is not the message. The wheel gun will serve well in a SD situation. It just takes longer to reload, and the probability of being more difficult to reload quickly under the stress of a gunfight is higher. Still, since the average civilian SD gunfight is resolved in les than 4 rounds, the revolver is as good as my 6 round magazine loaded pistol. It is just that I can likely reload faster even tho
Guys, I’ve heard/read there’s hope yet and it comes from Germany: the Longwitz S.L. Variant Speedloader, which is available from Bobby Mac’s Holsters in the U.S. The bar none best speedloader ever made, the only problem they’re rare in these parts.
This puppy actually injects the rounds into your cylinder.
This puppy actually injects the rounds into your cylinder.
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The best speed-loaders are somewhat bulky, to carry concealed, so, arguably, one’s best first-up speed-loader, in a street-carry context, is a second revolver. More than two revolvers can start to get a bit heavy, of course.
I was mandated to use Dade loaders, during my police academy training, in 1983-1984. These were very fast, and the simplicity of design was reassuring, but if dropped, the weak spring would not retain the cartridges. The “theory” was that if the rounds separated from the loader, upon hitting the pavement, the individual cartridges would not roll far, whereas most other loaders would bounce and roll away, carrying all of the cartridges with them. I did not buy into that line of thinking, so, will say that Dade loaders are not a best choice.
Upon swearing the oath of office, at graduation, I was free to choose, and liked HKS. I still do. No failures. The clock-wise direction of the twist, to release the cartridges, however, may be more intuitive for operating the loader with the right hand. Those right-handed folks, who want to hold the revolver in the right hand, and reload with the left hand, might well find the push-to-release loaders, such as Safariland and SL Variant, a bit smoother. (I am left-handed, and functionally ambidextrous with revolvers, and speed-loaders, but can certainly understand how a right-hander would find HKS a bit challenging to operate in the left hand.)
When the Safariland Split Six belt carrier became available, I was carrying an S&W Model 58. At the time, one could not get a Split Six for N-Frame loaders larger than the Safariland Comp I, so, I bought a couple of those, in the S&W .41 Magnum size. Other than having to remember to push, rather than twist, the Comp I worked fine, for me, 1985-1990. (I then switched to using a Colt Commander for duty and personal-time carry.)
When I returned to using revolvers for street patrol, in 1993, after experiencing problems with two auto-loaders, I thoroughly tested Safariland Comp II, and have nothing to complain about, but kept using HKS. (In 1997, I resumed using auto-loading duty pistols, but have continued to use revolving pistols for back-up, and for personal-time carry.)
I only recently obtained pre-owned samples of the SL Variant. They seem quite well-made, but I have yet to really put them through through serious testing,
What is the “best” speed-loader? Well, except for the Dade, I am not sure that anything I have used is not plenty good enough.
I was mandated to use Dade loaders, during my police academy training, in 1983-1984. These were very fast, and the simplicity of design was reassuring, but if dropped, the weak spring would not retain the cartridges. The “theory” was that if the rounds separated from the loader, upon hitting the pavement, the individual cartridges would not roll far, whereas most other loaders would bounce and roll away, carrying all of the cartridges with them. I did not buy into that line of thinking, so, will say that Dade loaders are not a best choice.
Upon swearing the oath of office, at graduation, I was free to choose, and liked HKS. I still do. No failures. The clock-wise direction of the twist, to release the cartridges, however, may be more intuitive for operating the loader with the right hand. Those right-handed folks, who want to hold the revolver in the right hand, and reload with the left hand, might well find the push-to-release loaders, such as Safariland and SL Variant, a bit smoother. (I am left-handed, and functionally ambidextrous with revolvers, and speed-loaders, but can certainly understand how a right-hander would find HKS a bit challenging to operate in the left hand.)
When the Safariland Split Six belt carrier became available, I was carrying an S&W Model 58. At the time, one could not get a Split Six for N-Frame loaders larger than the Safariland Comp I, so, I bought a couple of those, in the S&W .41 Magnum size. Other than having to remember to push, rather than twist, the Comp I worked fine, for me, 1985-1990. (I then switched to using a Colt Commander for duty and personal-time carry.)
When I returned to using revolvers for street patrol, in 1993, after experiencing problems with two auto-loaders, I thoroughly tested Safariland Comp II, and have nothing to complain about, but kept using HKS. (In 1997, I resumed using auto-loading duty pistols, but have continued to use revolving pistols for back-up, and for personal-time carry.)
I only recently obtained pre-owned samples of the SL Variant. They seem quite well-made, but I have yet to really put them through through serious testing,
What is the “best” speed-loader? Well, except for the Dade, I am not sure that anything I have used is not plenty good enough.
mcb
Member
Safariland Comp IIIs are infinitely better than an unavailable SL Variants.
Two videos for the threads entertainment.
Very short and simple HKS vs Comp III's vs moonclip.
The video is a bit old but its one of me shooting the same USPSA match with two different revolvers. For each stage you will see it first shot with a Model 10 fed with Comp IIIs speedloaders and 38 special loaded to a ~130 PF, the second time through you see me shoot it with a 627 fed with moonclips shooting 38 Short Colt loaded to ~140 PF. I think the moonclip advantage is fairly apparent.
mcb
Member
It does but it does not need to be much wider chamfer than the thickness of the case walls at the mouth. You want just enough chamfer to ensure that the case mouth can't get snagged on the edge of the chamber.
SteadyD
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The limited selection of Safariland speed loaders led me to choose the five star. They make a speed loader for every revolver I might conceivably carry, so all of my practice is uniform. I wish jetloaders or Safariland speed loaders existed for 6 shot 32 caliber and 8 shot 38/357, but they don’t.
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