Systema1927, I am not ArchAngelCD, but I carry five rounds in a Speed Strip to make it easier to handle during the loading process; the middle finger grips the Speed Strip right where the sixth round would go. Some of the high-speed low-drag types have recently gone to carrying four rounds in the Speed Strip, to facilitate handling the thing to an even greater degree, as it gives a substantial place to hold it at either end. It makes sense, as a complete reload is unlikely to be done in a big hurry; more wise to get two to four in there, and shut the cylinder. Then, if the threat is not imminent, the cylinder can be opened to complete the reloading. I attended a mini-course taught by Michael DeBethancourt at the Snubby Summit in December 2005, and we worked on loading two from the Speed Strip as rapidly as possible, closing the action, and re-engaging the target. FWIW, Michael DeBethancourt believes in carrying two snubbies, and is a believer in speedloaders. We worked on the Speed Strips for a totally practical reason, that being that Speed Strips are much more likely to be carried by those who carry snubbies in the real world. Back to the load-two-and-re-engage idea: At least one real-life police officer who was gunned while while reloading, by a bad guy who approached during the reload, was shot while loading the last round or two; had the officer loaded two to four rounds, and re-engaged, he might have shot his assailant, possibly winning one for the good guys that day. My memory fails me; I cannot recall if this was true of the CHP Newhall incident, or another trooper on the East Coast, possible NJ.
