How do you prefer to carry extra revolver ammo, a speed strip or a speed loader?

[JERRY]

if i carry my J frames it is two at a time. if its one of my other revolvers its with Safariland Comp speed loaders.

that said ive resigned myself to carry my department issued G17 to make things more simple. but if i make it to retirement my ccw guns will rotate.

 

[Derry 1946]

"If I think I will need more"

Clairvoyance is a wonderful trait that would be nice to have.

I prefer to call it Precognitive Situational Awareness. ;-)

 

[PedalBiker]

I prefer to have it in a speed loader, but only if I have a suitable pocket (carpenter jeans) otherwise it's in a strip, which is most of the time.

 

[Fiv3r]

Depends on what I'm wearing. If it's jacket weather, then a speed loader in my pocket is easy enough. If I'm not wearing a jacket, then I just use a couple of dump pouches.

Actually, neither is for dedicated self-defense. I just like to carry other rounds for my gun that I might need. When I bum around the woods, I usually stoke my Blackhawk will hottish .357 and carry a pouch of .38 with me for plinking. Obviously a speed loader wouldn't be all that speedy for THAT gun in question However, even carrying a double action .357, I don't really worry too much about a fast reload.

5 or 6 shots with 6 more available is better than nothing. I could carry 4 or 5 speedloaders. Or I could just carry a semi-auto, or I guess I could just sling my AR over my shoulder and vest up with 5 or 6 30 round mags...just in case.

Most days, 1 would be more than enough. Others, 30 wouldn't save your hide. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to carry at least one reloads worth of ammo in some form or fashion.

 

[Backpacker33]

When working law enforcement I could carry speed loaders on a belt, until we were issued semi-autos, of course! However, as "just a citizen" I found them too bulky and I didn't have the same imperative as when I was a LEO. Starting way back I was taught the best reload is a second gun, and that's how I did and do it, with "extra ammo" carried in the strips and/or a dump pouch because they are flat. I found this important for concealed carry because there are just too many people who want to cause you trouble by reporting "man with a gun." It's also too easy to inadvertently enter a building in Wisconsin that has an anti-self-defense sign that is hard to see. This almost happened to me a couple weeks ago. I went to a building I've entered a half-dozen times or more. They did not have the sign. Then, a legal firm in it decided they prefer victims and harassed the building owner until a sign was put up. The glass door and surrounding windows are heavily tinted, making the sign almost invisible. In addition, workmen were moving furniture in and out and had propped the door open, putting the sign out of the line of sight. As I entered, a yellow splash caught my eye and I turned to see the sign, opaque from the back. Concerned it might be an anti-self-defense sign, I stepped back outside and squinted through the tinting to read it. I have no doubt that members of that law firm would have been quick to chastise me or even report me.
So, speed strips. And a New York Reload.

 

[PRM]

Hum...Old School

Handful of cartridges in my right front pocket

 

[Fuego]

I carry two speed strips in my Carlisle Bandage pouch. But I am old fashioned.

 

[asia331]

Speed strip always for the SP101 back-up. When a revolver is primary I'll throw an additional speed loader or two in the suit coat or jacket pocket

 

[Green Lantern]

Main carry gun for me currently is a Ruger LCR, in a Tuff products pocket holster with a built-in pocket for speed strips - so no excuse not to carry at least one reload in a speed strip.

Yes, I practice with the speed strips - no, probably not as often as I should.

I do own one speedloader, made by 5-Star and designed to work much better for it than the (sadly, much less expensive) HKS J-frame speedloaders. I'll sometimes toss the speedloader in a jacket pocket.

 

[Swing]

Couple o' speedstrips.

 

[Armored farmer]

I have both but really like the strips.

 

[YJake]

Speed strips for my J, K, and L framed guns.

I want to try an HKS speed loader but unless it's during our 2 week winter here in FL and I'm wearing a jacket I'll be carrying my reloads on a speed strip.

-Jake

 

[herkyguy]

usually speed strips. in my shoulder holster, the off side has two pouches for rounds that i carry loose.

 

[Armored farmer]

I keep at least 6 speed strips loaded and at the ready. It doesn't matter which gun I grab, the strips will work. I have 5-shot, 7-shot, single action, a lever rifle, and two 6-shooters of different cylinder sizes in .357mag.

Also have speed strips for .45colt that work for .30-30 and .410 also.

 

[Deaf Smith]

For a J .38 I prefer a Airweight .38 as the speed loader.

Nothing beats a 'pre-loaded' gun.

Deaf

 

[camsdaddy]

I carry 1- speed strip in my strong side coin pocket of my jeans loaded 2 space 3 with 158 gr lswchp. In my strong side back pocket I have a strip with 4 fmj for recreational use and two shot shell in case needed.

 

[hariph creek]

Speedstrip, unless I'm wearing a coat (big pockets).

 

[CarbineWilliams]

I got an HK speedloader and for the load, it is awesome. Unload, kind of tough.

 

[BulletshooterNJ]

Speed strips or Speedloaders? Hmm

Speed strips are good for the range, but they take quite a few very deliberate motions to complete. Eject shells from cylinder, whip out speedstrip, and while keeping your focus on the gun and removing your danger scanning abilities, line up cylinder, pluck in 2 rounds, rotate the cylinder by thumb a 1/3 turn, pluck in 2 more rounds, rotate the cylinder by thumb a 1/3 turn, pluck in 1 or 2 more rounds (if its a 5 shooter or 6 shooter), knock the strip away, close cylinder, and reassess the situation.
Gee, that's quite a bit of work. It works best when standing still because of the dexterity involved, but imagine trying to retreat and do all of the above steps.

Speedloader: bang bang bang bang bang, [empty], eject spent shells, whip out HKS or Safariland unit, take a second to line up the noses of the rounds into the chambers, twist or press the knob, knock the loader away, close cylinder, and reassess the situation.

A Speedloader means your eyes are focused on the reloading task for fewer seconds than with the speedstrip. Of course with either you can fumble a round or two, but in all honesty the speedloader is the better tactical option. Speedstrips: too many microsteps involving rotating the cylinder and thumbing and twisting rounds into the chambers, and more seconds will go by in which you are a non-combatant / target. But they do work great at the range in that they give your speedloaders a break from some wear and tear.

 

[Jim K]

As a deputy sheriff, I carried speed loaders. But at one time I carried five round for a Chiefs Special in a M1903 Springfield clip. I trimmed the spring down, pinched in the sides and it worked fine for .38 Special, as well as being flat. The drawback was that it took two hands to strip the rounds out for reloading. Maybe I was young and foolish at the time, but I figured that if five rounds hadn't stopped the problem, I was probably in very deep trouble and running like hell really was an option.

Jim

 

[Merle1]

I carry two HKS speedloaders, unless I want to burden myself with my M625. Then I carry two full moon clips.
I just can't use a speed strip fast enough to be comfortable with it.

Merle

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

What all of the previous posts are assuming a person in peak physical abilities and speed. Me I was born with a mild case of Cerebral Palsy which has always made me a step slower than I would like and a little shakier than most. And 62 years of age and severe degenerative arthritis has not helped any either. I have held jobs until my health forced me to retire, have been married 30 years with 2 children and 2 lovely grandchildren. This said I have been shooting since I was 7 thanks to my father and have had a gun in my possession since age 12. I have learned over the years how to somewhat compensate for my disabilities, but offhand I have never been that good, but give me a rest and a heavy, long barrel in a rifle or revolver and I used to be able to hold my own. I guess where this is going is in my case case if I ever have to stop a threat I had better be able to do it with the gun I have without reloading because if I don't I think it will make any difference. Don't get me wrong, I will fight tooth and nail to protect my loved ones and always have been that way but for me the options are more limited. Around the house I have multiple firearms stashed for easy access, but away I am vulnerable and realize it. I have come to the conclusion that a small auto with extra mags is the option although I really prefer revolvers. I recently bought a CZ 50 but haven't been to the range to fire it. If anyone has any better suggestions in a revolver that will be remodeled slow please chime in. Thank you.

 

[beag_nut]

When pocket carry, I carry no extra rounds. One five-shot snubbie is enough, because I can hit what I aim at. And I pocket carry only in cities or suburbs.
When woods carry, in a waist pack, I carry two Safariland speedloaders, because they ARE speedloaders, and each is loaded differently. Outdoors in the boonies the potential threats are more varied, hence the variety in my cartridges. And no snubbie in that environment.

 

[EddieG54]

I normally carry a HKS speedloader for my J Frame but sometimes it's a Ruger LCP in my left front pocket. At my age the New York reload is much faster!

 

[Rexster]

I guess it would be worth practicing reloading any revolver that is used for concealed carry, but I wonder what most folks use, a strip or a speed loader? The strip seems much easier to actually carry, but it appears that a speed loader is quicker to use. And I also wonder what percentage of folks who carry a revolver have ANY type of additional load with them routinely, or do they count on the 5 or 6 rounds to be enough?

I cannot say what "most folks" use. I generally carry two guns. As one is usually an SP101 snubby, I usually carry at least one Bianchi Slow Strip along with it. If my second gun is also an SP101, or another .357 revolver, I will add more Slow Strips. If one of the revolvers is a larger weapon, I am likely to add one or two speedloaders, for the larger sixgun, depending upon the anticipated threat level.

If the outer clothing is conducive to it, I like to use a 2x2x2 loader on the front of the belt. These are quite fast, with a bit of practice!

Back to Slow Strips; these are quite slow for a full reload, but actually a very fast way to get TWO cartridges into the cylinder, and those two cartridges just might save one's life. I believe that in some of the infamous incidents in which LEOs, without speedloaders, have been killed while reloading, the LEOs might have survived had they not tried to do a complete six-round reload. I believe it is important to practice a two-round reload. I do not mean, in this case, a "tactical" reload, but loading two rounds into a just-emptied cylinder. These two rounds can come from a Slow Strip, a 2x2x2 pouch, a cartridge loop slide on the belt, or any other system that holds cartridges in line next to each other.