Moonclipped .357 revolvers: Worth it?

[Nightcrawler]

I've been looking at the S&W M&P R8 revolver, the 627PC revolver, and the possibility of replacing my former 686+.

Thing is, with the seven and eight shot revolvers, there are only two speedloaders available: HKS and those funky rubber ones, which I have no experience with.

With my 629, I'm actually quite fast with HKS loaders. The big charge holes make it easy with a bit of practice, but that's ammunition dependent. Roundy-nosed jacketed ammo (like Hydra-Shoks) works best; lead nosed ammo is more troublesome.

The problem with the HKS loaders is cartridge wiggle. I know why they do this; the HKS 29M loader will work on the S&W N-Frame .44, the Colt Anaconda, and the Ruger Redhawk; these guns don't necessarily have the same cylinder diameter.

Anyway, though, once you get to seven or eight smaller holes, the HKS loaders become a bit more troublesome to use. (They don't even make loaders for the eight-guns.)

All of the S&W eight-shooters come machined for moonclips. So my question is this: how well do they work?

.45ACP moonclips are actually quite sturdy. The clip is thick, and the cartridges are short and stubby. They don't wiggle.

But with a .357 moonclip, you need a thinner clip, and the cartridges are a lot longer. There's more leverage is something squeezes the clip, increasing the potential of the clip bending. I've also heard that the eight-shot moonclips don't hold the cartridges very solidly. It seems to me that if the cartridges are wiggling around, you're going have a harder time than necessary quickly reloading.

And yet the clipped eight shooters are all the rage in competition. I've heard there are competition clips that hold the cartridges more securely, but perhaps don't work with all brass.

Can anybody give me a solid answer? Is a S&W eight shooter or seven shooter with moonclips worth the trouble? Or should I just stick with my big bores with less capacity but simpler reloading?

 

[Tom C.]

I have a pair of 627-5PCs. I love them, but I don't bother using clips too much.
There are 2 different clips available from Brownell's. They are slightly different sized. The extractor cuts on .357 cases are slightly different with different makers. Mismatching cases and clips results either in cases that wobble in the clip or cases that are nearly impossible to insert into the clips.
The long, small diameter cartridges don't seat as easily as, say .45 ACP. More pointed bullets help and matching the ammo and clips to keep them firmly in the clips without too much wobble.

 

[pwrtool45]

Thing is, with the seven and eight shot revolvers, there are only two speedloaders available: HKS and those funky rubber ones, which I have no experience with.

Well, sort of.

SL Varaints exist. They're supposedly no longer imported, but (IIRC) Dillon recently had a closeout sale so finding them used shouldn't be excruciatingly difficult. FWIW they also make (made?) a loader that fits your 6-shot N-frame. I've never used one, but they can't possibly be slower than an HKS loader.

You could also do a search over at brianenos.com in the revolver section. If you want to know how 357 (or 38 super or 9x23) moonclip guns work in practice, that's the place to ask. Who would know better than the crazy guys who actually shoot a revolver in IPSC? Y'know, the guys who leave a trail of moonclips all over the stage.

Alternatively, you could just buy (or borrow) an 8-shot moonclip or two load it up. That's the least subjective and most concrete way to answer your question.

 

[earplug]

I'll try and answer your question, I shoot A 625 with moon clips.
Several other shooters use 8 shot S&W's. They shoot better than I do and they don't have any problem with there moon clips.
Of course I suspect they would still shoot better the I with A lessor gun.
Were shooting A steel target match, their using 38 spl loads.

 

[DragonFire]

I have a variety of revolvers that use moonclips.

I definitely like them better than speedloaders. The big .45's of the 625 definietely are the quickest to reloader. The smaller 10mm's and .40's are almost as quick, and still easy to use.

.357's are a slightly different animal. I have an 8 shot 627 and the moonclips still work pretty well, and are faster than speedloaders, but aren't nearly as fast as the .45's or 10's. The longer cases wobble more, and the clips aren't as thick, or feel as rugged as the others.

My gun seems for favor Federal brass over any other type (and according to various posters on the forums, different guns favor different brass). The brass has to be held securely (so they don't fall out), but not rigidly (to ease getting them all started in the cylinder). Things did not go well until I deteremined which brass to use and sorted my reloads accordingly.

Another thing to consider is cost. Moonclips can cost $3 or more a piece depending on which brand you get, and where you get them. Unloading/loading moonclips isn't something you want to do during a match, or do alot at the range, so I have 20 to 30 (or more) for each of my guns, so it can get expensive. There are cheap, thin clips out there that just won't hold the brass very well, and some very expensive ones, that I just can't justify buying. So not all clips are alike. It's take a little experimenting to find which ones work best for you, and that you're willing to pay for.

Reloading with moonclips take practice (just like everything else), but you can be competent pretty quickly. Being as fast as Jerry Miculeck takes alot more practice. But you can be faster than someone reloading with speedloaders in a very short time.

Keep in mind that any 7 or 8 shot revolver is not legal in IDPA at all.

But all in all, I like moonclipped guns, and though the ,357's take a bit more effort to get working right, it's definitely something I'd recommend.

 

[Stinger1]

Since I don't compete I can't say what's legal or illegal regarding the use of moon clips. I own a PC627 and have no problems with moon clips securely holding the rounds, they don't come loose nor do they rattle either. When I'm at the range just keeping up my quals' I don't use them but I do practice with them to keep up my speed loading skills in the event that I should be in a situation to have to reload. Eight shots should be more then enough in any given situation but it better to have and not need, etc. One thing of note that there are different gauges of thickness of the clips and based on that certain ammo fits better in some clips then others. I believe Starline brass has a certain gauge that works better for it then say WWB or Rem.

http://www.moonclips.com/ is a site you should check out. Oh by the way there is a rubber speed loader for the PC627 but IMHO it's not worth the bother, talk about loose ammo!

RC

 

[20nickels]

there is a good thread started on TFL about this very subject right now.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252786