farscott
Member
By now, many of the members who shoot auto-loading cartridges in revolvers are aware of the new RIMZ 625 moon clips for the S&W M625 revolvers. The company that brought this product to market, Beckham Product Design, LLC, is also developing a version for the M610. As someone who has bent way too many S&W-supplied 10mm clips, the RIMZ 610 is an even better idea than the RIMZ 625. To say I was chomping at the bit waiting for this product is only a slight understatement.
I received an e-mail from Mr. Scott Beckham to evaluate the RIMZ 610, and I accepted his kind offer. Within days of accepting his offer, I received a single sample RIMZ 610. It came with an updated FAQ, dealing with the specifics of the M610.
It is made from engineering thermoplastic, and the RIMZ 610 is more rigid than the RIMZ 625. I believe this was done in order to reduce the chances of a round coming free from the clip when dropped, and a question in the FAQ seems to support this belief. In my experience, dropping a loaded RIMZ 625 causes at least two of the rounds to come free from the RIMZ. I started my testing by loading the RIMZ 610 with one each of four different factory rounds, Federal 10mm Hydra-Shok, Winchester 10mm Silvertips, Federal 40 S&W Hydra-Shok and Winchester .40 S&W White Box, and dropping the partially loaded RIMZ 610 from a height of approximately one meter onto a carpeted surface. None of the rounds came free from the RIMZ 610, so I then repeated the test by loading six of each round into the RIMZ 610 and dropping the loaded RIMZ. After each drop, the loaded rounds were removed from the clip, and the clip was examined for damage. None of the rounds came free from the RIMZ 610 during any of the drops, and no damage to the RIMZ 610 was noted.
In addition to being a passable drop test, this exercise also was my first experience in loading and unloading the RIMZ 610. Here is where the RIMZ 625 really shined, and I was wondering how the more rigid RIMZ 610 would compare. Would the better drop test performance make insertion and removal of the loaded ammo more difficult? The answer is a definite, “Noâ€. I had no issues inserting and removing loaded ammo from the clips. Once again, I used the two .40 S&W and two 10mm loads mentioned in the above paragraph. All of the rounds were inserted and removed with no issues; the effort was much less than the S&W-supplied clips that I usually bend. My fingers were definitely happier with the RIMZ 610 than the sheet metal clips.
Now that I had dropped the RIMZ 610 way too many times, it was time to see how well it enabled me to load and unload my Lew Horton three-inch M610-2. This revolver has been set up to be a carry gun, including chamfering the cylinder charge holes, an action job, and bobbing the hammer. I had no issues loading six rounds of either .40 S&W or 10mm in my M610-2, so it was finally time to shoot the M610-2 with the RIMZ 610. Here is where the RIMZ concept really shines. With one clip, I went through one hundred rounds of Winchester .40 S&W Value-Pack, and my fingers felt good enough to shoot all of my old 10mm Hydra-Shok ammo. In my experience, removing fired cases is harder than removing unfired ammo, but the RIMZ 610 made it very easy. In all, I shot about 180 rounds (thirty RIMZ 610 loadings and unloadings) in my range session, and there was no damage to the RIMZ 610 or my fingers. The RIMZ 610 was in the same condition as when I had received it in the mail. I also had no bent sheet metal clips, which is a first for me. For range use, the RIMZ 610 is a great product. When I get a few more of the RIMZ 610’s, I plan to try them for speed loads to determine their suitability for concealed carry. If they perform as I expect, I will be retiring my sheet metal clips.
I hope that S&W starts supplying the RIMZ clips with their revolvers. The RIMZ eliminates all of the issues that have plagued users in the past. This move could also lead to the resurrection of the M940 since bent clips used for reloads troubled police officers in the past. We might even see an M942 if the stars align just right. The RIMZ clips, especially the RIMZ 610, are just this good.
I received an e-mail from Mr. Scott Beckham to evaluate the RIMZ 610, and I accepted his kind offer. Within days of accepting his offer, I received a single sample RIMZ 610. It came with an updated FAQ, dealing with the specifics of the M610.
It is made from engineering thermoplastic, and the RIMZ 610 is more rigid than the RIMZ 625. I believe this was done in order to reduce the chances of a round coming free from the clip when dropped, and a question in the FAQ seems to support this belief. In my experience, dropping a loaded RIMZ 625 causes at least two of the rounds to come free from the RIMZ. I started my testing by loading the RIMZ 610 with one each of four different factory rounds, Federal 10mm Hydra-Shok, Winchester 10mm Silvertips, Federal 40 S&W Hydra-Shok and Winchester .40 S&W White Box, and dropping the partially loaded RIMZ 610 from a height of approximately one meter onto a carpeted surface. None of the rounds came free from the RIMZ 610, so I then repeated the test by loading six of each round into the RIMZ 610 and dropping the loaded RIMZ. After each drop, the loaded rounds were removed from the clip, and the clip was examined for damage. None of the rounds came free from the RIMZ 610 during any of the drops, and no damage to the RIMZ 610 was noted.
In addition to being a passable drop test, this exercise also was my first experience in loading and unloading the RIMZ 610. Here is where the RIMZ 625 really shined, and I was wondering how the more rigid RIMZ 610 would compare. Would the better drop test performance make insertion and removal of the loaded ammo more difficult? The answer is a definite, “Noâ€. I had no issues inserting and removing loaded ammo from the clips. Once again, I used the two .40 S&W and two 10mm loads mentioned in the above paragraph. All of the rounds were inserted and removed with no issues; the effort was much less than the S&W-supplied clips that I usually bend. My fingers were definitely happier with the RIMZ 610 than the sheet metal clips.
Now that I had dropped the RIMZ 610 way too many times, it was time to see how well it enabled me to load and unload my Lew Horton three-inch M610-2. This revolver has been set up to be a carry gun, including chamfering the cylinder charge holes, an action job, and bobbing the hammer. I had no issues loading six rounds of either .40 S&W or 10mm in my M610-2, so it was finally time to shoot the M610-2 with the RIMZ 610. Here is where the RIMZ concept really shines. With one clip, I went through one hundred rounds of Winchester .40 S&W Value-Pack, and my fingers felt good enough to shoot all of my old 10mm Hydra-Shok ammo. In my experience, removing fired cases is harder than removing unfired ammo, but the RIMZ 610 made it very easy. In all, I shot about 180 rounds (thirty RIMZ 610 loadings and unloadings) in my range session, and there was no damage to the RIMZ 610 or my fingers. The RIMZ 610 was in the same condition as when I had received it in the mail. I also had no bent sheet metal clips, which is a first for me. For range use, the RIMZ 610 is a great product. When I get a few more of the RIMZ 610’s, I plan to try them for speed loads to determine their suitability for concealed carry. If they perform as I expect, I will be retiring my sheet metal clips.
I hope that S&W starts supplying the RIMZ clips with their revolvers. The RIMZ eliminates all of the issues that have plagued users in the past. This move could also lead to the resurrection of the M940 since bent clips used for reloads troubled police officers in the past. We might even see an M942 if the stars align just right. The RIMZ clips, especially the RIMZ 610, are just this good.
Perhaps a subsequent revision will fit all 610s.
