Single actions and speed strips?

[ZVP]

What's the best way to work with a .357 Vaquero and Speed Strips?
I have been advised (in articles) to grab 2 at a time though this reads easier than it preforms in real life...
Speed strips carry so nicely and it's not hard to have 3 of the 8 round strips in a pocket or two!
Thanks,

BPDave

 

[rcmodel]

I never had any luck with SA revolvers & speed-strips designed for DA's.

My preference is belt loops in large calibers, or a drop pouch holding 6 rounds in small calibers I can handle 6 at a time in one hand.

I'd even prefer loose rounds in a jacket pocket to speed-strips when packing a SA.

rc

 

[Armored farmer]

I use speed strips with my SA revolves, but only to keep the proper number of cartridges pointed in the right direction. Or to keep different loads separated. I don't use the strip to load directly from, I just pull 'em off and reload as usual.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Two at a time????

How big is your loading gate?

 

[peacemaker45]

Speed strips are only one step ahead of loose in the pocket, when it comes to single actions. A dump pouch is much faster, but takes some dexterity to use. Even faster, and simpler or to use an auto pistol magazine. This is easy for convertible guns that can use auto calibers, like .45 ACP or 9MM. For traditional revolver calibers, however, the only option is a Desert Eagle mag. They come in
.357 or .44.

To use, hold like you were going to unload the mag, and thumb the rounds out into the waiting chamber. Advance. Rinse. Repeat.

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[Aikibiker]

You could try finding a magazine for a semiauto chambered in .357 magnum like that Coonan 1911. and use that to reload your single action by pushing the rounds forwards into the cylinder with your thumb.

Edit: http://www.coonaninc.com/products.p...ath,6/osCsid,8440f1249f3a636cd4d26bc8e3e5434a

 

[Al Thompson]

I have been advised (in articles) to grab 2 at a time

That's excellent advice - for a double action revolver where the cylinder opens. For a single action, not so much.

Perhaps the Cowboy Action Shooters would have some thoughts?

 

[mdThanatos]

From my CAS days, there was a strip used but it wasn't for speed loading. It was so you didn't have to carry an entire box of shells to the loading table. They came in various manners, two single sided strips each holding 10, 1 double sided strip holding 10 on each side etc. That way when you loaded both your pistols and your rifle you knew that you had exactly 20 rounds.

If it were me and I were trying to load as quickly as possible, I would empty the cylinder completely then grab 5 shells and load (keeping with the load one skip one method). Reason why is when I still had my CAS revolvers I could just open the gate, turn it upside down and spin to each cylinder and the case would fall out with gravity, turn it back down, grab my sells and pop in each new one (this was done after I stopped shooting CAS and was just practicing with my revolver since CAS doesn't allow loaded weapons until you are next to shoot). I found it to be quicker than ejecting one and loading one right away.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Does anyone grab a handful of cartridges and then shuck and then load one at a time? It seems it'd be faster and more preferable tactically.
I never have and never even thought of it 'til now.
Ah, I just read post #8.. interesting.

 

[BCRider]

If the chambers are clean enough then I find that holding two or three at a time poking out from my pinch lets me drop them one at a time into the chambers as fast as I can index the cylinder.

Doing this with two at a time is easy. Doing it with three CAN be awkward and only seems to work out when the rounds are sitting in the right grouping on the table so I can pick them up that way one handed. The other is holding the gun after all.

When I load directly from a box of ammo with the heads all pointed up politely it's not that hard to pinch/grab three at a time. In effect my thumb and first couple of fingers become an organic speed strip. It's still one at a time loading but at least my hand doesn't need to move back and forth for two or three loads at a time.

 

[CraigC]

I have to agree with RC. You'll get it done faster if you only grab cartridges once. Going back and forth six times wastes a lot of time unnecessarily. Don't stick `em in the charge holes, drop them into the loading port and let gravity do the rest. At least, this is how I'm unable to reload a single action in 15-18secs.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Mag for a bottom feeder,,,

You could try finding a magazine for a semiauto chambered in .357 magnum like that Coonan 1911.

I've actually seen this on a few occasions,,,
But it's always been seen with a .22 rimfire revolver,,,
The gentleman was practiced and the cartridges just dropped into the loading gate.

Aarond

.

 

[OkieJohn]

Matt n. d. is correct about using a mag, my Dad has a Blackhawk .45convertible that he carries on the farm with a couple of Glock mags, makes for fast easy reloading.

 

[ZVP]

I got the idea of loading holding 2 shells at a time from an article on S/A revolvers from a Gunsite instructor. If anyone KNOWS it's a gunsite instructor!
Yea the speed strips are a convienent way to carry ammo,all pointed one way. There is NO way to transfer the cartriges tho the shells are too close.
Loose carry in a pocket is what I was trying to avoid but the drop box idea is very good!
I guess I will continue to work on dexterity!
My problem unloading my Vaquero is that it's a .357 and the cases don't weigh enough to gravity-drop them. I am really impressed with the indexing system on the Vaquero! It lines up perfect nearly every time! I have gotten pretty fast with the ejector rod!
Thanks for all the come-backs even the funny ones!
BPDave

 

[peacemaker45]

CAS revolvers don't drop their cases free because the cases are so heavy, but because they've had their chambers honed smooth.

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[Aikibiker]

Promag has 9 round Desert Eagle .357 magnum magazines for $37.20. Two of those would give you three full reloads for your Vaquero. They would be a little heavy and bulky, but you are carrying a Vaquero so I figure you are used to that anyway.

http://www.promagindustries.com/product-p/mag 06n.htm

 

[skt239]

I'm pretty sure I've seen single action speed strips. They were kinda star shaped and not in the strip form. I searched but couldn't find one online. Maybe it's a great idea I dreamed up then forgot about? If so, patten pending.

 

[PabloJ]

What's the best way to work with a .357 Vaquero and Speed Strips?
I have been advised (in articles) to grab 2 at a time though this reads easier than it preforms in real life...
Speed strips carry so nicely and it's not hard to have 3 of the 8 round strips in a pocket or two!
Thanks,

BPDave

'Speed Strip' is misnomer these should really be called cartridge retention strips. I would buy quality leather holster with cartridge loops or one piece belt-holster with same.

 

[BCRider]

....I am really impressed with the indexing system on the Vaquero! It lines up perfect nearly every time! I have gotten pretty fast with the ejector rod!.....

That suggests to me that you've got an older 3 screw style gun that has the original Colt style action where you have to go to half cock. Or that you've got a new style loading gate disconnector style with an aftermarket indexing kit installed.

The stock New Vequeros lack this indexing. The index point provided by the hand doesn't line up with the loading gate. Unless it's a new feature that I missed?

In any event this is one reason why I prefer the old "3 screw" original Colt action style guns. The fact that when at half cock the hand lines up the cylinder in the loading gate so the fresh loads slide neatly down and into the chamber.

 

[CraigC]

The stock New Vequeros lack this indexing.

The original Vaqueros operate just like any other New Model. All the iterations of the New Vaquero and all the new flat-tops have the reverse indexing pawl and the chambers line up with the port at the "click". It's really just a freespin pawl with a plunger that engages the ratchet teeth on the cylinder.

 

[kBob]

When a Blackhawk prevertable .45 with the ACP cylinder was my glove box gun I kept it stoked with 200 grain Speer Flying ashtrays and my reload was a 1911 clip filled with 230 grain FMJ. I concure with those that say thumbing a round from the magazine to the chamber is relatively easy with less juggling of stuff.

-kBob

 

[BCRider]

Thanks Craig.

My buddy has old "plain" Vaqueros that lack that feature and my older Super Blackhawk similarly lacks the indexing feature. I was thinking that the New Vequeros similarly lacked this.

 

[Dnaltrop]

That magazine-loading trick sounds like a winner for keeping things tidy. Now if only Coonan made a .45 Colt 1911 for those of us with palm-a-basketball hands

I bit the bullet and went with Loops riding on the opposite side of a shoulder rig, but even still it's comparatively slow reloading the Blackhawk, and I usually have the M&P .40 or the Schofield .45 as backup at that point.

If things are bad enough for a reload after 6... the New York reload gets it done as fast as possible.

 

[aka108]

I like the single action revolvers with the loading gate for recreational shooting and I would imagine OK for hunting if I were to handgun hunt. I would not want for self defense unless I was living 120 or so years ago.

 

[peacemaker45]

Thanks Craig.

My buddy has old "plain" Vaqueros that lack that feature and my older Super Blackhawk similarly lacks the indexing feature. I was thinking that the New Vequeros similarly lacked this.

Nope. That was one of two major selling points on the New Vaq, the improved index and the smaller, more Colt like size.

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