When was the speedloader invented?

[Nightcrawler]

Kind of a dumb question, maybe, but only because I hadn't thought of it sooner.

When was the revolver speedloader invented? How did early models differ from the ones we have now (HKS and Safariland types)? When did they first come on the market? When did they first see widespread usage? How well did older ones work compared to the ones we have today?

 

[James Bondrock]

I have heard of a "Prideaux" loader made for the Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver, so that makes speedloaders pretty old.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Do moonclips count? 1917 or earlier.

 

[BluesBear]

When did they first see widespread usage?

The first two that I ever heard of were HKS and DADE. I believe they were the first 2 mass produced modern speedloaders. There was a lot of debate about which was better. Kinda like the VHS/Beta wars.
This was about 1972 or so.

For what it's worth Dirty Harry originally carried 3 Dade speedloaders.

 

[RON in PA]

They actually go back to the end of the nineteeth century.

 

[Erich]

Ron is correct, as usual. Last month I was reading a book from the '40s on Colt firearms, and I was marvelling at the 1880s advertisements for the Colt speedloader (called something else, of course). It was remarkably similar to the HKS-type, except it used the force from a centrally placed wooden plug (almost looked like a kid's top, if any of you remember those) to wedge the cartridges into their slots. You would pull the "top" out once the cartridges were situated, and they'd fall into place.

The whole thing was wood, and it required the use of a separate wood block to hold the cartridges in proper place while loading the loader and getting the wedge in place.

 

[Jim Watson]

The pictures I have of the Colt Cartridge Pack look like all you would have to do is push. The center peg would be disengaged by contact with the ratchet and its taper would let it fall free. Nearly as good a system as a Safariland and fewer parts.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Actually, I believe Samuel Colt invented the speed loader without even realizing it. It wasn't quick and easy to replace a cylinder on his early model revolvers, but faster than recharging a cylinder.

 

[Archie]

Speedloaders in some form are ...

about as old as swing out revovlers. As Ron and Erich mention, somewhere in the 1890s. However, that type seems to have fallen out of favor and aren't mentioned again.

If I recall correctly, speedloaders were popularized while I was overseas, which would make it between 1969 and 1971. Does that sound right to everyone else?

Cops carried revolvers and loops or dump pouches into the '70s. I remember buying some "new fangled" speedloaders in 1974 or so... some for a K frame and two aluminum bodied HKS loaders (I still have) for a M29 Smith. That was earlyish, but I wasn't first on my block.

As a side note, the Border Patrol did not allow speedloaders while I was an Agent, from 1978 to 1983. We were required to carry cartridge loops. There was a gag that the BP would speedloaders when everyone else adopted phasers.

 

[Erich]

That's great.

 

[Penman]

The earliest model I ever saw was with a cased Webly-Fosbery. It had a spade grip handle, and a center plunger that automatically released the rounds when the plunger contacted the back of the cylinder.