got 2 revolvers a taurus 617, and a ruger gp100 which ones are good? my other question is are speed loaders model specific? im also curious about moon clips, i know there is some necessary gun smithing involved, cons/pros?

Speed loaders are often frame specific. I have HKS reloaders that will work on any N frame guns. I had other ones that would work only on K frames. As for moon clips, generally you want to use them on guns chambered in autoloading calibers already made for them (i.e. revolvers in 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, and 45ACP). Some folks have a smith machine the face of their cylinder in regular wheelgun calibers like 357 just for the speed benefits of using moon clips. The only downside I can think of is expense. It may also be the case that this kind of machined cylinder won't allow the use of full length ammo without a moon clip. For example, I can put 45ACP shells in my 25-2 and not use a moon clip. It just means I need to extract each shell manually with my fingertips. If you machine off material on the face of a cylinder, if you put in ammo without a moonclip, the bullets may actually touch the forcing cone depending on cylinder and bullet length. This could prevent or hinder the cylinder from rotating. Please note that this is just guesswork on my part and you would want to measure the cylinder and ammo yourself to be sure.

thanks for that info. sounds like i need to just keep it simple, i just realized my taurus is a seven shot and my ruger is a 6 shot, i just got it so im still playing with it... so which speedloaders are better and why?

Check out Safariland

http://www.safarilan...eedloaders.aspx

 

HKS has 7 shot speedloaders

Yes, speedloaders a specific to a particular model/frame, etc. There are also different interpretations of what a speedloader is. For example, I have what I consider speedloaders for my Ruger Mark III, Ruger 10/22, Beretta 92A1 and Taurus 94. Each of them allow me to load the mags "easier and faster". I'm in the process of reading about speedloaders that are made for tube-fed rifles. Something like that would go nicely with my new Marlin XT-22TSR.

As Chris noted, the benefits of converting a rimmed cartridge revolver to use moonclips is purely one of speed. A speedloader requires you to align the cartridges with the cylinder, activate some kind of release (this can be automatic or manual) and then discard the loader. A moonclip just stays with the cartridges. One operation - insert, done.

 

If you have the cylinder of a .357 machined to accept moonclips, the machinist will leave a ridge around the outside circumference of the cylinder. When using moonclips, the diameter of the moonclip fits inside the ID of the ridge and the cartridge rims rest on both the moonclip and the outer ridge. When not using moonclips, the cartridge rim rests only on the ridge, but that is enough support to effectively headspace the cartridge and prevent it from being driven forward when the hammer strikes it. The gun can be used with or without moonclips. The OAL of the cylinder remains the same.

 

All that being said - moonclips are very firearm specific and I don't know if any are available for your Ruger or Taurus. Moonclips were originally made so that rimless cartridges could be used in revolvers, but they so dominate any revolver speed shooting competition, that shooters adapted the concept for rimmed catrridges also.

 

Speedloaders on the other hand, fit somewhat sloppily. On most there is a degree of cartridge wiggle so you can align them quickly with the charge holes, so some speedloaders may fit various manufacturer's guns. I believe the HKS L-frame loader will also work with Pythons (and maybe your Ruger). You get the idea.

 

If you want to compete, then I'd recommend Safariland Comp speedloaders - preferably Comp II's or III's, if made for your revolvers. They release the shells automatically when the center of the loader is pressed against the extractor star. If that much speed isn't needed, and you want a handy way to load quickly, HKS loaders are plentiful and cover a wide variety of makes & models. Downside is that it takes a separate operation (a twisting of a knob) to release the cartridges. The upside of that system is that accidental release is less likely.

 

HTH

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

 

ETA: On this site is a video showing how a cylinder for a rimmed-cartridge revolver is machined for moonclips. The short version is all you need...

 

http://www.moonclips.com/content/machine.asp

thanks, it looks like they do that for the gp100, but not the taurus... i gotta call them, i like the idea of moonclips...