Folks:
What follows is the third installment. I had hoped to post these about once every week, but my laptop died and I was out of the loop computer wise for a bit. Enjoy.
"This is the third installment of this series. The gauntlet having been thrown down by a good friend, I carried my GP100 Match Champion every day as my primary defensive handgun for six continuous months.
In this installment, I wanted to discuss speed loaders. As a dear friend and mentor once said to me, anytime you shoot a revolver or shotgun, the event by default becomes a reloading event. Hence this discussion about speed loaders.
First a bit of my history. I grew up in Pennsylvania at a time when the Pennsylvania State Police (“PSP”) carried revolvers. In fact, PSP carried Ruger Security Six .357 magnum revolvers in stainless steel, with adjustable sights and four-inch barrels. I remember PSP transitioning from Colt Official Police 38 Special revolvers with six-inch barrels to the new Ruger. At the time, PSP used HKS speed loaders. If it was good enough for PSP to use HKS, I figured it was good enough for me. HKS speed loaders are inexpensive, robust and I never had one lose any rounds. I was aware of and occasionally used Safariland Comp II speed loaders (I also occasionally saw PSP Troopers with Comp IIs as well). They seemed fine, but I relied on HKS. In the attached photo, there is an example of an HKS, a Safariland Comp II and a Safariland Comp III all for my Ruger GP100. The patch is 2.75 inches in diameter to give you an idea of size. I recently changed to the Safariland Comp IIIs and let me tell you why.
The reason for the change is the need for speed. Once I started shooting courses of fire that required more speed, I realized that the HKS were not the fastest loaders available. Another of my mentors mentioned that the Safariland Comp III’s were the only way to go. I acquired several and have been using them extensively. The reason for their quickness is that they are spring loaded and literally drive rounds out of the loader into the cylinder rather than relying on gravity.
The only downside to the Comp IIIs is their size. They are about as long as a typical high capacity 9mm magazine and also thicker. You have to get creative in carrying them. That said, the Comp IIIs that I acquired during the six months (2017), I carried the Match Champion have been holding up fine. I carried the Comp IIIs in a variety of pockets (Update: As of June 2020, the Comp IIIs are still working great.). The rounds have remained firmly in place and as a bonus there is no “rattle” of loose rounds. I obtained an elastic tool band marketed by Ready Man Inc., out of Salt Lake City, that wraps around a trouser belt and provides a 4 or so inch long tunnel of elastic. My thinking was I would place the speed loader horizontally along the long axis of my belt. I figured this might be a discrete way to carry a speed loader. I suspect a loose shirt should cover it. Unfortunately, I tried the elastic sleeves and they are too small to accommodate a Comp III. I am thinking about getting a local saddle maker to stitch me up a piece of commercial grade elastic that would be spacious enough to accommodate my Comp III. We’ll see. I am impressed with the Safariland Comp IIIs and have pretty much settled on them as my “go to” loader of choice.
I also carried a pair of Bianchi Speed Strips in my right hand pants pocket for an additional reserve. I am under no illusion about the Bianchi Speed Strips being quick to reload with, but I liked the additional reserve of ammo. I did the same thing whenever I carried an FBI authorized S&W J frame revolver.
One last point about speed loaders. Different bullet shapes work better than others. 125 grain jacketed hollow point 357 rounds tend to be easy to reload with. Sharp shouldered bullets, like wadcutters, can be much more difficult to reload with. One of the really cool benefits of carrying the Ruger Match Champion is that it comes from the factory with the edges of the cartridge charge holes chamfered. This really improves the ability to speed load that revolver.
As a training note, I have a bunch of “dummy” ammunition. “Dummy” ammunition is typically non-functioning ammo that carries no powder or primer. In my supply of dummy ammo is a bunch of 38 Special rounds loaded with 148 grain full wadcutter bullets. This is about the hardest type of ammo to speed load into a revolver. As a result, I tend to practice most of my dry fire reloads using wadcutter ammo. It is harder, but you are rewarded with an increased ability to speed load other types of ammo. Food for thought."
Bruce
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. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
Originally Posted by 03RN
