Wheelgun Challenge III

[JRV]

What do you all prefer: grabbing the speedloader with the strong hand while ejecting empties with the weak hand, or keeping the gun in the strong hand and grabbing the speedloader with the weak hand?


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Weak hand ejection and reload is faster and more consistent, in my experience. With decent speedloaders (not HKS or another twist-top design), I have also found that technique provides less opportunity for the empty speedloader to get hung up in or around the cylinder, and I have greater visual clearance into the chargeholes when briefly confirming loader alignment.

The process starts the same whether using a sprung loader (Comp III/JetLoader) or a gravity fed loader (Comp I/Comp II):

Right thumb release, left fingers push cylinder out of frame, muzzle up, left palm eject, gun and left hand go towards belt, muzzle down, left hand grabs loader, left middle finger indexes between two rounds, brief visual confirmation that the indexed finger is coming down on the bridge between two charge holes.

Sprung loader:

Left hand holds loader with rounds started into charge holes, right thumb presses on base of loader while left hand releases loader body, empty loader falls away, left palm rolls cylinder back into frame, gun meets eyeline back on target while reestablishing grip.

Gravity loader:

Left hand presses loader body into cylinder while right hand pulls the gun towards the loader, left hand releases loader body, empty loader falls away, left palm rolls cylinder back into frame, gun meets eyeline back on target while reestablishing grip.

The sprung loader technique cut my reload time down from about 4 seconds to under 3, shot-to-shot, in match conditions. It’s not going to work for everybody, or for people with body-types not conducive to carrying speedloaders in certain locations on their body. But, it’s enabled me to stay within 10-15% of overall match times compared to the local SSP and CDP MA class shooters (granted, that doesn’t mean a lot since the 5x5 became the IDPA classifier).

[Dave T]

I have always been a strong hand holds the gun, weak hand does the reloading shooter. This no doubt comes from years of reloading semi-autos that way and, the vast majoring of my revolver shooting was with 45 ACP revolvers and Moonclips. They kind of load themselves and aid in sure and complete ejection. It's kind of like cheating. (smile)

The same thing works reasonably well with the Moonclips for my 7-shot L-frame (386 Night Guard). The SWC load I'm carrying doesn't slip in as easily as the 45 ACPs but it is as easy and faster than the HKS 7-round speed loader I have.

Dave

[BN]

[TGS]

Your reloads are super smooth, Bill. I don't understand how you get reliable extraction when your gun is still mostly horizontal, and that very well might be a good example of a full length ejector rod vs snub length.

Question: Why do you wear your speedloaders tucked up against the gun on your strong hand side, when you're manipulating them with your weak hand? Why not wear them on the left hand side as you would with a semi-auto?

[SCCY Marshal]

I use the Ohio/Taylor reload as described by Michael de Bethencourt. Mostly because my left pockets tend to have the space for a reload. Partly because an empty speedloader body falls away more cleanly for me. As a nice bonus, I find the cylinder index on closing to be pretty consistent within a chamber or two and almost always end up with a live round ready to go after a pair from strip/loops/pouch.

Also just ordered up a Tex Shoemaker six-round belt slide with snap closure. Plan to leave it in my bag and be able to snap it on if I feel the need for another reload on my person. Have been leaving a Comp II in there but the flatter profile and included quick donning belt carrier seems handier. That's how I justify it, anyway. The real reason is having watched the first episode of the first Dragnet series, last night. Joe Friday was rocking a belt slide. Else I'd have just used a couple speed strips for the application.

[TGS]

I use the Ohio/Taylor reload as described by Michael de Bethencourt.

This one?

[SCCY Marshal]

This one?

Yup. Do vary it slightly, though. I hook my left index finger around the yoke a bit for stable leverage with Ruger-style cylinder releases. May or may not rotate the cylinder side inboard like he does when going muzzle up, depends on my body position.

[BillSWPA]

I've got a couple of the Safariland split holders and only use them when carrying an N frame with the required (because there aren't any Comp IIs) HKS loaders. I don't think the Ns are supposed to work with them, and they are a tight fit, but the rounds jiggle and make too much noise in the Kydex split holders I have for them. They fit in the hollow of my hip over the front pocket and conceal well enough under a square-bottomed shirt or something heavier. That said, I only carry an N frame when I'm feeling ceremonial or nostalgic (M21-4 or M22-4) or in the woods (M28-2). Normal revolver carry is a 4" K frame, and that's pretty rare anyway.

The noise from the Kydex is a good point. I just tried out the pocket speedloader pouch from Aholster, and while the noise was not too bad, it was potentially noticable. Perhaps a thin piece of foam in the bottom of the pouch would help?

[BN]

Your reloads are super smooth, Bill. I don't understand how you get reliable extraction when your gun is still mostly horizontal, and that very well might be a good example of a full length ejector rod vs snub length.

Question: Why do you wear your speedloaders tucked up against the gun on your strong hand side, when you're manipulating them with your weak hand? Why not wear them on the left hand side as you would with a semi-auto?

Thanks.

If you look at the different reloads there was a slight glitch on the first reload, then when I reloaded before holstering, that one was very smooth. My S&W Model 10 is one of the older ones before they changed the ejector star and they have the longest ejector stroke.

That was my IDPA legal competition rig back then. The loaders could be right in front of the holster or behind the center line on either side. I put them there because when I brought the gun down to reload the loaders were right there with out added motion reaching clear across my body. I usually wore an open front vest and I could slip my hand in to get the loader. I leave the cylinder free to spin so the rounds could align themselves. I used FMJ round nose bullets and would have to experiment to see if any SD loads would work.

I originally made the video so I could see what I was doing. I didn't really think it through ahead of time. I just thought "reload" and it happened.

[JRV]

Your reloads are super smooth, Bill. I don't understand how you get reliable extraction when your gun is still mostly horizontal, and that very well might be a good example of a full length ejector rod vs snub length.

Question: Why do you wear your speedloaders tucked up against the gun on your strong hand side, when you're manipulating them with your weak hand? Why not wear them on the left hand side as you would with a semi-auto?

I can’t answer for Bill specifically, but I wear pouches in the same spot.

(1) It’s closer to the gun. Gun comes straight down off target, in the strong hand, on the strong side. Less distance to cover with the loader and the gun in each direction.

(2) Unlike mags, which are stored upside down with respect to their final position in the gun, speedloaders are “upside right” for use when oriented in a pouch. Grabbing them cross-body minimizes any need for reorienting the bullets into the cylinder once grabbed.