To be fair I’ve been using autos for almost my whole career. I’ve really started to appreciate the revolver. I’m starting some practice time reloading with my 686+ PC. Using dummy rounds I’ve been going through reload drills and I’ve got to tell you it’s not nearly as easy as it looks...

I’ve heard the standard to go for in reloading is 5 seconds...I’ve gotten it down to seven so far if everything lined up right.

Anyone out there have some advice?

What speedloaders are you using? I prefer the "Comp Tac II" from Safariland. No "knob" to manipulate. Just push the rounds in and a plunger in the base of the reloader releases them. Faster than HKS reloaders.

Your dummy rounds will fall free of the chambers, unlike fired empties where you need to eject them. Best to load up with empties then reload with dummies. Practice to become comfortable with weak hand swinging open the cylinder, thumbing the ejector rod, reposition for the reload, reload and let the speed loader fall away. Strong hand back to your weapon. Do it enough and it will become much smoother and natural. Now you can be concerned with speed.

Go to the range with a friend and each of you load teh revolver for the other to shoot...dont load every port...see how much you flinch.

I think you should be timing from your shooting position after a hammer fall on empty.

quote:

Originally posted by Rolan_Kraps:
What speedloaders are you using? I prefer the "Comp Tac II" from Safariland. No "knob" to manipulate. Just push the rounds in and a plunger in the base of the reloader releases them. Faster than HKS reloaders.

All I have are the HKS ones for now with 3 moon clips as well. I need to get more moon clips I think. They reload easier it seems...

If you had been a LEO in the time of revolver use, here is what you would have been taught:
Holding the revolver in your left hand (assuming you are right handed), push the cylinder release with the thumb of your right hand while at the same time pushing the cylinder open using the 3rd and 4th fingers of your left hand (the 2 between your index finger and pinkie), and at the same time invert the revolver so gravity will assist ejection of empties, as you hit the ejection rod with your left thumb. Your gun will be empty within a fraction of a second.

Keep the revolver in your left hand but now tilted barrel down, and use those same two fingers and left thumb to rotate the cylinder while you feed new rounds with your right hand. If using speed loader no need to rotate the cylinder.

I never see people at the range doing this, because they have never been taught the proper way to rapidly empty a revolver.

With the right gun and the right setup, sub one second reloads are possible.

Not with speed loaders though, lol. Not even spring loaded push button ones I don't think.

https://youtu.be/oXUwI_d8JlA

Massed Ayoob shows the way and why

I became an LE firearms instructor in the closing days of the revolver. Difficulty reloading a revolver under under stress (or under fire) hastened its falling from LE use. And not only could lots of cops not master the speedloader, the DA trigger was a problem for lots of them too.
For some insight into revolver reloading issues, research "The Newhall Incident".

Moon clips are a beautiful thing.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I became an LE firearms instructor in the closing days of the revolver. Difficulty reloading a revolver under under stress (or under fire) hastened its falling from LE use. And not only could lots of cops not master the speedloader, the DA trigger was a problem for lots of them too.
For some insight into revolver reloading issues, research "The Newhall Incident".

Excellent point.

It takes a fair amount of practice and dexterity to reload a revolver rapidly. Few can do it under range conditions.

Under the stress of an actual gunfight, I suspect very few could, even in the age of the revolver.

When I shot IDPA with a double action revolver, I practiced a lot with dummy rounds using the Comp III loaders. One thing that helped me a lot was practicing with my eyes closed. When you get to where you can perform perfect reloads like that, with eyes open it's easy.

I carry a S&W 642 as a backup gun in a pocket holster (as a private citizen, I’m not in LE) and have carried spare ammo in either speed strips or in a 2x2x2 ammo pouch. Slower than a speedloader but easy to carry.

I concur with the comment re: moon clips when those are an option. They are allllmost as easy to use as changing magazines. Granted, one has to deal with the loading and unloading of the clip itself. Still, they are so easy to use.

Just for the record I never thought it “looked easy”

My 2 cents and those cents have to be heavily discounted because I have no tactical revolver experience.

Ok that out of the way a couple things I have found over the years YMMV.

-Don’t be gentle with getting the spent brass out. Give it a good hard thumb press or whack. This helps launch the empties out and avoids hanging them up under the ejector.

-I find holding the rounds themselves on the speed loader helps me get them aligned far easier then not vs allowing them to wobble around so to speak.

-Moonclips, in my experience, are awesome for ejection but less so for loading outside of a competition environment because they can be bent “fairly easily” and a bent moon clip can cause issues. I prefer to have a moonclip in the gun bit reload with a speed loader as I find them to be far more durable carried in normal day to day ways.

-Keep the area under the ejector star dry. If it gets unburnt powder stuck under it, it doesn’t take much to cause issues.

Again these are just a dumbass on the Internet’s observations not somebody who has had to carry a revolver in law enforcement etc. so as always I am only providing one dudes observations and you should always defer to the guys who know their stuff.

Take care, shoot safe,
Chris

When I began carrying a revolver, it was dump pouches, and the standard we were trained and practiced was fire two rounds, move, load two rounds. If the cylinder was emptied, eject forcefully, but stil two rounds with fingertips at a time.

With empties hanging in the cylinder, simply inverting to eject wasn't considered sufficient; slamming the ejector rod forcefully ensured clean ejection. Ideally a reload was behind cover or concealment, not standing in the open, like a target. There was a good chance that the reload was done while moving.

A moon clip beats a speed loader. A speed loader beats a speed strip. A speed strip beats a dump pouch.

Chamfered cylinder beats an unchamfered cylinder.

A second pistol beats a reload.

Jerry Miculek beats everybody.

stiab - you are right on with your description. It does take a lot of practice to master this, but it isn't as difficult as it sounds. Practicing with fired cases and dummy reloads is the way to go!

You know why I love to shoot revolvers? I don't have to chase my brass.

The one thing that I remember during my federal law enforcement training was the instructor being very
empathetic about not "cowboying" the revolver cylinder closed by a flip of your wrist. I've seen some revolver shooters do this and it was obvious they were just showing their ignorance. I'll always treasure my first revolver, a Colt 357 (the
forerunner of the Python).

i do like revolvers but if I carried a revolver for duty I'd carry a 642 for a 'reload'

no matter how much you practice, under stress / potentially injured its going to be a chore to get it done quickly

but if having to take a 'long shot' like 50 yards... I'd much rather have a revolver i could fire single action than a Glock

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