CCW with speedloaders?

[oldhenry]

Back in the day when the FBI and other Federal agencies carried revolvers, there was a company which made a molded speed loader "keeper" which encircled the speed loader on the belt, such that three rounds were inserted INSIDE the belt and three rounds were OUTSIDE, and the molded, 1" wide leather keeper encircled the speed loader on the belt, and released one snap by raising a thumb tab, as you lifted the HKS or Safariland speed loader off the belt.

I don't remember who made these, I believe Buchheimer, and haven't seen a new one in years.

My old ones are falling apart... and are unmarked.

This may be the item you were thinking about. Bill Rogers designed these before he went with Safariland & it became part of the Safariland line. I have 2 doubles, but he made them in a single also. I used these when I shot IPSC with a revolver.

I came upon this thread late.

Henry

[sawinredneck]

I got my Safariland split six today, been wearing it most of the day for trials, so far it’s, meh. I wish I could get it in tan, it rides very high and tends to rub you the wrong way without an undershirt, which I don’t wear, the 5star loaders fit very loose, I had the speedloader all but drop out while sliding the carrier on my belt.
Now the positives, it does hold tight to your body and is decently concialable under a T-shirt. I’ve been wearing it weakhand today, gun right side, speedloader left side, other than trying to dig in, you don’t know it’s there. You do have decently quick access to the speedloader, and I think a person using HKS loaders will be happier, the 5Stars are a lot smaller.
Summation, if you really want to carry a speedloader with your CCW rig, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find much better. But, as with about anything that’s CCW, it’s a compromise . I caught it on sale for like $7 and ordered some other things so it shipped free, it’s well worth that. But I wouldn’t encourage anyone to go out of their way to order one, if that helps?

[Lloyd Smale]

yup ive carried for probably 20 years and never took an extra mag or speedloader. that said ive never even used the gun ive carried. I guess I figure 5 shots is a heck of a lot better then a stick. I don't plan on getting into any shootouts with a terrorist cell. About the worse id see up here is some crack addict that probably already sold his gun to buy drugs if he ever had one to begin with. ive fooled with speed strips enough to know that someone shooting at me isn't going to call a truce long enough for me to calmly reload. Speedloaders just print to much for summer carry. So in the summer I stick something like a j frame or lcp in my pocket and go. In the winter where printing doesn't mean as much id much rather have a glock 19 or 23 or 29 with one mag in it then a snubby with speedloaders. but to be truthfull even in the winter its a small gun in my pocket with no extra ammo. I do carry extra clips or speedloaders in the truck but I guess they don't help much in Walmart. Even my 43 and shield usually are relegated to truck guns. There to big for pocket carry and if I'm going to wear a holster I might as well carry a bigger gun. I ccw gun to me is a last ditch weapon that is going to be used at about point blank range. I'm not a swat team member or even a police officer that's going to get into a sustained gun fight. Ill leave that to the pros. Like outpost hinted toward most of this is walter middy stuff. Id bet that the percentage of ccw carriers that actually even had to draw there gun in there lifetime is under one percent and id bet out of those that did it would be a ridiculously low number of those that had to reload.

I would like to see some actual statistics as to how many times a civilian CCW actually ever needed to reload.

Most of this is pure mall ninja mental masturbation from guys who make their living teaching classes, many of whom have no street cred... Undercover cops, sure, but if you don't go places where you shouldn't, don't do stupid things and maintain situational awareness, VERY unlikely!

A very few people live in high risk neighborhoods, willingly put themselves in danger by going places where stupid people congregate and do stupid things...

But for most of us the risk of engaging multiple targets in the Food Lion, Cosco or Walmart parking lot highly unlikely.

If you are genuinely concerned that five shots in your revolver isn't enough, then:

Carry a second revolver, the fastest reload is a New York Reload...
But having a spare speed strip is a viable choice.

But if you are going to worry about it, then rethink your revolver choice and carry something else...

[Petrol & Powder]

The 5 Star loaders are certainly well made and beautiful devices. However, they are really nothing more than a HKS design nicely made with aluminum. I'm not criticizing their construction but in the end the lowly Safariland Comp I and Comp II will be faster.

I totally agree with the others that the need for a reload is probably very unlikely. A speedstrip to reload after the action is over would suffice.
If you're going to practice with your speedloaders, they're going to get dropped on the ground, a LOT. In fact, they're designed to fall away after the rounds are released.
I been picking up my same old Safariland loaders off of concrete, gravel, mud and grass for years. They keep chugging along. Those 5 Stars may be able to withstand that abuse but I would cry the first time I dropped one. In some ways, the Safariland and HKS loaders may be able to withstand that abuse better, particularly on concrete or gravel.

[Larry Gibson]

"it rides very high and tends to rub you the wrong way without an undershirt, which I don’t wear"

Have you tried it upside down?

[Larry Gibson]

I have a couple Safariland speed loaders still but all my other "carry" speed loaders are HKS. Things get squished and bumped around in pockets and too many times I've pulled and empty Safariland out of a pocket because the big button got pushed. The HKS do not lose the cartridges unless the knob is turned. With proper reload technique and a proper hold of the HKS speed loader (by the knob) it is just as fast as a Safariland. I trained too many LEOs in the proper use to think otherwise. I've even seen Safarilands dump the cartridges in the carriers because the top of the carrier flap got pushed down.

[Lloyd Smale]

have to agree with Larry. the safariland loaders are great for competition shooting but not so much for carry.

[rintinglen]

I am afraid I have to ardently disagree.
If not properly rotated when being filled, the Safariland loaders can lose cartridges, but when done right, they are as reliable as any other brand you can name, only faster. And the cartridges don't rattle. I used them for over 20 years on duty and have no problems recommending them. The only reason I have HK's is that they are made for many revolvers that are not Covered by Safariland. I do not recommend the 5 Star because for me they work backwards from the HK's that I am more familiar with. But they are shiny.

[Petrol & Powder]

My preference for Safariland is also rooted in years of use. They have proven to be entirely reliable and faster than the HKS type. Like rintinglen stated, sometimes HKS is the only choice because the Safariland types only cover a few revolver models. The two main drawbacks to the Safariland types are increased cost (they run about 25% more than HKS) and lack of availability.

If you grab a HKS loader by the knob, sooner or later the inertia of the cartridges will cause the body of the loader (with the cartridges) to rotate and release the cartridges. If you grab the HKS loader by the body, you then have to reposition your fingers to the knob after the cartridges are started into the cylinder. That extra movement may seem like a small thing but it's a lot under stress. It also increases the likelihood of pulling the cartridges back out of the cylinder.

A huge portion of the complaints about the Safariland loaders come from people that don't load them properly.
In Ed Lovette's book, "The Snubby Revolver" he describes a technique to set up the Safariland Speedloader. I was taught a similar technique long before I read it in Ed's book but it still holds true.
And by the way, you can push the big button on top of a Safariland loader all you want, the rounds will not release. The cartridges are released when the "star" on the other side of the loader is pushed in. Like when the cartridges are in the chambers and the "star" bottoms out on the extractor or center pin of the cylinder. That "star" is well protected when all 5 or 6 rounds are locked in place around it.

I don't want to get into a Safariland vs. HKS or Ford vs. Chevy discussion but I will say the Safariland loaders get slandered a bit. They are actually very good speedloaders.

[35remington]

P and P, you're already in the thick of a Safariland versus HKS discussion. At this point "want to" is something that is pretty evident.

Carry what you want. Everyone can make up their own mind.

[sawinredneck]

"it rides very high and tends to rub you the wrong way without an undershirt, which I don’t wear"

Have you tried it upside down?

I have not, while this is a decent idea, I don’t think it would work in my case. My shirts won’t be long enough to cover it well.
As for the Safariland/HKS/other brand debate, it’s all moot in my case, none of them fit or work well on the LCR. The 5Star is the only loader that will clear the grips and seat the rounds in it.

[Larry Gibson]

"Carry what you want. Everyone can make up their own mind".

As I said, I have both and still use both, just prefer the HKS.

P&P.....funny story; had a detective who carried a 2 1/2" M19 but had to carry the issue Winchester 38 SPL +P LSWCHPs in it. He carried a Safariland speed loader with the bullets slipped over the top of his belt. One day he was having lunch with a OSP Detective and an FBI agent. He started to get up but the back of the chair bushed down on the big knob which, as you say, doesn't push in, but guess what the top of the belt pushed up against? Yup, that star that releases the cartridges......3 of them hit the floor.....as they say now a days....AWKWARD.......

Then since both Safariland and other makes made the K and L frame speed loaders a "generic" size to fit 357 length shells there was a spacer to fit the bottom for use if 38 SPLs were carried. Was a plastic thing with a post in the middle....guess what hit that star ejecting the cartridges when something like the steering wheel hit the top of the carrier with the speed loader in it? Then there was the time I had 2 Safariland speed loaders in my jacket pocket for the 2" M10 I was carrying on a stakeout for a burglar. We spotted him and the chase was on through backyards, over fences, etc. After catching him, subduing him (he did not want to go quietly into the night), hooking him up and put him in a patrol unit I got back to my car, reached into the same pocket for the keys and found the speed loader had jostled over a key and it had pushed on that star releasing 6 cartridges into my pocket. Other officers in my and other agencies were having the same problems. Granted there were many officers and agencies that didn't have any such problems. Never heard of any HKS giving the same problems so many of us got them and then the department issued them instead of the Safariland.

Yes, I suppose someone could inadvertently turn the knob on a HKS but in many years as a LEO advanced firearms instructor for the Board of Police standards and training I never saw it happen. That's not to say it wouldn't though.

[rockshooter]

1. another speed-loader carrier to look at is the Bianchi 16R-1
2. An inconspicuous speed-strip carrier is a flip-phone belt case- it will hold 2 strips
Loren

[Combat Diver]

My EDC is a Smith 442 Pro carried in one of the front pockets. Other front has knife clipped along with other stuff inside. Back pockets have wallet and other speed strips. I added a set of CTC laser grips to help ensure those 5 rounds make it to the target, front sight is also painted orange. My Pro is also cut for moon clips and I may carry with one moon clip inside the gun to add in extraction. If I carry additional moon clips or traditional speed loaders (I prefer HKS because they also make them for my .41 N frame, .44 CA Bulldog and others) the are carried in other pockets in jacket.


CD