Speed Strips? More Like Slow Strips- Help

Shadi Khalil · September 23, 2011, 10:49 PM

Hello all,

After a long stint with autos, I've recently gone back to carrying a j-frame (637) along with 2 speed strips. In my old days of carrying a revolver I used speed loaders and would only carry one because of the bulk. I switched to speed strips because it's easy to carry 2 so I get an extra 5 rounds. All thats great except I'm terrible with the speed strips.

I practice reloading every night but with little improvement. I still fumble around with them, bumping the cylinder and not lining the rounds up right. I'm carrying them in my left back pocket (I'm a south paw) and I find that they are easily accessible there. When loading I also use a scallop hold and rip them off away from my body. I also use a 6 round strip so I have some extra room to work with.
I feel like I'm doing it right but it's still not working.

I know practice makes perfect but is there any advice any one can offer? Maybe a little trick or perhaps something I'm doing wrong?

Thanks.

Navy joe · September 23, 2011, 11:14 PM

Are you loading one round at a time or two? Most speed strips you can do 2 at once, so load the J-Frame 2,2,1. I don't usually carry a reload for my J-frame and if I carry a real revo I use God's own invention, moonclips. I hate speedloaders.

Shadi Khalil · September 23, 2011, 11:42 PM

Joe,

I am using two at a time. Moon clips seem like they would be fast but then there is the issue of bulk.

9mm · September 23, 2011, 11:59 PM

IMO, carry one quick reload and the rest in strips, use a camera bag to store them, you can get like 20 rounds in those bags(4 strip clips)

jhenry · September 24, 2011, 02:23 AM

Speed strips are handy, just not very fast. Just do as you are doing and practice ripping 2 at a time off the strip while reloading. It can get speedier, but not speedy.

Bailey Boat · September 24, 2011, 07:50 AM

You state that you are LEFT handed and keep the strips in your LEFT REAR pocket. Describe what you're doing with each hand during the unload/reload cycle beginning with the last shot fired.

As a right handed person I have my strips in my right front pocket but the gun transitions to my left hand once the cylinder is unlatched and while the left thumb is ejecting the empties the right hand is bringing the speed strip to meet up with the gun directly in front of my body and the left fingers rotate the cylinder to accept 2 rounds, turn, 2 rounds, turn, 1 round and then the strip is dropped as the cylinder is closed and the gun brought back to target.

secret_agent_man · September 24, 2011, 08:23 AM

Quote:

is there any advice any one can offer?

After five and they don't stop, go to knife mode.

federali · September 24, 2011, 08:25 AM

Speed strips require the use of fine motor skills, the first to fail under fire. Also, during revolver days, I don't know of any police departments that authorized them for duty use. Generally, a left handed shooter should transfer the revolver to his right hand, then clear brass and reload the same as a right handed shooter. In so doing, remember to turn the cylinder with the fingers of your left hand so that the chambers being charged are always furthest away from the frame.

While you may carry semi-wadcutters in your revolver, ammo for reloading should be of the JHP variety as they slip more easily into the chambers and are not as likely to hang up

.wheelgunner. · September 24, 2011, 09:03 AM

For me speed strips merely kept the ammo organized, vs loose rounds in my pocket. If I were truly concerned about a gunfight I'd carry an auto.

Wait. I do carry an auto!

Lee Lapin · September 24, 2011, 09:41 AM

Might as well carry a speed loader.

And if you're going to carry a speed loader, might as well carry a second airweight J frame and be done with it. Give it up and just be a genuine oldphart...

lpl

graysmoke · September 24, 2011, 09:52 AM

With my S&W Model 10 Revolver....I use the Speed Loader.

Load 6 bullets all at once - can't be any quicker.....HELLO!

Glenn Dee · September 24, 2011, 10:33 AM

Practice makes perfect. If you want to carry speed strips... Then perfect your technique. I also carry speed strips as extra ammo when carrying a revolver. Been carrying them for more years than I can remember. While they will probably never be as fast a moonies, or speed loaders... they are a lot easier to carry, and lend to carrying more of them.

As far as losing fine motor skills under fire... that has not been my experience. I believe that practice with the speed strips will give a person the muscle memory for a smooth, and quick reload under fire.

Having practiced for years doing a combat re-load with a revolver it has become second nature. I'd say practice until you can do it blindfolded. Then continue practicing every time you go to the range with your carry gun.

I do have a question though... Why are so many people in such a hurry to run out of ammo?

Glenn D.

kraigwy · September 24, 2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Why are so many people in such a hurry to run out of ammo?

LOL Love it,

Great question

Skadoosh · September 24, 2011, 11:58 AM

I carry a j-frame exclusively. That is because I dont expect to be in a situation where a j-frame wouldnt be enough. Snubbies are a deep concealment handgun. They are not meant for use in an extended battle with more than a couple (or three) targets at any given moment.

So, exactly how fast do you REALLY need...or expect...to reload your j-frame with a speed strip?

I think speed strips are a good compromise between concealability and speed. They serve a simple purpose. Speed strips are better than carrying extra cartridges loose in your pocket and they happen to be far more concealable than speed loaders. That is really the goal here, isnt it? I have only needed to be proficient with speed strips to consistently reload smoothly. Nothing more, nothing less.

Like the old adage goes: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

MLeake · September 24, 2011, 12:28 PM

... a second J-frame is hard to beat.

jglsprings · September 24, 2011, 12:33 PM

This may help...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAXlT3ZLzs

A speed strip is never going to be "fast". I carry two all the time and practice at the range. I'll never compare to a mag change on one of my autos.

Shadi Khalil · September 24, 2011, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bailey Boat

You state that you are LEFT handed and keep the strips in your LEFT REAR pocket. Describe what you're doing with each hand during the unload/reload cycle beginning with the last shot fired.

As a right handed person I have my strips in my right front pocket but the gun transitions to my left hand once the cylinder is unlatched and while the left thumb is ejecting the empties the right hand is bringing the speed strip to meet up with the gun directly in front of my body and the left fingers rotate the cylinder to accept 2 rounds, turn, 2 rounds, turn, 1 round and then the strip is dropped as the cylinder is closed and the gun brought back to target.

Ok,

Gun goes dry, I open the cylinder, move the gun to my right hand, eject spents, reach in my back pocket and retrieve strip, fumble with the reload.

MLeake,

That would be ideal except I don't think I could stand the extra weight.

Skadoosh,

I don't expect to be super fast but rather smooth. I guess my title was mis-worded.

If I slow it down to where I'm not fumbling I might as well not reload at all. In all honesty I believe that the 5 shots is plenty, but for some reason I feel compelled to carry the strips lately. All the classes, books and internet discussions must planned a idea seed in my brain that's starting to bloom.

Hook686 · September 24, 2011, 09:18 PM

My solution has been to carry a S&W 3913 in a 'cross-draw' camera bag. When the J-Frame is empty I throw it and reach across, unzip the bag and draw the 3913. I find it a lot faster than fumbling with a speed strip.

Straightshooter629 · September 24, 2011, 09:19 PM

Speed strips will never be as fast as speed loaders but they are a lot easier to carry and conceal. The choice is yours but I prefer the ease of carry of the speed strips. With practice, you can get fairly profecient with speed stips.

orionengnr · September 24, 2011, 09:28 PM

I don't alway carry a revolver...but when I do, I carry an N-frame.

I only carry revolvers in the winter time...and then, concealing speed loaders are not a problem. I own speed strips for my .41 Mag and .45 LC, just because they make them. But I have never carried the Speed Strips (yet).

When I carried a j-frame 5-6 years ago, I used to watch TV while I practiced reloading with either speedloaders or speed strips. The idea was to do it while not looking at what I was doing...as I imagined that if I were ever in a gunfight and someone was shooting at me, my eyes would be on him or something other than what my hands were doing.

So I practiced doing it (basically) blindfolded. Did it every night until I got reasonably good at it, and then once a week or so thereafter.

Shadi Khalil · September 24, 2011, 11:13 PM

Orionegnr,

That's a great idea, I'll have to try the blindfold method.

Well you guys helped figure out what I'm doing wrong. Instead of holding the cylinder all the way out during reloads, I've been trying to keep it partially open... Here's what I mean.

The way I was doing it before..

The new method..

The cylinder is more stable and easier to line up with the rounds. I think this might be the answer to my problems. Thanks for all the advice.

Edit:

I feel kinda dumb for not figuring this out a while ago. With the cylinder all the way out it's harder to manipulate and keep steady. Oh well, thats what practice is for.

Mello2u · September 25, 2011, 12:25 AM

Maybe you should consider something like this:

For me, speed strips are only speedier than trying to load from a jumble of rounds loose in my pocket.

secret_agent_man · September 25, 2011, 10:13 AM

I don't often use a J frame. But when I do, I prefer Dos Pistoles.

Keep 'em guessing, My Friends.

Shadi Khalil · September 25, 2011, 11:25 AM

Secret agent man,

I'm guessing that holster is worn small of back? I don't know if I could comfortably carry one revolver back there, let alone two. Very cool rig though!

treg · September 25, 2011, 12:39 PM

Speed Strips are a whole lot smoother than loose rounds in your pocket or a dump pouch. And a whole lot easier to carry than Speedloaders.

September 23, 2011, 10:49 PM	#1
Shadi Khalil Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2006 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 5,210	Speed Strips? More Like Slow Strips- Help Hello all, After a long stint with autos, I've recently gone back to carrying a j-frame (637) along with 2 speed strips. In my old days of carrying a revolver I used speed loaders and would only carry one because of the bulk. I switched to speed strips because it's easy to carry 2 so I get an extra 5 rounds. All thats great except I'm terrible with the speed strips. I practice reloading every night but with little improvement. I still fumble around with them, bumping the cylinder and not lining the rounds up right. I'm carrying them in my left back pocket (I'm a south paw) and I find that they are easily accessible there. When loading I also use a scallop hold and rip them off away from my body. I also use a 6 round strip so I have some extra room to work with. I feel like I'm doing it right but it's still not working. I know practice makes perfect but is there any advice any one can offer? Maybe a little trick or perhaps something I'm doing wrong? Thanks. Last edited by Shadi Khalil; September 24, 2011 at 09:37 PM.

September 23, 2011, 11:14 PM	#2
Navy joe Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2001 Location: VA, USA Posts: 1,804	Are you loading one round at a time or two? Most speed strips you can do 2 at once, so load the J-Frame 2,2,1. I don't usually carry a reload for my J-frame and if I carry a real revo I use God's own invention, moonclips. I hate speedloaders. __________________ FY47012

September 24, 2011, 02:23 AM	#5
jhenry Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2006 Location: Ozarks Posts: 1,840	Speed strips are handy, just not very fast. Just do as you are doing and practice ripping 2 at a time off the strip while reloading. It can get speedier, but not speedy. __________________ "A Liberal is someone who doesn't care what you do, as long as it's mandatory". - Charles Krauthammer

September 24, 2011, 08:25 AM	#8
federali Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2011 Location: Nassau County NY Posts: 378	speed strip bumps Speed strips require the use of fine motor skills, the first to fail under fire. Also, during revolver days, I don't know of any police departments that authorized them for duty use. Generally, a left handed shooter should transfer the revolver to his right hand, then clear brass and reload the same as a right handed shooter. In so doing, remember to turn the cylinder with the fingers of your left hand so that the chambers being charged are always furthest away from the frame. While you may carry semi-wadcutters in your revolver, ammo for reloading should be of the JHP variety as they slip more easily into the chambers and are not as likely to hang up __________________ Int'l Assoc. of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors

September 24, 2011, 09:41 AM	#10
Lee Lapin Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2004 Location: SE NC Posts: 1,239	Might as well carry a speed loader. And if you're going to carry a speed loader, might as well carry a second airweight J frame and be done with it. Give it up and just be a genuine oldphart... lpl __________________ Mindset - Skillset - Toolset. In that order! Attitude and skill will get you through times of no gear, better than gear will get you through times of no attitude and no skill.

September 23, 2011, 11:42 PM	#3
Shadi Khalil Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2006 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 5,210	Joe, I am using two at a time. Moon clips seem like they would be fast but then there is the issue of bulk.

September 23, 2011, 11:59 PM	#4
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,834	IMO, carry one quick reload and the rest in strips, use a camera bag to store them, you can get like 20 rounds in those bags(4 strip clips)

September 24, 2011, 07:50 AM	#6
Bailey Boat Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2006 Location: NC Posts: 365	You state that you are LEFT handed and keep the strips in your LEFT REAR pocket. Describe what you're doing with each hand during the unload/reload cycle beginning with the last shot fired. As a right handed person I have my strips in my right front pocket but the gun transitions to my left hand once the cylinder is unlatched and while the left thumb is ejecting the empties the right hand is bringing the speed strip to meet up with the gun directly in front of my body and the left fingers rotate the cylinder to accept 2 rounds, turn, 2 rounds, turn, 1 round and then the strip is dropped as the cylinder is closed and the gun brought back to target.

September 24, 2011, 09:03 AM	#9
.wheelgunner. Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2011 Posts: 150	For me speed strips merely kept the ammo organized, vs loose rounds in my pocket. If I were truly concerned about a gunfight I'd carry an auto. Wait. I do carry an auto!

September 24, 2011, 09:52 AM	#11
graysmoke Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2011 Location: Tennessee Posts: 378	With my S&W Model 10 Revolver....I use the Speed Loader. Load 6 bullets all at once - can't be any quicker.....HELLO! __________________ "Keep your powder dry, and eyes on the target". -R. Lee Ermey

September 24, 2011, 10:33 AM	#12
Glenn Dee Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,560	Practice makes perfect. If you want to carry speed strips... Then perfect your technique. I also carry speed strips as extra ammo when carrying a revolver. Been carrying them for more years than I can remember. While they will probably never be as fast a moonies, or speed loaders... they are a lot easier to carry, and lend to carrying more of them. As far as losing fine motor skills under fire... that has not been my experience. I believe that practice with the speed strips will give a person the muscle memory for a smooth, and quick reload under fire. Having practiced for years doing a combat re-load with a revolver it has become second nature. I'd say practice until you can do it blindfolded. Then continue practicing every time you go to the range with your carry gun. I do have a question though... Why are so many people in such a hurry to run out of ammo? Glenn D.

September 24, 2011, 11:58 AM	#14
Skadoosh Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2010 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,016	I carry a j-frame exclusively. That is because I dont expect to be in a situation where a j-frame wouldnt be enough. Snubbies are a deep concealment handgun. They are not meant for use in an extended battle with more than a couple (or three) targets at any given moment. So, exactly how fast do you REALLY need...or expect...to reload your j-frame with a speed strip? I think speed strips are a good compromise between concealability and speed. They serve a simple purpose. Speed strips are better than carrying extra cartridges loose in your pocket and they happen to be far more concealable than speed loaders. That is really the goal here, isnt it? I have only needed to be proficient with speed strips to consistently reload smoothly. Nothing more, nothing less. Like the old adage goes: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. __________________ NRA Life Member USN Retired

September 24, 2011, 12:28 PM	#15
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	For a much faster reload... ... a second J-frame is hard to beat.

September 24, 2011, 12:33 PM	#16
jglsprings Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2009 Posts: 1,827	This may help... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAXlT3ZLzs A speed strip is never going to be "fast". I carry two all the time and practice at the range. I'll never compare to a mag change on one of my autos. __________________ Let's eat Grandma. Let's eat, Grandma. Commas save lives...

September 24, 2011, 09:18 PM	#18
Hook686 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2005 Location: USA The Great State of California Posts: 2,090	My solution has been to carry a S&W 3913 in a 'cross-draw' camera bag. When the J-Frame is empty I throw it and reach across, unzip the bag and draw the 3913. I find it a lot faster than fumbling with a speed strip. __________________ Hook686 When the number of people in institutions reaches 51%, we change sides.

September 24, 2011, 09:19 PM	#19
Straightshooter629 Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 475	Speed strips will never be as fast as speed loaders but they are a lot easier to carry and conceal. The choice is yours but I prefer the ease of carry of the speed strips. With practice, you can get fairly profecient with speed stips.

September 24, 2011, 09:28 PM	#20
orionengnr Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2004 Posts: 5,177	I don't alway carry a revolver...but when I do, I carry an N-frame. I only carry revolvers in the winter time...and then, concealing speed loaders are not a problem. I own speed strips for my .41 Mag and .45 LC, just because they make them. But I have never carried the Speed Strips (yet). When I carried a j-frame 5-6 years ago, I used to watch TV while I practiced reloading with either speedloaders or speed strips. The idea was to do it while not looking at what I was doing...as I imagined that if I were ever in a gunfight and someone was shooting at me, my eyes would be on him or something other than what my hands were doing. So I practiced doing it (basically) blindfolded. Did it every night until I got reasonably good at it, and then once a week or so thereafter.

September 24, 2011, 11:13 PM	#21
Shadi Khalil Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2006 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 5,210	Orionegnr, That's a great idea, I'll have to try the blindfold method. Well you guys helped figure out what I'm doing wrong. Instead of holding the cylinder all the way out during reloads, I've been trying to keep it partially open... Here's what I mean. The way I was doing it before.. The new method.. The cylinder is more stable and easier to line up with the rounds. I think this might be the answer to my problems. Thanks for all the advice. Edit: I feel kinda dumb for not figuring this out a while ago. With the cylinder all the way out it's harder to manipulate and keep steady. Oh well, thats what practice is for. Last edited by Shadi Khalil; September 24, 2011 at 11:30 PM.

September 25, 2011, 12:25 AM	#22
Mello2u Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,424	Maybe you should consider something like this: For me, speed strips are only speedier than trying to load from a jumble of rounds loose in my pocket. __________________ NRA Life Member - Orange Gunsite Member - NRA Certified Pistol Instructor "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." Frederic Bastiat

September 25, 2011, 10:13 AM	#23
secret_agent_man Junior member Join Date: March 25, 2011 Posts: 463	I don't often use a J frame. But when I do, I prefer Dos Pistoles. Keep 'em guessing, My Friends.

September 25, 2011, 11:25 AM	#24
Shadi Khalil Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2006 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 5,210	Secret agent man, I'm guessing that holster is worn small of back? I don't know if I could comfortably carry one revolver back there, let alone two. Very cool rig though!

September 25, 2011, 12:39 PM	#25
treg Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2006 Posts: 1,102	Speed Strips are a whole lot smoother than loose rounds in your pocket or a dump pouch. And a whole lot easier to carry than Speedloaders. __________________ .44 Special: For those who get it, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation is possible.