Speed loaders for S&W 442

[OhioGuy]

The 442 I bought used came with three HKS 36 speed loaders. They definitely don't fit well alongside the frame and stock grips. Seems I have to get the rounds maybe halfway into the cylinder and the twist the knob to let gravity do the rest. But I'm new to this.

What's the better way? A different brand of loader? Different grips? I'm not worrying about speed strips at this point, just wanting to get better with a loader.

I've seen good reviews for the Speed Beez brand but those are pretty expensive and look to be very tall?

[AK103K]

I prefer the Safariland speed loaders over the HKS. I have both types, and the Safariland is more secure at holding the rounds and more positive to use. Just drop them in and push.

They look like this....

https://www.safariland.com/products/...p-i-11230.html

[CDR_Glock]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

The 442 I bought used came with three HKS 36 speed loaders. They definitely don't fit well alongside the frame and stock grips. Seems I have to get the rounds maybe halfway into the cylinder and the twist the knob to let gravity do the rest. But I'm new to this.



What's the better way? A different brand of loader? Different grips? I'm not worrying about speed strips at this point, just wanting to get better with a loader.



I've seen good reviews for the Speed Beez brand but those are pretty expensive and look to be very tall?

Speed Beez is for competition.

Safari land makes some that automatically drop in.

One of the pitfalls of a speedloader is navigating around a grip and cylinder latch. If you have rubber aftermarket grips, that creates another issue. If your wood grips are wide it’s another problem.

Bianchi makes speed strips. You load two at a time. Set it up so you have a skipped slot between each pair of rounds.

I carry a revolver, but I carry other guns as backup. I call it the Carolina Reload (2 gun backup)

I practiced Saturday. It was overcast, rainy, windy and 39 degrees but I was the only one there at the club... No surprise.


15 yards

10 yards

7 yards

My carry


https://www.instagram.com/p/B5OIGNDA...d=5oaklcsb2s4z

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[lee n. field]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

The 442 I bought used came with three HKS 36 speed loaders. They definitely don't fit well alongside the frame and stock grips. Seems I have to get the rounds maybe halfway into the cylinder and the twist the knob to let gravity do the rest. But I'm new to this.

What's the better way? A different brand of loader? Different grips? I'm not worrying about speed strips at this point, just wanting to get better with a loader.

I've seen good reviews for the Speed Beez brand but those are pretty expensive and look to be very tall?

Safariland. Line them up, then push on the body of the speedloader.

And you'll probably want to change out your grips.

[dyl]

Look for grips that have a little backwords "L" cut out facing the cylinder for speedloader clearance, like in the humongous pictures above. There are also speed strips made of tough black urethane. When/if I carry extra ammo that's what I use as they lay flat. Slower, but more convenient. Home defense? Speedloaders. Of course you could just embrace it and get leather speedloader pouches like a 1980's cop.

[JERRYS.]

Safariland Comp I, no fine motor skill needed to deploy, and fine motor skill is what you will lose almost right away when your opponent is not a clock.

[OhioGuy]

Any recommendation on brand and style for grips that better fit a speedloader?

[AK103K]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Any recommendation on brand and style for grips that better fit a speedloader?

I use either factory Magna's with a T Grip, or the Houge "Bantam" grips on my 642's.

Never had an issue with either when to came to speed loaders.

[DMK]

I have Crimson Trace Laser Grips on my S&W 642 and model 649 j-frames. These look similar in size and shape to the Hogue bantams that AK103K mentioned.

I use HKS 36 speed loaders with these and they work well.

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by DMK

I have Crimson Trace Laser Grips on my S&W 642 and model 649 j-frames. These look similar in size and shape to the Hogue bantams that AK103K mentioned.

I use HKS 36 speed loaders with these and they work well.

Which LG model do you use? Looks like they have several for j frame.

[lee n. field]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Any recommendation on brand and style for grips that better fit a speedloader?

Uncle Mike's boot or combat grip (themselves licensed copies of Craig Speigel wood grips). Crimson Trace laser grips. Hogue rubber grips.

[perpster]

IMHO re speedloaders:

HKS are easier to charge the speedloader, but harder to charge the revolver.

Safariland are harder to charge the speedloader, but easier to charge the revolver.

In my experience, the HKS is longer overall when charged, making it harder to get the rounds in the cylinder without obstruction by the grips.

Also, the rounds in the HKS wobble, compared to the Safariland, making it harder to get the tips into the chambers.

With the Safariland, there's less wobble, and being shorter overall, there's less chance of the grips getting in the way.

With the Safariland, because the rounds are spring-loaded, once you push down on the loader body, when the spring releases the rounds are well into the chambers. Just close up the cylinder and you're good to go. Contrast this with the HKS, which requires you to turn the knob to release the rounds from the loader. In the heat of the moment, which way do you twist the knob? Clockwise? Counterclockwise?

This is the same reason I prefer the Mossberg shotgun tang safety (and M1, Mini-14 trigger guard safeties) to the cross-bolt safeties of other brands. Want to shoot, push the safety forward. Very intuitive in the heat of the moment. No guessing, "Do I push the cross-bolt safety to the left or to the right?"

[DMK]

Which LG model do you use? Looks like they have several for j frame.

I have an LG-105 on my 649. I'm not sure what model is on my 642. It's an older one that apparently they don't make any more. Both models work fine with HKS-36 speedloaders.

It's unfortunate that the Crimson trace website doesn't have pictures of the left side of the grips. Here are mine:


From top to bottom: Taurus Model 94 22LR, S&W 649 .38 Special, S&W 642 .38 Special

[2damnold4this]

I also prefer Safariland speed loaders. I use Altamont grips modified to work with the speed loader.

[dyl]

I use a Crimson Trace 405 https://www.crimsontrace.com/01-1680 which gives a 2 finger grip (as in third finger and fourth finger) just like the original length of the aluminum frame or boot grips. The pinky gets curled underneath. The backstrap is cushioned by a layer of rubber with some airspace between it and the frame. They are thin and they work with speedloaders.

[lee n. field]

Originally Posted by dyl

I use a Crimson Trace 405 https://www.crimsontrace.com/01-1680 which gives a 2 finger grip (as in third finger and fourth finger) just like the original length of the aluminum frame or boot grips. The pinky gets curled underneath. The backstrap is cushioned by a layer of rubber with some airspace between it and the frame. They are thin and they work with speedloaders.

I have the LG-350, which is similar, but is a full 3 finger grip, which I prefer. (Big fat hands.)

I like it a lot. Even if I turned the laser off, it's a nice grip. And, yes, speedloaders clear.

[pete2]

Just a note on speed loading a J-frame. A friend and I shot IDPS several years ago with our 642s. While it was a lot of fun we were last and next to last overall. We had the HKS speedloaders, Safariland is faster. On another note when ejecting empties, hit the rod smartly or all or some will not be thrown out. It's pretty hard for old men to compete with the 5 shooters against service pistols and revolvers. I think IDPA has now changed the rules on BUG to 6 rounds so even in a BUG match, the J frame guns have been eliminated, Shame.

[AK103K]

Originally Posted by popshooting445

I switched my 442 grip out to an old school wooden S&W j-frame grip. It's more compact for carry and my HKS speed loader clears it easily. I'm not sure why they ever went away from the classic little wooden grip. All my j-frames have them now.

I agree, they keep the gun small, and with a T Grip, are just as shootable as the bigger grips.

[fastbolt]

Gratuitous images of some of my J's, along with a few of my fedoras (comments about speedloaders to follow) ...





Okay, first of all speedstrips are for those instances where you might have enough time and cover after shooting to remove and discard some empty cases and top off again.

Speedloaders are better for "time compressed" loading, but if you aren't well practiced with loading a snub, it's not going to be bordering on "fast", let alone quick.

I used both HKS and Safariland (I & II) speedloaders in my service revolver days, as well as off-duty.

HKS are easier to grasp because of the tall knob. They do, however, require a separate twisting motion (knob) to release the rounds. The rounds are held a bit "looser" and easier to slip into charge holes, though. HKS are easier to load rounds into, as well. You can just insert them all and twist the knob.

Safariland I & II's are a bit harder to grasp. Especially the I's. Once you slip your fingers around the body, though, all it takes is a shove to release the rounds, and let the loader fall away as you close the cylinder. Safariland loaders require a solid surface to press the noses of the rounds against while turning the knob to secure the rounds.

Now, I still use both brands for my J's. Why? Well, I spent so many years using and practicing with both of them, that my fingers still seem to "recognize" what I'm touching and grasping and just work with either brand.

Grip stocks, though. Neither of the original Bantam type grips that came with my M&P 340's would allow either brand of speedloader to properly align with the cylinder and charge holes. I had to replace them with other Hogue or the discontinued UM Boot grip stocks for the desired clearance.

My 37-2DAO (pictured with grey hat) currently sports some nicely restored smooth factory grip stocks (gifted from former/passed mentor). The Safariland loaders won't clear the left side of the gun enough to align with the cylinder and charges holes. However, the HKS loaders will (in my gun, when I'm using them, with those grip stocks).

Guess which loaders I'd carry when choosing to carry the 37DAO?

The original skimpy factory grips don't fill in the space behind the trigger guard and the front of the grip frame. Not everyone has fingers of the best size (or grip strength), to comfortably and firmly stabilize and control a recoiling J-frame when the slim grip stocks are used. The Tyler T-Grip is a handy device. (I really need to replace a couple of the original ones that somehow ended up lost over the years, dammit. )

I recently tried another brand of newer speedloader, that was all-metal, but both examples I ordered wouldn't function properly when it came to securing and releasing the rounds. I returned them. I'd already ordered more HKS speedloaders.

Now, in the older service revolver days even the folks who could rapidly reload their full-size revolvers could experience increased difficulty when trying to reload the smaller revolvers. Smaller revolvers involve somewhat "tighter" manipulations, and that doesn't include the smaller dimensions of the snubs overall being a bit more difficult for the average revolver shooter.

Nowadays? When many younger shooters being drawn to revolvers don't have the advantage of having already been trained to shoot and use speedloaders?

Dunno. Find yourself an experienced revolver shooter (older LE or current revolver competitor) and ask for some instruction and help Research the available video and DVD resources from the recognized names?

There used to be a couple of "opposing" preferences for which hands to use to hold the revolver and the loaders in earlier LE days. (i.e. keep the revolver in the strong hand and use the loader with the support hand, or switch the revolver to the support hand and use the loader with the strong hand.) Proponents of both techniques could be quite fast.

FWIW, I don't often carry speedloaders with my snubs when I carry them as retirement weapons. I typically carry a speedstrip or two. Unless I'm planning to go places where it's a bit more remote and any help is going to be delayed, or places where I'm unfamiliar with the daily activities and threat assessments. Then I may substitute the loaders for the strips. Old habits. Speedloaders at work and off-duty in more "active" environments, and speedstrips for off-duty in less worrisome conditions and environments.

Gotta be able to use whatever you choose, for whatever reason you decide to choose it, though. Speedloaders are bulkier and quicker. Speedstrips are slim and take up less pocket space, but slower to use, being marginally faster than using loose rounds (by virtue of all the rounds being held in sequence, and being oriented in the same direction, unlike grabbing loose rounds ).

[lunger]

Another option is the Zeta loader. Kind of a cross between a speed loader and a speed strip. I recently tried a couple,cheap and seem to work well with all my grips. Link
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zeta6-J-CLI...d1ca%7Ciid%3A1

[OhioGuy]

Fastbolt -- nice photos! Looks like you and I share another hobby too Now I'm geeking out and wondering how you lit those photos with the hat, but that's for a different forum I guess

I just found a very good price on some Crimson Trace laser grips and I'll see how those work with speedloaders. I wanted the laser anyway. I'll practice to become proficient at quick reloads in the revolver, but I don't expect I'll ever reach expert levels.

[Blaine Leonard]

I carry speed strips. I personally think they are not as fast as speed loaders, but lay more flush to my body for concealment. I use these pouches:

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[fastbolt]

Nice job on the belt pouches.

[dgludwig]

Speed strips
I carry speed strips. I personally think they are not as fast as speed loaders, but lay more flush to my body for concealment.

"Speed strips" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) are more comfortable to carry and are easier to conceal alright, but they are anything but speedy when it comes to reloading a revolver quickly while under the stress of a gun fight. Best to pack a bulkier speed loader so as to survive a gun fight by getting your empty revolver back in play faster. Much faster.

[azretired]

Never had any issues with HKS. All my J frames use either Uncle Mike's boot grips or Altamont. Do they go in perfectly straight? No Does that really matter? NO

Personally, I do not carry speed loaders. Too bulky! I use a 2x2x2 carrier on my belt as primary for reloads supplemented by speed strips.