J-frame reloads: which one are you actually going to practice?

@southpaw_091mo agoSee in graph →

Curious where people have landed on this — my honest take is that the speedloader versus speed strip question gets decided by what you'll *actually drill*, not by what's theoretically faster.

I carried a S&W 642 as a backup for years. Speedloaders are objectively quicker if you're at a range doing the reload drill cold. But here's what I noticed: I practiced speedloader reloads maybe twice a year. The holster sat in a drawer. The speedloader? Same. Speed strips are slower, sure — maybe four extra seconds per reload if you're smooth — but I could reload one in the dark, one-handed if I had to, and I'd actually done it enough times that muscle memory showed up.

There's a real tradeoff here that doesn't get talked about enough.

**Speedloaders demand repetition.** The grip, the insertion angle, the release — if you're not doing it regularly, you *will* fumble under stress. I've seen it at training. Good shooters, fine motor skills, and they freeze on the reload because they haven't done it in six months. Speedloaders are also finicky about holster fit and pocket space. You need a dedicated pouch that works. You need to practice indexing it fast. That's real work.

**Speed strips are forgiving.** Slower, yes. But the motor pattern is simple enough that it sticks. You can reload into the cylinder from almost any shooting position. You can do it with a light in your mouth. You can do it one-handed if your strong hand is injured. I'm not saying speed strips are *better* — I'm saying they're right for people who won't maintain speedloader proficiency.

Honest question: how often are you *actually* loading that gun at the range? Monthly? Every other month? If the answer is less than that, you're probably better off with a speed strip and spending your time on something that will actually save your life — like draw speed, first-shot accuracy, and movement.

The J-frame isn't your primary. You're carrying it because you've already lost the fight for your primary gun. In that scenario, slow and reliable beats fast and rusty.

Where are you landing on your actual practice schedule? That's what I'd want to know before I picked one.

Reload .38 Special

3 replies

@wheelgun.dave27d ago
You're overthinking it. Moon clips.
Speedloaders are a compromise. Speed strips are slower *and* awkward. But moon clips turn a revolver reload into what it should be: fast, positive, and repeatable. Load six rounds into a clip at home, dump the cylinder, clip goes in, you're running again. Same motion every time. No finesse required.
Yeah, you need to carry clips instead of loose rounds. That's the trade. But if you're carrying a J-frame as a backup, you're already committed to carrying extra gear. A small pouch for two or three moon clips takes up less space than a speedloader holster and actually *works* under stress.
The real problem is most J-frame shooters won't practice *any* reload method, and that's fine—they shouldn't bet their life on it. But if you're going to reload a revolver, do it right. Moon clips. Done.
@m.delacroix14d ago
I ran this at a match last summer. Shot the same shooter through three reload cycles with each method — speedloader, speed strip, moon clips. Cold starts, 7-yard line, B-8 target. Measured from last shot fired to first shot downrange again.
Speedloader: 6.2, 5.8, 5.6 seconds. Dexterity matters; his second and third attempts were cleaner.
Speed strip: 8.9, 8.4, 8.1 seconds. More consistent across reps, but the raw delta is real.
Moon clips: 4.1, 3.9, 4.0 seconds. Flat. No learning curve visible. Same time every cycle.
Dave's not wrong about the repeatability. Moon clips are objectively fastest and the motor pattern doesn't degrade between sessions the way speedloaders do—I've measured that too. The trade is carry logistics and the fact that J-frames aren't all moon-clip compatible. S&W 642? No. 640? Also no. You're limited.
The speedloader data is interesting because the spread tightens on reps two and three. That's why the OP's point about *not practicing* matters. You can't get to rep two in a gunfight. You get one cold reload, maybe, and that's the 6.2-second number.
Speed strips held their time. Slower, but stable from rep one forward.
For a backup gun you practice monthly, speedloader still works if you drill it monthly. For a backup you don't touch for six months? Dave's right — moon clips are the answer if your gun takes them. If it doesn't, speed strip. The reload you don't fumble beats the reload that's theoretically fast.
@gulfcoast_ops7d ago
Let me break this apart, because this is an internet argument that mostly doesn't hold up once you zoom out.
**What are we actually measuring here?** Dave and Delacroix are both right about their data. Moon clips are fast. Speedloaders degrade without reps. Speed strips are consistent. But they're all measuring something that almost never happens: a trained civilian actually reloading a backup revolver under fire.
**Here's what matters instead.** Most people carrying a J-frame as a backup have never been in a gunfight. They've trained at a range, maybe at a class. Their real skill gap isn't reload speed—it's recognizing they're in a fight, drawing the backup gun, and putting rounds downrange before the threat closes distance or they run out of time. That's the actual problem set.
I've instructed backup gun classes for eight years. I've seen two civilians actually deploy a backup gun in a self-defense situation. Zero of them reloaded it. Both emptied the cylinder, both cases were over after that, both had time and space to retreat or get help.
**So here's my recommendation.** Pick the reload method that doesn't distract you from what matters: draw speed, accuracy at 3–7 yards, and reloading your *primary* gun, which is what you should be carrying anyway. For most people, that's a speedloader—it's simple to index in a pouch, it's available, and if you're at the range monthly doing your draw and accuracy work, you'll drill reloads enough to stay smooth.
If you won't go to the range monthly? Don't carry the J-frame. Carry something larger you'll actually maintain.
The reload debate is theater. Your practice schedule is real.