The Ultimate Guide To Purchasing a Speedloader
What Should You Look For In A Speedloader?
Thanks for stopping by and checking out Speed Beez ultimate guide to speedloaders. (Depending on your age and where you’re from, you might call them quick loaders or fast loaders.) Our company is devoted to creating the absolute best speedloaders in existence, because we know our customers are tired of speedloaders that they use once and then put on the “worthless gun accessories” pile.
We’ve designed our speedloaders so that revolver shooters want to take it with them every time they head out to shoot. You might wonder what puts one type of quick loader ahead of another. Let’s discuss what you should be looking for in a high-quality speedloader.
Make Sure They Secure The Cartridges
Speedloaders serve multiple functions. First of all, they have to be easy to load. Our spring retention system makes sure that there’s never any problem getting it to grab the cartridge rim. If you’re loading by hand, just press it right in. If you’re using a loading dock, all you have to do is place the speedloader on top of your next rounds and press down on the base. They’ll all snap-in with a satisfying click.
Next, speedloaders have to secure the cartridges in every situation; this is true no matter where your speedloader is at the time. If you’re walking around with your concealed-carry firearm and have a speedloader full of cartridges in a speedloader pouch, it needs to be able to keep your cartridges secure even if you find yourself sprinting. Similarly, a speedloader has to keep a tight grip on the cartridges when you’re using a loading block at the shooting range. Failing to do so means you could drop your reload, which can lead to damaged or dirty ammo. Dropping your ammo is embarrassing to boot!
The whole point of a speedloader? To secure your brass when you need it to and to release each cartridge as easily as possible. So, what’s the most efficient way to release your cartridges? After all, there’s more than one kind of speedloader. We only have one suggestion…
Make Sure It’s a “Push-in”
Most speed loaders are relatively inefficient, considering they take an extra step that they really don’t need to. What is this extra step? The twist. They require a twist in order to release the cartridges into the cylinder. Not only is that an extra step that you shouldn’t have to take, but the twist also presses the cartridges against each chamber at an odd angle, making it more difficult for them to drop in.
Our Speed Beez speedloaders are based on the classic Dade quick loader, which doesn’t require a twist. All you have to do is press on the button and all five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten cartridges slide straight into the revolver’s cylinder. While the original Dades were made of 1970s plastic and much more fragile, you’re now able to experience a meticulously-machined speed loader from Speed Beez in a variety of calibers from 10-shot .22 up to 5-shot .44 Magnum.
We even made release of the cartridges easier than before, because you don’t really have to think about where to push once the brass is seated. Press on the handle or the base and your next rounds are ready to fire. At that point the speedloader has done its work, and you can place it on the range shelf beside you, put it back in the speedloader holster, or, in an emergency, just let it fall away as you put the gun’s cylinder back into place.
Find One Made From The Best Materials
Each of our speedloaders is made right here in the USA from the best possible materials. Everything from the body to the base to the retention spring has been perfectly machined so that everything works smoothly every time.
Chances are you’re only going to purchase one speedloader per firearm, so why not be happy with it? Speed Beez speedloaders might cost a bit more, but considering how efficient they make your reload and how long they last, it’s certainly worth it. In some models you can even pick your color. Gold is our standard, but there are also red and pink versions sometimes available.
Choose One Designed in the USA
When we design a new speedloader, we design it to work perfectly with each revolver’s cylinder. We own guns. In fact, we own a lot of guns. And if we don’t own a gun and want to design a new quick loader for it, we can borrow one from our friends. And if they don’t have it, it just gives us a good excuse to buy yet another gun!
When you purchase something that was designed in China, chances are that they’re not actually testing their speedloaders in a real gun before a particular design is sent into mass production. They might be working off schematics, but real-world testing isn’t an option because firearms of any sort are heavily restricted in most Asian countries. Do you think they can just head down to Bass Pro Shop and grab a Taurus Tracker or a Circuit Judge just to make sure their speedloaders are up to snuff? No, they can not.
Let’s face it: if you want the best wristwatch, buy Swiss. If you want the best camera, buy from Japan. But if you want the best speedloader, there’s no place you should buy from other than an American company that designs and manufactures them in-country.
Make Sure It’s Rugged
When you design something properly and make it from the best materials available, it’s going to last longer. We test our speedloaders over and over to ensure that they hold up to thousands and thousands of rounds. We know that these fast loaders have to hold up to a lot, whether someone has them out in the woods or they are banging around inside an ammo bag every time they head to the shooting lanes. Buying one Speed Beez loader means you won’t be buying the cheaper versions again and again. There’s nothing worse than a bad speedloader you pay good money for, try it once, have it fall apart, and never use again.
Okay, now that you know what to look for in a speedloader, we hope you’ll head on over and find just what you’re looking for for your revolver. And when you do, maybe you’ll find something to make your shooting an even more efficient experience. Let’s take a look at some items that can make your shooting even better.
What Goes Well With A Speedloader?
Now that you’ve picked the right speedloader that perfectly matches your revolver’s cylinder, you can be done. Nothing more to buy. You’ve got the best, so click on the shopping cart and checkout.
Still…
Let’s be honest, gun owners love to accessorize. We’re always looking for some way to make our guns shoot straighter, fire more efficiently, or come along with us wherever we go. Oh, and we love showing off that latest accessory to anyone who will take a look. Get a laser sight? New grips? Some out-of-production rimless ammo that you’ve adapted to fire in your revolver? We can’t always condone using expired ammo, but we know you’re anxious to show it off!
So, what goes well with your speedloader? Let’s take a look at the most popular ways people add on to their order her at Speed Beez.
Speedloader Pouch
We’ll admit that semi-automatic handguns have the distinct advantage of carrying more ammunition in the gun itself. Having 15 rounds of 9mm in a magazine is pretty common. That means that revolvers need a quick way to reload after their 5 to 10 shots.
That’s where speedloaders come in, allowing a practiced person to reload their revolver as fast as a semi-automatic. Of course, you have to have the speedloader on you in the first place, and that means having a speedloader pouch on your belt. You can carry these compact speedloader holsters on the same side as your firearm, or have a couple on your opposite hip.
What kind of loaders can they carry? We have four different pouches right now: 22LR speedloader pouches, .22 Magnum speedloader pouches, .38/357 speedloader pouches, and .44 Magnum speedloader pouches (you won’t be surprised to know that this last one is a bit bigger!) Each of these also has variants for a particular capacity of revolver. For instance, 5-shot .357 speedloaders tend to be smaller than 8-shot .357 speedloader, so the pouches are a bit bigger as well.
Shooter’s Belt
If you’re not a fan of shoulder harnesses, your belt is the most obvious place to keep your revolver holster and speedloader pouch. Many people think that their $15 belt from the local Target is all they need to keep their pants up and support their firearms, especially if all they have is a small revolver. Those people often find out that they are wrong, especially once they try on a professional gun belt.
What makes a gun belt so much better than your average belt?
- It Won’t Stretch – A normal belt is there to hold your pants up, which seldom weigh more than 14 ounces. Add your phone, wallet, and keys, and the average belt is still keeping less than two pounds from hitting the floor. But if you add two items hanging directly from the belt itself — a speedloader pouch and your revolver — that extra weight is eventually going to cause it to stretch. And if you’re carrying around something big that shoots .454 Casull, you might be adding an extra four of five pounds of steel. Only specially-made belts made of plastic-reinforced leather or military-grade webbing is going to work.
- You Need A Strong Buckle – We bet that, if you took your current belt in your hands, that you could bend the pin without much effort. That pin, and the buckle itself, are often made of low-grade steel. Gun belt buckles, on the other hand, are load-bearing buckles. They’re designed to distribute the weight evenly so that even heavy downward forces don’t cause it harm.
- Better Increments Mean a Better Fit – Most gun belts have done away with the idea of belt buckle holes. That’s because belt buckle holes are limiting; depending on water loss, a person can experience a weight change in the same day after a day-long hike. Too often an individual will need a hole halfway between existing ones, meaning that they’re either uncomfortably tights or the pants are still loose. A good shooting belt will change by ¼” increments for maximum comfort.
Don’t worry, you can still be dressy even in a belt that’s holding up a gun properly. From brown leather in the office to military-spec tan for a professional shooting tournament, we have the gun belts to keep your firearm exactly where you want it.
Loading Blocks
Okay, so the speedloader holsters have you covered when you’re walking in the woods or are out in public, but what about when you’re at the range? That’s when most people turn to loading blocks to make the most of their range experience.
Loading blocks are the perfect way to stage your next rounds when you are about to do a lot of shooting. Loading blocks are sturdy plastic trays that hold cartridges upright in the exact same pattern as your revolver’s cylinder. That means that your next 5 to 10 shots are pre-arranged so that you speedloader can snap right into all of them at the same time.
Loading blocks allow you to set up multiple rows of your ammunition before you get to the firing range, meaning that you can keep your concentration on your shooting rather than your reloading. You can also purchase a snap-shut case that holds two trays that will keep the cartridges in place if it’s shaken; your next 150 rounds of .22LR or Magnum could be ready when you get to the range. Some even come with a compartment to keep the speedloader with the ammo.
Chamber Gauges
We talk a lot about reloading here at Speed Beez. In most cases, we’re talking about how fast you can reload with a speedloader, but in the case of chamber gauges, we’re talking about reloading each cartridge after it has been fired so that you can use the brass again.
Reloading is a great option, especially for those who fire a lot of shots. Not only is it environmentally friendly and a huge cost saver, but it can be downright therapeutic as a hobby. Few people find reloading at home to be a necessity; most simply enjoy the process of getting that much closer to the shooting experience.
Of course, not every round is going to get loaded perfectly. Sometimes it’s human error, other times the brass was damaged and won’t accommodate being reloaded. That’s where this chamber gauge comes in, allowing you to check each round to ensure that it’s completely straight and has been properly reloaded. Any rounds that don’t pass the test shouldn’t be used, and it’s much better to know that now rather than find out when you’re ready to load up your cylinder at the range or in the field. It’s also safer and a whole lot easier than checking each in the revolver itself when you’re reloading: simply reload the brass and drop it directly into the gauge that’s lying on the table. When it fills up (15 to 19 rounds later), simply dump it out and reload the next batch. Did any get stuck? No problem. Any round that didn’t reloaded properly can be pushed out of the gauge from the opposite side.
Our chamber gauges are made from high-quality aluminum and milled on a CNC turn lathe. Each pocket is precisely drilled and hard-anodized so that it won’t wear down like other gauges might. We carry three different models: .40 Smith & Wesson (19 pockets), .45 ACP (15 pockets), and 9mm (19 pockets). If you’re a reloader, you’ll love this extra check before you cartridges get near your revolver or semi-auto clip.
Moon Clips
Here at Speed Beez, we love our speedloaders. In fact, we know that we make the best speedloaders out there, and will happily put them up against any other in terms of speed and quality
But we can’t deny that moon clips have their place in the world, and we use our share of them ourselves (and sell quite a few as well). Under what circumstances would people use moon clips?
Using Rimless Ammo – One distinct disadvantage of speedloaders is that they can’t work with rimless ammo. And if you want to shoot rimless ammo in your revolver, you’re out of luck unless you use a moon clip. Moon clips hold your next cartridges (between five and eight) in a circle that’s the same shape as your revolver’s cylinder. All you have to do is pop it in and close it up; the moon clip stays in the revolver during shooting. It will also hold your cartridges after you fire so that you can keep track of spent brass. You can even mix rimmed and rimless ammo for immediate comparison between the two.
Cost – Our speedloaders might be more expensive than most, but their build quality and speed mean that they’re worth it. However, you can’t deny that a moon clip is cheaper than any speedloader you’re going to find out there. At around $2 to $3 each, moon clips are a cheap option for fast loading and you can have a lot of them lined up in a row, much as a person might have a loading block with their speedloader.
Are there any disadvantages of moon clips? Just a couple. First of all, they’re more easily damaged than speedloaders, so when that happens it often easier to just chuck them. Second, some brass fits very tightly into new moon clips; the included de-mooning tool on a carabiner can help.
Okay, now that you know a bit more about the accessories you might take with you when you load up your speedloader into your shooter’s bag, let’s take a look at where speedloaders came from.
A Quick History of Speed Loaders
Since the first firearm missed its target, human’s have been looking for a faster way to reload. Whether it was food that got away or an oncoming army, the urge to reload faster has always been a desire.
Having cartridges in a revolver certainly improved the speed over black powder cap and ball shooting, but then another question arose: how do you reload cartridges into a revolver even faster. That’s where speedloaders come in.
Spare Cylinders
At first, you might assume that the first speedloaders were actually just spare cylinders, and in some cases, you’d be right. Early Remingtons, such as the New Model Army, could easily switch out cylinders which would have been faster than reloading a black powder cap and ball revolver by hand. That wasn’t so easy on most revolvers, though, as Colts at the time made it harder to remove the cylinder. Instead of carrying additional cylinders, most people who wanted extra firepower would simply carry a second revolver with them. Unholstering a second revolver was a simpler and faster way of having the next six shots at the ready.
The Beginning
The first speedloader was patented in 1879 and was made for top-break revolvers. It follows the same basic principle of speedloaders of today, in that it held the cartridges until the user twisted the device and let them drop in. Fifteen years later an inventor in Britain patented a “cartridge-packet holder” that was used in Webley revolvers, later adding a handle to make it even more stable. With the rise of the semi-automatic in military conflicts, the use and manufacture of speedloaders started to wane.
Police Keep Them Alive
While most militaries around the world favored using semi-automatic handguns, police officers in the United States were holdouts and kept their revolvers for many decades. As cities got larger and more dangerous, many police officers started to purchase their own speedloaders to reload faster. When police departments noted the officers’ interested in speedloaders, they started making them standard issue and incorporated them in training. The fact that Dirty Harry used one during a shooting competition in Magnum Force.
Eventually police departments also switched over to semi-automatic pistols, once again leading to a slow down in speedloader enthusiasm. But the fact is, you can never keep a revolver enthusiast down.
The Modern Era
Despite the advantages of semi-automatics, demand and enthusiasm for revolvers remains incredibly strong. Some people like the simplicity of them, especially during cleaning. Some like the history they represent, while still others like the look and feel of them more than semi-autos. Today, speed loaders are actually more popular than ever.
Speedloaders are for just about anyone who enjoys shooting with a revolver. They’re amazing quick for competition shooters who are looking for an advantage when going for a trophy. They’re great for plinkers who want to have an extra 10-shots on their hip in a speedloader pouch. And they’re really great on the lane when you’re trying to keep your concentration and shoot as much as possible.
We won’t deny that there are other speedloader manufacturers out there, but there’s no doubt that we make the best. There’s a good chance we make one for your revolver, so find it right here.
You know what, though….speedloaders aren’t for everyone. Surprised to hear us say that? Let’s take a look at who shouldn’t be buying our speedloaders.
