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how to carry extra rounds when carrying a revolver concealed

9K views 56 replies 40 participants last post by  jtg452 
#1 ·
ok while reading another thread focusing on mag size I came up with this thought. For revolver owners who carry concealed how many extra rounds do you carry and how do you carry them??

As a relatively new revolver owner this is something that I have puzzled over. It may help other folks also.
 
#4 ·
jeff quinn once said to use an older [extra] magazine [or clip, whatever!] to hold and extra 10 rounds or so. put in your pocket and flipem out when needed. not
a bad idea for a wheel gun. i dont like the bulk of the speed clip. so i'm gonna look for a clip[mag] that will cover my wheel gun ammo.....problem is i'm not sure
what a 44 special will fit into. anyone know?
 
#6 ·
Here's another idea for you. Years ago when the cops used to carry revolvers they had these little ammo boxes on their belts. They snapped on the top and bottom, and you could unsnap them on top to load them, and if you unsnapped them on the bottom the rounds would fall right in your hand. I found a similar type of ammo carrier at Simply Rugged that will hold six 44 specials. $20 seemed like a fair price, and cheaper than you'll find a 44 mag magazine. Also looks more compact and easier to carry than a magazine.

I couldn't find a pic of the kind from the olden days, but if you look at the image below and imagine it with snap-flaps top and bottom, you'll have the idea. They held six rounds in each pouch, for two full reloads. With a sewing awl and a little leather you could make one pretty easy to the 44's dimensions. JAT

 
#7 ·
What type of mag did the Ruger camp carbine use? It was in .44 mag and would work with the special unless it was a tubular mag.
 
#41 · (Edited)
The Ruger Carbine used a rotary 3 round magazine. The Marlin Camp Carbines came in 9mm and .45 acp

I use speed strips! The car gun has two speed stips with it, There are two speed strips, loaded in the zip up for every centerfire revolver I have.

They are handy to carry in a Jacket side pocket, and can be carried in front or rear pockets.
 
#13 ·
DBEARDSLEE thank you for posting that. I have 2 Bianchi speed strips and I have a general feel for how to use them but they just didn't feel all that "speedy" to me! I can get 'em to work but not quickly. This video give me some more to think on.

And has anyone had trouble with Safariland speedloaders? It's the one you push against the cylinder and it is supposed to release. I say "supposed" because with my little 5-shot Taurus 605 it's anything but speedy! I have to fiddle with and push kinda hard to get it to release. I also have an HK speedloader (the kind you turn the knob) and it works about as fast as the Safariland. That is, not-so-speedy.

What are others' thoughts on these speedloaders?
 
#14 ·
I have Safariland and HKS speed loaders for my S&W J-frames (5 shot). Haven't really noticed any speed differences between the two but I have had the HKS open on me several times while pocket carrying the loader. That's why I went to using the Safariland.

The Safariland does take some pressure to get it to release, which is a good thing to keep the rounds from accidently letting loose.

You can try a Jett-Loader that pushes the rounds into the cylinder using spring pressure. Cost about twice as much to the Safariland and bulkier.
 
#19 ·
The Safariland does take some pressure to get it to release, which is a good thing to keep the rounds from accidently letting loose.
That's what I mean. But I also have to jiggle that sucker while pushing with both thumbs just to get it to load. Agreed, it is quicker than doing it one-by-one but seems a "speedloader" should be a bit more, uh, speedy! (And I meant HKS speedloader but forgot the 'S' in my above post.)
 
#16 ·
Sometimes I don't carry extras depending on my clothing. But in my usual cargo shorts I'll drop an extra full moon clip in a side pocket for my M380 revolver.
 
#20 ·
• Two speed loaders in right front pocket
• Two speed strips in right rear pocket
• Dump pouch on my belt at 2 o'clock
 
#21 ·
Idea for cheapskates. I found that using empty razor blade package that holds 5 or 6 blades is wide enough to carry 38 Specials they tend to stay in place but you can wrap a rubber band around them to minimize movement...very flat carry...not fast but they are there.
 
#22 ·
I finally found an image of the shell holder I was thinking of. It's called a double drop shell case, and Boston Leather makes them and Optics Planet sells them. You put the bullets in from the top, and you get them out by flipping the bottom snap with your thumb, letting the rounds fall in your hand. I couldn't find a caliber to save my life, but I noticed several different part numbers. Not many folks would know what it is if they saw it on your belt...

 
#28 ·
I finally found an image of the shell holder I was thinking of. It's called a double drop shell case, and Boston Leather makes them and Optics Planet sells them. You put the bullets in from the top, and you get them out by flipping the bottom snap with your thumb, letting the rounds fall in your hand. I couldn't find a caliber to save my life, but I noticed several different part numbers. Not many folks would know what it is if they saw it on your belt...
We always called it a dump pouch. Some are set up so that unsnapping it lets it tip over, to dump the rounds in your hand. Or on the floor. Or in the grass. And lots of times, the cartridges would hang up inside the pouch, needing some humorous jumping and tapping to get them to fall.

When I shoot a revolver in competition, I carry the Safariland speed loaders. Mine seem to work fine with a Colt Trooper. I've also got a set for the 605 which do fine as well.

I don't CC a revolver often, but when I do, I carry speed strips. You don't have to leave an empty gap between sets of two; you can load two at a time just fine with the cartridges filling every hole.

I guess if I CC'ed a revolver more often, I'd pick up a belt cell phone carrier for the speed strips.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I just throw a couple speedloaders in my strong side pocket and go (coat if I'm wearing one, pants if I'm not).

If I'm not wearing a coat, I stack them on top of each other in the front corner of my pants pocket. The knob on the HKS keeps them stacked on top of each other quite well. If I'm wearing a jacket or a coat, I throw a 3rd in the offside coat pocket to help balance the weight (my keys also go on that side) where one side doesn't sag more than the other.

I keep 3 (4 if you count the one loaded with nothing but snake shot) more in the center console of the truck- along with another gun that takes the same ammo. Around the house, there's at least a dozen scattered here and there where they are 'handy' along with an old police belt rig with 4 more in 2 double pouches (and a 6 shot shotgun slide loaded with buck, a 5" fixed blade knife and a flashlight) in case I need to go outside. As you can see, I don't want it to be said I failed from lacking something to shoot.

For the guns they make them for, I actually prefer the Safariland. They take some getting used to- and they aren't as semi wad cutter friendly as the HKS- but once you get the hand of the, they are definitely faster than the HKS to use. I have Safarilands for my .357's (Comp II's), 5 shot .38's, 6 shot .44's and .45 (Comp 1 with the little button on the back). Since they don't make a 5 shot .44 Special speedloader, I use HKS for my primary carry gun and the truck gun. One of these days, I'll buy some of the speed strips for the .44's and give them a try. They look like something that could be right handy.

I go against conventional wisdom and manipulate the speedloader with my dominant hand instead of trying to do it off hand. My being a lefty helps in this action (I don't have to reach over the gun to get to the cylinder) but I just don't see the logic of rely on your non-dominant hand to do such fine work as to line the speedloader up. Can it be done quickly? Most definitely but it's gonna take a LOT more practice for your average person(especially right handers- you guys just don't use your off hand much in day to day life like us southpaws do) to become proficient.
 
#24 ·
Two speedloaders (10 rounds).
 
#25 · (Edited)
I thought I had an ideal way to carry speed loaders the other day. The idea does work, unfortunately there is one flaw.

I still use the old fashioned "dumb" flip phone. The carry case for the phone that fits on my belt works wonders carrying the speed loader. I found one problem though. The bottom corners are open, which would allow any bullets that got loose from the speed loader to fall out.

The next time I'm at a wally world or other store like that, I'm going to look at the flip phone carriers again. I'll be looking for one that has closed corners.

New Thought:

I bet if I balled up some thick paper and packed it in the bottom of the flip phone carrier, it would work. There is plenty of room for a "nest" of balled up paper and the speed loader.
 
#30 ·
My grandad is a former LEO and he used to carry some thing like this it is just a ammo pouch that holds five to six. If you were wearing a coat you can just put it on your belt if not wearing a coat you can just put it in your pocket. You may be thinking "you have to load one at a time?" well most SD Scenarios are only a few shots. And if more are needed it will be a shoot out so you would most likely have cover.
 
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