My moonclips bring all the boys to the yard

Moonclip revolvers are better for self defense than wheelguns that load traditionally. Moonclips aren’t subject to the biggest issue you run into with speedloader guns – sticky loading or unloading. In a speedloader gun, individual rounds will sometimes stick in the chamber, making the reload a lot more difficult. With a moonclip gun, all 5 or 6 rounds come out at once. Similarly, when you’re loading the gun, all the rounds go in at the sake time and there aren’t any issues with discarding the speedloader when you’re done.

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However, moonclip guns aren’t without their disadvantages. One of the biggest issues a moon gun can run into is extraction. Generally, having all the cartridges connected by a clip means they all extract better, as noted above. However, I have seen a moonclip gun with a case that splits in the chamber, which ties the entire gun up. With a traditional revolver, you’d be able to extract the non-damaged cases and at least stay in the fight, assuming you had a way to load single chambers.

The best of both worlds approach would be to use a gun chambered in a rimmed cartridge that’s been cut for clips. Your first cylinder is loaded traditionally, and your reload is in moonclips. Personally, I’d just carry the whole thing in clips, first rounds, reloads, everything. Faster reloads and more positive extraction outweighs the risks of possibly tying up the entire gun with a split case.

One other thing to remember is to maintain your clips. A bent moonclip will really ruin your day, so if you are going to go the clip route make sure you get a clip saver to preserve the shape and function of your clips.

5 Comments

  1. You know that they make handguns that hold a stack of rounds in a spring-loaded box that can be quickly removed from the gun when empty and replaced with a full box, right?

    1. he enjoys his own little world it makes him feel special, don’t take that away from him, I’ve seen revolver guys burst into tears if you break their bubble too quickly.

  2. Nice. My S/W 940 9mm Centennial Snub ROCKS with the full moon clips. I have never lost a round carrying a full moon clip in my pocket and the spring steel is tough and has never bent.

  3. I suppose you use reloads in practice? I never would for self defence. I have never seen a case split using modern factory loads. And I do understand the appeal of a revolver.

    1. I have had a couple of revolvers that had an out of round chamber that would occasionally result in a split case with factory loads. However, it did not result in extraordinary extraction problems. Both of these revolvers were Ruger guns from the early 80’s that were cheerfully corrected by the factory as soon as I let them know about the problem.

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