Revopop Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 I'm getting ready to shoot my first ever IDPA SSR match, and although I've had Comp IIIs for years I've never really used them on the clock so I thought it was worth checking out what's available nowadays before I get used to something. I initially looked at the Jet loaders, but of course if you start researching you'll always find someone talking about the mythical German SL Variant and how it's the best design ever but no one can get them because they're so rare. Well turns out someone in Japan is making them and calling them "replicas" of the original. Don't know about the intellectual property implications, but to me it seems like whoever owns the rights to the design isn't stopping them. I figured that they were inexpensive enough I might as well take a swing and try these out, and they just arrived today. Didn't find any info here on the forum so I thought I'd take some pics and share first impressions. I don't have a genuine vintage SL Variant to compare, but I've got Comp IIIs so I took some side-by-side pics. When you order, you can opt for sea shipping for $21 or air for $29. I paid the extra $8 and they arrived within 4 days, even though the quoted shipping time was 1-2 weeks and possibly up to 3. I also received two "free gifts" with my purchase. One was a pretty janky looking metal speed strip/loader contraption and the other was 3 extensions for the Speedloaders I'd ordered. I appreciate the freebies, but I ordered 3 extensions already so I ended up with 3 extras - had I known I was getting free ones I would've saved that money. They're made of a sightly flexible rubbery material, but once they're actually screwed onto the speedloader they seem quite solid. Along with the freebies, there was also two thank you postcards featuring everyone's favorite American, Burt Gummer! The packaging is presumably also a replica of the original packaging, all markings are in German and it even has the name and address of the original company on it. There's even a page of instructions entirely in German. In the box there is a card explaining in the vaguest possible terms that these are not originals, but otherwise you wouldn't know that these came from Japan if you didn't see the shipping box. In use, they're noticeably different from the Comp IIIs. Each round on the SL has it's own individual spring to send them into the charge holes, as opposed to one spring for all 6 in the Comp IIIs. That single spring has to be pretty big and strong to eject all 6 rounds, so they come out of the Comp IIIs with a lot more authority than the SLs. The SL Variants also seem to be a little more finicky about releasing all 6 at once, but most likely that's gonna clear up with some practice. I tried to get a pic but couldn't take capture it, I did also find that the actuator that releases the rounds is a little longer in the Comp IIIs so it hits a little sooner - if I keep these SL Variants, I'm definitely gonna want to add some material there to achieve that effect. For carry these are gonna be great, without the handle extension they're about the size of an HKS or Comp II but much faster to actually use. We'll see how I feel about them after I use them a bit, I tried to take some relevant pics but not to spam the sub, so if there's anything specific that anyone wants to see just let me know and I'll try and add to the thread. Hopefully others will find this helpful. Pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHBret Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 Did you order from: https://www.slvariant.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revopop Posted April 18, 2023 Author Share Posted April 18, 2023 13 minutes ago, BHBret said: Did you order from: https://www.slvariant.com Yep, that's the site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Last time I was looking for speedloaders, I thought the SL looked really interesting - but nobody had them in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revopop Posted April 19, 2023 Author Share Posted April 19, 2023 13 hours ago, perttime said: Last time I was looking for speedloaders, I thought the SL looked really interesting - but nobody had them in stock. Yep, that's exactly what happened to me 10+ years ago, they've always been like Sasquatch - "I've never seen it but I know a guy who has" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWP Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 I had some years ago. Weren’t as fast or consistent as comp3s. Sold them for more than I paid new for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gargoil66 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 On 4/19/2023 at 1:31 PM, MWP said: I had some years ago. Weren’t as fast or consistent as comp3s. Sold them for more than I paid new for them. Typical. I ordered three of them for my 587 L Comp yesterday. Maybe they will be better than the HKS ones I have. GG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Schwab Posted April 28, 2023 Share Posted April 28, 2023 Whoa, so happy to see a 44 model on that site. Thanks for the heads up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucks1911 Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 I ordered 2 to check them out. They came in with a gift, 2 of the extended handles.Ive used them and just ordered 4 more today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFlowers Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 Will be glad when they add the N-Frame 6 shot 357 mag version back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matteekay Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 I ordered a set. They're really nice and arrived promptly, but I'd stick with the Comp III's that I vaguely know how to use simply because I'm not shooting speedloaders often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch-Commando Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 I'm strongly considering ordering some, since none of the other competition loaders are made for 44 magnums. I finally shot my first match with my own 44 magnum yesterday, which was both really fun and went sufficiently well that I don't think the gun or the caliber will be a big hindrance. The only thing that was clearly slowing me down (other than dumb mistakes due to lack of experience) was the occasional sticking round in my comp 1 speed loader. I'll probably shoot ICORE for the rest of the year with what I have before making any decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 3 hours ago, Couch-Commando said: I'm strongly considering ordering some, since none of the other competition loaders are made for 44 magnums. I finally shot my first match with my own 44 magnum yesterday, which was both really fun and went sufficiently well that I don't think the gun or the caliber will be a big hindrance. The only thing that was clearly slowing me down (other than dumb mistakes due to lack of experience) was the occasional sticking round in my comp 1 speed loader. I'll probably shoot ICORE for the rest of the year with what I have before making any decisions. Good to see you and glad you had a good time. 2 more to go for the year. May have to add another bay into the mix, it's going better than I had hoped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
practical_man Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 On 8/28/2023 at 12:11 PM, Couch-Commando said: I'm strongly considering ordering some, since none of the other competition loaders are made for 44 magnums. I finally shot my first match with my own 44 magnum yesterday, which was both really fun and went sufficiently well that I don't think the gun or the caliber will be a big hindrance. The only thing that was clearly slowing me down (other than dumb mistakes due to lack of experience) was the occasional sticking round in my comp 1 speed loader. I'll probably shoot ICORE for the rest of the year with what I have before making any decisions. Nice meeting you on Sunday. I’m new to ICORE too. It’s great fun, and good practice. Really grateful to Dave for putting on the match and other shooters offering tips. i had some trouble with my Comp 1 loaders when shooting my 2” k frame this week. They’re not ideal for ICORE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch-Commando Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Nice meeting you too! I had a great time, and will definitely be back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyodor Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 Hey guys, I live in Germany, and the SL variant formerly was made in Germany. When the company that made them went defunct, they vanished... recently I found a website in the US who sells them. Unfortunately speedloaders are banned from export (at least it is some paperwork to do, and the seller doesn't do it) out of the US, so I can't order them directly. Then I saw, they are now made in Japan. Above you mentioned the website slvariant.com, and some guys have ordered there. The site is half gone, there is a "shop" button that doesn't go anywhere, and the rest of the page is a 404 error message. Can someone over the pond please try again if the website is still functioning? Maybe it's just geofenced. I'm in desperate need of a couple N-277s for my Schofield revolvers. All other makes and models don't fit these. I have two, but need some more. Cheers, Jochen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Phil Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 2 hours ago, Fyodor said: Hey guys, I live in Germany, and the SL variant formerly was made in Germany. When the company that made them went defunct, they vanished... recently I found a website in the US who sells them. Unfortunately speedloaders are banned from export (at least it is some paperwork to do, and the seller doesn't do it) out of the US, so I can't order them directly. Then I saw, they are now made in Japan. Above you mentioned the website slvariant.com, and some guys have ordered there. The site is half gone, there is a "shop" button that doesn't go anywhere, and the rest of the page is a 404 error message. Can someone over the pond please try again if the website is still functioning? Maybe it's just geofenced. I'm in desperate need of a couple N-277s for my Schofield revolvers. All other makes and models don't fit these. I have two, but need some more. Cheers, Jochen This site shows up here. They have the N-277 loaders. It says that they are "bank transfer only after November 12", and are closed until December 7th. The site says they have some in stock. The grip adapter is $8 each, extra. I don't do bank transfers, or I could send you some. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 The site seems to work OK from Finland. The Shop page has these notes: INFORMATION From November 12th, you will not be able to pay by credit card for a while. If you are considering purchasing by credit card, we recommend that you complete your payment by November 11th. From November 12th, the only payment method for the time being will be bank transfer. Please be informed that we will be closed for the Vacation from November 2th to December 7th. Orders placed during this period will be shipped after December 7th. And yes: N-277 seems to be in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyodor Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 This is how the page looks from my place. I live in Germany, bank transfer would be totally normal for me. But if they are closed until December 7th, I'll place my order after that. A friend of mine from France can also access the page. He'll do the ordering for me. Thanks for your offers anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couch-Commando Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 Website works for me. I ordered several of the 277 speed loaders in early November and received them in a week. They work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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