Moon Clips For 686

[JAB]

Hi every one im new here id like to say i have been reading alot of post on here and fined this is a very good website to learn. Saying that i have a question i have a S&W 686 that i shoot 38spl out of id like to shoot it with moon clips instead my speedloaders can this be done i have only ever sen moon clips for 45cal thanks for any help

[Viggen]

Yes, it can be done.

The 686 must be cut so that rounds can be single loaded, as now, and be loaded using moonclips.

There are several places to get this done - clarkcustomguns.com, moonclips.com and others. There will be more folks who mention places.

On thing important is the moonclips used. IMHO Hearthco moonclips using Remington or Federal brass is the way to go. You might check with Dave Hearth who shows up here from time to time about how deep the cylinder needs cutting to take advantage of his moons.

Oh, the reason I like Hearthco moons is that the rounds are firmly held, not floppy.

Edited August 7, 2006 by Viggen

[Walt S]

I would not recommend it. I had my revolver set up for moon clips and I never got good at fast loading. The reason: the moon clips for the 38 Special/357 mag are only .22 inch thick. They are so thin they are unstable. and the bullets do not line up all the time. Then .... you panic and push harder which makes things worse and time go by. When I switched to the 625, the 45 moon clips were .45 inch thick. This gave me a stable platform and I looked great with my speed loads.

Now ....... I'm going to continue using my model 66 and using both COMP III speed loaders and the moon clips. I can take my time with the "LOAD AND MAKE READY" using the moon clips. This also alows me to recover my brass without having to pick up 6 lose rounds. Then I move down the course using my COMP III speed loaders. They hold the round in a more stable condition than the moon clipd do. I find I can load faster with the COMP III's as I don't have the sloppy floppy rounds to force into the cyclinder. HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU.

[AZ38super]

I have a 686 7 shot cut for moons and I run Hearthco's and Remington brass.

Works great and I wouldn't want it any other way.

[Para14Bud]

Mark Hartshorne at Pinnacle High Performance did my 686. He did a great job.

Here is a link to his site

Pinnacle High Performance

[dmd45]

Mark Hartshorne at Pinnacle High Performance did my 686. He did a great job.

Here is a link to his site

Pinnacle High Performance

+1 for Mark he also did a 686 for me and did an excellant job.

[imashooter2]

Mark Hartshorne at Pinnacle High Performance did my 686. He did a great job.

Here is a link to his site

Pinnacle High Performance

+1 for Mark he also did a 686 for me and did an excellant job.

He did mine as well. All I gave him was the cylinder. Worked out very well.

[Northern Xtreme]

I have two 686's that I had Clark cut the cylinders on. A 6" for ISPC and a 4" for IDPA. They did a great job.

IMHO if you are going to stick with the 686 the moonclips are the best way to go, but I would also recommend you go with a model 625 instead, for a few reasons.

1.) The moonclips for the 625 are much cheaper and much stronger. I have over $3 in each 686 moonclip and you can get 625 moonclips for around $1.

2.) There is probably a slight speed advantage with the bigger cylinder holes, and the heavy bullets.

3. This is not a huge issue, but I like to practice with cast bullets and you can shoot the 230 RN at low velocities (750-fps) and make major without any leading issues. You have to drive the 158 at close to 1100 to make major and that can cause more of a leading issue. There are also alot of choices in 45 ACP bullets, cast, plated, jacketed. With the 38 caliber bullets there are only a few companies making a plated round nose bullet.

I just bought a 625 and already I can see I will probably be more competitive with it.

[Bubber]

Hi every one im new here id like to say i have been reading alot of post on here and fined this is a very good website to learn. Saying that i have a question i have a S&W 686 that i shoot 38spl out of id like to shoot it with moon clips instead my speedloaders can this be done i have only ever sen moon clips for 45cal thanks for any help

I would not recommend it. I had my revolver set up for moon clips and I never got good at fast loading. The reason: the moon clips for the 38 Special/357 mag are only .22 inch thick. They are so thin they are unstable. and the bullets do not line up all the time. Then .... you panic and push harder which makes things worse and time go by. When I switched to the 625, the 45 moon clips were .45 inch thick. This gave me a stable platform and I looked great with my speed loads.

Now ....... I'm going to continue using my model 66 and using both COMP III speed loaders and the moon clips. I can take my time with the "LOAD AND MAKE READY" using the moon clips. This also alows me to recover my brass without having to pick up 6 lose rounds. Then I move down the course using my COMP III speed loaders. They hold the round in a more stable condition than the moon clipd do. I find I can load faster with the COMP III's as I don't have the sloppy floppy rounds to force into the cyclinder. HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU.

JAB: I would agree with Walt on this one. I have not seen many moonclipped 686. But with the longer cartridges I would go with the speed loaders. The learning curve is a bit steeper but with practice and the lefthand reloading as discussed in previous threads you can be quite competitive. I would also suggest that if you haven't purchased Comp III's yet to go with the Jet Loader. Same design in fact the Jets were there first. Welcome to the midst. rdd