Moon Clip Holders

[Ron Ankeny]

OK, I broke down and bought a revolver for IPSC. I was all set on a 625, then I found a 25-2. Well, I have a bucket full of long loaded .40 and I sold my limited pistol so I settled on a 610. I swore I would never buy a Smith that didn't have the firing pin on the hammer, but I got the 610 anyway and it seems like a decent revolver. Mine has a 6.5 inch tube and it is one heavy beast.

Anyhow, I think I an going with the Safariland Cup Challenge holster unless someone can recommend something better. I am hunting for moon clip holders. One of the guys at today's IDPA match was shooting a 625 and he had two styles of holders. One was the metal holder with the plastic retainer sold by Dillon and the other is a new Blade-Tech holder that holds 2 moon clips one above the other. He preferred the Blade Tech. Any other recommendations? Thanks is advance.

[SRT Driver]

Ron,

Check out www.moonclips.com for moonclip holders. Tom is a great guy/pistolsmith/wheel gunner.

I'm using a 003 (I think that's what it is..it's a 002 that has all of the adjustment of the 011), and I hate it.

The revolver is retained in the holster by the clam shell around the cylinder. I cannot get a smooth draw. The holster clamps onto the revolver and slaps my leg.

I've tried heat to open the clam shell up..then the revolver falls out.

Brownell's has the Universal Shooting Academy revolver holster and the CR Speed revolver version. I'd try one of those unless they are worse than the 002/003.

[Gillster]

I bought a 002 about 7 years ago and can't find a single thing to complain about with it. It's a 6" holster and I've used it with 6" 686's, 4"686 and a 5"625 and they all work great. Loaned it to a friend this weekend and he shot a 2" Taurus out of it, had to adjust the lower screw but it ran fine. Tried the 003 but found I didn't need the adjustments after years of shooting the 002. The holster will be tight at first especially with an N frame gun leave the gun in the holster for a while if you can and back the two adjustment screws all the way out to start, it will loosen up. The Blade Tech moonclip holders wotk okay in .38spl, haven't tried them in another caliber yet. Have fun.

Chris

[spook]

Ron, congrats, great gun. Especially for IPSC/USPSA. I personally think it's the best setup. Long sight radius. 40 cal, so you can relatively make the chargeholes even bigger than on the .45 model. You just need to find one.

Anyways, to answer your question, I like the Dillon model very much. The blade techs, I've never tried. I had different holders before, but the metal ones don't snag and are secure, yet light enough to be very fast. Just make sure you set them up the way you like by adjusting and lock tite-ing the screw. I only insert two cartridges into the holder, while some people insert the whole clip. Also makes a huge difference.

I see the other folks are giving you pointers on what holster to buy. I'll throw in my two cents. I LOVE my CR speed holser. Tried and tested some other stuff (safariland, H&S) but this is abolutely the fastest holster out there that doesn't compromise safety and security. There are faster holsters out there (like the Speedsec 5), but I wouldn't take them to a holstertest

I agree with SRT that the safariland is a POS & a WOM. Not fast, not secure.

[Ron Ankeny]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help. I searched the forum but didn't find a thing on clip holders. The guy I spoke to yesterday told me the clip holders from Dillon were way too tight. Apparantly there is an adjustment and perhaps he needs to break them in? From looking at the pics of the Blade Tech holders it looks like having two clips one above the other could be a train wreck waiting to happen, but I suppose a person could use one clip per holder on speed shoots?

[spook]

Ron, go with the Dillons. They are way to tight if you want to put the whole clip in. If you just put two rounds of the clip in (so the clip kind of "hangs over"), they rock. They're fast and secure then. There's also the possibility to adjust a little. I hit a couple of 1.8 reloads with them a week ago. That's not Miculek speed yet, but I'll get there, eventually....

[BigDave]

I got my "Shoot A Moon" clip holders from Dillon. They actually are made by a company called California Comp Works for my 610 moonclips.

They also have the 002 on closeout. It takes some gettting used to, but its not bad. It is abit tight for the N frame. But, what I did was wrap the cylinder in a few thicknesses of paper towl, put it into the holster and then tighten the adjustment screws down as much as I could then left it overnight (actually 2 nights). I also hit it with a hairdryer. Once that was over, it still holds the revolver very tight, but is much better. My newbie draws have been as low as a 1.6 on an El Prez. One word of caution, be carefull wehn you go back to a Safariland 012 or Ghost. It will seem as if you are pulling on nothing.

[phara]

Ron,

I like the Shoot the Moon clips that I ordered from Dillon. Like Spook says, they really seem to work best if you hang the moons by two rounds so that they hang over the front edge. This has the added benefit of getting them away from your belly so that your belly or your clothes or both are less likely to get in the way of the reload. Plus they don't rust like the blued ones seem to.

I think I'll get one of the blade tech double holders for IDPA and then I'll see how they work for me in IPSC.

Regards,

Paul

[Patrick Sweeney]

I've always used the "Shoot the Moon" clips from Califonia Competition Works. Bill Palazzolo (the owner) is an old pin shooting buddy with a line of competition-specific gear he makes and sells. Rich Bitow, ont he other hand (he of the 5.75 El Prez at the 2002 FGN) favors the Blade Tech. With speed like that, they can't be too bad.

The trick is learning how to use what you have. I kicked butt locally with revolvers for years using plain flapped police pouches with the flaps folded behind my belt.

[spook]

The trick is learning how to use what you have.

So true. Doesn't really matter what you have or buy.

BTW, buy the California Competition ones

[Intel6]

I will add that I use and like the shoot the moon holders also. I like the fact that they are relatively non-caliber specific unlike the blade tech.

While I use them mostly with my 625's I also use them with my 610 and my 8 shot 627 PC. The 8 round clips don't work perfectly in them unless I only put two rounds into the holder then they work fine. I would have to buy 3 different types of the BT holders so I will stick with the CC's.

[Ron Ankeny]

Thanks guys. I ordered the stuff I need and it looks like the credit card is only going to take a hit for $300.00 for the CR Speed holster, moon clips, holders, a demooning tool, another belt, etc. If nothing else, a wheel gun is sure a whole lot less expensive to play with than my Open blaster, lol.

I am going to shoot a local match with the wheelgun in two weeks and a four classifier event in three weeks. It has been a long time and I sure am rusty. Wish me luck.

[spook]

Good luck. Let us know how you did. BTW, pretty cool you picked up revo. Didn't you used to shoot revolver "back in the days"

The revolver class keeps growing.

[shred]

I ended up making a custom kydex holster for my 610 that's vaguely reminiscent of an 002 bolted to a Bianchi Hemisphere base. Lefty N-frame race holsters are hard to come by hereabouts and it works pretty well.

As for moonclip holders, the only ones I've used are the Calif Comp Works ones. As everybody's said, they're tight when the 610 clip is shoved all the way in. I've also heard of people using cartrige belts and sticking two rounds in adjacent slots.

The coolest moonclip holder I've ever seen was a belt-mounted spring-loaded tube that held a stack of 5 or 6 clips. Hit a knob on the end with your hand and a moonclip pops right into it. I have no idea who made it and it was probably ten years ago, but it was mighty cool.

[Ron Ankeny]

spook:

Man did I ever shoot revolvers way back when. I am a bit rusty but I just gotta give it a try. This should be fun if I don't gag on too much humble pie, lol.

[scooterj]

I also use the "shoot the moon" clip holders and the 002for my 610. For speed-shoots I hang two or three clips with two rounds in the clip holder. For field courses I'll put the wlole thing in, it's hard enough to cary enough ammo for a big field course without worrying about it falling off your belt.