from bearonarock.com
It's a device to help quickly reload a revolver. In the model pictured above, you insert a cylinder's-full of cartridges (5 for my weapon) and turn that knurled knob at the back to lock them in. When reloading, you eject the spent cases from the cylinder, shove in a full load with that speedloader, and turn the knob to release the cartridges. It is supposed to be very fast.
Problem is, it has to be built to very exacting standards. The model I bought, a long time ago, was apparently not made to those standards, allowing the cartridges to wobble a bit in the loader, and causing them to mis-align frustrating your attempts to insert them into the cylinder. In an emergency, that is not desirable. So, I threw that one away.
The events in my previous post, Accident Report - A Work in Progress (it is still in progress), mean that I will be dependent on buses and walking to get about for a very long time to come; perhaps for the rest of my life. There will be places I will want to go to (if I'm ever able to walk again), at night, and unless I'm going to be a prisoner in my apartment, I'm damned well going to go.
That means, it's about time to take advantage of the Concealed Carry License I went to so much trouble to obtain years ago.
The speedloader (if I can find one I can depend on) would be a nice companion for this ...
That is an old model Charter Arms Bulldog with a 3" barrel, in .44 S&W Special caliber. I bought that years ago, and that target shows the first five shots I put through it, at ten yards, firing double-action (a misnomer actually, but it's commonly used to describe firing a revolver without cocking it first; just using a long pull of the trigger*).
That flyer (the one furthest from the rest of the group) was the fifth one. With a .44 Special in such a light gun, the recoil is a very sharp slap that will sting the palm of your hand; not a fun gun to fire. But it satisfied me that it should certainly get the job done.
A long time ago, I bought (and still have) a special fanny pack made for concealed carry, with a fast-open compartment.
I would truly like recommendations for speedloaders for that weapon, that are made to standards that should insure reliable loading.
It's possible that I may have to reconsider my ammunition of choice. I favor ...
from smith-wessonforum.com
... because it's reliable, accurate, and falls into the "will get the job done" category. To more easily feed into the cylinder, I may need to look at rounds that have a more tapered nose.
(And before anyone warns me that "lots of indoor ranges ban the use of Blazer ammunition as unsafe, blows up guns (often showing spectacular pictures of blown-up revolvers)", well know this ...
A lot of police departments throughout the country use this ammunition, for budgetary reasons. While the quality of their rangemasters may vary quite a bit, I suspect that most of those departments are very knowledgeable on lawsuits. That they keep using it is to me a pretty good sign.
I think that what indoor shooting ranges really hate about Blazer is that they sweep up the fired cartridge cases and reload them. The Blazer rounds use aluminum cases, which don't re-size as well as the brass used by most other manufacturers. They also use Berdan primers (needing a special two-pronged decapping tool) instead of the more commonly used (over here) Boxer primer that can use a single pin though a center hole for removing the old primer.
All that trouble probably keeps them from making a profit on reloading the Blazer cartridges.
I've never encountered an outdoor shooting range that had any problem with users using the Blazer ammunition. They probably don't collect and reload the cases because it may be more trouble than it's worth to separate and clean them from the dirt, rocks and other debris on the ground there.)
Anyways -- if any readers have suggestions for speedloaders for my gun (that I can depend on), I'd love to hear from you.
I'm quite aware that a compact automatic, with extra clips would be the smart way to go, but there's simply no money for that. "You go to war with the Army you have."
Well, I have to go to war with what's at hand.
(* - Ok, then. What does "double-action" really mean? It means there are two ways to fire the weapon.
One: Cock the hammer first, allowing you to fire it with a light pull of the trigger, usually more accurate.
Two: Use a long (usually heavy and rough, although it varies greatly among different weapons) pull of the trigger, to cock the hammer and then release it in one motion. This is fastest, but not always very accurate. Mileage varies greatly among different weapons. Some Smith & Wesson models have very good and smooth trigger pulls when used this way, as does that Charter Arms Bulldog of mine.
So, one of the greatest misnomers is a weapon described as DAO (Double Action Only) when it in fact has just a single mode of being fired: by pulling the trigger to cock and release the hammer.
Ain't semantics wonderful? :-)
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3 comments:
My mom got me one of these ones-- she uses 'em, their gun dealer uses 'em and suggests them. She's sure enough to buy it for the second line of defense for her grandkids. ^.^ (first line being the first round of shells...)
I shot blazers in that thing with no problem or fear,also shot them in my Glocks and various 1911s and an assortment of 40s and nines...nothing wrong with them. My personal favorite is Federal PDA (personal defense ammo )hydroshock in 45 cal, dont know if it comes in 44,but if it does-its good in big bores..it will literally demolish an armadillo at twenty paces out of a glock 45. Not so good in smaller caliber though...put 3 40s&w through an armadillo at ten feet and it ran off and got well because they didn't expand! Killed it a few months later with a piece of angle iron and found the wound scars. Try remington golden sabre if you can find it in 44, it seems to work great in every size...it's really the only TRULY effective round in a 9mm. I'm down to my CZ52 with Wolf hollow points right now ( 7.62x25,86 gr.at 1800+ fps, works out about like a 357 with WAY too much penetration ). If the car is fixable you might check and see what the insurer will ask for it once it's theirs..a friend of mines 2003 Chevy conversion van was totaled after flipping on it's side about three years ago and after collecting on it, he bought it back from them for 500 bucks and gave it to his stepson to drive...less than 300 bucks mechanical parts! It does have a lot of scrapes and wrinkles on the passenger side but the doors work and all the glass survived and it doesn't really look that bad..main thing is the boy has reliable wheels for cheap and it's still going...goood luck.
FYI - When Gary Binkley says I shot blazers in that thing with no problem or fear,, he means literally that very gun. He's my brother, and he's the one I bought it from.
Foxfier: Thanks for the link. I'll do more research on them, although it bothers me that that page had this line: "M" Series Speedloaders - These particular models actually work best with cartridge jiggle.
That "jiggle" was what gave me problems in the first place, although I've yet to try one with bullets that are more tapered.
Gary: I've indicated, in my latest update on the Accident Report that I will probably accept their offer.
BUT, I also requested copies of any photos the adjusters may have taken, and they told me they would be included with the report and papers they will send to that insurance office (where they agreed to meet with me about the settlement, early this coming week.
It's entirely possible that, when I look over those photos, I might change my mind.
We'll see.
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