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Moon clip question


Alpo

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You have a revolver that works with moon clips. You don't need clips - it will work without them - but it is so much more convenient.

 

How many would you consider enough?

 

I have a Smith 940. 2-inch J frame hammerless 9 mm.

 

Since the gun is out of production Smith & Wesson does not sell clips for it. So I went searching the web for some the other day, and came across the site where I could get them for two bucks a piece, and started to place an order, but then I went and did account on how many I had.

 

Aside from the one in the gun I have 16.

 

Just trying to decide if 16 is enough. If this was magazines, for a 9 mm auto pistol, 16 would be way more than enough. But moon clips. Just seems like I should have more.

 

What y'all think?

 

182933273_940-19mmJ-frame.thumb.jpg.bad203a4ac39dc930f8ef185a76a98c6.jpg

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I have no idea how many moon clips I have [there are 4 1917 based 45s here] but whatever you feel comfortable for carry and for practice. I would think 16 is probably plenty for your J frame use. I really like the ones from Ranch, they have served me well. Here's a trick for carrying a spare clip, find a stiff leather speedloader pouch. they will drop right in and be protected. No one but old cops and gun cranks like us will recognize it. To pull the clip out, just stick your finger in the center of the clip and pull out.

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12 minutes ago, Alpo said:

You have a revolver that works with moon clips. You don't need clips - it will work without them - but it is so much more convenient.

 

How many would you consider enough?

 

I have a Smith 940. 2-inch J frame hammerless 9 mm.

 

Since the gun is out of production Smith & Wesson does not sell clips for it. So I went searching the web for some the other day, and came across the site where I could get them for two bucks a piece, and started to place an order, but then I went and did account on how many I had.

 

Aside from the one in the gun I have 16.

 

Just trying to decide if 16 is enough. If this was magazines, for a 9 mm auto pistol, 16 would be way more than enough. But moon clips. Just seems like I should have more.

 

What y'all think?

 

182933273_940-19mmJ-frame.thumb.jpg.bad203a4ac39dc930f8ef185a76a98c6.jpg

There's no such thing as too many moon clips or speed loaders.

 

There's around 20 HKS CA44 speed loaders around here.

 

I carry 3 in jacket wearing weather,  there's 4 that stay in the truck (1 loaded with snake shot), there's a couple or 3 on the nightstand and at least 10 in the range bags.

 

And that's just 5 shot 44 special speed loaders.

 

I think there's at least a dozen that would work on my Dan Wessons and another 10 or 12 for my N Frame .45.

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24 minutes ago, DeaconKC said:

Here's a trick for carrying a spare clip, find a stiff leather speedloader pouch. they will drop right in

This is how I carry my 45 moon clips. The nylon speedloader pouch. I put one in head down, and then another one in on top of it bullet down. So the bullet noses are resting on each other. Gives me four reloads.

 

IMG_20230110_103840339.thumb.jpg.2d3b3d00050b4a7cee412891212ec63f.jpg

 

IMG_20230110_103904202.thumb.jpg.88e83362211e340af72c7af4889dcbbf.jpg

 

IMG_20230110_103941633.thumb.jpg.73c18bfeea5074420f454912b9f1975e.jpg

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When I got my 625, it came with 5 Wilson moon clips. I bought 10 more for practice. That way I can leave the 5 loaded with Federal 230gr. Hydroshocks and still have enough to load up to 60 rounds for training. 

I also carry the 5, (well, 4 of them), in a speedloader pouch. I carry them 2 per side, bullets down so that if I need them, I don't have to think whether I need to turn them over to load them.

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3 hours ago, Alpo said:

You have a revolver that works with moon clips. You don't need clips - it will work without them

That's not entirely true.

I have a Colt 1917.  If you don't use moon clips, the .45 ACP rounds will just fall through the cylinder.

Well, I guess I could use .45 Autorim.

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My Webley also needs clips. It is bored straight through.

 

But the revolver in my post did not need clips. That was the point.

 

I have two Ortgies 32 automatic pistols. But I only have one magazine. These pistols need a magazine to work.

 

But the hypothetical revolver in the original post does not need clips. Clips are nice, but not absolutely necessary. If I had no clips, I could still use the gun.

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1 hour ago, Alpo said:

But the hypothetical revolver in the original post does not need clips. Clips are nice, but not absolutely necessary. If I had no clips, I could still use the gun.

I don’t know much about .45 acp revolvers. Doesn’t that mess up the headspace? I thought moon clips were only for bored through cylinders where there’s nothing for the case mouth to sit on. 
 

If the gun doesn’t need moon clips, wouldn’t a speed loader be more appropriate?

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I have not owned a moon clipped revolver for a while; but my only consideration for the need to acquire more clips was solely the fragility of the clips or my own ham handedness.

If the clips are sturdy - then an equal  number to semi auto magazine need is reasonable.

I usually have around 10-20 magazines per pistol.

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1 minute ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

I have not owned a moon clipped revolver for a while; but my only consideration for the need to acquire more clips was solely the fragility of the clips or my own ham handedness.

If the clips are sturdy - then an equal  number to semi auto magazine need is reasonable.

I usually have around 10-20 magazines per pistol.

Mooning / De-mooning tools make all the difference.  I have a fancy one and a simple one.  Simple is better, and cheaper.

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Sportsman's Guide used to have packs of 20 for $10. Every time I would place an order I would throw in that $10 thing. I've got a couple of hundred, maybe more, of full moons for 45.

 

So naturally they stopped carrying them.

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35 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

I don’t know much about .45 acp revolvers. Doesn’t that mess up the headspace? I thought moon clips were only for bored through cylinders where there’s nothing for the case mouth to sit on. 
 

If the gun doesn’t need moon clips, wouldn’t a speed loader be more appropriate?

Most 45ACP revolvers have a shoulder that the casing headspaces on. The clips are primarily for extraction. You can fire the gun without them, but then have to manually punch the empties out. Speedloaders wouldn't work because they hold the rim of the cartridge. 

16 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Mooning / De-mooning tools make all the difference.  I have a fancy one and a simple one.  Simple is better, and cheaper.

This is the type of unloading tool I use. Amazon.com : Ultimate Arms Gear Half & Full Moon Clips Unloading Unloader  Demooner Extraction Removal Tool : Sports & Outdoors

To load, I use a small slip joint pliers that just happen to fit perfectly.

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39 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

I don’t know much about .45 acp revolvers. Doesn’t that mess up the headspace? I thought moon clips were only for bored through cylinders where there’s nothing for the case mouth to sit on. 
 

If the gun doesn’t need moon clips, wouldn’t a speed loader be more appropriate?

 

The purpose of the moon is to allow extraction of the case.

 

I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, but it really takes two hands to hold the camera steady, and since one was holding the gun ...

 

This picture shows two 45 ACP sitting by themselves in the cylinder. See how high above the cylinder they are? That's because the mouth of the cartridge case is sitting on the lip inside the chamber, just like it sits on the lip inside the chamber of a 1911.

 

IMG_20230110_154017814.thumb.jpg.ece1d731dae9702870e1b1b041a53df4.jpg

 

This one shows the extractor star pushed up, not touching anything, and the cases are still sitting in the chambers.

 

IMG_20230110_154059505.thumb.jpg.ed4ca2d07a0889593192921b37619057.jpg

 

Now here we have a loaded moon clip sitting in the cylinder, and as you might can tell it's just as high above the cylinder face. That's because the cylinder face is the correct distance away from the recoil shield for a 45 ACP cartridge with a moon clip to fit.

 

IMG_20230110_154134111.thumb.jpg.f718fd688f9f327204b6c82eca583e88.jpg

 

And lastly we have the extractor star again pushed up, but because the moon clip is there it has extracted all six cartridges.IMG_20230110_154138978.thumb.jpg.edd1d7125cce7e98938326d4722b7965.jpg

 

 

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The actual purpose of a moon clip is strictly to allow extraction of the fired cases.

 

The lagniappe of a moon clip is the fact that it is the fastest reload possible for a revolver. All the cartridges go in at one time, like a speed loader, but unlike a speed loader you don't have to take the thing away before you can close the cylinder. Just drop it in the hole and shut it.

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3 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Most 45ACP revolvers have a shoulder that the casing headspaces on. The clips are primarily for extraction. You can fire the gun without them, but then have to manually punch the empties out. Speedloaders wouldn't work because they hold the rim of the cartridge. 

This is the type of unloading tool I use. Amazon.com : Ultimate Arms Gear Half & Full Moon Clips Unloading Unloader  Demooner Extraction Removal Tool : Sports & Outdoors

To load, I use a small slip joint pliers that just happen to fit perfectly.

Yup! The simple one.

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If it were me I would enough moon clips for 100 or 200 rounds for a range trip 15 or 20 for carry rotation and the same number or more brand new for “just in case” and probably 50 or 100 more new in the wrappers because I’m weird about having spares when it comes to mags and clips and such. 

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11 minutes ago, Alpo said:

The lagniappe of a moon clip is the fact that it is the fastest reload possible for a revolver. All the cartridges go in at one time, like a speed loader, but unlike a speed loader you don't have to take the thing away before you can close the cylinder. Just drop it in the hole and shut it.

That's how Jerry Michelick manages his record holding speed reloads. Here, he shows how.

 

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3 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

I don’t know much about .45 acp revolvers. Doesn’t that mess up the headspace? I thought moon clips were only for bored through cylinders where there’s nothing for the case mouth to sit on. 
 

If the gun doesn’t need moon clips, wouldn’t a speed loader be more appropriate?

 The original reason for moon clips was the extract the empties.  Secondary benefit was speed loading.   Half moon clips holding 3 rounds were issue.   I have 50 or 60 in revolver case and another 200 in reserve       GW

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