• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

School me on Moon Clips

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

NES Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2005
Messages
20,937
Likes
21,259
Location
South Central Mass
Feedback: 66 / 0 / 0
I've moved forward with a 1951 S&W Pre 26 in 45acp and will be taking delivery shortly. Now that I have the gun I'm looking on the kind of moon clips I should be getting. The last time I tried to use a moon clip I bent the crap out of it. So what's the deal? Should I get half moon or full moon clips? Is it possible to load/unload moon clips by hand or should I invest in a tool to help make it easier? There not cheap so want to make sure I'm doing this right.

Thanks
 
With a 45 you can use anything.
The 9mm and 38/357 clips are thin and flimsy.
The 45 clips are thick and won’t bend unless you’re ham handing something fierce.
Half clips are fine. 1/3 work. Full. Rimz plastic.
I buy mine from Midway and all have been fine.

Get some 45 auto rim ammo
 
I found a beat-to-hell Colt 1917 at a gun show years ago. Took it to a gunsmith of mine and had him Fitz Special it. He didn't cut the barrel back as far as I would have really preferred but it was pretty good. He stoned the hell out of the frame, had the roll marks re-rolled and then re-blued the whole thing.

I prefer full moon clips for the S&W 1917 I had, but they would not fit this. I forget if it was the grip or the cylinder. I think teh smithy made the action so tight that the fulls won't let the cylinder close. Not like you reload a Fitz anyhow. LOL.

It was a cool project. I pull it out every so often and ogle at it. It must still weight about 80 pounds so carrying it is not an option - especially with a front-cut trigger guard. LOL

The few times I've shot it, I've used half-moons, obviously. What a royal pain to load and unload those things. I think someone made a plastic set that worked well. I think.
 
Jeez, moon clips, folks either love 'em or hate 'em, the haters I'll never understand why,
unless they try to load and un-load them only by hand, I guess that will make you a hater real quick.

Been shooting all caliber of moon clips for a few years now, ALL are brass brand sensitive, even in 45 ACP.
If you want to do it all by hand, use loose fitting brass in your clips, it may take a few different brands of
ammo to figure out what works easiest.

Here's a link from TK Custom, everything you need in one stop shopping.
tkcustom.com

TK Custom Tool Bundle for Loading & Unloading Moon Clips

Order this loading bundle online from TK Custom and receive ten moon clips, one loader, and one unloading tool for your S&W .45 ACP model revolver.
tkcustom.com tkcustom.com

Another vendor, George sells some good clips, you won't be sorry.
www.revolversupply.com

Moon Clip 45 ACP S&W 625 Blued Finish

www.revolversupply.com www.revolversupply.com

Here's a good video on the loading tools out there:
www.revolversupply.com

Supplies for the Revolver Enthusiast

www.revolversupply.com www.revolversupply.com

On loading tools, I'm a big fan of the BMT loader for rimmed brass, for rimless, not so much, but I have to
say I have not used the rimless BMT a lot.

At less than $15 for 10 moon clips you can afford to buy a bunch, I load my clips the night before a match
and chamber check them all (another tool u can buy) that way I don't have to fumble around during a match
and I know every loaded moon clip I grab is good.

If you plan on shooting your revo in competition or where speedy reloads matter get a good fitting clip and
brass combo and use a mooning and de-mooning tool, it makes life so much better.

If you want something to hold those loaded moon clips send me a msg, I can hook you up with holders and
some other accessories, come to think of it, I even have some of the Revolver Supply loaders in stock !!

Dave Parker
[email protected]
 
10mmdave said:
Jeez, moon clips, folks either love 'em or hate 'em, the haters I'll never understand why,
unless they try to load and un-load them only by hand, I guess that will make you a hater real quick.

Been shooting all caliber of moon clips for a few years now, ALL are brass brand sensitive, even in 45 ACP.
If you want to do it all by hand, use loose fitting brass in your clips, it may take a few different brands of
ammo to figure out what works easiest.

Here's a link from TK Custom, everything you need in one stop shopping.
tkcustom.com

TK Custom Tool Bundle for Loading & Unloading Moon Clips

Order this loading bundle online from TK Custom and receive ten moon clips, one loader, and one unloading tool for your S&W .45 ACP model revolver.
tkcustom.com tkcustom.com

Another vendor, George sells some good clips, you won't be sorry.
www.revolversupply.com

Moon Clip 45 ACP S&W 625 Blued Finish

www.revolversupply.com www.revolversupply.com

Here's a good video on the loading tools out there:
www.revolversupply.com

Supplies for the Revolver Enthusiast

www.revolversupply.com www.revolversupply.com

On loading tools, I'm a big fan of the BMT loader for rimmed brass, for rimless, not so much, but I have to
say I have not used the rimless BMT a lot.

At less than $15 for 10 moon clips you can afford to buy a bunch, I load my clips the night before a match
and chamber check them all (another tool u can buy) that way I don't have to fumble around during a match
and I know every loaded moon clip I grab is good.

If you plan on shooting your revo in competition or where speedy reloads matter get a good fitting clip and
brass combo and use a mooning and de-mooning tool, it makes life so much better.

If you want something to hold those loaded moon clips send me a msg, I can hook you up with holders and
some other accessories, come to think of it, I even have some of the Revolver Supply loaders in stock !!

Dave Parker
[email protected]
Click to expand...
And btw, I live just below Nasuha NH
 
Rockrivr1 said:
I've moved forward with a 1951 S&W Pre 26 in 45acp and will be taking delivery shortly. Now that I have the gun I'm looking on the kind of moon clips I should be getting. The last time I tried to use a moon clip I bent the crap out of it. So what's the deal? Should I get half moon or full moon clips? Is it possible to load/unload moon clips by hand or should I invest in a tool to help make it easier? There not cheap so want to make sure I'm doing this right.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Get the tool and full clips. Your hands will thank you.
 
I have a couple of 45 acp revolvers and use moon clips. I have half moon also but always use full moon because they're much faster. You can also use 45 auto rim with or without speed loaders. Get a de-mooning tool. Loading the moon clips is a pain but unloading them without the tool is much worse. There's a tool like a pair of pliars that does 2 at a time but it's plastic and I already broke one. I use one that only removes one case at a time but at least it's metal and still works.
 
38ExtraSpecial said:
With a 45 you can use anything.
The 9mm and 38/357 clips are thin and flimsy.
The 45 clips are thick and won’t bend unless you’re ham handing something fierce.
Half clips are fine. 1/3 work. Full. Rimz plastic.
I buy mine from Midway and all have been fine.

Get some 45 auto rim ammo
Click to expand...
I got some 45 auto rim brass. I have a 4" Smith custom shop 45acp. I find that the ejector rod doesn't eject all of the brass. Usually just a few.
 
Last edited:
1. He isn't going back to reloading, he has made that clear.
2. The gun he is getting will NOT be shot in matches I suspect.
3. I have a ton of moon clips and would be happy to give you some.
4. I have a loader for the clips. I think I got it from Dave years ago when I shot IPSC one season exclusively with the S&W 625.
5. I use a length of 1/2 copper pipe to unload the moon clips. I cut a piece just a little longer than 6 45ACP cases and notched one end. I then soldered a "T" to the other end to use as a handle. I'll be happy to make one of those up for you if you would like as well.
 
AFAIK there's only one company that manufactures 45 Auto Rim and that's Buffalo Bore and not cheap by any means. For just casual plnking the Rimz full moon clips work well I use them all the time. I have metal full moon clips that I use with a loading/unloading tool and I've a hardy supply of 45 Auto Rim brass as well. I shoot a 625 5" love the pistol and shoot it reasonably well.
 
Congrats on the acquisition, I'm learning to appreciate .45 ACP revolvers as time goes on. Much as I would like more double action .45 Colt revolvers, the industry just isn't keen on making them and if they do it's usually sticking them into a .44 Mag frame. With the .45 ACP there's more effort to keep the revolvers more size appropriate.

Since it's a revolver and the OAL isn't as critical this allows for the .45 ACP case to be loaded using 250gr bullets typically used in .45 Colt, so there's no loss in power. That's if you reload of course and with a .45 ACP revolver there's no reason not to.
 
T-Unit said:
Congrats on the acquisition, I'm learning to appreciate .45 ACP revolvers as time goes on. Much as I would like more double action .45 Colt revolvers, the industry just isn't keen on making them and if they do it's usually sticking them into a .44 Mag frame. With the .45 ACP there's more effort to keep the revolvers more size appropriate.

Since it's a revolver and the OAL isn't as critical this allows for the .45 ACP case to be loaded using 250gr bullets typically used in .45 Colt, so there's no loss in power. That's if you reload of course and with a .45 ACP revolver there's no reason not to.
Click to expand...
I was fortunate enough to buy a 6" Smith 625 in 45 long colt when they come out years ago. Looks like a full lug 629, but with a 1/2" port in front of the front sight. I enjoy making 45 long colt magnums for it and dropped a nice Maine deer with this load in my 16" marlin 45 long colt lever gun. A 250 grain Hornady XTP, backed up by 25 gr. of H110 dropped the deer pretty hard, but I'm not recommending that others make or use this load.
 
M60 said:
I was fortunate enough to buy a 6" Smith 625 in 45 long colt when they come out years ago. Looks like a full lug 629, but with a 1/2" port in front of the front sight. I enjoy making 45 long colt magnums for it and dropped a nice Maine deer with this load in my 16" marlin 45 long colt lever gun. A 250 grain Hornady XTP, backed up by 25 gr. of H110 dropped the deer pretty hard, but I'm not recommending that others make or use this load.
Click to expand...
The .45 Colt is a great cartridge, especially from a strong lever action, but while it's still probably my favorite handgun cartridge, I'm not blind to its limitations. At standard pressures it's not significantly better than .45 ACP, the only benefits are the rim, the roll crimp, and due to it's length multiple round balls can be used (sole reason I started reloading was for that ability.)

Instead of choosing one over the other, it'd be nice if Ruger or S&W would take a cue from Taurus and their Tracker revolvers with the conversion cylinders to switch between .22 LR and Mag or .357 and 9mm, but make that in .45 ACP and .45 Colt. The Redhawk I have, I appriciate that I can shoot .45 ACP from the same cylinder as .45 Colt, but the long jump saps a lot of velocity. If it were a proper .45 ACP chamber, I'd get at least 75 fps, maybe even 100 fps higher velocity.
 
T-Unit said:
The .45 Colt is a great cartridge, especially from a strong lever action, but while it's still probably my favorite handgun cartridge, I'm not blind to its limitations. At standard pressures it's not significantly better than .45 ACP, the only benefits are the rim, the roll crimp, and due to it's length multiple round balls can be used (sole reason I started reloading was for that ability.)

Instead of choosing one over the other, it'd be nice if Ruger or S&W would take a cue from Taurus and their Tracker revolvers with the conversion cylinders to switch between .22 LR and Mag or .357 and 9mm, but make that in .45 ACP and .45 Colt. The Redhawk I have, I appriciate that I can shoot .45 ACP from the same cylinder as .45 Colt, but the long jump saps a lot of velocity. If it were a proper .45 ACP chamber, I'd get at least 75 fps, maybe even 100 fps higher velocity.
Click to expand...
Ruger has offered a spare cylinder in .45ACP for their .45 Colt Blackhawks in the past. There are some Uberti SAA out there as well.
 
Not to hijack the thread like I always do, is there anybody who can rework the cylinder on revolver to accept moon clips?

I think I’d like to do it to my S&W 360 PD. it’s got a titanium cylinder though, and I’m assuming that the thing that ejects the brass Has to be shortened as well its something never really thought about it.

I’m not even sure if it’s a thing, but I think it would be cool to do. Not that I ever plan on reloading my carry revolver I just want to do it, just because. I mean if five shots at 357 Doesn’t solve the problem you’re already f***ed.
 
I have several 625’s and over the years have developed a way to make loading the clips much easier. I stock form they are a pain but the rounds don’t need to be held that tight in the clips. I didn’t have a lot of money for speciality loading tools, for I took my Drexel and started polishing all the sharp edges off the factory clips. Take a few rounds and try them as you are polishing. I also use a file on the points if necessary. I am talking like 5 minutes of filing, sanding, polishing each. Take your time because if you go too far the rounds will not be held tight enough and the clip will be junk. The goal is to adjust the size so it easily slips over the round with a snap fit, yet tight enough so it doesn’t fall out. I also just just a cheap unloaded which has the edges rounded so it doesn’t cut my fingers unloading.

235C4011-C263-4D72-94B8-6D4BB0F0828B.jpeg D2524511-8647-406D-8AD1-B363494F2DB7.jpeg
 
T-Unit said:
Instead of choosing one over the other, it'd be nice if Ruger or S&W would take a cue from Taurus and their Tracker revolvers with the conversion cylinders to switch between .22 LR and Mag or .357 and 9mm, but make that in .45 ACP and .45 Colt. The Redhawk I have, I appriciate that I can shoot .45 ACP from the same cylinder as .45 Colt, but the long jump saps a lot of velocity. If it were a proper .45 ACP chamber, I'd get at least 75 fps, maybe even 100 fps higher velocity.
Click to expand...
I had the Ruger in 45 Colt/45acp. Loved that it shot both. I just wish they make something like this in the Super Redhawk, so I could get a better trigger. Yes, a dual-cylinder option would be even better (in a double action revolver - not just single action).
MGnoob said:
Not to hijack the thread like I always do, is there anybody who can rework the cylinder on revolver to accept moon clips?

I think I’d like to do it to my S&W 360 PD. it’s got a titanium cylinder though, and I’m assuming that the thing that ejects the brass Has to be shortened as well its something never really thought about it.

I’m not even sure if it’s a thing, but I think it would be cool to do. Not that I ever plan on reloading my carry revolver I just want to do it, just because. I mean if five shots at 357 Doesn’t solve the problem you’re already f***ed.
Click to expand...
tkcustom.com

Cylinder Machining for S&W Firearms Revolvers

Send your S&W revolvers to TK Custom and take advantage of our machining services! We offer firearm cylinder machining for J-Frame, K-Frame, and more.
tkcustom.com tkcustom.com
 

Similar threads

School me on using red dots on handguns
2
Replies
37
Views
843
paul73
paul73
School Confiscation
Replies
28
Views
689
SpaceCritter
SpaceCritter
DUPE, please delete. School staff member placed on leave after gun found in car on campus (Lexington)
Replies
4
Views
63
Buck F
Buck F
Lexington School employee leaves gun on seat of car
2 3
Replies
69
Views
2K
HorizontalHunter
HorizontalHunter
Old school fighting
2
Replies
52
Views
926
jkelly1229
J
Back
Top Bottom