Close up photo of an AK-47 magazine.  Shown is a surplus 30-round steel magazine.

 

By Syd

Speedloaders are awkward things. They’re cylindrical and don’t fit comfortably into the pocket of your blue jeans. They may bounce around in a jacket pocket a little better, but they are still rattling around loose with the dust bunnies and credit card receipts. Back in the days when police officers carried mostly wheel guns, some duty belt speedloader carriers were developed which were built from heavy leather and attached to the belt, standing out from the belt a couple of inches. These were OK perhaps for duty gear, but they’re not really great for plainclothes or civilian use.

There may not be a completely non-awkward way to carry speedloaders, but if you’re going to carry a revolver, you know you need to carry a reload or two. (You do carry a reload, don’t you?) I have found one option that’s a bit less awkward than some of the other methods I have seen. The Bianchi Agent Slim Speedloader Pouch is a workable solution. The Agent pouch is attached to your belt by threading the belt through the pouch itself so that the cartridges actually straddle the belt and sit on top of it. This creates a half-and-half distribution of the thickness of the speedloader on the inside and the outside of your belt. The result is that the pouch rides close to your body and doesn’t stick out from your belt as far.

The pouch doesn’t automatically scream, “Gun!” It just looks like one of the little utility pouches that people carry these days for personal electronics or hand tools. I conceal it nevertheless. I have been testing this pouch for several weeks and I find that it’s not as awkward and uncomfortable as I thought it might be.

At $22 MSRP, the pouches are reasonably priced (I think I actually paid $17 each for the two I bought). There will probably never be a speedloader pouch that lies as flat and smooth against your side as a single-stack magazine and pouch, but the Agent is not considerably thicker than a double-stack magazine pouch.

If you, as a conscientious wheel gunner, have been practicing your reload, (You have been practicing your reload, haven’t you?), you know that you really need the speedloader to be quickly accessible to your right hand, and it really helps if the speedloader is in the same place every time. You don’t want to be fishing in your pocket during an emergency. You can position the Agent on your belt on the right side just forward of your gun, so that the speedloader is quickly accessible for a strong hand reload.

The Bianchi Agent Slim Speedloader Pouch is a solution for the problem of carrying a reload for revolver packers. It’s a much quicker reload than a speed strip drop pouch.

Close up photo of the Bianchi Agent Slim speedloader pouch.  Made of fine leather, this pouch will serve an officer or citizen very well for many years.

 

By Syd

Gunsmiths have told me that, even though it is thought to be OK to dry fire a revolver with empty chambers, it is better to have either empties or snap caps in the chambers for dry firing, especially if you plan to do a lot of it. I first bought a set of Triple-K plastic snap caps. They were puny and pathetic. They lasted about one cycle through my .357 Magnum before they shattered, literally. They also have another weakness: they are flat on the front, making them undesirable for reloading practice.

One of the more difficult aspects of handling a revolver is achieving a quick reload. It’s something which should be practiced until the reload is smooth and swift. If you get a chance, watch a video of Jerry Miculek shooting, and notice how smooth and fast he reloads his revolver. Practice and multiple repetitions are essential to achieve real competence in this procedure. Not being Jerry Miculek, my reloads are the pits, and I wanted to practice them. I needed a durable dummy round that would stand up to heavy use, both in speedloader practice and dry fire.

If you have reloading equipment, it is possible to build dummy rounds with no primer or powder, but in my experience, these can become a management issue. Since they look so much like ammunition, they have to be marked with paint and kept separately so as to not be confused with the real thing. I have also found that the bullets in dummy ammo tend to work forward with repeated dry-fires, eventually rendering them unusable for practice. A-Zoom Practice Ammo is one solid piece of aluminum which is anodized with a burgundy color. The bullets don’t come loose, and they are not easily confused with really ammo.

I discovered A-Zoom Practice Ammo Rounds while surfing around the web. A-Zoom snap-caps are precision CNC machined from solid aluminum to exact size, then hard anodized. This hard anodized surface provides for ultra-smooth functioning and long cycling life. The highly durable dry fire “Dead Cap” can take over three thousand dry fires while protecting the firing pin. The manufacturer states that A-Zoom snap caps last over 30 times longer than conventional plastic snap-caps. A-Zoom Snap Caps are available in over 130 sizes from 50BMG to 22 Hornet.

The .38 Special snap caps that I purchased are shaped like lead round-nose .38 Special ammunition so the practice reload with a speedloader is an excellent simulation for live ammunition. In short, the A-Zoom is a better snap cap. Especially if you practice dry fire and speedloader drills, I highly recommend them.

Photo of the A-Zoom snap cap.  Great for dry firing your revolver or pistol these are reasonably priced!

 

Uncle Mike’s Deluxe Range Bag

If the need was for a bag to pack to your gear to the range, I thought this one would be decent. It’s roomy, but not too terribly big, and seemed sturdy enough to handle the duty. I particularly liked the heavy feel of the bag’s construction. It’s also reasonably priced at about $45 at most places.

The Uncle Mike’s Deluxe Range Bag is constructed of tough 600-denier black woven outer material with an internal coating for water resistance. The main compartment of this range bag is covered by a roll-up, double zippered flap which can be secured open by Velcro. This range bag also features durable web carry handles and an adjustable, removable carry strap with quick release buckles. It has two lockable side compartments, one padded, and one which holds a padded pistol rug (included). The main compartment is 15″ wide, 9″ high, 7″ deep (381mm x 229mm x 178mm)

I liked it a lot. I really did. Then, on the way home from the range, the quick release buckle that attaches the shoulder strap to the bag gave way. This was on the fourth usage of the bag; it’s not old and fatigued. At the time of the failure, the bag contained a Combat Commander, an S&W Model 60, one box of ammunition, two hearing protectors, and some odds and ends – nothing close to what should be a failure inducing load. ‘Nuff said.

This is a photo of a broken buckle on a Uncle Mike’s range bag.  The buckle broke right after the bag was purchased.

This is a photo of the Uncle Mike’s range bag.  This bag is black in color and looks very nice.  The best part is how useful it is at a very reasonable price.

Aker 517 DMS Magazine / Flashlight Combo

Cops have known it a long time, and armed citizens are learning it: a good flashlight is almost as important a self defense tool as a good gun, and often it’s considerably more useful.

A gun or two, spare magazines, flashlight, cell phone… how do you carry all of this stuff without looking like you’ve stolen Batman’s utility belt? The Aker 517 Magazine and Flashlight Combo consolidates at least two of these “must carry” gadgets, the flashlight and the magazine.

This item is a hybrid that addresses the demands of convenience as much as anything. If you routinely carry one spare magazine and occasionally need a flashlight, this rig is handy. Being paddle mounted, it’s easy to put it on and off. On duty gear, combo carriers are often some combination of flashlight, cuffs or spray together on one carrier and then paired with a double magazine pouch somewhere else on the belt. But different folks have different styles for packing their gear, and this one might float your boat. For the armed citizen who isn’t carrying handcuffs, and may feel the need for only one spare magazine, this is a solution.

The Aker offering is solidly constructed in cowhide. It has two tensioning screws which allow you to adjust to slight variations in size of flashlights. It is built to accommodate the Surefire 6P and the Streamlight Scorpion or Stinger. With an MSRP of $39.95, it is very reasonably priced. I bought this one for $31.60 at CopQuest.

This magazine and flashlight pouch accommodates one spare magazine and flashlight in an optional quick on/quick off paddle unit. The paddle is attached to the carrier with screws and can be easily removed. Under the paddle there is also a belt slot which will allow this case to slide onto belts up to 1 ¾” if you prefer not to use the paddle.

• Models for left or right handed persons
• Models for SureFire 6P, Streamlight Scorpion or Stinger
• Available in Tan or Black finishes

Photo of the Akers Combo Pouch for carrying a 1911 magazine and small flashlight.  A great thing for self defense and CCW.