Reloading a revolver in a gunfight is a pretty optimistic task, especially for a concealed carrier. We accept some downsides with the revolver, including limited capacity and slower reloads. That doesn’t mean we don’t plan and prepare for the worst-case scenarios. Carrying a revolver reloader is important, and so is being able to reload quickly. I’ve been experimenting with revolvers and have been trying a number of solutions. My latest is the Desantis Swift Strips.
Swift Strips are the Desantis take on the classic Bianchi Speed Strip. Speed Strip is the Kleenex of these devices. Meaning, it’s what everyone calls these reloading strips regardless of who makes them. Bianchi created Speed Strips in the 1970s as a tool for law enforcement officers. The gun of choice during that era was the revolver, and police were quickly learning that the solutions they had on hand weren’t always the best.
Most cops carried a revolver alongside a dump pouch. A dump pouch secured a reload, and when used, it dumped all six rounds into your hands automatically. This was faster than picking them out of loops, but still a fairly slow way to reload your revolver. After the Newhall incident, the police wanted faster and more intuitive ways to reload, and the Speed Strip was the solution.
The Desantis Evoluton
Since Bianchi introduced the idea, there have been several other manufacturers and makers of speed strips. Bianchi, now owned by Safariland, still makes the classic Speed Strip. Galco makes one, as does Tuff products. I settled on the Destantic Swift Strip because of how intuitive they are and how easy to use they can be.
Most variants of the speed strip are stiff and hard. This does give them excellent retention and keeps rounds from falling out of the strip. It also makes them tough to load and sometimes tough to reload your cylinder with. The Sift Strips from Desantis are softer than most, and which makes it easier to release the rounds into your cylinder.
The Desantis Swift Strips hold six rounds of .38 Special or .357 Magnum and come sold in pairs. They are very affordable and offer a simplistic way to carry some spare ammo.
Speed Strips or Speed Loader?
When it comes to revolvers, the big question is speed loader or speed strip — which is better? Sadly, there is no universal answer, and it’s best to know the strengths and weaknesses of both. Speed Strips, or Swift Strips, tend to be easier to conceal carry. They lay flat, and with a device like the RASC strip holder, they plop into your pocket with absolute ease.
These strips can be used to top off a revolver that may have only fired a round or two. This gives you the classic tactical reload option but with a six-gun. Speed strips are also basically universal between revolvers of the same caliber. Speedloaders are designed specifically for certain cylinder patterns, so a speed loader for a K frame won’t work with a J frame or N frame. A Speed Strip can work with everything as long as the caliber matches.
While speed is in the name of a Speed Strip or the Swift in Swift strip, they are not as fast as a speed loader. You can load two rounds at a time at most, and this means you spend a few seconds loading with a strip versus the second or two it takes to use a speed loader.
Popping Off With the Swift Strips
Reloading a revolver is new to me, but it’s something I’ve been working heavily with. I’ve gotten lots and lots of practice with the Swift Strips. My revolver of choice is the six-shot Taurus 856 Defender. In using the Swift Strips, I did find the soft material was flexible and it was never an issue to peel the rounds off the strip and into the cylinder, they popped right off with ease. The Swift Strips are also easy to bend and manipulate to aim the rounds into the cylinder.
These are six-shot strips, though some folks like to load them with five rounds. They typically load two at the end, leave one empty, and load three at the bottom. This allows your trigger finger to fill in the gap and gives you more control over the speed strip.
In practice, I didn’t find this necessary. I was able to load them with six rounds and then load the revolver without any difficulty. I didn’t notice any major differences between loading the Swift Strips with six rounds versus five. I also want to mention it is very easy to load the Swift strips with the rimmed revolver rounds. They don’t need much force to pop in, and they won’t accidentally fall out, either.
I used an HKS Speed Loader and ran the two systems side by side. The speed loader was predictably faster, but I could get two rounds into the gun, close the cylinder, and fire quite quickly. While it’s not a full reload, getting two rounds in action rapidly can be valuable.
Getting Swifty
The Swift Strips, unfortunately, only come in six-shot varieties. I do have a seven-shot revolver, plus, for the folks that like the extra room, having an eight or seven-shot strip gives you extra room to grip the strip. The Swift Strips are also only available in .38 and .357 Magnum. No 45 Colt, .44 Special, .327 Magnum, or beyond. Just the classic .38 Special. That is a shame because this is a very easy-to-use tool.
If you are rocking out with a classic .38 Special or the mighty .357 Magnum, then you’re ready to rock and roll. These strips can be used for revolvers but are also a convenient way to carry extra ammo for rifles. Single-shot rifles, in particular, work well with these strips. While not necessarily the fastest way to reload, these do keep your ammo organized for a lever action rifle as well.
The Desantis Swift Strips are an affordable way to keep a reload handy. They disappear for concealed carriers and aren’t a real pain to carry. I think they are a rock-solid and dependable way to keep a little extra ammo on hand for the cylinder gun.
