At the time of this writing, we are in 2023 and the semi-automatic pistol is the go-to handgun for duty and concealed carry use. The proliferation of the autoloader began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, law enforcement moved away from six-shot revolvers to higher capacity pistols and the private market followed the trend. Yet all these years later, would it surprise you to learn that there are more firms producing revolvers for the American market now than there were when revolvers were the duty and carry gun of choice?
Newer quality brands like Ruger, Kimber, and Alfa Prag join flagship firms like Colt and Smith & Wesson. They contest the waters alongside budget brands like Taurus and Charter Arms, whose game continues on the upswing. There are more revolvers than ever before in configurations and capacities that go beyond the traditional five or six-shot models. But the biggest deficiency of the revolver, the reload, persists. There are multiple ways to effectuate a revolver reload. GunMag Warehouse supplies quite a few of these options, but in this overview, we will cover two of the most common: the HKS and the Safariland speedloaders.
A Brief History of Speedloaders
Although the first five-gun, the Colt Paterson, represented a quantum leap over existing single-shot pistols when it was introduced in 1835, people have been chasing ways to make the wheel gun reload more rapidly. In the days of percussion revolvers, carrying a second or even third revolver was the way to go. Gate-loading single-action revolvers like the Colt Single Action Army opened up the revolver for a faster reload. Break-top and modern swing-out cylinder revolvers that started to become popular in the 1890s opened the door to the idea of a speedloader device. Since the revolver could be rapidly unloaded and all the chambers exposed for loading, it made sense to fill the gap with something. But it was a marketing opportunity that was not capitalized upon.
With a few exceptions, civilian law enforcement and private citizens have long carried revolvers with loose ammunition as a reload. Generally, private purchases followed the latest law enforcement trends then as now. In some jurisdictions, policemen carried their extra ammunition on belt loops not unlike what you would see in “The Quick and the Dead.”
More enterprising departments issued dump pouches to carry ammunition. These snap-fastened leather pouches were laced through the belt. To get to the rounds, the officer would unsnap the flap, which opened the bottom of the pouch. The ammunition would fall into the officer’s hand in no particular fashion and from there, loading was done one or two rounds at a time. This was the way it had been done for years, but not all were satisfied with it.
John Hunt created the Multiloader in 1959. It was a neoprene contraption that held six rounds and the rounds were placed together in the cylinder. The neoprene base would then be torn away. It was not a perfect design, but Pachmayr marketed the product and it spurred others to compete. The most prominent early contender was the Dade Loader, which was constructed with a plastic base that held the ammunition under tension with a garter spring. After the loaded device was placed into the cylinder, a press to the back released the ammunition at once. Despite these advances, speedloaders would not begin to be standard-issue equipment until tragedy struck in 1970.
On April 5th, 1970, four California Highway Patrol officers were killed in a shootout with two armed criminals. The last man to fall was Officer James Pence, who was killed while reloading his .357 Colt Python from his dump pouch. The Newhall Massacre, as it became known, shook-up law enforcement training for the first time since the Great Depression. Among the reforms to come out of the tragedy was the regimentation of training involving partial reload drills and speed loader reloads. A new demand was created and the HKS and Safariland Comp loaders were among those that filled the gap.
The HKS Speedloader
Different versions of the HKS speedloader have been around since the mid-1960s. The HKS has a polymer base cut for case heads of the ammunition. The loader has a steel ratchet that holds the rims of the cartridges, keeping them in place. The ratchet will release the ammunition when the knurled knob at the rear of the loader is turned clockwise.
What are the advantages of the HKS Speedloader?
The HKS Speedloader has two primary strong points: availability and security. The HKS is a durable, inexpensive loader that can often be found at big box stores. The HKS also has more models of speed loaders to fit a given revolver. If you have a revolver that is different from the usual .38/357 Magnum five or six-shot, chances are that HKS will have a loader for you. A loader for an old .32 caliber Colt? Yes. How about one for a five-shot Charter Arms Bulldog in 44 Special? Yes. How about a loader for that old nine-shot H&R break-top? Yes, HKS has it covered.
But availability does not matter if the loader itself is not any good. Other companies have tried to copy the HKS twist-knob formula. Those companies have done a terrible job, even with better materials. There are faster loaders on the market, but some of them suffer from the same issues as the HKS knock-offs: they don’t hold the ammunition securely. If the rounds jiggle in the loader, they will not line up quickly to their chambers. It’s just as annoying when you pull a loader out of your pocket to find it is missing rounds. Whatever the HKS loader’s faults, security is not one of them. The combination of metal ratchet and a sturdy polymer base molded to fit ensures that the rounds do not wobble. The rounds will not come out once secured. The twist knob rides on a spring-loaded ball detent at the front of the loader and requires a half-turn to release the ammunition. It requires a conscious effort to do.
Loading the HKS is a straightforward proposition. Load your ammunition into the front of the loader and once you are finished, hold the loader by the bottom and give the twist-knob a counter-clockwise turn. The ratchets will turn into place and hold the rims of each cartridge.
Does the HKS Speedloader have any disadvantages?
The HKS is a solid loader. But it takes three separate motions to operate without fail. Hiccups can happen without some repetition drills. Once the ammunition is mated to the cylinder, the user has to remember to secure the cylinder in her hand and then twist the knob counter-clockwise to release the device. Twisting the knob is a step that requires your hand to briefly leave the loader. If you fail to keep the cylinder still, you could simply spin the cylinder when you go to twist the knob.
In my own use with the HKS loader, I was able to simplify the process by palming the knob once the rounds went home and twisting my wrist to release the rounds, rather than letting my hand off the loader to use my fingers to reach for the knob. This technique works best with larger revolvers like the Smith & Wesson 686 and less so with smaller revolvers like the Smith & Wesson 442 used in this demonstration.
The Safariland Speedloader
Although speed loaders similar to the Safariland, namely the Dade Loader, were in existence in the 1970s, the Safariland itself did not come onto the scene until the 1980s. The Safariland consists of an injection-molded polymer base and release pin. The locking mechanism at the back of the loader just under the rear of the pin is made of stamped sheet metal. The release pin has a cylindrical groove that interfaces with the base that translates a straight movement into a twisting motion.
Currently the Safariland loader comes in three different variations: Comp I, Comp II, and Comp III. The Comp I is the compact loader shown here that is made for five-shot revolvers like the Smith & Wesson J-frame and Ruger SP101. The Comp II is a larger version with an enlarged release pin for use in revolvers like the Smith & Wesson K and L frame and the Ruger GP100. The Safariland Comp III is compatible with these larger revolvers and is differentiated by a long release knob rather than a recessed release pin.
What are the advantages of the Safariland speedloader?
The Safariland Comp series has the advantage of fewer mechanical motions to accomplish the reload. The loader is aligned with the cylinder face. The Comp I and Comp II loaders release their rounds by pushing the base against the cylinder. The release pin turns under pressure, dropping the rounds into their chambers. The Comp III requires a hit to the knob to release the ammunition. The Safariland is marginally faster than the HKS. In terms of durability, both the HKS and Safariland are tougher than they look and I never found one to be better than the other.
Does the Safariland speedloader have any disadvantages?
The Safariland is a preferred duty and competition loader, but it does not have the universal popularity of the HKS. Some specialized gun stores will have Safariland loaders in stock, while you might be out of luck at the big box outlets. The Safariland also costs a little more.
The Safariland loader can also be tricky to pre-load if you are unfamiliar. With the release pin at the front of the loader pushed in, place your ammunition in case first. To lock the cartridges in place, hold the loader skyward, push in the release pin, and turn it counter-clockwise. Alternatively, you can push the loader down against a hard surface while performing the same motion. The pin itself is quite small and can be tricky to hold onto, especially if the loader is new out of the box.
Parting Shots
The revolver reload is a divisive topic in today’s gun community. Most will not touch a revolver because autoloaders generally have more capacity, even without a reload in the equation. From that perspective, a revolver is either outdated or, at best, a five-and-forget backup gun.
But there are plenty of compelling reasons, even in 2023, to opt for a revolver. For those that do, don’t overlook the reload. Or, if we were to rephrase the topic, don’t overlook how you carry spare ammunition. A handgun without spare ammunition is a temporary weapon. I found it tempting to carry spare ammunition in speed strips or in the latest and greatest versions of the speedloader that come out. But I found them all lacking in speed, durability, or reliability. If you want all three, have a look at the proven and duty-ready HKS and Safariland speedloaders.
