What's the fastest way to reload a CCW revolver?

Let's put some of the most common reload methods to the test

I’m back! I was out for a little while working my other job in the USAFR, which makes it a little difficult to balance that, working for Taurus, and updating my substack on the reg. But I’m back, now and I wanted to revisit a topic that I’ve covered in the past on my Youtube channel, and that’s looking for the most efficient way to reload a concealed carry revolver.

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Are you really going to reload a wheelgun in a fight?

Here’s the thing. Getting in a defensive gun use (DGU) where you actually press the trigger on your gun, any gun, is such a rare incident that it’s basically a lightning strike. So by and large, we’re not actually concerned with how fast we’re getting the gun back into the fight, right? If you’re in a self-defense situation and you’ve fired the 5-7 shots most defensive revolvers typically carry and you still need to shoot more, you’re in such a statistically unlikely situation that you’re going to have a wikipedia article written about it.

But that doesn’t mean that getting the gun reloaded quickly and efficiently isn’t something we should concern ourselves with. A far more likely scenario than needing to reload in the middle of the fight is that you’ve just been in a DGU and you want to top your gun off so you’re not standing in a gas station parking lot waiting for the cops to show up with a half-empty or completely empty gun.

The Fastest Revolver Reload

Of course, the fastest way to reload your defensive revolver is a classic technique: The New York Reload.

The NY reload of course is the practice of carrying a second gun to back up your first revolver, and was quite common among LE back when snub-nosed revolvers ruled the roost. Of course, it’s not always practical, as carrying a second gun ads additional concerns about concealment, weight, and various trade offs. For example, what could I be carrying instead of a second gun? Less than lethal, a powerful flashlight, etc.

All that being said, it is still the fastest way to bring a loaded gun back to the ready.

Speed Loaders

Speed loaders are without a doubt the second fastest way to bring a loaded gun back online. I prefer the Safariland Comp-I and Comp-II for concealed carry, but the big drawback to those is that they’re only available for certain guns. If you have an unusual caliber/configuration on your carry gun, like a 6 shot 32 Magnum for example, you’re going to have to get a different loader. In that case I’d recommend something like HKS.

The big drawback to a speed loader is it requires you to dump the entire cylinder to do a reload. That means that unless you’ve shot the gun dry, you’re going to need to engage in some kind of ammo management with your live rounds vs spent brass. My recommendation? Just dump everything on the ground and load the gun with six. 2 or 3 live rounds aren’t worth the time and hassle of managing them.

Speed Strip with NEOMag RASC

This is my preferred method for carrying a reload for a CCW revolver. If I’m running a six shot gun I’ll use an 8 shot Tuff Products Quick Strip and the NEOMag RASC to hold six rounds of ammo. This allows me to load in 2-2-2, getting the gun topped off faster than I would with just a regular speed strip. This also allows me to just top off the gun if I’ve only fired a certain number of rounds, which is nice.

Next on my list would be the Zeta-6 loaders, which allow me to load 3 chambers at a time, but unfortunately aren’t compatible with the NEOMag RASC, which does slow them down and bump them down on my list. After that are just regular speed strips dumped into a pocket, and then finally the slowest reload method: picking loose rounds out.

The Final Round

Interestingly, my choice when I carry a small frame revolver is that I don’t carry a reload at all. My “reload” is a clinch pick, a small fixed blade knife designed for extremely close work. To me, that’s my revolver reload. If there’s a fight to be finished and I’m out of bullets, I’m weighing the risk that I’ve degraded my opponent enough that I can either retreat easily or finish the fight with the knife.

If you do choose to carry a reload for your defensive revolver, I definitely recommend you look into the NEOMag RASC with Tuff Product Quick Strips, or the Zeta-6 loaders. I think those are excellent choices that will serve you well.