Tell Me About Half/Full Moon Clips

[Blaine]

I know what they are....are they a PITA, or highly reliable, easy to use and worthwhile?

[Hobie]

Easy to use in the gun but to remove cases you need a tool. Not too hard. I think the full-moon clips are way cool.

[marlinman93]

They're a PITA! They are super reliable, but without a tool to pull the empties out, they will wear your fingers to the bone prying them out!
Even with the removal tool, putting the cases into the clips is a pain. I prefer to drop my cases into a chamber, and dump them out when done! I sold a beautiful S&W 25 in .45ACP just because I got tired of this, but kept my other .25 in .45 Colt, because it's way less work!

[2ndovc]

Half moons are a LOT easier to load and unload. Full moons can be difficult. I have an S&W 625 that will chew the centers out of targets but I tend to shoot 45 Auto Rims out of it more than ACPs and Clips.

[86er]

Just use 45 Auto Rim ammunition and don't worry about the clips.

[gon2shoot]

Don't remember the name but somebody makes moon clips you can work fairly easy by hand-no tool I got some with the 646 I traded for.
I've found I just don't care for the 40S&W and will prolly trade it.
Don't knnow why, the clips work slick, guess I'm just old

Ps I think I saw the clips on Brownells site

[old goat]

...Go to the castboolits.gunloads site and check the thread about them under "handguns". That thread should answer your questions.


...old goat

[Blaine]

Saw a real nice 25 the other day......really good price....now I know why Thanks! I've never dealt with them before I'll stick with my Glock 36 and 1911, thanks

[Rusty]

I had full moons for my 1917 and loved them. I think about a 625 from time to time as I just love wheel guns. If you have the little tool that comes with them they are a cinch. Without the tool you can still use a pocket sized screwdriver or a dowel rod for removing empties.
I used to work with a guy that carried a M25 cut back to 5". He had full moon clips double stacked in speed loader pouches so instead of 12 spare rounds that most of us carried he had 24. A much better deal.

Rusty <><

[jeepnik]

Fast and reliable. But get a demoon and a mooner. They make filling and emptying the clips quick and easy. They aren't needed on my 1917, as the cylinder is setup so that the round will headspace correctly. but ejection then requires a wood dowel or other such tool.

[44/40]

Order RIMZ brand from Brownells (#100-001-580). They're about $6 for a 5 pack. Thet're made out of some sort of polymer, and are supposed to be good for 400+ rounds before needing replacement. After using them for about two years, I think 400 is a very conservative estimate though I do keep only "new" ones with my 625 when it's on duty. They work like a charm with no tool necessary to load/unload them. I haven't used my steel clips since switching.

[blueroan]

Refer to the threads on 625s at castboolits. I'm EDK over there, one of the guys in that little discusion. Here's my take.

The major retailers are a rip off. I got 100 steel full moons from Ranch Products last year for $25 and sent an extra 5 for shipping! Someone quoted $35 recently. That is still a lot less than most places. IIRC most places are about $.75 to $1 each. The good side is that they'll last forever--I'm using some from 1990.

The RIMZ are nicer, but not at 2 or 3 times the price.

You can make or buy tools to handle re-/de-mooning. No biggy.

SOME THINGS NOT DISAGREED UPON The 45 ACP revolver is one of the most under rated firearms on the planet...Ever see a used 25-2 or 625 for sale? Adequate power, good ergonomics, and relatively versatile on ammo. The moon clips function as a speed loader and all of your ejected empties are in one piece.

[SoupOrMan]

I though for a while about getting my 649 modified to use moon clips, but after seeing the prices for customization, I'll stick with the regular chambering and speed loaders for now. If I get a larger .357 any time soon, I may modify that one instead.