How to Reload a Revolver Fast: Two Grips and Three Reload Types Explained

Limited capacity is the revolver's biggest handicap, and Gun Digest's writer says the only answer is a practiced, efficient reload. If you carry a wheelgun, or are eyeing one like Lipsey's new seven-shot Model 386 Night Guard, this guide lays out the techniques and gear worth drilling.

The short version

Gun Digest's writer, a former police officer who was issued a S&W Model 686 .357 Magnum in 1992, argues that revolvers are still a practical carry option for civilians, even though pistols are easier to shoot, hold more rounds and reload faster. He cites Lipsey's Model 386 Night Guard, a 24-ounce, seven-shot .357 Magnum, as an example of how far modern revolvers have come.

The piece covers two ways to open and hold the gun. The traditional method shifts the revolver to the support hand so the dominant hand does the loading; the retention method keeps the gun in the shooting hand and loads with the weaker one. The writer then separates reloads into speed, tactical and administrative, and suggests that in a fight a speed reload, catching live rounds and pocketing them rather than dumping them, beats a slow tactical top-off.

Key points

• Two grips: The traditional method frees the stronger hand for loading, while the retention method never takes the gun out of the shooting hand.
• Left-handers: Because the cylinder swings out to the left, the writer says lefties still have to use one of the same two methods.
• Use gravity: The guide says to point the muzzle up while ejecting empties, then down while seating the speed loader.
• Speed strips: Galco's six-round E-Z Loader Cartridge Strips sell at $14 for a pair and suit replacing individual rounds.
• Pouch placement: Speed loader or strip pouches belong on the side of whichever hand does the reloading.

Bottom line

For anyone who carries a revolver, the reload is the skill that offsets limited capacity, and Gun Digest's writer says it takes more practice than a pistol reload. His advice is to choose one method, set up pouches to match it, and rehearse it until it is routine.

Summary by Firearm Discounts. Read the full story at Gun Digest.