Speedloader
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A speedloader is a device used for loading a firearm or firearm magazine with loose ammunition very quickly. Generally speedloaders are used for loading all chambers of a revolver simultaneously, although speedloaders (of a very different design) are also used for loading fixed tubular magazines of shotguns and rifles, or (with yet another design) loading box magazines. Revolver speedloaders are used for revolvers with either swing-out cylinders or top-break cylinders. Revolvers with fixed cylinders must be unloaded and loaded one chamber at a time.
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[edit] Revolver speedloaders
The revolver speedloader holds a full cylinder of cartridges in a secure fashion and spaced in such a way as to allow the cartridges to drop into the cylinder easily. A mechanism is provided that allows the cartridges to be released from the cylinder when loaded, so when the speedloader is removed, the cartridges remain. The most common type uses a rotating latch, another type slides the cartridges out an open side, and a third type has a latch that releases when pressed in.
Revolver speedloaders make the process of reloading a suitable revolver much faster than doing so one round at a time. Swing out and top break revolvers are designed to eject all cartridges with one movement, and speed loaders allow loading with a single additional step. Speedloaders also provide a convenient way to carry ammunition for a revolver. While speedloaders don't allow revolvers to be reloaded as fast as semiautomatic handguns (at least, not without considerably more practice), they do go a long way toward closing the speed gap. The greater simplicity and reliability of a revolver do much to recommend it as a defensive weapon. Coupled with speedloaders for fast reloading, this allows revolvers to remain a viable alternative to the modern semiautomatic handgun.
[edit] Shotgun and rifle speedloaders
While much less common than the revolver speedloader, speedloaders for tubular magazines have been around for many years and offer many of the same benefits. The simplest speedloader of this type is the one used for rimfire rifles with front loading tubular magazines. In this case the speedloader is simply a tube that will hold a magazine-full of cartrdiges, with a seal at one end and a gate at the other. To load the magazine, the follower is removed, the rifle is pointed upwards, the tube is placed over the end of the magazine, and the gate is opened. Gravity then pulls the cartridges from the speedloader into the magazine, the speedloader is set aside, and the follower replaced. Any length of tubing or pipe of the right diameter can be used in this way, with a simple pin through the middle serving as a gate. Commercial rimfire speedloaders often have multiple tubes joined together in parallel, with a single rotating gate. This allows multiple reloads to be accomplished by simply rotating the gate in line with the next full tube of ammunition.
Shotgun speedloaders are slightly more complex, since shotgun magazines load from the breech. Shotgun speedloaders generally require a special bracket be mounted near the magazine loading port of the gun; many models mount by replacing existing pins that hold the trigger group in the receiver, and so can be installed easily without permanent modification of the gun. This bracket serves to hold the end of the speedloader tube in the correct position to feed the rounds out of the speedloader and into the magazine. The speedloaders themselves consist of a plastic tube with a slot cut in it, and a plunger that rides in the slot and is used to force the rounds into the magazine. Capacity is usually 4 or 5 rounds of 2 3/4 inch (70 mm) length shells. Gravity is not suitable for these, as the rounds must be forced into the magazine against the pressure of the magazine spring. Shotgun speedloaders are most commonly encountered in action shooting sports like IPSC shotgun competitions.
[edit] Magazine loaders
Loading a firearm magazine, particularly one with a large capacity and a corresponding high spring pressure pushing the rounds to the top of the magazine, can be quite difficult. A number of devices are available to make this task simpler, which are sometimes called speedloaders but are more commonly known as magazine loaders. The simplest are inexpensive devices that depress the top round in the magazine, allowing the next round to be partially inserted with no pressure on it. These are also called "thumb savers", and address ease of loading more than speed of loading. There are also devices available for certain popular firearms, such as the Ruger 10/22, that accept loose ammunition and will load a round into the magazine with a simple push of a button or turn of a crank. These are more complex and expensive (US$25 to US$50), but are more truly a speedloader since they do greatly reduce the time required to load a magazine.
[edit] Moon clips and half-moon clips
Moon clips and half-moon clips are special speedloaders for use with revolvers that chamber rimless cartridges, such as 9 x 19 mm or .45 ACP. Double action revolvers are designed to use rimmed cartridges, and the extractors are incapable of removing rimless cartrdiges. Because of this fact, a different method of extraction must be used. Moon clips are a full circle, and hold a full cylinder of cartridges, while half-moon clips are semicircles that hold half a cylinder full of cartridges.
[edit] Stripper clips
A stripper clip is a device that holds a number of rounds, usually from 5 to 10, and allows them to be inserted into a magazine (fixed or detachable) by attaching the clip to a special bracket and pressing the rounds into place. Military ammunition is often packaged in stripper clips, which, in older bolt action rifles could be loaded directly into the rifle's fixed magazine using a bracket machined into the rifle's action, or in modern rifles by the use of an adapter or guide that attaches the stripper clip to a detachable magazine.
[edit] Airgun, paintball and airsoft speedloaders
Most repeating airguns are revolver type mechanisms (even though they may be modeled to look like a semiautomatic firearm), and the most common "speedloader" is a removable cylinder. Since the pressure in an airgun is low enough that an injection molded plastic cylinder is all that is needed to hold the pellets, these removable cylinders are inexpensive enough for the shooter to purchase several, and simply replace the empty cylinder with a full one. Other airguns use a clip that is cammed through, which operates like a linearized revolver cylinder, and as these clips are also removable and inexpensive they serve as speedloaders.
Paintball markers are generally gravity fed, and so a hopper is used to hold the paintballs. A paintball gun speedloader usually consists of a large container with a wide mouth, designed to refill the hopper as quickly as possible. Some airsoft pistols use tubular magazines, and speedloaders for these consist of a tube with the same capacity as the magazine, which allows the correct number of paintballs to be placed quickly in the magazine tube.
Other types of paintball markers, referred to as "Stock Class" markers are fed by a horizontal feed tube, holding between 10 and 15 rounds. These markers are usually fed through a special feed gate by "ten round tubes" that are similar to plastic cigar tubes.
Airsoft guns may be magazine or hopper fed. Speedloaders for hopper fed airsoft guns resemble paintball speedloaders, while those for magazine fed airsoft guns generally accept bulk ammo and, upon the repeat pressing of a plunger attached to a ratchet, force the ammo into the spring-fed magazine.
