[Phrede]

My new GP100 Stainless .357 6" 7rnd is on it's way. Where is the best place to get 7 round speed loaders? About when did Ruger fix the spacing problem that caused some ammo to "crowd"? S/N range. Hoping it doesn't apply here and is a thing of the past.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I use the HKS 7 rounders in my SW 686. They work OK and are fairly compact but do wish Safariland would produce a Comp II in the 7 round. I'm just more accustomed to the Safariland. I tried the 5 star and wasn't a fan. Speedbeez are nicely made for the range but bulky if you want to pocket carry.
FWIW, I don't know how prevalent the spacing issue is/was but I'd bring a couple dozen mixed spent 357 cases with me and test fit them before taking possession. the time to know the gun has a issue is BEFORE it gets registered to you.

 

[Rover]

Curious? What did you not like about the 5 Star reloaders? I do agree that with wishing Safariland would make a 7 shot speedloader but read somewhere that the polymer used to make the speedloader was not durable enough or some such. At one time the German SL Variant was offered in 7 shot and I saw an ad for them on a Aussie website. Also, read somewhere that if one ordered a minimum of 10 speedloaders they would make them up but that was some time back.

 

[Bill-66]

The biggest problem I see with with the 5 Star or, HKS, for that matter is they're painfully slow..I have a couple 5 Star for an LCR and while they work, (I did have to take them both apart and do some dremel work)

The Speed Beez are for the range, they don't hold ammo securely enough to be in a pocket or, their own holder for that matter. I tried using them in competition but the ammo would easily get dislodged.

Comp II's or, even better, Comp III's are the way to go for sure but still pails in comparison to Moon Clips.

Send your Cylinder to TK Custom, they'll relieve it for Moons and set you up with Moon Clips, a Mooner and a De-Mooner..

TK Custom

 

[JWintergreen]

My new GP100 Stainless .357 6" 7rnd is on it's way. Where is the best place to get 7 round speed loaders? About when did Ruger fix the spacing problem that caused some ammo to "crowd"? S/N range. Hoping it doesn't apply here and is a thing of the past.

Hello and welcome!

I remember reading reports of new production GP100 seven shooters having slightly larger diameter cylinders around a year after they were introduced (early 2019). Shortly after these reports started to pop up, the issue quickly faded away. However, I am not sure what the S/N number range would be for 2019 and later GPs with the slightly modified frame.

As far as speedloaders go, the HKS 587 and Seven Shot Fivestars are the best options for medium frame .357 seven shooters right now. The only problem is that they are turn style loaders, and many (myself included) prefer push style loaders. The Speed Beez are out there, but they have the same cartridge retention issue as the old Dade loaders they are copied from. The seven shot S.L. Variants were well liked, but they are scarce as hen's teeth and they go for a king's ransom when found.

Here is an old thread from 2019 on the topic of increased cylinder diameter on the GP seven shooters.

Finally a great GP100 .357 seven shot review!

 

[JWintergreen]

The biggest problem I see with with the 5 Star or, HKS, for that matter is they're painfully slow..I have a couple 5 Star for an LCR and while they work, (I did have to take them both apart and do some dremel work)

The Speed Beez are for the range, they don't hold ammo securely enough to be in a pocket or, their own holder for that matter. I tried using them in competition but the ammo would easily get dislodged.

Comp II's or, even better, Comp III's are the way to go for sure but still pails in comparison to Moon Clips.

Send your Cylinder to TK Custom, they'll relieve it for Moons and set you up with Moon Clips, a Mooner and a De-Mooner..

TK Custom

Moonclips are not the perfect solution that their advocates say they are. They do not play very nicely with long cartridges, they are expensive to get into, not as durable as a good push style loader, can be a pain to carry securely (not bend), and can introduce reliabilty issues. Furthermore, a good push style loader can be very quick with practice. There are pros and cons that one should consider before going that route. For a .45 ACP competition gun they are great, but the juice might not be worth the squeeze on a .38 or .357 defensive revolver. Honestly, the best solution would be for revolver guys/gals to gather enough support for a company (i.e. Safariland) to make a quality seven shot, push style speedloader.

 

[Phrede]

Thanks for the replies.

Maybe I should have said I'm not doing competition and am not using the 6" GP100 for a carry weapon. I had sticker shock with the Speed Beez at $39 each. I've used HKS on my other revolvers and they did fine. Maybe not the fastest but I felt no pain. If the model 587 works with the GP100 that will be the way for me.

JWintergreen, thanks for the welcome. BTW, this is my 5th Ruger replacing a GP100 I lost in a divorce years ago and always missed. Maybe more depending on how you count; Super Redhawk .44 9.5" (matching grips to the GP100), Mini14 Target (stainless with dampener), Mini 14 Ranch, and Mark II. Then there is a 10/22 take down clone (Tactical Solution).

If you wanted to stretch it, my Marlin CS336 is related now, kind of, maybe, but not really. I prefer remembering the old Marlin since I did the electrical design on many of their machine tools and spent many, many days inside Marlin in North Haven. It has sentimental value.

I was planning on taking calipers with me when I pick it up. I seem to remember reading you can tell the difference by measuring the wall thickness on the chambers. In any case, I'm not overly worried because of Ruger's customer service reputation. If there is a problem I think they will take care of it.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Curious? What did you not like about the 5 Star reloaders? I do agree that with wishing Safariland would make a 7 shot speedloader but read somewhere that the polymer used to make the speedloader was not durable enough or some such. At one time the German SL Variant was offered in 7 shot and I saw an ad for them on a Aussie website. Also, read somewhere that if one ordered a minimum of 10 speedloaders they would make them up but that was some time back.

To be clear, I had the 5 stars for my 627 8 shot revolver. What I remember disliking about them was :
a) They were EXTREEMLY noisy. ( i.e rattled like mad!.) That rattling (and looseness of the rounds that caused it) was distracting and didn't leave me confident that the rounds would stay put if pocket carried.. ( listen here!)

b) The other design issue was that you needed to turn the knob CCW to release the rounds. ( The HKS release by turning to CW) Having spent the bulk of my adult shooting life with the Safariland and HKS loaders, it was something that would need be relearned. . Speed loaders need to be fast and intuitive to use and for me, the reverse release motion on the 5 star was just never going to work.( Being neither fast nor intuitive) . Particularly since I still have HKS loaders for several revolvers. This was a real deal breaker for me.
c) I just didn't like the flashy aluminum finish. Beyond looking gaudy, I didn't like banging them against my handguns finish and didn't like dropping them in the dirt. I prefer the lightness, toughness and low keyed look of black plastic.


So maybe I'm prejudiced by my long running experience with other brands but I just didn't like them at all. I ebayed mine away within a week of purchasing as I recall.
Your experience may vary. That said, if the OP is familiar with/already own's HKS loaders, I would advise sticking with them for this purchase until something truly better comes along.