The 5 Star Speedloader for the Ruger LCR

Since it’s inception I have far preferred the Ruger LCR over the ubiquitous Smith and Wesson J Frame variants.  The LCR has an excellent trigger out of the box.  The J frame has an atrocious trigger out of the box, and even after extensive work it usually remains only mediocre.  The J Frame, however, is a much nicer looking gun, for what that is worth, and it has a lot more after market support due to the much longer history and wide spread use.  The LCR is more limited in holster selection and speedloader selection.

One company that has manufactured a speedloader for the LCR for quite some time is 5 Star Firearms.  These loaders are very nicely made, crafted out of aluminum, and they are of the twist-knob variety.  In the past I have preferred speedloaders that only require push activation, in particular the Safariland Comp series, but these are not manufactured for the LCR.  The ever-popular HKS speedloader works with the LCR, but these are also twist-knob loaders, and they are bulky and hang up on the LCR’s grips.

I actually had a 5 Star speedloader for this gun several years ago, I did not use it much as I typically carry a speed strip for this revolver, and I lost the 5 Star at some point.  I recently decided to have a speedloader option on hand again, so I ordered a new one.

The greatest down side to the design, in my opinion, is that it requires a twist-knob activation.  Again, that is not as good as the push-activation speedloaders, but beggars cannot be choosers.  However, among the twist-knob options I think the 5 Star is the best, much better than the HKS.  The fit with the LCR is excellent and the knob mechanism is smooth and confident.  The 5 Star is quite small, it does not bind when using it with the LCR Houge grips.  It is also less conspicuous in the pocket than an HKS or Safariland.  I have carried it extensively in my pocket and it has never released the rounds.

One of the knocks against the 5 Star among many is the fact that it holds the cartridges quite loosely and they shake and rattle.  For myself it is a non-issue as I carry it in a pocket and find that it emits no noise when in the pocket.  I also find that the loose fit of the cartridges aids in them finding the charging holes during a reload.  For a twist-knob design, this is the best one I have worked with.  In fact, the small design of it makes the fit so much better for a small-frame revolver that I now prefer it to even the Safariland Comp I speedloader that I used to use for the Ruger SP101.

While slightly larger than the LCR, the Ruger SP101 is still so small that the Safariland Comp I was a tight fit with it.  Although the push-activation simplifies things, if I were still using the SP101 I would probably switch to a 5 Star speedloader for that gun as well as the better fit makes things more consistent.  Due to the smaller size, and perhaps also to the scalloped design, The 5 Star is also less noticeable when carried in a pocket than the Safariland or HKS speedloaders.  This is a significant advantage in my opinion.  For my purposes, the 5 Star Firearms speedloader is the best LCR reload, perhaps the best for a small-frame revolver in general.