Since the 10mm GP100 came into my life I have been getting intimately acquainted with moon clips. One thing I’ve had trouble finding is a suitable field/defense carry option for loaded moon clips. If I’m going to bring the gun, I want to bring a reload or two. A reader here recommended I try the Lobo Gunleather moon clip pouch, so I ordered one. It arrived recently and I’ve had few range sessions to work with it.
Lobo Gunleather Moon Clip Pouch
First and foremost, this pouch is extremely well crafted. All Lobo Gunleather products are made from vegetable-tanned, weight-appropriate cowhide. All edges are burnished, all seems are stitched with waxed linen thread, and the finish is absolutely gorgeous. The design of this pouch is simple, and I couldn’t wait to get it on my belt!
The Lobo Gunleather moon clip pouch can be made to accommodate moon clips for a variety of guns. It also comes in a single or double version. Since I will probably carry the pouch in the outdoors where concealment is less of a concern, I opted for the double-clip variant. Being a double-pouch design, it also comes with two belt loops, with enough space between them for the belt loop of my pants. I really appreciate this touch; it allows me to put the belt loop between the loops on the pouch to keep it from wandering.
Complaints
I want to love the Lobo Gunleather moon clip pouch, but I don’t. I have two complaints about it. Both of these relate to getting a moon clip out of the pouch quickly. The first is that the pouch is simply too deep. When loaded with 10mm cartridges, the moon clip sits too low in the pouch to provide a reasonable degree of purchase.
Complicating the depth of the clip is the position of the relief cuts in the sides of each pouch. A relief cut is provided on each side of each pouch, ostensibly to aid in extraction of a clip, but these are placed, in my opinion, incorrectly. If we assign clock positions and assume the holder’s snap is at 12 o’clock, the relief cuts are at 10 and 2. When you grasp a moon clip for removal (with the scant purchase you can acquire), it should be at the 3- and 9 o’clock positions. By grasping at the 10 and 2, your finger and thumb are both on the curve of the clip and are prone to slipping off and dropping the clip – onto the ground or back into the pouch.
Extricating a moon clip is so tedious that I essentially consider it an administrative task. When one does get enough purchase on the clip it is grasped rather precariously. The design of this pouch is certainly not up to the stress-induced rigors of competition or fighting.
Possible Improvements
I don’t think this pouch is a lost cause, and I think there are two possible fixes to this issue. The first would be to place some sort of filler in the bottom of the pouch to raise the clip to an acceptable height. I attempted this with quarters but found them to be much to small. I will continue to look for a viable filler that will raise the rounds and the moon clip enough to get my fingers on them.
Another modification that I also think would be meaningful would be to remove some leather from the pouch. Again, I may attempt this myself with an Exacto knife. While I like the relief cuts, I would prefer them to be both deeper, and biased a bit more toward the center of the pouch. I’m not trying to throw Lobo Gunleather under the bus; however, I contacted them several weeks ago to address these issues but received no response.
The Bottom Line
This is a beautiful pouch. If you’re looking for an accompaniment to a show piece, the Lobo Gunleather moon clip pouch might be right up your ally. It will carry your moon clips, keep them protected from the elements, and ensure they stay put. But it won’t let you get at them especially quickly. Since I intend to use this gun as a self-defense firearm in rural environments, I will work on this pouch and let you guys know what I come up with. In the meantime, if you have any better ideas, I’d love to hear them!
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Ok Justin, here goes…I wonder if the pouch is perhaps more of a speedloader pouch that has been “adapted” (by way of cutouts) for moon clips? For a filler, I would try various plastic wide mouth bottle caps courtesy of your local convenience store. I find some work pretty well as a base for speedloader pouches to stiffen them up, or more tightly fit 5 rounders in a larger pouch, with the open end up. As a spacer for moon clips I would try to put one in the pouch open end down. As far as grasping the clip, I find the S&W 610 clips have a large enough center hole to hook with my index finger…if this applies for you with the GP100 then you need only pinch from center to edge to extract your reload! Hope this helps.
Just wondering if the yellow ring that usually comes on the back of the cylinder of the revolver would fit in the bottom of the pouch? A couple of those in the bottom might work.
Hmmm, that’s a good idea. I still don’t know if it would raise it quite high enough, but I’ll see what I can do. Thanks!
So I was just thinking.. a large dowel could maybe be cut down to the right length!
Actually…a large enough dowel might even allow you to drill shallow holes that align with the bullets. Correctly cut that would both lift the loader to the correct height and keep it in a specific orientation if there is a preferred one… Maybe I’m overcomplicating it now. But I will think about this!
I would cut some foam insoles to the proper diameter and keep stacking them until the height is right. Another benefit to that would be that it would quiet the rattle of the moon clips.
Great idea, Randy! I’ll give that a try – thanks!