Last October, Alan Miller, proprietor of AHolster, asked for volunteers to field test some new “speed strip” loaders. I raised my hand and received several. I tested them over the weeks preceding the 2023 Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup and then brought them along. Alan’s strips are different in fabrication and design. Rather than being molded they are 3D printed using TPU filament, and they subsequently feature several improvements over other designs. The biggest improvement is a much thicker handling tab; I double-dog-dare you to tear one. The AHolster loaders are a little harder to load but subsequently hold the cartridges very firmly, yet will still easily release cartridges into the cylinder chambers two at a time. Our own Michael de Bethencourt reports that “these new strips are less floppy than Speed Strips in hot weather and less inflexible than the Quick Strip in cold weather.” My climate is moderate enough not to stress the temperature tolerance of of any of my loaders, that and I only carry my loading strips in a trouser pocket so they rarely get hotter or cooler than I do. As an old school user of Bianchi Speed Strips and a satisfied user of Zeta6 J-Strips, I had come to prefer the Tuff Products 8-round Quickstrips which I load 2-0-2-0-2. Happily, I read an article curated by Greg Ellifritz which informed me the AHolster Speed Strips had gone into production and are now offered in an eight-shot version. My order is placed and I am looking forward to doing some future head-to-head product testing. – Michael Brady
