Gun Digest's Speed Reloading the Revolver Concealed Carry eShort. Grant Cunningham

      The speedloader is distinguished by its shape: it is cylindrical (or nearly so), so that the pattern of the rounds that it carries matches the cylinder it fits. The speedloader holds a full charge of ammunition for the cylinder, and inserts all of the rounds at one time into their chambers. There is some method of retaining the rounds in the loader that can be released or defeated so that the rounds are free to drop completely into their chambers.

      The origin of the speedloader is still a bit murky. The earliest speedloaders that were workable (actually produced and sold) came to market in the first decade of the twentieth century. Originally made for the innovative Webley break-top revolvers, the Prideaux and Watson speedloaders appear to be the first of the modern loading devices.

      Despite their long history, speedloaders didn’t come into widespread use until American police agencies started adopting them en masse in the 1970s. Today the speedloader is a vital revolver accessory, and remains by far the most efficient method to recharge an empty wheelgun.

      The big advantage to the speedloader is that it indexes and releases all of the rounds at once. This makes them easier and faster to use than any of the alternatives.