CrossBreed Holsters has teamed up with renowned gunsmith Grant Cunningham to make a new speed loader case. Cunningham is well known for his precision work on revolvers; so well known, in fact, there’s a two-year wait right now for those interested in benefiting from his work. He also works as a revolver instructor and says his primary teaching goal is that students finish a class simply having improved their skills in some way. Revolvers are Cunningham’s life, and that makes him an ideal designer to work with CrossBreed on this new case.

If you have a semi-auto, there are myriad options out there for spare mag holders, but those with revolvers are more limited. And since revolvers hold fewer rounds than the average semi-auto, they tend to be in need of a reload more often, making speed loaders an absolute necessity. Accessing that speed loader is another story; enter Grant Cunningham.

The CrossBreed Speed Loader Case grips your speed loader firmly and makes mounting it to your belt easy. The case is made of high quality tanned leather and fastens to your belt in an upright position with the speed loader itself resting against your side. Right now it’s designed for .38/.357 speed loaders; down the road maybe they’ll expand the product line to fit a wider range of calibers. The case can be concealed by pulling an untucked shirt over it or wearing a jacket.

Although CrossBreed says the case makes it possible to access your speed loader with, well, speed, they don’t say how easily the case is opened. Judging by photographs alone it appears the case is closed with snaps both at the belt and at the top of the speed loader itself; whether or not those snaps can be opened with one hand is impossible to know. It’s obvious the position is good and that it can be concealed, but it isn’t obvious how quickly your extra rounds can actually be accessed in a high-stress situation.

On the surface, this seems like a good idea, but I’d like to find out for myself how quickly it can be opened, if it can be opened with one hand, and whether the speed loader can easily fall while you’re opening the case if you don’t keep a hold on it at all times. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where you’re unsnapping the case with one hand and the speed loader simply drops to the ground. When you’re under duress you need your equipment to cover certain bases, and that includes the need for the speed loader to not simply fall when the snap is opened. Accessibility is great, but it isn’t enough on its own.

What do you think?

Specs:

Size: 3.75”x2.00”x2.00”

Weight: 2 ounces

Color: Cowhide Black and Horsehide Natural

MSRP: $36.95

See it for yourself at: http://www.crossbreedholsters.com/HotcakesStore/ProductViewer/tabid/113/slug/Speedloader-Case/Default.aspx