Harold R. struggled with mental health… and one day he robbed two convenience stores in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At the second robbery, he fired a rifle he had, but thankfully, no one was hurt.
Responding police officers spotted Harold and pursued him. As he sped through the city Harold fired at officers from his vehicle.
“One of the officers involved in the pursuit said he was leaning out the window and firing back towards officers,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown.
“This could have been drastically different. So I applaud the officer who responded and ran into the face of danger.”
Police officers from several cities joined the pursuit.
Harold crashed his pickup truck into a storefront on a busy street in South Salt Lake City. The pursuing officers fired their weapons at Harold after he crashed.
In total, Harold fired more than 50 rounds during his crime spree. A total of 15 officers fired 196 rounds.
The hail of gunfire lasted almost 20 seconds.
Harold died from his injuries. No police officers or innocent civilians were shot.
Now, 196 rounds is a lot of lead going down range.
But typically, officers carry semi-automatic pistols with two to three magazines, which makes reloading faster.
However, there are still some old school cops who carry backup revolvers.
And, if you prefer to carry a revolver and need to reload during a gunfight, you need to have a quick way to do it.
Because if you’re in a gunfight, where someone is sending upwards of fifty rounds at you, you need to be able to defend yourself with a volume of fire…
Which can be a real challenge if you’re shooting a revolver…
And this is why some shooters use speedloaders.
So, if you prefer to carry a revolver for self-defense, you might want to consider a speedloader as well.
Here are some things to think about…
What is a speedloader?
Speedloaders are a device that’s used to reduce the time and effort of reloading a revolver.
Revolver speedloaders allow the shooter to reload all the chambers at the same time.
Instead of reloading one at a time you can load five or six rounds and close the cylinder to keep firing.
Should you use a speedloader?
The most popular reason that shooters use speedloaders is time.
There is no question you can save yourself time at the range when loading lots of rounds.
This is especially true when shooting a revolver, you can reload quickly and get back on target.
And if you ever participate in shooting competitions, using a speedloader is a given.
The majority of competition shooters use speedloaders to save time.
You have to get comfortable with speedloaders:
You want to practice reloading and manipulating your firearm the way you would in danger.
If someone broke into your home and you had to reload, you should practice for that scenario, especially if you plan to use a speedloader.
Train the way you would handle your gun in a life-and-death situation.
If you use a speedloader at the range but don’t carry one when you concealed carry, then it’s not the best idea.
If you are thinking about buying a speedloader, find one that is made by your gun manufacturer.
Or you may also wish to check out Safariland speedloaders for your revolvers.