See this thread for all the details you need, but basically they combined the previous unavoidable reload animation into the action speed, so with dexterity, action speed boons, and fast brews you can increase the speed. I posted a video with max dexterity and a mega fast brew using a base fist to show the difference. With the right skills fists are way better than before the patch, though without them they do seem a little sluggish.