{"id":1781,"date":"2016-12-01T19:25:22","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T19:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/?p=1781"},"modified":"2023-03-15T14:20:38","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T14:20:38","slug":"magazine-loaders-worth-the-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/magazine-loaders-worth-the-investment\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Magazine Loaders Worth the Investment?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Loading magazines by hand is time consuming and strenuous on the fingers and hands, especially when loading several magazines back to back. Also it\u2019s sometimes easy to miss-load a round, creating a higher potential for jamming when firing. Someone who loads magazines often, such as an active duty soldier or even someone that does manual labor will have calluses in just the right places to help make the job easier. Though, someone that doesn\u2019t load magazines often may find themselves with pain filled fingers after loading several magazines during a day of shooting at the range.<\/p>\n

There is some technique involved in handloading magazines, though the only way to develop a good technique is with lots of practice, which is something your hands and fingers might not\u00a0appreciate. The main benefit for loading magazines by hand is that it does not require carrying or being dependent on another piece of equipment. Though if you don\u2019t want to have this manual labor, a magloader<\/a> is a device that can make the task of magazine loading much easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Shooting<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few different styles of AR-15 magazine loaders on the market today. These \u201cmagloaders\u201d make magazine loading more convenient, ergonomic, and less laborious. I wanted to know how much faster using an AR-15 magloader is compared to loading by hand, and how much faster one style of magloader is compared to another. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Maglula'sI took two of the top magloaders and styles, the Maglula AR-15\/M-4 PMAG Range BenchLoader\u2122-5.56\/ .223 and the Maglula AR-15\/M-16 LULA\u2122-5.56\/ .223 loader<\/a>, put them up to a time test and compared their features, functions, and specs side-by-side. I\u2019m no expert AR-15 magazine loader, but I do shoot often and I definitely get tired of loading magazines by hand, so I figure this is a perfect test to find out what magloader works best for me.<\/p>\n

The Maglula Range Benchloader is stable and does not require rigorous or strenuous hand movement in order to load. This magloader was designed to be used on a flat surface, such as a table, the tailgate of a truck, or even stable flat ground. The user first puts a magazine into the magazine holder on one end of the magloader. You can use up to a 30 round magazine with this model. Then, you lay rounds onto the rail first at an angle and then straightens each one as they are slid towards the magazine. After the desired amount of rounds is reached, you simply slide the loading mechanism towards the magazine in a quick solid motion. <\/span><\/p>\n

Storable in a light pouch, this magloader is portable and fairly light, though would still be bulky to carry for long distances in the field, along with you rifle, ammo and other gear. Also, it works best on a flat clean surface such as a table, where dirt and other natural debris will not get jammed into the magazine, making it better for the range than the field. This magloader is perfect for loading several magazines back to back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Maglula'sThe Maglula LULA is a much smaller and more portable handheld device than the Benchloader. The user simply slides and clamps the device onto the end of the magazine of their choice. The user then stands the magazine on its bottom, and slides the lever on top of the device backwards, loads a round, then moves the lever forward, and loads another round. This process is repeated over and over until the magazine is fully loaded. It does require some strenuous hand movements in order to load each round into the magazine and hold the magazine steady while doing so. Though, for the most part, this magloader is easy to use and perfect for loading magazines one at a time. <\/span><\/p>\n

Besides loading, this magloader is also able to quickly unload rounds. This is convenient for the range or if you do not want to keep rounds in their magazines. Simple to use, lightweight, and so small this easily portable magloader can even be placed into a pant pocket. This magloader is a better choice for the field than the Benchloader, and having the ability to easily unload magazines makes it worthy of having at the range as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides benefits such as portability in the field and ease of use, one of the most important factors for using a magloader is time efficiency. I wanted to find out what magloader was the most efficient relative to the others available and also compared to simply loading by hand so I create a time test. I recorded video of myself loading each of the two magloaders by hand three times. Then I chose the fastest time video recording for each method, and shared them in the video below.<\/span><\/p>\n

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