Load’em Up! (with Colonel Smoothbore)
By angelamontana

Posted: February 17, 2019

It’s shooting season and time to go to your favorite rifle, pistol, or shotgun range. For you pistol shooters, here’s another look at some loading devices that I have found to be very handy. Indeed for those of us whose arthritis makes loading difficult, these things work and work very well. Here’s a look at some of my favorites.

Loading semi-auto handgun magazines can be a real pain, especially in the thumb. Two of the best loading tools I have found are the Magula ( www.magula.com ) Lula™ and Uplula™ devices. The Lula™ loaders are used for .22 rimfire magazines that have the projecting button on the side; you know, that hard little round beast with the sharp edge that after a few mag reloads leaves you thumb too sore to touch. Lula™ loaders come in a package containing two models to load .22 single stack magazines. The X10/V10 Lula™ package fits narrow single stack .22 mags and the X12/T10 Lula™ package fits wide single stack .22 mags. The 22Uplula™ fits double stack .22 LR magazines and the Babyuplula™ fits .22 through .380 single stack mags without the evil projecting button. The Uplula™ loader is Magula’s most popular model. It fits 9MM to 45 ACP magazines, both single and double stack. For single stack users, I suggest adding the 1911AI™ – Aligner Insert; it will keep your magazines from wobbling while you load them. There are less expensive magazine loaders on the market and I’ve tried several, but the Magula products have proven to be the most efficient and easiest to use. I highly recommend them; be careful though there are some Chinese knock-offs on the internet. Be sure you get the real thing.

For you double action revolver shooters, using speed loaders will make shooting your guns more fun. HKS (www.hksspeedloaders.com ) makes speedloaders that fit just about any wheel gun, including the .22 rimfires. Safariland ( www.safariland.com ) manufactures three different types of revolver speed loaders; Comp I, II, III. Comp one is a typical loader much like the HKS design, while Comps II and III are very useful for the faster reloads needed in competition. Safariland also makes trays and pouches to hold their loaders. I’ve used both HKS and Safariland products and I’m very satisfied with both. Another speedloader manufacturer is 5 Star Firearms, ( www.5starfireams.com ). Their products are made entirely of aluminum and are available in several anodized colors giving them major cool factor.

If your revolver uses moon clips, the best loader I have found is the BMT Mooner (www.bmtequpped.com)   Loading moon clips can be somewhat arduous, not to mention time consuming and VERY boring. The BMT Mooner solves all those annoyances. Place a moon clip on the base, add cartridges, put on the top, give it all a twist and you’re done. Reverse the process to unload. I find that the BMT Mooner cuts loading time by at least 75%. Take a look at the video on the BMT home page and you will see what I mean.

Spend more time shooting and less time loading when you use quality products like the ones I’ve described above. After all, the fun part of the shooting sports is the “BOOM” time.

Be safe and good shooting.

Colonel Smoothbore

 

 

 

 

 

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