For the average shooter, loading 5 or 6 magazines by hand is really no big deal. AR-type magazines are not hard to load. But what if you had to load 30 or 40 magazines? That can get painful awfully quick. Those who shoot a lot and may have some arthritis do have an option. MITUSA Manufacturing Inc. introduced the MagPump Model 60 MP-1001 at SHOTSHOW 2015 . It is a hopper fed, loose ammo loader for AR15 style magazines. It is easily disassembled into three components. First you have a base, the actual loading mechanism and a hopper. When taken down to the three components it fits nicely inside a .50-cal. ammo can.
Using the device is simple. Fill the hopper with 60 or so cartridges. The loader will load 5.56mm or 300 Blackout. The rounds can be oriented either direction in the hopper. When the cartridge releases through the sorting mechanism the weight of the projectile locates it in the proper position with the projectile facing down. Any AR15-type magazine is placed in the rear of the loading mechanism and locks in place with a magazine catch like in the lower receiver of the rifle. More than 30 different magazines were tested including Magpul, Lancer, Troy Battle Mag, Hera Arms, Surefire 60 & 100 round magazines, CProducts-Defense, Mission First Tactical, Heckler & Koch (High Reliability Steel and Polymer), Hexmag, GI aluminum, Ultimag , ELander, ASC and D&H Tactical to name a few. The only magazines tested which experienced any issue were an Elite Tactical Systems polymer and a CAA polymer magazine with catch slots not engaging the loaders magazine catch. Easy to say 98% of the magazines tested fit perfectly.
Once the cartridges are in the hopper and the magazine installed the user merely pulls the loading lever forward to the mechanical stop causing a cartridge to be released from the hopper escapement through the sorting mechanism projectile pointing down and visible in the slotted window. When the lever is returned to home position the cartridge indexes downward and disappears into the load position. On the next lever stroke forward the actuator cam pushes the cartridge into the magazine. This process is repeated until the magazine reaches its full capacity at which point the loader senses the magazine is full and stops loading. The user then simply pushes down on the magazine release lever and removes the magazine. Replace with a new magazine and refill the hopper until all the needed magazines are loaded. The loaders in hand have been tested with both 5.56 NATO (.223 Rem.) and .300 BLK without failure.
The author received a test and evaluation Magpump nearly a year ago and has been testing it heavily. Suffice to say it has loaded more than 18 to 20,000 rounds of 5.56 NATO ammunition without a single issue. Load time is typically 35-45 seconds per 30 round magazine which includes loading the hopper, operating the lever and inserting and removing the magazine. Loading a half dozen or more magazines is a heck of a lot more comfortable and less stressful on this shooters hands. Any firearms professional engaging in testing weapons or training will see this tool as a major help in prepping for your test or range session.
There are two models offered by MITUSA Manufacturing . The MP-1001 is the original and utilizes a billet aluminum housing construction with polymer components and stainless steel hardware. The hopper is manufactured from high impact polymer. The base is also manufactured from high impact polymer and can be mounted to a bench. The loader will attach to GearTrac or MIL-STD-1913 rail. The entire unit weighs just 3.75 pounds. The MSRP of the unit is $389.00 directly from MITUSA Manufacturing. At SHOT SHOW 2016 they released a new model called the Magpump Ultralight MP-1002. This is identical to the other but instead of being manufactured from billet aluminum it is manufactured entirely from high impact polymer and stainless steel hardware. The weight is decreased to 2 pounds and the MSRP drops to $189, putting it into any shooter's price range. I know what you are thinking: the polymer has to be less sturdy than the billet aluminum body. Not so. This is a low stress mechanism meaning no component is put under any real stress. The author has tested the Ultralight model (MP-1002) for the last few months, loading more than 6,000 rounds without a hitch. It would appear as though the billet manufactured one would be for the heavy user and the polymer one for the hobbyist but testing shows one is as good as the other in durability and reliability.
There are many loading gadgets out there. Some are better than others. Most ammunition comes loose. The MITUSA Manufacturing Inc. Magpump is an excellent tool to take the stress off your hands when loading a large volume of magazines.
