The Maglula company has been around for quite a while. Since 2001, to be exact. Over this time period, they’ve invented over 30 magazine loaders for our favorite weapons. Everything from .22 up through .308, they make a magazine loader for it.
I’ve only recently discovered the Maglula loaders, and thus far, have been extremely impressed with their products. The quality has been first-rate and they’re easy to use. As such, I aim to continue testing and evaluating as many of these loaders as I can get my hands on, including the Maglula Loader/Unloader for the M1A/M14.
What Is A Magazine Loader?
All of this sounds well and good, but what, exactly, is a magazine loader and how does it work?
I’m going to go into detail about how this one works shortly. As for what it is…it is a device that fits on top of a given magazine and assists the shooter in loading the magazines. They tend to make life easier on our fingers by pushing down the magazine’s follower so we can slip the bullets in easier. It speeds up the process of loading and/or unloading.
M1A/M14
Before we get into the loader, though, we need to take a quick peek at the test bed platform today, which happens to be the M1A, which is the civilian version of the iconic M14 used by the United States Armed Forces.
The M1 Garand served admirably through WWII (and later, Korea), and certainly played a major hand in the Allies’ victory in that war. It gave individual soldiers a decided advantage against their opposition, which was mostly armed with bolt action rifles. The added firepower of the semi-auto rifles was a massive asset.
Fast forward to the mid-1950s, and the military wanted more firepower. To make a long story short, the M1 evolved into the M14, which features a 20-round magazine. The M14 was also in a new caliber, the 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester), which is shorter than the M1’s .30-06 round. Aside from that, the M14 was also capable of fully automatic fire. Although, in such a light rifle, full auto wasn’t as effective as it was initially hoped for.
In 1974, Springfield Armory introduced the M1A, a civilian legal version of the M14 because people expressed a yearning for such a rifle. It was a massive hit from the start, and it’s still relatively popular even these days. The M1A is a reliable, accurate rifle that’s used for everything from target shooting to competition, hunting, law enforcement, and defensive purposes. It’s as good today as it was decades ago when it was introduced. In fact, the M14 is still in use with some units of the military, including Designated Marksman roles.
There are several versions available, including the standard and National Match. There are a few others that sport a shortened barrel, including the Tanker, SOCOM, and the Scout Squad. The rifle used in this particular article is the Scout Squad rifle. It has an 18-inch barrel that’s topped with a muzzle brake and a gorgeous wood stock. Most magazines for the M1A that are now on the market range from 20 rounds (most common), to 30 rounds and 10 rounds.
Loading And Range Time
The 5.56mm (.223). Loading a pile of 7.62mm rounds into magazines is not at the top of my list of Fun/Relaxing Activities, especially when I want to get the trigger-pulling underway.
Unloading 7.62mm magazines by hand is a whole lot less fun! Why would we unload them by hand? Maybe we want to put them into storage or transport them interstate. Or perhaps we’d like to give those particular magazines a rest and load up another set of mags. But whatever the reason, our digits will be hurting after unloading several magazines.
So what’s the solution?
Maglula To The Rescue
I recently had the pleasure of checking out Maglula’s M1A/M14 loading/unloading tool. I’ll tip you off right now that I’m entering this review prejudiced. My prior experience with Maglula products has been extremely positive, so I enter this one with high expectations.
The Maglula M1A/M14 loader is made like the rest of them – mostly from polymer. Although it’s light in weight, the polymer is thick enough that it’s robust. This unit is not going to crack or break easily. Of all the Maglula loaders that I’ve worked with, not one has ever failed or developed an issue, they’re very high quality.
Loading
To use the unit, it’s mounted on the top of the magazine. First, tilt it forward so the front catch fits into the recess at the front of the magazine. Then the rear of the loader is pivoted down onto the back of the magazine where a lock wire goes over the rear locking catch of the magazine, locking the loader in place. It’s actually easier than it sounds and takes about five seconds to lock the loader into place on the magazine.
With one hand, the lever on top is moved in one direction and the other hand slips a round into the magazine, which is tilted upward. Move the lever in the opposite direction and slip another round in. Repeat the process until the magazine is filled. The magazine does not take long at all to fill.
And the loader eases the pressure on the feed lips of the magazine, which prolongs the magazine’s life.
Unloading
The unloading procedure is as easy as loading. And if you’ve ever unloaded a magazine full of .308 rounds with your fingers, you’ll likely recall that it wasn’t a joyful partaking. Afterward, your fingers were probably unhappy with you.
To unload a magazine with the Magulula, tilt it forward and work the toggle lever back and forth, allowing the rounds to dump out the front. We recommend having a soft surface for the rounds to drop onto. In short order, the magazine will be empty and your fingers will be rejoicing in a state of bliss because they won’t have been gouged by the feed lips of the magazine.
Being able to empty a magazine in mere seconds is really golden. Your fingers will rejoice!
Storage
The lock wire on the loader folds down and the toggle lever telescopes down into the unit, making it smaller and easier to store. In this configuration, the Maglula loader fits into the palm of the hand with room left over.
It will take up precious little room in your shooting bag, making this a convenient item that can be brought along to the range regularly. To use it, all you have to do is pull out the lever, which deploys easily and fold out the lock wire. It takes about two seconds.
Overall
Did the Maglula M1A/M14 loader/unloader do the job as advertised? Absolutely! It worked perfectly and quickly, saving the fingers from certain gouging and discomfort.
What’s more, it saves time loading magazines so we can invest that time in training at the range. Beyond that, if we happen to be involved in a training class, the Maglula would expedite us getting back on the firing line. And in training classes, time is money.
How much can we expect to pay for this piece of gear? As of this writing, it is $25.95 from GunMag Warehouse. If you’re an M1A owner, this is the perfect addition to your shooting bag, it will save you frustration.
