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There are some inventions humanity should always be proud of and thankful for. The speed loader is one of them. If that has thrown you off balance, you need to read on and find out why we make this bold claim.
This article will take you through what a speed loader is, how it works, the different types available, and how to use one to feed rounds into your favorite Glock with ease. We will also review the best Glock speed loaders on the market to eliminate the confusion that comes with the availability of so many different kinds of the same product.
Let's go all in.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Glock Speed Loaders
- OUR TOP PICK: Maglula UpLULA Universal Pistol Magazine Speed Loader
- RUNNER-UP: Glock Magazine Speed Loader
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: Speed Beez Magazine Loader for 9mm
Comparison of the Best Glock Speed Loaders
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What Makes a Great Glock Speed Loader?
Construction Material
Glock speed loaders are made of polymer for durability and flexibility. The polymer construction also makes for a lightweight speed loader that will be easy to carry around in your range bag, pocket, or purse.
Compatibility with Different Glock Magazines
The more Glock magazine models a speed loader is compatible with, the more it scores on the universality scale. Some just serve a handful of magazines, while others are universal and load different magazines of different calibers.
Ergonomic Design
A good speed loader should have a simple design that is gentle on your hands since the fingers will be in constant contact with the speed loader. The design should also allow you to easily and almost effortlessly drive bullets into the magazine even as the spring exerts more tension with every added round.
Review of the Best Glock Speed Loaders
Let's now look at our carefully considered list of the best Glock speed loaders available for your taking. From the first to the last, these products have been picked with you in mind to address your most pressing needs and personal preferences. There is a choice best fit for you and we will help you unearth it.
Best Overall:
Maglula UpLULA Universal Pistol Magazine Speed Loader
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers love this speed loader for its ease of use, loading speed, and elimination of the sore thumb problem. Most buyers struggling with arthritis recommend this magazine loader as it helps them load easily even as they struggle with pain and stiff joints.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This speed loader cuts a name for itself for its universality as it works with different caliber rounds, multiple Glocks, and both single and double stack magazines. The color differentiation offers users a wide choice range to suit their personal preferences. It has an ultra-high loading speed of up to one round per second hence heavily reduces loading time.
Bottom Line
Use this universal speed loader to slash down the loading time for single or multiple magazines. If you have several Glock models, you won't have to get a magazine loader for each.
Runner-up:
Glock Magazine Speed Loader
No products found.
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers report ease of use once one gets well acquainted with the speed loader. They recommend it for users with small, less powerful hands because of the thin, low-profile polymer construction. Loading multiple magazines is easy and doable within a shorter time compared to loading by hand.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This Glock is specifically made for Glock pistols with Glock users in mind. The polymer is of high quality to make it last a long time with regular use. It is a lightweight product that is easy to carry around by hand or in a range bag for use at the range where several magazines require loading.
Bottom Line
If you like to stick to accessories designed specifically for Glocks, this is the speed loader for you. Everything about it is Glock, from the polymer material to the logo on it. And it delivers the same level of efficiency and reliability characteristic of Glock pistols and products.
Best for the Money:
Speed Beez Magazine Loader for 9mm
No products found.
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent Buyers love this magazine loader for its ease of use, durability, and loading speed. Loading bullets is easy and saving time using it depends on the speed of the user. They recommend it to users with Glocks 17 and 19.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This speed loader is uniquely designed to hold magazines firmly in place during the loading process. It also uses a unique loading method where scissor-like motions are needed to drive bullets into the magazine. The use of the lever makes it easy to load since only a little force is required given that the lever is a bit distanced from the frame.
Bottom Line
Have a little more fun doing an otherwise boring and detested activity. The scissor-like motion mechanism turns out to be fun and motivates you to load more magazines within a short time.
Best Glock 19 Speed Loader:
RAEIND Speedloader for Glock Handguns
No products found.
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers love the speed loader given its simple design that makes it easy to use. It reduces the time they spend loading by half. However, some reports its incompatibility with some of the Glock models it is indicated to work well with.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This is a simply designed speed loader with a large open front that provides ample room for interplay between it and the outer frame of the magazine. This makes loading easy especially for magazines from smaller Glocks. It's small in size and can be carried comfortably in the pocket, purse, or range bag for everyday use.
Bottom Line
Grab this speed loader and enjoy slashed loading times and gentleness on the fingers given the sloping top surface that allows pressing without the use of excessive force. The color matches well with the regular black color on most Glock models.
Best Glock 22 Speed Loader:
MakerShot Custom Magazine Speedloader
No products found.
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers love this speed loader because of its unique design that enhances its grip on the magazine during the loading process. This helps them keep it stable and concentrate on loading without worrying about accidental slips.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The design of this speed loader makes it stand out from the rest in our review. It allows it to grip firmly on the magazine for more stability throughout the loading process. The slanted wing-like grooves on its side make gripping it by the hand firmer and add to the stability.
Bottom Line
While most speed loaders fit loosely on the magazine, the MakerShot Custom magazine speed loader grips firmly and stays right in place throughout the loading process. It eliminates chances for slips that could hurt your fingers.
Best Glock 9mm Speed Loader:
Sylvan Raptor Universal Pistol Speed Loader
No products found.
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Recent buyers love this speed loader for its ease of use once one gets fully familiarized with its operation mode. It allows them to load their handguns with minimal contact with ammunition as they do not have to press or push the bullets with their fingers. This comes as a relief especially for users struggling with arthritis and low hand strength.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The steel/glass-filled nylon frame construction is one of its kind. It’s a departure from the usual polymer speed loaders. The construction results in more weight but this is balanced by the resultant sturdiness. This universal loader also stands out with its unique lever that elongates from the mainframe to make loading easier as very little effort is required to push it down.
Bottom Line
Enjoy faster loading speeds of up to one round per second with this universal speed loader. Your thumbs and fingers will remain well protected from soreness as you won't have to press or push bullets to load them in.
What is a Speed Loader and How Does a Magazine Speed Loader Work?
A speed loader is a tool used to feed ammunition into the magazine of a gun. It has a simple working mechanism in that you just need to place it on top of the magazine over the bullet and then press down on it to drive the bullet inside. Subsequent bullets are similarly driven down single-stack magazines.
For double stack magazines, two bullets are placed next to each other on top of the magazine and a speed loader is used to press them inside at the same time.
The speed loader you choose should be durable, easy to use, light to carry around, and ergonomically designed to be gentle on your fingers.
Photo credit: peakfirearms.com
Are All Glock Speed Loaders The Same?
Glock speed loaders come in various sizes, shape designs, and colors. While most have a wedge-like shape, others are elongated and look like pistons or a sword waiting for an external force to drive it into the sheath.
The wedge-shaped speed loaders have different sizes in terms of length and width depending on the type of magazine they are compatible with. Double-stack speed loaders are wider than the single-stack ones.
Color variations range from black, pink, purple, orange, brown, to yellow and dark green.
Photo credit: firearmsinsider.tv
What Are the Benefits of a Glock Speed Loader?
The following are the benefits you will enjoy when you use a Glock speed loader.
Speed Loaders Save You Time
One of the main objectives of using speed loaders is to reduce the time spent feeding bullets into a magazine. Hand-loading is a tedious and time-consuming process. Speed loaders cut down on the time to help you focus on other important activities like learning how to shoot better.
Photo credit: raeind.com
Elimination of Mag Thumb
Loading magazines by hand strains the fingers. As you load more bullets, the spring in the magazine gains more tension and makes loading the subsequent rounds harder. You have to press harder with the thumbs to drive the round inside. Speed loaders eliminate this problem since you won't be pressing the bullet directly. This saves you from the mag thumb, a condition where the thumb gets sores, bruises, or cuts due to unprotected hand-loading.
Spare Magazines and Reduced Split Times
In situations where you have to use several magazines in quick succession, speed loaders come in handy as you will have loaded spare magazines that you only need to keep within close reach. Reloading becomes swift and thus the split times that you take off active firing reduce to just a couple of seconds. This means you are better placed to knockdown your attacker more than they are likely to knock you out.
Types of Glock Speed Loaders
There are several type of speed loaders you can buy for a Glock.
Single-Stack Speed Loaders
These are designed for loading bullets into single-stack magazines that have a one-bullet row within the frame. The bullet is placed on the top part of the magazine and the loader is pressed down to drive it inside.
Photo credit: pistoleer.com
Double-Stack Speed Loaders
These speed loaders are designed to feed bullets into double-stack magazines that have two rows of bullets within the frame. The two bullets are placed side by side on the top of the magazine and the loader is pressed down to drive them inside simultaneously.
Universal Speed Loaders
These are made in the same way as the first two types, but their functionality goes a step further in that they are compatible with both single and double stack magazines, multiple Glocks, and multiple calibers. They have a "one-size-fits-all" functionality model that cuts across these three parameters.
How Do Speed Loaders for Glocks Compare?
Here are some helpful comparisons to help you decide which speed loader is best for you:
Speed Loader vs Magazine for Glock
Is a speed loader very different from a regular magazine?
Similarities
Just like Glock magazines, most speed loaders are made of polymer for durability and to maintain a lightweight profile.
Differences
A magazine is a hollow component that houses bullets for a gun. It also feeds these bullets into the gun during the shooting process until there are no more rounds left in it.
A speed loader on the other hand is simply a device used to load bullets into a magazine before it is installed and used to feed the gun with ammunition.
Any Glock can function without a speed loader, but a magazine is needed for the pistol to function completely. The speed loader is only an efficiency enhancement tool.
Glock Single vs Double Stack Magazine Speed Loader
Single loader or double loader? What's the difference?
Similarities
These two types of speed loaders use the same concept or procedure for loading bullets into a magazine.
Differences
Single-stack magazine speed loaders are used to load ammunition into single-stack magazines, which have a one-bullet row. Double stack speed loaders are used to feed rounds into double-stack magazines, which have two rows of bullets resting side by side within the frame.
As such, speed loaders designed for double-stack magazines only are usually wider than the single-stack ones to provide enough room to accommodate both bullets and drive them down the magazine simultaneously.
How to Use a Glock Speed Loader
Speed Beez Magazine Loader for 9mm
- To load bullets into a magazine using a Glock speed loader, it's best to first load the first one by hand with the front tapering end of the bullet facing the front side of the magazine.
- Place the speed loader on top of the magazine such that the dangling plastic tab in the speed loader is in contact with the bullet.
- Press down on the speed loader to drive the bullet into the magazine. Do not release the speed loader back up.
- With the speed loader held down, place the second bullet in position and release the speed loader slowly so that the tab gets out of the way and the bullet slides in up to the back of the magazine with a slight push using any finger
- Push down again on the speed loader to drive the bullet into the magazine.
- Repeat this process for every bullet until the magazine is full.
Please refer to the video below to gain deeper insight into the above process on how to use a Glock speed loader.
Conclusion
Having learned what speed loaders are, how to use one, and the benefits they bring to the table, we hope that you are now better placed to make a worthwhile decision and pick your favorite from our carefully considered list. When you do, feel free to refer to this article once again if you get stuck somewhere along with the installation and usage journey.
People Also Ask
For a device so much loved and celebrated, questions fly about and usually go unanswered because most people laugh them off. We don't. We purpose to answer them all, which is why this section is dedicated to just that. Here are the most common questions people ask about speed loaders.
Is a Speed Loader a Clip?
The magazine versus clip battle has been raging for a long time now. But for this article, we won't delve into that. But to put it simply, a speed loader is not a clip. It’s just that- a device used to install rounds into a magazine to save time and eliminate the strain on the fingers.
RAEIND Speedloader for Glock Handguns
When Was the Speed Loader Invented?
The first speed loader was invented in 1879 by William H. Bell. It was a simply designed circular disk that held six bullets to load a revolver handgun. Although it remains largely unknown if Bell produced the revolver speed loader en masse after patenting it, its emergence inspired other people like William Prideaux and Arthur Watson to make speed loaders in 1893 and 1919 respectively.
Are Speed Loaders Worth It?
Speed loaders are worth every single cent you spend on them. Given that you find one that fits your Glock in its specific caliber and is durable enough to last you a long time of regular use, then the speed loader will be worth its salt. If it saves you time, keeps your fingers from hurting, and reduces the split times between reloading and shooting again, what else would you want?