Automatic Magazine Loader

[smarcus3]

I am creating an automatic pistol magazine loader for my senior design class for Mechanical Engineering. However, I would like some imput through a survey I created at the following link, LINK

Admin, If this is in the wrong section please feel free to move and sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gunnerboy]

Look at some Swedish mag loaders for thier submachineguns might give you some ideas.

 

[scrat]

hard buy

I have this little plastic thing i put over a mag for my ruger mk2 push it down and i can load up the mag in a few seconds cost of that little plastic thing is probably .10 to make

 

[Certaindeaf]

My input is that you might be graded on grammar. Conveying an idea is more than half of anything. Good luck and just trying to help.

 

[smarcus3]

thanks for all the input.

 

[Owen]

smarcus,

Do you have an idea of how large this thing will be, how it will be powered, and how adaptable it will be to different magazines? There is an industrial application for this tpe of machinery, but the stuff on the market is generally $50k and up, with the result that smaller companies that could use this sort of thing, don't.

 

[smarcus3]

The goal is to be battery and or 110V power. Price point of ~$200 or so but still highly unknown. Most pistol calibers will be used and adaptable to various magazines.

These are the goals, but we are still prototyping.

 

[Certaindeaf]

smarcus3,

Be it known that I was just trying to help and the Lord knows I will and can mangle the written word with the best of them. Anyway, I wish you the best. We used to use that/a toggle type loader for HK MP-5's. They were pretty sweet.

 

[smarcus3]

Its cool. Thanks. I wrote the survey late last night and clearly was too tired to spell correctly.

 

[Certaindeaf]

^
Oh pshaw. Nothing but a thing.

 

[smarcus3]

If you have any advice on how to get this survey to a larger audience or email it out feel free.

 

[flatlander937]

I submitted the survey. Only way I would ever consider one(assuming price is right... under $200) would be if it could accept multiple magazines at one time for loading. If this is for pistols then you need to face it: some guns only have a 6 or 7 round capacity. It would get to be a pain to bring 5-6 magazines with you and change them constantly assuming it takes over 10 seconds per magazine.

I have an HKS speedloader which I use currently... it was $11 and works great.

That would be the hardest competition... the cost of easy to use manual loaders makes it too convenient to just get one of them.


IMO -IF- you were to target only one firearm(because I'm sure you would either need adapters or complete different models to accommodate things like single vs double stack magazines, different magazine feed angles, etc), your best bet will probably to build a magazine loader for Glocks in .40... Would be marketable to law enforcement and they have a huge fan base, and the magazines hold a bunch of rounds and they interchange between all the Glock guns(same caliber) so they will probably benefit more.


My $0.02.

 

[smarcus3]

Thanks for the input.

 

[Certaindeaf]

If you have any advice on how to get this survey to a larger audience or email it out feel free.

I didn't click on your thing. How does an e-mail or survey affect.. nevermind. I was thinking about the discord between pure science and perhaps marketing. Maybe an IT guy could help you out.

 

[smarcus3]

Def not scientific I guess but I am just trying to get the survey done by as many people as possible.

 

[Owen]

I wouldn't worry too much about what magazine exactly to make it for. Figure out your mechanism, and leave enough of an envelope for anything reasonable (33rnd glock mags are probably the longest). Almost all pistol mags are single feed, and load basically the same way.

 

[smarcus3]

thanks for the advise

 

[Certaindeaf]

thanks for the advise

Yer whehlkom.

 

[jerkface11]

You'd probably have better luck making one for AR15 mags. Not because of some engineering issue but because the market is bigger. After that would be Glock 9mm.

 

[writerinmo]

I use the Maglula Uplula for all my 9mm. .40 and .45 magazines, hard to beat for the price.

 

[smarcus3]

bump

 

[wannabeagunsmith]

Sounds like a good idea. I would buy one.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

You may want to pick up some butler creek LULA and UpLULA (Universal Pistol LULA) to get an idea on how those work. They aren't powered but make it very quick and easy to load. Obviously you can not copy them as they are patented but it may give you some ideas for the mechanics side of things in terms of pushing the follow/rounds down.

Another idea may be to create a mechanical device for the lula (since so many people already own them) to automate it and see if butler creek is interested if you intend to produce it.