m&p 15-22 magazine loader

[rraisley]

congrats on the new baby!!!!!!!

Shows how jaded (corrupted?) I am, I took "My baby was due to be born yesterday so I haven't gotten much time to try it out yet" to mean he was to pick up his 15-22 yesterday, but hadn't gotten to it yet.

 

[Dikinalaska]

Shows how jaded (corrupted?) I am, I took "My baby was due to be born yesterday so I haven't gotten much time to try it out yet" to mean he was to pick up his 15-22 yesterday, but hadn't gotten to it yet.

Haha. Priceless. Thanks for the congrats guys. Baby hasn't come yet, being stubborn like it's ol man lol. We just been getting everything that was left to do ready because we were out of town this last week.

 

[speedyquad]

stinkin good loader review

Today, I am going to review the Skunkwirkz(LLC) 15-22 Magazine Loader for the Smith $ Wesson M&P 15-22.

I will be using 3 different types of magazines.

they are: 1. A stock S&W 25 round magazine

2. A S&W 10 round modified to hold 25 rounds using raven eye customs load assist tool(Raven Eye Custom - M&P15-22 Upgrades)

3. A Plinker Tactical 35 round magazine with the Plinker Tactical assist tool.

First of, this is not the only website that I am doing this review on, so if some information seems unnecessary or extraneous, this would be why. Also, I am testing a beta

unit. This is not the final product. I thank Skunkwirkz for the opportunity to be a beta tester as even in this beta version, this is an awesome product.

I'll start off with the suggestions to Skunkwirkz(LLC) for improvement. He has already read these and is making/has made corrrections for these.

The 1st is the loading tube, it is fragile. I believe he is working with someone more familiar with metals to find a sturdier material.
The 2nd issue is the need for the end user to adjust or tune, which is related to the first issue. of course this is being addressed by the use of different materials for the

loading tube. I will say that mine did not need any tuning.
The 3rd issue would be packaging, but it's too early in the process to nail this down yet



Now to the fun part. I've played with this so much that I could say I have loaded and unloaded more rounds than i actually have on hand.

First, dump(yes literally dump) 25 rounds(or more for the Plinker mag), into the cartridge holder.

then separate out 12 rounds...notice how the round well gets less deep toward the front of the holder. this causes the cartridge to tip into the loading tube "primer" end

first.

next, insert your mag into the loader...i am using the modified S&W with the raven eye customs loading tool...this is also where the first adjustment will need to be made.

the end of the loading tube should align with the top of the magazine.

The next step is to align the loading tube in holder. Skunwirkz has done away with the alignment tab and now suggest trimming the cartridge holder. I have not done this yet.

the reason he has done this upgrade is some beta testers have broken off the tab while trying to adjust the angle. You should have the magazine/tube in a downward angle so

the round slide down the tube.

the first round will look like this:

at this point, you will slowly pull down on the load assist buttons allowing the rounds to slowly fall into the magazine. I find it works best if you pull down, allowing 2 or

3 rounds to go in, then allow the spring back and allow the rounds correctly align/stagger.

do this until the tube is empty and repeat until the magazine is full and again until all of your magazines are full.

now the difference between the magazines.

i prefer doing this using the raven eye customs loading tool. I have this because the S&W magazines that are 10 round long(as long as the 25 rounders, but are pinned to only

hold 10 rounds) do not have load assist buttons. the raven eye buttons are a metal button. this tool is not necessary. the buttons are however.

the tool installed:

this tool made this easier than any of my other two options.

the stock S&W mag does not have a hole in the assist button, but extra can be purchased if you have the raven eye customs tool.

a comparison between the 2 S&W mags...the blue follower is the modified 10 round mag, the orange follower is the stock 25 round magazine...notice the hole in the modified

assist button.

I will now compare the 35 round Plinker Tactical to the Stock 25 round S&W mag.

Because the Plinker mag has no load assist buttons, but does have it's own loading tool, the Plinker Tactical tool must be used. when i bought this mag, i had the option, for

the exact same price, of one with out the load assist tool. the last 5 rounds will not go in using the Skunkwirkz(LLC) set up because the Skunkwirkz(LLC) mag holder

interferes with the Plinker tool as seen in these pics.

the Plinker tool, fuly inserted, without the Skunwikz(LLC) mag holder...

and fully inserted with the Skunkwirkz(LLC) mag holder...

i think i covered everything...except

This is "ONE STINKIN' GOOD LOADER!"

 

[skunkwerkz]

awesome review speedy!, great pictures and explanation of the product and use with different mags!

again we are wirking on at the down sides to make a bullet proof product for the end user!

 

[speedyquad]

thanks..hope it helps you understand how the plinker mag is different and any adjustments you may be able to make. for me, loading those last 5 rounds by hand is not an issue so i don't really care.

i did post this exact review on a 2 other websites and considering a 3rd as i know there are quite a few people that now own the 15-22 on that site, but not sure how many actually look at site(mossberg, disgruntled former 715t owner such as myself)...

 

[speedyquad]

also feel free to use any of the pics or the post as you may need...

 

[Maddmax]

Still loading and dumping rounds just fine with that slight tube mod to fit the feed lips on the mag. Left the feed end the same with the (trip) tab.

 

[Dikinalaska]

Ok so I finally got to play with the new toy. Must say it's everything I thought it'd be. Took a minute to get it down, but after that boy is it slick! I can't really say anything that hasn't already been said. The soft metal took a TINY bit of tweaking, but other than that no complaints. It fits perfect on the mags and my only problem is finding ammo so I don't have to unload the mags without a trigger lol. Again, great job Skunk, I'm thoroughly impressed.

 

[skunkwerkz]

Ok so I finally got to play with the new toy. Must say it's everything I thought it'd be. Took a minute to get it down, but after that boy is it slick! I can't really say anything that hasn't already been said. The soft metal took a TINY bit of tweaking, but other than that no complaints. It fits perfect on the mags and my only problem is finding ammo so I don't have to unload the mags without a trigger lol. Again, great job Skunk, I'm thoroughly impressed.

awsome great you like it, be careful its very addicting!

 

[skunkwerkz]

i sent out some replacement tubes to a few that had shipping issues and two other beta tester units for review,, i also sent majorlk a modified box and cap with a brass tube assembly, with the tip on the tube so he can evaluate the before and after mod version and give a honest review on both version, so sit tight and lets see what shakes loose!

 

[Maddmax]

at this point, you will slowly pull down on the load assist buttons allowing the rounds to slowly fall into the magazine. I find it works best if you pull down, allowing 2 or

3 rounds to go in, then allow the spring back and allow the rounds correctly align/stagger.

do this until the tube is empty and repeat until the magazine is full and again until all of your magazines are full.



My load tube didn't line up like in your photo with the mag like your photos... Was also cut at a different length.

Still got it to work though with some work.

 

[skunkwerkz]

there is some inconsistency with the tube end, but final production will be "jigged" for consistent cuts, all the prototypes were hand cut, i find that if the tube actually touches the magazine the better it works, but all are going to be a little different to find that "sweet spot" for now.

 

[Majorlk]

The new one got here this afternoon. I'll try to play with it tomorrow.

 

[Zax]

I tested the loader with my 50rd drum and it almost works, of course almost doesn't get it done. The problem is the feed tube doesn't go low enough, so the rounds hit the feed lips and don't drop in to place. It is fairly easy to make it work by keeping your finger at the end of the tube, then they feed very fast and it actually works better than loading any regular magazine.

I could easily trim/bend the end and get it to work, but don't know if that would prevent the loader working on the other mags so until i have a spare tube I'm reluctant to try. When the new (production) tubes are available i will purchase one and mod the beta tube.

I know a photo or two would be really helpful and will try to get some tomorrow.

 

[skunkwerkz]

hey zax
it should fit on it just fine as the receiver part should be the same as a regular magazine,, i seen "jeffro57" posted a test on the 50rd awhile back and had good results. you may try private messaging him to see if he had to do anything special.

 

[Jeffro57]

Nope, I had the tube at a fairly steep angle, but no special bending. They fed right into my 50-rounder without a hitch.

 

[skunkwerkz]

Nope, I had the tube at a fairly steep angle, but no special bending. They fed right into my 50-rounder without a hitch.

but it fit on the top just fine as it would on a regular magazine right?
you just had to hold it at more of an angle?

 

[skunkwerkz]

do any of the testers have the 50rd drum and can post pics or video of it in use?

 

[Zax]

The receiver portion of the loader fits just fine on the drum tower but the tube sits slightly too high so the flange on the rounds catch the magazine feed lips. If the tube was at a higher angle it would work, as would removing a little of the feed tube so it could go down further.

Since the tubes are all hand cut it may be mine just needs additional trimming but since it works so well with the other magazines I am hesitant to mess with it.

The feed lips could also be shaved down slightly too, if I remember correctly it says something about that in the manual for the drum (to correct any bolt drag issues).

 

[Jeffro57]

No video possible on this end. The tube did hit a touch high on the feed lips on the 50-rounder, but the fix was so slight, that I didn't really notice. It does require a very slight downward bend to go directly in the mag, but once the bend is correct, they go in really fast. This is still really fun to use!

 

[Zax]

It does require a very slight downward bend to go directly in the mag...

Jeffro57, after you bent the tube did it still work with your other magazines? Also, did you just bend the flared end? Thanks.

 

[Zax]

Here are some pics of the loader and 50rd drum.

I deliberately left a gap between the loader and drum tower stop in the last picture to show what prevents it going down any further, but in the other pictures it was pressed down as far as possible.

To bend it down as Jeffro57 suggested I would probably have to trim the edges or otherwise bend it. In it's current state I just pull the tube out slightly as shown in the 4th picture and put my finger at the end, then the rounds feed in without any problems and it is very fast.

I will try to adjust it next week, after getting some opinions from Skunk, Jeffro57 and other testers.

 

[skunkwerkz]

ok i see,, it looks like the cap could go down just a few millimeters more which will lower the tube a little lower also,,
i would not grind my magazine, i would try to slightly bend the tube end down a bit to make the rounds slide in without hitting the mag lips..

 

[Jeffro57]

I have been holding the tip of the tube down slightly when loading the 50-rounder. I'm not really bending it, as much a holding it down a bit so they drop right in. I can switch right back to the S&W 25-rounder with no problems.

 

[Majorlk]

Chris: I managed to spend about 30 minutes this afternoon with the new one you sent me. I like the brass tube over the AL one. It may be my imagination but it feels more solid.

With the box flat on the bench, and the tip of the tube in the bottom of the slot, I had no problem feeding the rounds into the tube with a fingertip and the dumping the rounds into the magazine, which is below the level of the bench. What does NOT work for me is tipping the box to fill the tube; It jams every time.

For my use, I need to make a platform for the box sufficiently tall so the magazine can sit on the bench, rather than having to be below it. Maybe some legs on the corners of the box, even.

I'm taking my grandsons to the range Monday, so I'll give it a range workout then.

 

[skunkwerkz]

I have been holding the tip of the tube down slightly when loading the 50-rounder. I'm not really bending it, as much a holding it down a bit so they drop right in. I can switch right back to the S&W 25-rounder with no problems.

must be a little difference in the magazine specs,its should be identical per-say,, if it works perfect on the regular mag it should be set to work on the 50 .. got to find that happy medium sweet spot..

 

[skunkwerkz]

With the box flat on the bench, and the tip of the tube in the bottom of the slot, I had no problem feeding the rounds into the tube with a fingertip and the dumping the rounds into the magazine, which is below the level of the bench. What does NOT work for me is tipping the box to fill the tube; It jams every time.

oh no! trying to tip the box like a salt shaker will end in disaster every time! i did the mod on that box for you to put the tube inside the cut under the box then load as normal,not to be able to use the box as a dumper..

it was meant as a mod if your little tip was to break off.
, kinda like an alignment gap

 

[Majorlk]

I was just trying the "dumper mode" as an experiment.

 

[skunkwerkz]

ps putting your 50cal ammo box on its side makes for a great raised table!

 

[Majorlk]

ps putting your 50cal ammo box on its side makes for a great raised table!

Don't have one of those. I'll have to try a Cabela's dry box.