maglula uplula magazine loader

I’m asked fairly frequently which mag loader I use, if any. I just got another email asking about that, hence this post. Some gun owners look down on magazine loaders, but I’m not amongst that group. I’m on board with anything that makes range time easier and more efficient.

It’s not really worth a full-blown product review, but I do have an easy answer to the question: It’s the Maglula UpLULA (you can get one for $35 via Brownells or a few bucks less at Amazon). My UpLULA has saved me a LOT of thumb pain loading tens of thousands of rounds over the years.

It may seem a tad expensive for what it is, but I’ve tried them all and you won’t regret buying one. The UpLULA is solidly built, a pleasure to use, and it’s compatible with both double and single stack pistol mags in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45 ACP, as well as some .380 mags. Pretty much any pistol mag that’s not a .22LR.

Note: the UpLULA does NOT work for .45 ACP 6-round GLOCK mags or 7-round 9mm S&W mags, but that’s about all it won’t do. I’ve been recommending the Maglula as a great gunny stocking stuffer for years and haven’t yet found a reason to stop. Highly recommended.

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40 COMMENTS

    • Several mag dumps will make the Shield mags better, or load them and leave them sitting… but even then, I prefer the UpLULA for range trips

  2. A maglula was the first thing I bought after buying my first pistol. Ten pistols and 8 years still don’t use anything else

    • You got that right. I’ve ended up with 2 of them now; one that I keep; in range bag all the time. Also their AR and AK loaders work just as well.

      I ended up getting one and giving it a friend of my wife’s for her to use with her G19. She loves it.

      • They’re great! I bought two. Then I just stopped using them. Some is I have great hand strength and I developed technique and muscles to the point I just didn’t care; some is because my mags are now well loved. 🙂 However, if you are starting, buy one! I gave mine away to friends learning how to shoot that I gave an introduction to.

  3. coming in multiple colors can make them easy to find, available in 2 sizes the BABY UpLULA which is for .380 ACP and smaller. Then the standard, with an adapter it makes the single stack simple and without the double stacks I love these and share with others at the range. First time I say them was used by Hickock45 saw how fast and easy the mags were loaded.

  4. I have a couple of Maglula’s, one for double stack and another for single stack. Very handy especially for new mags with stiff springs. On another note, they won’t work with PMR-30 mags either. AND, Caldwell has a pretty slick loader as well.

    • I have a LULA and it works with both double and single stack mags. But I recently bought the Caldwell mag loader and OMG!!! That gizmo makes loading mags fun. You just pop the cartridge into the loading port and squeeze the handle and kerplunk. I was at the range yesterday and it took about 15 seconds to load an 18 rd. mag. Works with single and double stacks of any caliber (not rimfire) and you can find them on Amazon and ebay for $35, about the same price as the LULA.

  5. An Uplula, a hand full of snap caps and a quick demonstration is all I ever needed to sell these things to customers. They all but sell themselves. I’ve assured many a customer, “if you pull one of these out of your range bag and use it for a moment – the person in the lane next to you will ask to borrow it.”
    🤠

    • I was sold at a gunshow years ago by a gent who tossed the bullets in a mag with the aplomb of a three card monte pro. 17 rounds in under 10 seconds…

      I love mine. Multiple mags are nice, but being able to reload them in seconds after shooting hundreds of rounds is priceless.

  8. On some mags the thickness of the UpLULA’s tang makes it impossible to get the last round in. On these mags I use a different loader that presses down at the back of the round.

  9. Up to this point my fingers and the very simple Beretta branded mag loader that came with my Px4 has done well enough. When I bought a like new 96A1 I found I discovered that I needed the Beretta loader to top off the last couple rounds on the associated magazines. I thought about getting one of these UpLULAs but at this point the simple one works ok.

  11. The upLULA loader was the very first accessory I purchased after buying my very first pistol. Loading brand new M&P mags for the first time convinced me that there had to be a better way, and the upLULA was that way.

  13. An elegant product that does exactly what it is made to do remarkably well. I was overjoyed when they started making one for Scorpion mags…not that they’re hard to load, but they can be hard to top off and empty themselves oh, so quickly.

  15. I can hardly load my 9 mm M&P’s 17 round magazines without an Uplula. For some reason, it’s easier to load my .45 ACP 1911’s 7 round mags the old fashioned way.

  16. Maglula is the VERY BEST!!! I load mags from 7-rd 9mm S&W Shield to Springfield XD 13rd 45acp. ALL with a hot pink uplula. It is great, especially about round 9+ on the 45’s. Gotta’ love it!

  18. *After inserting 7 or 8 cartridges or if finding some resistance, hit with the
    bottom of the magazine on the palm of the hand.
    *Keep the magazine completely loaded for, at least, 48 hours for a complete
    accommodation of its internal components.

    The above is a direct Copy & Paste from page 23 of the owners manual of my latest pistol purchase.

    I now use this tip loading ALL my mags, even when using my miracle tool, the UpLula!

  19. My S&W M&P Shield 9mm came with a Caldwell loader. At first I thought what would I ever need this for? Then, I tried loading the mags by hand (or thumb). The first couple of rounds were not bad. After that I realized the Caldwell was a definite necessity. I’ve never needed a loader for any of my pistol mags, but believe me, one is definitely needed for the Shield.

    • Same here. After decades loading mags “the old fashion way” I didn’t see what pansy would want/need such a toy. But it IS a better way and the Caldwell works great. Have used on 9mm and 45.

      Now thinking might be a point in looking at AR loader for when don’t have on strippers.

      • Agree. A friend of mine made loaders for the AR-15 out of oak on a CNC machine. They were beautiful and I knew I would buy one when he caught up with the orders. Unfortunately for him, he was killed in a one vehicle truck/cow collision, and I never got one. I suppose I will have to purchase a commercial model. It would have been a great remembrance of him had I bought one from him.

  21. After surgeries on both of my thumbs, I can’t go more than 2 loadings. And that doesn’t make for a good range day. Forgot my Uplula once, now I have two.

  23. Was at the range yesterday loading with my UpLULA at one if the range tables. I was joined by a gentleman and his son (maybe 14 years old). The son was loading his Beretta mags by hand and having just a little difficulty. I topped off my mags and offered my UpLULA to him. Showed him how it works, he loaded his mags in a very short time, turned to his Dad and emphatically said “I’m getting one of these!”

    As an aside, I ordered mine from Lucky Gunner a while back. The loaders (pistol and rifle) are on their specials list from time to time. Got mine for $29.95. Hell of an effective tool.

  25. My Springfield XD came with a cheap one piece plastic loader that worked fine. The CZ-75B mags can be loaded with the Springfield tool, but you gotta give it a little forward twist to take up the slop and make it work well. So yeah, I bought a UpLula and never looked back.

  26. Watch out if you buy on Amazon. The one I got there that was fulfilled by Amazon was a counterfeit that the CEO of Maglula bought from me for evidence to prosecute. Maglula has warnings on their site to not buy from Amazon or Ebay as they are not authorized sellers and a big majority of the ones sold there are fake.

  27. I’m one of those that don’t see the point. Been loading by hand since I was a child and I can load my mags as fast as anyone I know that uses these. If you think it helps you, fine, but I’m not wasting my money on something that doesn’t benefit me, and I generally don’t recommend anyone else does either (unless they really need one due to medical complications like arthritic hands/ fingers).

  29. I have arthritic hands and need to get a loader/loaders. I have a Taurus 9mm 709 slim, a Taurus 9mm PT 92, and a S&W-M&P 9 2.0 shield compact and a 7.62×39 (30 round magazine) AK47. I am interested in Caldwell Universal, Magulula, and Sylvan Raptor. Is there one of these that would work for all the above or would I have to get two, or three? I need something that will accommodate all the different weapons plus be easy to use with my crippled hands. Thank you.

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