The Best AR-15 Magazine Speed Loaders In 2024

Loading bullets into a magazine by hand can be a time-consuming task. Thankfully, magazine speed loaders exist to make the loading process faster and easier. While there are many magazine speed loaders on the market, not all of them are high-quality products.

Understanding what makes a top-quality mag loader and knowing what to look for will ensure you pick one of the best AR15 magazine speed loaders out there. This guide will help you do just that. Read on to learn everything you need to know about AR15 mag loaders, including the different types available and the factors to consider before purchasing.

Our Guide to the Top 8 Best AR 15 Speed Loaders on the Market

To give you more confidence and assurance, I’ve picked the top 8 mag loaders on the market this year to test and review. Like with most shooting equipment, your shooting needs will largely determine which product to go for. This is why I’ve listed the pros and cons of each product. This will help you easily work out which one suits your shooting needs the most.

What is an AR-15 Magazine Speed Loader?

Although loading a magazine into an AR15 itself is a relatively easy and uncomplicated process, getting the actual bullets into the magazine can be a painfully long and slow process.

Loading magazines by hand is also strenuous on the fingers and hands, especially when loading several magazines back to back. A magazine speed loader is used to make the task easier and faster, reducing manual loading efforts.

• It helps to speed up and simplify the loading and unloading process.
• With a speed loader, you can load your AR15 as easily as flipping a switch.
• High-quality magazine speed loaders can also reduce hand strain and finger soreness from multiple loading.
• When loading by hand it can be easy to miss-load a round, creating a higher potential for jamming when firing. Speed loaders reduce the chance of this.
• Mag loaders can also influence the overall weight of the weapon, making it heavier or lighter.

What Kinds Of AR-15 Shooters Need A Speed Loader Most?

While speed loaders can make the process quicker and easier for all shooters, the devices are most beneficial to certain shooters.

• Firstly, some people suffer from problems like hand arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Loading magazines can be extremely uncomfortable for them, and even potentially worsen the problem. Mag loaders are inevitably a vital device for them.
• Mag loaders are also super helpful for those who need to load lots of magazines at once. Examples of this are shooters taking part in three-gun shooting competitions, those who do a lot of target shooting, or even shooters using their rifle for simple plinking. In these cases, those small gains on each mag do add up!

Even if these cases do not apply to you, if you’re a serious shooter, using a magazine speed loader is still going to make your shooting experience much easier.

How Much Faster Can You Load Using Magazine Loaders?

A high-quality magazine speed loader can significantly shorten this time to 5-6 seconds. However, this does depend on the skill of the user. Using a magazine speed loader is always faster than hand-loading rounds. Many mag loaders will claim to speed up the process by 50%. Loading by hand can take a minute or more, depending on the magazine.

There’s no doubt that a mag loader is quicker than hand-loading, but for shooters who are not used to using mag loaders, it will take much longer to set up. Therefore, the loading time may not be that different.

What is ‘mag thumb’?

Loading large quantities of magazines by hand can cause you to bash your thumbs against your magazines. This can be very painful and lead to scratches, bruises, and soreness, This is known as ‘mag thumb’ and is something that speed loaders can greatly reduce or eliminate. If this is something you experience when handloading magazines, investing in a speed loader is a no brainer. Your thumbs will thank you for it!

Types Of AR15 Magazine Speed Loaders

When searching the market for a new magazine speed loader you may notice that mag loaders operate in various ways. Let’s explore the four operational types further and the differences between them.

LULA Loaders

This is one of the most popular speed loaders on the market. A LULA loader is a military-grade, pocket-size, universal pistol magazine loader, and unloader.

• They sit over the top of the magazine and can be used to load or unload rounds one-by-one by using a simple lever.
• A cool feature of the LULA loader is that it self-adjusts to the magazine.
• It offers easy and painless operation for both loading rounds into a magazine and unloading them out.
• They are also a very reliable choice as they are usable for tens-of-thousands of rounds.
• Their compactness and ease of use are what make them such a popular choice. You just take it out of your pocket and start loading rounds. No bench rest or additional support is needed.

Bench Loaders

Bench loaders are heavy-duty industrial magazine loaders designed to load a magazine in a single hand stroke.

• They are intended for the high-volume daily loading of hundreds of magazines at shooting ranges or armories.
• As the name suggests, you need to place them on a bench to operate.
• Hold the magazine on one end and place rounds side-by-side in the middle cavity of the bench loader. Once full, push the latch at the other end of the loader all the way down to the magazine’s head. All the rounds will simply slide in.
• Bench loaders are perhaps the best option for eliminating any thumb pain and injury.
• They also shorten the loading time significantly and keep the magazine’s lips intact.
• These are one of the toughest and most durable loaders thanks to their detailed robust design and high-quality materials.
• Bench loaders are tested for slide against bodywear, and dimensional stability at high and low temperatures.
• The downside to bench loaders is that they cannot unload magazines.

Stripper Loaders

• Stripper loaders are designed specifically for use with stripper clips.
• These loaders can rapidly load up to 10 rounds with a single motion.
• The rounds are fed onto the strip. The loader is then placed on the magazine’s head and the strip is slid down, eventually loading the magazine.
• They are extremely fast and effective with loose ammunition.
• Stripper loaders work equally well with aluminum, steel, or polymer magazines.
• They also incorporate a simple unloader.

Hopper Feed Loader

• This is one of the least popular styles of loaders.
• It is primarily a bench feeder but with a different mechanism. The simple hopper feed mechanism feeds rounds into the upper cavity and the hopper is then repeatedly pushed up and down to load the mag.
• Hopper feeds have higher capacities than other styles. You can feed up to 90 rounds into this type of loader in one go.
• It auto-orients the ammunition in the proper direction, allowing you to simply dump loose ammo into the feeder.
• Built-in safeties prevent damage to the rounds while loading, and automatically stops loading when the magazine has reached full capacity.
• These loaders are a very useful option for quick bulk loading of mags at once.
• This style cannot be used for unloading rounds.

How to Choose an AR-15 magazine speed loader

There are a few key aspects that you should take into consideration when choosing the best AR15 magazine speed loader. Here are the main factors to look for before making your purchase.

Style of mechanism

Since there are many different operation methods, you should ensure you have a full understanding of how your new speed loader works. The operational types in the previous section all use a different style of mechanism, as explained above.

No one style is universally better than the others. It’s more of a personal choice. By researching how each style works, you will understand which one is best suited to your AR15.

Speed

When choosing the style, one thing you should consider is the speed that a particular mechanism creates. This is because the design of a mag loader will determine how much time you save.

Of course, how long you take to set up and operate the machine will also impact how fast the process will be. The best way to get a sense of how much time a mag loader will save you is to read reviews from other users or credible websites.

Simultaneous feeding

Some mag loaders will only allow you to feed a single round at a time. Others have the ability for you to simply drop them all in and pull the handle, without the need for pre-staging them.

• The highest capacity loader out there is a hopper feed loader which lets you feed up to 90 rounds at once. Therefore, loaders of this style may be the best AR15 magazine speed loaders for you if you frequently work with large quantities.
• Many magazine speed loaders will fall somewhere between the two contrasts. The stripper loader is one of these, of which 10 rounds can be loaded with a single motion.

Price

As with all AR15 equipment, your budget is an important factor to consider. The higher budget you have, the more options available to you. Although understandably, you may prefer to put your savings towards something like a scope, the best AR15 magazine speed loaders really can make your shooting experience much easier. This is why, even though you don’t need to splurge, you shouldn’t skimp either.

Another thing to keep in mind is this. As with many pieces of equipment, a high price does not always equal high quality. You’ll want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

That’s why we’ve ensured that all the mag loaders featured in this guide deliver great value for money. The products we chose also have different price ranges, so by following this guide, you’ll confidently find a great speed loader whatever your budget.

Build quality

• The materials used to build the machine will play a huge role in how durable and reliable the loader is.
• As much as possible, opt for models made with durable material, like polymer.
• A big, heavy machine doesn’t necessarily mean it is well constructed. Mag loaders can also be fairly bulky and heavy if they’re not designed well.
• There are some great compact and lightweight mag loaders on the market that give great portability and ease of use while maintaining a strong and durable construction.
• That being said, some of the best quality heavy-duty loaders made for high-volumes such as bench loaders are not so compact or lightweight but are one of the most robust styles out there.

How To Use An AR-15 Magazine Speed Loader

If you’ve just purchased your first magazine speed loader and you’re not sure how to use it, do not worry. Most mag loaders are easy to operate. Here is a brief step by step guide on how to use one.

• First, place the instant transfer case above the ammo rack. Then flip it over. Every round should fall in place perfectly.
• Next, place your magazine into the mag charger. Then pull back the handle. Move the handle back and forth until the magazine is fully loaded.
• If you’re loading multiple magazines and your loader does not allow simultaneous feeding, repeat the process as many times as necessary.

Note: keep the ammo tray in case you have more rounds to load in the charger.

Do AR-15 Magazine Speed Loaders Work With Any Magazine?

No, not always. AR15 mag loaders are usually compatible with all or most mil-spec AR15 and M16 magazines.

• Most will work with both metal and plastic magazines, but some loaders will only fit metal mags.
• There are also a few mag loaders such as the Caldwell mag charger which works with aluminum, polymer, and even high-capacity Beta mags.

This is something you need to research beforehand.

Do AR-15 magazine speed loaders work with non-standard calibers?

Most AR15 magazine speed loaders are only compatible with the standard AR15 calibers – 223 Rem (22 Caliber) and 5.56 NATO. However, some loaders will also work with other calibers like the .300 Blackout, .204 (20 Caliber), or 7.62 NATO. Again, this is something you need to check before purchasing.

How large do AR-15 magazine capacities get?

The 30-round rifle magazine has been the standard high-capacity magazine for more than three decades. Therefore, most AR-15-type rifles are sold with a 30-round magazine, but it is possible to find after-market magazines with as many as 100 rounds. This means the speed with which you shoot is limited only by the speed at which you can pull the trigger.

The Best AR-15 Magazine Speed Loader

There are some worthy contenders on this list. However, I have to say the one that stood out the most for me was the Maglula Striplula magazine speed loader. When testing this loader I was so impressed that I couldn’t find even one fault.

I hope this article has helped you to recognize the best AR15 magazine speed loaders on the market and equipped you with all the knowledge you need to make the right choice for your rifle. As you now know, a top-quality mag loader will speed up the loading process and protect your thumbs and fingers too!