Gun magazine speed loader and methods

Abstract

A gun magazine speed loader that can load an entire magazine simply by pulling the magazines external follower in a downward motion. Rimmed cartridges are aligned nose down and side-by-side in a loading channel and the magazine and speed loader are then tipped up toward a vertical position with the magazine below the loader. By passing the stream of cartridges through an “articulator” that articulates the nose of the cartridge and feeds cartridges ‘rim-first’ and up through feed lips and into the magazine, the cartridges fill the magazine in a continuous stream, essentially at the speed of gravity-falling cartridges under control of the external follower. The articulator has no moving parts and operates with rimmed cartridges and with curved or low-rake angle magazines having an external follower.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent No. 61 / 679027 filed 2 Aug. 2012, which is herein incorporated in full for all purposes.GOVERNMENT SUPPORT[0002]This invention was made without government support.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]This invention relates to an improved gun magazine speed loader and in particular to an apparatus for aligning or orienting a plurality of cartridges and loading the cartridges single-file into a firearm magazine and in doing so without requiring the user to handle each individual cartridge or requiring a one-by-one action. The apparatus includes an articulator and can load an entire magazine or clip with gravity feed by simply pulling down the magazine's external follower.BACKGROUND[0004]Rim and rimfire ammunition is generally smaller in caliber and requires greater dexterity to properly orientate and insert the cartridges into a magazine. After many repet...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a firearm magazine speed loader that can quickly and easily load multiple cartridges into a magazine. The loader uses a cartridge orienting device to align the cartridges and a push rod to force them into the magazine. The loader then feeds the cartridges into the magazine by articulating them in a smooth and efficient manner. The design allows for easy use with different types of magazines and provides a faster and more reliable method for loading firearms.

Problems solved by technology

After many repetitions, one-by-one cartridge insertion into a gun magazine by hand is both time consuming and uncomfortable, particularly for the thumb.

This problem is compounded for large capacity magazines commonly used in modern target practice.

US Pat. No. 4,392,321 to Bosworth, while providing a means for aligning the cartridges, does not provide a practical means of placing the cartridges into a magazine.

However, because the cartridges are not contacted and guided by a magazine follower, cartridges will tumble and jam in the magazine when attempted with commonly available curved or limited rake-angle magazines.

Thus the device has limitations in its use.

None of these patents or products provides a means for loading curved or limited-rake angle types of magazines reliably.

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