UpLULA Universal Pistol Magazine Loader

When I first saw the UpLULA, I thought, "Hmmm, this thing looks interesting." But I usually don't have a hard time loading pistol magazines, so I didn't get all that excited. After I put my hands on one, however, that changed.

I am always pleased by good design and a sturdy, practical product, and when it's something I can use with my shootin' irons, so much the better. The UpLULA meets all the above criteria, and exceeds them. It's easy to use and ingeniously designed. Well built. Compact. Delightfully practical. And not overly complicated.

The UpLULA is wonderfully simple - and simply wonderful.

Pros

Cons

As noted above, I didn't get excited about the UpLULA until I tried it - and then it really impressed me. The only loading aid I'd used before was a nifty little thing that slides on your thumb. The UpLULA, although a bit more bulky and more expensive than the little thumb assist, allows much easier, faster loading.

As soon as I got the UpLula in my hands, I put it to work. I started with a Sig Pro SP2340 in 40 S&W (10-round double stack). On the second or third try, I loaded that mag in 20 seconds, with zero thumb strain.

Next was a Ruger P89 9mm. I loaded the 15-round mag in 22 seconds.

On to some Colt 1911 single stack magazines in 45 ACP. While not as stable as on the double stackers, the UpLULA still worked very well. I just had to pay more attention. I loaded a 10-round Shooting Star mag in 16 seconds, and a 7-round Wilson Combat mag in 12 seconds.

Next was a Walther P38 9mm with an 8-round single stack mag. It took 11 seconds.

Then I got daring with a little bitty Beretta Tomcat in 32 ACP (7-round single stack). The manufacturer doesn't claim the UpLULA will load this magazine, but it did.

There's a steel beak that pushes down the previous round so you can load the current one. For the smoothest operation, it must fit between the mag's feed lips. But it will also work with narrow feed lips - just keep the beak off the feed lips while pushing down.

Even using this tricky method, I easily loaded that magazine in 11 seconds. Again, no thumb strain whatsoever - and no wear on the feed lips.

Keep in mind this was the first time I ever used the loader. I'm sure I could load faster with more practice.

This loader is easy to use, ingeniously designed, well built, compact, delightfully practical, and not overly complicated.

I strongly recommend the UpLULA Universal Pistol Magazine Loader.

- Russ Chastain