Are your thumbs sore? Does it take you too long to load your magazines for a trip to the range…or reload the empties once you get home? We first noticed MagPump at SHOT in 2017 when they rolled out their then-new AR magazine loader. They’ve since come out with a version for AK magazines, too.
In 2018 the big news was a MagPump for 9mm magazines, the most popular concealed carry and home defense caliber. We’ve had their 9mm Luger Magazine Loader for a couple of months now and can report that our thumbs are thanking us for it.
The American-made, polycarbonate MagPump comes in three easily assembled pieces that are securely held together with retaining pins. If it takes you more than 10 minutes to put it together and screw it onto your workbench or a more portable piece of plywood for transport, you’re doing it wrong.
The 9mm MagPump will work with magazines for six different gun makers.
The MagPump comes with six “retainers” or collars that are used to hold your brand of magazine in the loader. All of the included retainers accommodate double stack magazines, but MagPump has now begun to produce single stack retainers. The first one available is for the GLOCK 43. More single stack retainers are in the works.
MagPump’s site aslo lists retainers for Beretta, HK, Hudson, Canik, and Walther are on the way.
MagPump includes a bright orange insert letting you know that you’ll want to use the CZ retainer for your SIG P224, P226, P228 and P229 magazines.
The process is simple. Slip the appropriate retainer into the mag pump, slip in a magazine and you’re ready to roll.
As you can see, you don’t have to worry about the direction of the rounds in the hopper. Just dump them in and the MagPump handles them, no matter which way they’re oriented.
The MagPump’s hopper holds about 60 or so rounds easily. We tried the loader with magazines from each supported gun maker including a 33-round GLOCK happy stick. That includes the new GLOCK 43 retainer. Using the MagPump for a little six-round magazine like the G43 may seem like overkill, but that depends on your hand strength and how much you value your manicure.
In short, the MagPump handled them all, including JHP ammo. As I mentioned in the video, the hopper self-feeds the great majority of the time. You’ll occasionally have to manually shuffle the rounds to keep it feeding, but much more often than not, the MagPump handles them without any intervention needed.
Specifications: MagPump 9mm Luger Magazine Loader
Caliber: 9mm
Construction: Polycarbonate
Made In: USA
Capacity: Listed as 50 rounds, but we got more in there
Additional Retainers: G43 single stack available now, more single and double stack on the way ($19.99 each)
MSRP: $149.99 (available at Amazon for $124.99).
Ratings (out of five stars):
Build Quality: * * * *
The three-piece unit is made of sturdy polycarbonate, is cleanly molded and assembles easily. It’s lightweight enough to transport easily (you’ll probably want to screw it down onto a pice of plywood for stability if you’ll be taking it to the range). If you need something MUCH more sturdy, MagPump also makes an aluminum version (the 9mm Luger Elite model) for about $770.
Ease of Use: * * * * *
Dump rounds in the hopper, insert the right retainer, slip in a magazine and go. Easy peasy. This isn’t rocket surgery.
Overall: * * * * 1/2
If you load a lot of magazines a MagPump makes all kinds of sense. It’s reasonably affordable and will pay for itself in time saved and wear on your thumbs. The best part is it works as advertised (with just a little help from time to time).