PISTOL MAGAZINE LOADER

Abstract

A pistol magazine loading assistance tool can include a handle having a substantially planar front surface for retaining the back of a magazine, an adjustable clamp portion for engaging the bottom of the magazine, an angled upper ledge extending toward the front of the magazine, and a reverse hinge lever pivotally mounted on the front portion of the angled upper ledge, the reverse hinge lever having a downwardly extending plunger on its bottom surface for contacting the top surface of a round adjacent the backend of the round.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/932,719 filed Jan. 28, 2014, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application is directed to a pistol magazine loader that can be used with a variety of pistol magazines of different dimensions for holding pistol rounds of different dimensions and calibers.

BACKGROUND

Many pistols can fire multiple rounds of ammunition (also known as cartridges) in fairly rapid succession when the rounds are held in interchangeable magazines. Each magazine is ejected from the pistol after it is emptied of rounds and a loaded magazine (either the original magazine reloaded or another loaded magazine) is then inserted into the pistol. Each of the rounds is substantially elongated and comprises a deep cuplike case (also known as a shell casing and sometimes also called a cartridge), usually made of brass, which is filled with an explosive propellant. At its rear or closed end, the case has a rim or flange containing a primer. The front end, opposite the primer end, of the case is open. A bullet, slug, or head, usually of lead (optionally jacketed) is partially inserted into the open or front end of the case by crimping the case onto the bullet.

For semi-automatic pistols, the rounds are held within and fed into the firearm from a pistol magazine, which typically is inserted upwardly into the grip portion of the pistol. Detachable pistol magazines, also sometimes referred to as “clips,” have become the industry standard throughout the world. Pistol magazines typically are elongated containers having a generally rectangular cross-section and are commonly made of aluminum alloys, plastic, steel, or a combination. They are usually closed on five sides and open on a sixth, upwardly facing, top side, and are substantially hollow. The top or open side has a rectangular opening and includes two round-retaining members, known as feed lips, which project into the opening and act as a stop for the rounds so that they are not expelled from the top of the magazine. Pistol magazines have an internal spring which urges a follower or pusher (a shaped piece of plastic or metal) toward the open side. The follower in turn urges the rounds as a group up against the lips. Rounds are stacked or oriented in the magazine such that the longitudinal axes of the rounds are substantially parallel and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the spring and follower. Adjoining rounds are oriented side-by-side, i.e., the bullet ends of adjacent rounds are next to each other and face the front wall of the magazine. The case ends of the rounds are also oriented in a similar side-by-side fashion with the primer end facing the back wall of the magazine. The rounds are usually stacked in the magazine, either in a single straight column or in a staggered (zigzag) column (also called double-stacked or high-capacity) fashion. The latter magazines, being wider, achieve higher round capacity compared to single-column magazines of the same overall length. In typical pistol magazines, the space between the retaining lips is smaller than the case diameter of the rounds so that the two lips of the magazine hold the topmost round. For purpose of this application, the term ‘magazine’ will mean pistol magazines where two lips retain the topmost round.

Prior to its use, a pistol magazine must be loaded or filled with rounds. When a pistol magazine is being loaded, it is necessary to depress all of the previously loaded rounds to provide vacant space below the lips so an additional round can be inserted or loaded into this space. Each time another round is loaded the magazine's spring is further compressed, requiring more insertion force for each successive round. When a magazine is fully loaded, the spring is fully compressed and exerts maximum upward force against the follower and rounds towards the lips. Loading magazines is relatively time-consuming, tedious, and can be a painful practice when done with bare fingers. The process becomes increasingly uncomfortable for the loader's fingers as more rounds are loaded against the increasing spring pressure, thus slowing the loading process. When multiple magazines are to be loaded with the user's bare hands, much time is required, and user's fingers are often rubbed raw. In combat circumstances, slow reloading of pistol magazines could become a life-threatening situation.

To increase loading speed and decrease finger pain, numerous magazine loaders have been designed. The market includes many different pistol magazines, which differ in their round capacity, length, width, depth, round caliber, materials, adaptability to match magazine wells, shape of lips, and magazine locking or latching mechanism. Many pistol designs have their own unique magazine. Therefore, to accommodate the extremely wide range of magazines with all their mechanical variations, manufacturers of magazine loaders had to manufacture a variety of pistol magazine loaders to accommodate guns, magazines, and rounds of different dimensions and calibers. One example of the variety of loaders necessary to accommodate different magazine pistols is the family of three different size loaders from ADCO Sales Inc., sold under the trademark Super Thumb models ST1, ST2 and ST3. Another type of loader is the complex ratchet and pall back end lever design shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,249,386 and 5,377,436 to Switzer and sold under the trademark HKS. The HKS family of loaders has different overall sizes and a magazine length adjuster or fitter to accommodate multiple different magazines. Despite the use of such adjusters, HKS currently offers ten different pistol magazine loaders to account for the differing dimensions of the most commonly used magazines in the market.

SUMMARY

A pistol magazine loading assistance tool can include a handle having a substantially planar front surface for retaining the back of the magazine; an adjustable clamp portion for engaging the bottom of the magazine; an angled upper ledge extending toward the front of the magazine; and a reverse hinge lever pivotally mounted on the front portion of the angled upper ledge; the reverse hinge lever having a downwardly extending plunger on its bottom surface for contacting the top surface of the round adjacent the backend of the round. Preferably, the tool further includes an adjustable threaded knob for allowing movement of the clamp portion along the length of the handle of the tool and the handle further includes a clamp cut out portion dimensioned for receipt of a threaded bolt extending therethrough. The threaded knob and clamp can be slid along the length of the clamp cut out in order to engage the bottom of pistol magazines of a wide variety of different heights so that magazines of different dimension can be accommodated by the loader. It is also preferred that the handle include a plurality of magnetic inserts that are dimensioned for mounting on the front surface of the handle to assist in retaining the back of the magazine against the handle.

In an alternate embodiment, a pistol magazine loading tool is provided for use with a pistol magazine having a front wall, bottom wall, pair of side walls, back wall, and an open top end with a pair of round retaining lips extend from the side walls adjacent to the back wall of the magazine, the loading tool includes: a handle for retaining the back wall of the magazine; an adjustable clamp portion for contacting the bottom surface of the magazine; an angled upper ledge extending toward the front of the magazine; the angled upper ledge having an elongated plunger cut out portion; and a reverse hinge lever having (a) a first end pivotally mounted on the front end of the angled upper ledge adjacent to the upper front wall of the magazine, (b) a plunger portion extending from the bottom surface of the lever for contacting the upper surface of a round, the plunger portion being dimensioned to extend through the plunger cut out portion of the angled upper ledge during the loading of a round, and (c) a second end with a substantially planar upper surface for allowing the user to press downwardly on the reverse hinge lever during loading. The lower surface of the angled upper ledge engages at least the back wall at the open top end of the magazine to assist in retaining the magazine in the clip during loading. The plunger of the reverse hinge lever being dimensioned such that, when downwardly pivoted into contact with the follower of a magazine retained under the angled upper ledge, the front surface of the plunger is spaced back from the front wall of the magazine a distance sufficient to allow insertion of at least the back end of the round beneath the pair of feed lips.

In another embodiment, an improved method of loading a pistol magazine is provided, including the steps of: (1) providing an empty pistol magazine having a front wall, bottom wall, pair of side walls, back wall and an open top with a pair of retaining lips extending inwardly from the sidewalls adjacent to the back end of the magazine; (2) providing a pistol magazine loader including (a) a handle for retaining the back wall of the magazine; (b) an adjustable clamp portion for contacting the bottom surface of the magazine, (c) an angled upper ledge extending toward the front of the magazine; (d) a reverse hinge lever with (i) a first end pivotally mounted on the front end of the angled upper ledge adjacent to the upper front wall of the magazine, (ii) a plunger portion extending from the bottom surface of the lever for contacting the upper surface of a round, and (iii) a second end with an upper surface for pressing downwardly on the reverse hinge lever during loading; 3) mounting an empty pistol magazine within the loader by (a) placing the upper surface of the back wall of the magazine against the angled upper ledge; (b) placing the outer surface of the magazine back wall against the handle of the loader; (c) sliding the adjustable clamp portion into contact with the bottom wall of the magazine and (d) detachably securing the clamp portion firmly against the bottom wall of the magazine; (4) depressing the upper surface of the reverse hinge lever causing downward pivoting of the plunger of the reverse hinge lever to depress the magazine follower and create a round loading space defined by the back surface of the front wall of the magazine, the front surface of plunger portion of the reverse hinge lever; the top surface of the depressed magazine follower and the undersides of the front portion of the feed lips; (5) inserting the back end of a round into the round loading space; (6) pushing on the front end of the inserted round causing the back end of the round to slide under the feed lips and move into contact with the back wall of the magazine adjacent the back end of the feed lips, the pushing on the front end of the round causing the rear end of the round to contact the front surface of the plunger and thereby cause the reverse hinge lever to pivot upwardly into a pre-round loading position; (7) pushing downwardly on the upper surface of the reverse hinge lever to pivot the plunger into contact with the upper surface of the previously loaded round to create a second round loading space defined by the back surface of the front wall of the magazine, the front surface of the plunger of the reverse hinge lever, the front portion of the top surface of the depressed, previously loaded round, and the front portion of the pair of feed lips; (8) inserting the back end of a second round into the second round loading space; and (9) pushing on the front end of the second inserted round to cause the back end of the round to slide under the feed lips until reaching the back wall of the magazine adjacent the back end of the feed lips, the pushing of the second round causing the rear end of the second inserted round to contact the front surface of the plunger so that the reverse hinge lever pivots upwardly into the pre-round loading position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It is believed that certain embodiments will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional, side view of a pistol magazine loader in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of a pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1 shown with an ammunition round about to be loaded and a pistol magazine mounted in the loader;

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1 with an ammunition round in the process of being inserted into the pistol magazine, which pistol magazine is shown in cross section and is mounted in the loader;

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of a pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1 with a round loaded into the pistol magazine, which pistol magazine is shown in cross-section and is mounted in the loader;

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of a pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1 with a loaded first round and a second round partially loaded into the pistol magazine, which pistol magazine is shown in cross-section and is mounted in the loader;

FIG. 7 is a side plan view of a pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1 with loaded first and second rounds in the pistol magazine, which pistol magazine is shown in cross-section and is mounted in the loader;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the reverse hinge lever of the pistol magazine loader of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a front plan view of the reverse hinge lever of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side plan view of the reverse hinge lever of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional, side view of a pistol magazine loader in accordance with an alternate embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a front plan view of the pistol magazine loader of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, and use of systems and methods disclosed herein for an examination room table paper system. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the selected examples disclosed and described in detail with reference made to FIGS. 1-12 in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that systems and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

The systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods disclosed herein are described in detail by way of examples and with reference to the figures. The examples discussed herein are examples only and are provided to assist in the explanation of the apparatuses, devices, systems and methods described herein. None of the features or components shown in the drawings or discussed below should be taken as mandatory for any specific implementation of any of these the apparatuses, devices, systems or methods unless specifically designated as mandatory. For ease of reading and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may be described solely in connection with a specific figure. In this disclosure, any identification of specific techniques, arrangements, etc. are either related to a specific example presented or are merely a general description of such a technique, arrangement, etc. Identifications of specific details or examples are not intended to be, and should not be, construed as mandatory or limiting unless specifically designated as such. Any failure to specifically describe a combination or sub-combination of components should not be understood as an indication that any combination or sub-combination is not possible. It will be appreciated that modifications to disclosed and described examples, arrangements, configurations, components, elements, apparatuses, devices, systems, methods, etc. can be made and may be desired for a specific application. Also, for any methods described, regardless of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flow diagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified or required by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of steps performed in the execution of a method does not imply that those steps must be performed in the order presented but instead may be performed in a different order or in parallel.

Reference throughout the specification to “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with any embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment”, or “in an embodiment” in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Throughout this disclosure, references to components or modules generally refer to items that logically can be grouped together to perform a function or group of related functions. Like reference numerals are generally intended to refer to the same or similar components.

Embodiments described herein can include an adjustable magazine loader that can accommodate a wide variety of magazines and rounds of different dimensions. Embodiments described herein can include a durable, inexpensive pistol loader that has a high quality look and feel. Embodiments described herein can include a pistol loader that is highly efficient in use for rapid loading of a multiple pistol magazines. Embodiments described herein can include a low weight, highly compact, and durable loader that can be easily carried and efficiently used in the field by military or police personnel. Embodiments described herein can include a simple efficient pistol loader that can be operated efficiently with either the user's right or left hand.

FIGS. 1-10 illustrate one embodiment of the pistol magazine loading tool 10, which can include a handle 20 for retaining the back surface 81 of the magazine 80, an adjustable clamp portion 40 for engaging the bottom wall 82 of the magazine 80, an angled upper ledge 30 extending toward the front wall 85 of the magazine 80, and a reverse hinge lever 50 pivotally mounted on the front end 33 of the angled upper ledge 30, where the reverse hinge lever 50 can have a downwardly extending plunger 52 for contacting the top surface 72 of an ammunition round 70 adjacent backend 71 of the round 70, and an adjustable threaded knob 41 that can allow for movement of the clamp 40 along the length of the handle 20 portion of the tool. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 20 can further include a clamp cut out 22 dimensioned for receipt of a threaded clamp bolt 42 extending therethrough and mating with threaded knob 41.

Turning with more specificity to FIG. 1, the handle 20 can be formed from ⅛ inch thick aluminum plate stock and can be bent toward its top end to form the angled upper ledge 30. Other light weight durable metals such as alloys of steel, plastic polymer or carbon fiber may be used to form the handle 20. Alternately, the handle 20 may be injection molded from a high strength, durable plastic resin or may be metal injection molded from a suitable formable metal/plastic powdered resin material. The angled upper ledge 30 can have an angle of about 5 degrees to about 35 degrees to accommodate the angled top surface 83 commonly found on most pistol magazines. At the upper end of the angled upper ledge 30, the handle 20 can include a hinge member 25, which can be dimensioned to receive a ⅛ inch diameter steel dowel pin 24. The upper tip of the angled upper ledge 30 of the handle 20 can be bent around a dowel pin blank (not shown) to form the hinge 25. Hinge 25 can have a dowel pin aperture 26 with a slightly greater than ⅛ inch diameter, for example, for receipt of the reverse hinge lever 50. During the mounting of the reverse hinge lever 50, the reverse hinge lever aperture 51 can be aligned with the dowel pin aperture 26 formed in the hinge 25 member of the upper ledge 30, the dowel pin 24 can be inserted therethrough, and the ends of the pins can be flattened to permanently, pivotally mount the reverse hinge lever 50 to the upper ledge 30 of the handle 20.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the upper ledge 30 can further include an elongated plunger cut out portion 32 that can be dimensioned to allow the plunger portion 52 of the reverse hinge lever 50 to pivot through the angled upper ledge 30 of the handle 20 during the process of loading ammunition rounds 70a,b in the magazine 80. The plunger cut out 32 can be machined from the handle 20 portion using a CNC cutting device with the plunger cut out 32 ranging from about 1.750 inches in length to about 2.0 inches in length, for example, to allow a plunger spaced back between 0.500 and 1.0 inches from the center of the dowel pin aperture 26 formed in the hinge 25 of the handle 20 to allow a wide arc of plunger 52 rotation through the plunger cut out 32 in to contact with rounds 70a and 70b during loading. The width of the plunger cut out 32 can be between about 0.200 and about 0.270 inches, for example, to allow a plunger 52 of sufficient width to contact rounds 70a,b during loading. The plunger cut out 32 can be formed in the upper portion of the handle 20 prior to bending it to form the upper angled upper surface 30 or prior to crimping the end of the handle 20 to form hinge 25.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, four magnetic inserts 23a-d can be mounted on the front surface 21 of the handle 20 to assist in retaining the back wall 81 of the magazine against the handle 20. Four shallow, magnetic insert cavities 27a-d can be machined into the front surface 21 of the handle 20 in which the magnetic inserts 23a-d can be mounted. The depth of the insert cavities 27a-d can be selected to be just less than the height of the magnetic inserts 22a-d, so that each of the magnetic inserts project just past the plane of the front surface 21 of the handle 20. The height of the magnetic inserts can be between about 1/16 of an inch and about 1/32 of an inch, for example. The magnetic inserts 23a-d can be formed from strong, lightweight rare earth magnets, such as, neodymium magnets (Nd2Fe14B) or samarium-cobalt magnets, but metal ferrite or ceramic magnets may also be used to form the inserts. The magnetic inserts 23a-d can have a magnetic holding force rating of between about 2 and about 3 pounds, for example, and can each be about one third of an inch in diameter. Since the vast majority of pistol magazines have a metallic back wall 81, the magnetic inserts may significantly improve retention of the magazine in the loader 10 during a loading operation. Yet, the holding force of the magnetic inserts can be easily overcome to release the magazine 80 after it is loaded by forcefully tilting the bottom portion of the magazine 80 after the clamp 40 is loosened and slid downwardly away from the bottom wall 82 of the magazine 80. The back surface 29 of the handle 20 can be gripped by the palm of one of the user's hands. The back surface 29 of the loader 10 may be gripped by either the user's left or right hand to equally facilitate the loading process for both right handed and left handed users.

The clamp 40 can be upwardly angled in order to accommodate the angled bottom wall 82 that is typical of the vast majority of pistol magazine. The clamp 40 can be formed from ⅛ inch thick aluminum plate stock and can be bent forward on its bottom end to form an angled bracket 44 and planar mounting portion 45. Other light weight durable metals such as alloys of steel, plastic polymer or carbon fiber may be used to form the clamp 40. Alternately, the clamp 40 may be injection molded from a high strength, durable plastic resin or may be metal injection molded from a suitable formable metal/plastic powdered resin material. The clamp 40 can be mounted through clamp cut out 22 formed in the lower portion of the handle 20. The clamp cut 22 can be machined from the handle 20 portion using a CNC cutting device with the cutout ranging from about 3.250 inches to about 2.5 inches in length, for example, so that the clamp 40 can have an adjustable magazine height travel distance of between about 0.0 and about 3.250 inches, for example. This can allow the loader 10 to accommodate pistol magazines having heights ranging between about 2.750 and 5.375 inches, for example. The 3.250 inch magazine height travel distance is sufficient to accommodate the vast majority of pistol magazines for ammunition rounds of .380 caliber to .45 caliber. The clamp 40 can be mounted to the handle through the clamp cut out 22 via threaded bolt 42 and threaded knob 41. The bolt 42 can be a socket head cap screw that can be permanently affixed to the clamp 40. The knob 41 can be made of a thermoplastic resin with an internal threaded nut (not shown) embedded therein. The knob 41 can be formed by injection molding the knob 41 portion around the threaded nut which can be inserted into the mold cavity prior to injection of the resin. Steel washer 47 can be placed between knob 41 and back surface 29 of handle to prevent abrasion of the knob 41.

Example details of the reverse hinge lever 50 can best be seen in FIGS. 8-10. The reverse hinge lever can include a plunger 52 for making contact with top surface 72 of an ammunition round 70 to hold down each round against the upward bias of the spring mounted follower 86 so that an additional round may be inserted under the feed lips 88 until the magazine 80 is fully loaded. When the magazine 80 is completely empty, the plunger 52 of the reverse hinge lever 50 can make contact with the upwardly biased follower 86 to allow easier insert of the first round 70a by the user. The reverse hinge lever 50 can be pressed downwardly by the user's thumb contacting the thumb pad 54 located on the back end of the top surface 53 of the reverse hinge lever 50. The thumb pad 54 of the loader 10 may be depressed by either the user's left or right thumb to equally facilitate the loading process for both right handed and left handed users. The user can also optionally use one of his fingers instead of his thumb to depress the thumb pad 54. The hinge aperture 51 can pass through the narrow hinge leaf portion 59 formed on the front end of the reverse hinge lever 50. The distance between the center of the hinge aperture 51 and the center of the plunger 52 can be between about 0.500 and 0.625 inches, for example, in order to accommodate ammunition rounds between .380 and .45 caliber, for example. The width of the plunger can be between 0.200 and 0.300 inches, for example in order to accommodate the majority of pistol magazines designed for ammunition of between .380 and .45 caliber, for example. The pistol magazine loader 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-10 can be dimensioned for use with ammunition within this range and can be configured to accommodate most pistol magazine designs. However, for pistol magazines of greater than .45 caliber, the pistol loader 10 may need to be proportionately scaled up by changing the dimensions of the plunger, handle, slide, and angle. For pistol magazines for ammunition of greater than .45 caliber, such a scaled up variant (not shown) of the pistol loader can have dimensions of a handle of about ten inches in length, about one inch in width, about a four inch bracket slide, and a plunger having a length of about two inches.

Hinge lever 50 can further include a narrow stem portion 55 that can extend between the hinge leaf portion 59 on a first end and thumb pad 54 on its second end. As best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, plunger 52 can extend downwardly from stem portion 55 and can terminate in an ammunition round contact channel 56 that can be formed in the bottom surface 57 of plunger 52. As best seen in FIG. 8, thumb pad 54 can broaden out from stem portion 55 to create a broad flat surface on the second end of the reverse hinge lever 50 to make contact with the user's thumb during a loading process. An increased surface area and thumb pad width of between about 0.750 and about 0.625 inches may increase the ease of use and comfort for the user during pistol magazine loading procedures. The reverse hinge lever 52 can be further dimensioned to pivotally mount on the front end 33 of the angled upper ledge 30 adjacent to the upper front wall 85 of the magazine 80. This mounting of the hinge 25 and hinge leaf 59 on the front end 33 of the angled upper ledge 30 can allow the plunger 52 to make a wide, arc reverse pivot toward the rounds 70a,b with a sufficient lever length to provide significant downward pressure on the round with very little downward pressure from the user's thumb. The plunger 52 can be dimensioned to extend through the plunger cut out 32 of the angled upper ledge 30 during the process of loading of a round. As best seen in FIGS. 6-7, the front surface of the plunger 52 can be spaced back from the hinge leaf portion 59 from the front wall of the magazine at a distance sufficient to allow insertion of at least the back end 71b of round 70b beneath the pair of feed lips 88 while the plunger 52 is still in contact with the back end 71a of the previously loaded round 70a (or the magazine follower 86 when a first round is being loaded). The reverse hinge lever 50 can be injection molded from a Delrin® plastic resin or from a similar Acetal homopolymer resin, for example. The Delrin® resin can be the Delrin® 100P, which can be acquired from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. Delrin® resin can be used because of its lubricity and durability and because it does not scratch or abrade the metal jackets of the ammunition rounds 70a,b during the loading process. This may prevent particulate abrasion residue from being transferred to the ammunition rounds, which is undesirable as it can lead to residue build up within the gun or magazine which can necessitate excessive pistol and magazine cleaning. While plastic resin can be used for the reverse angle hinge 50, it may also be injection molded from other high durability, high lubricity, plastic resin or similar metal injection mold metal/plastic hybrid powdered resin materials.

Pistol magazine 80 can be of generally rectangular construction with an angled bottom wall 82 and an upper surface 83. As best seen in FIGS. 3-7, the magazine 80 can have a front wall 85, bottom wall 82, pair of side walls 84a,b, back wall 81, and an open top end with a pair of ammunition round retaining lips 88 that can extend from the side walls 84a,b adjacent to the back wall of the magazine. The pistol magazine can have an internal spring 87 which can urge follower 86 toward the open side. The follower 86 in turn can urge the first round 70a and second round 70b as a group up against the lips as shown in FIG. 7. In the magazine 80, the rounds 70a, 70b can be stacked in a single straight column for ease of illustration and understanding. However, staggered column magazines (so called double-stacked or high-capacity) magazines (not shown) may also be loaded using the loader 10. The case ends of the rounds can be oriented in a side-by-side fashion with the primer end (back end 71a,b) facing the back wall of the magazine. The space between the retaining lips 88 can be smaller than the case diameter of the 70a, 70b rounds so that the two lips 88 of the magazine can hold the topmost round.

Prior to its use, pistol magazine 80 can be loaded or filled with rounds 70a,b. When a pistol magazine is being loaded, it may be necessary to depress all of the previously loaded rounds to provide vacant space below the lips so an additional round can be inserted or loaded into the vacated lip space. Each time another round is loaded, the magazine's spring is further compressed, which may require more insertion force for each successive round in such systems. When a magazine is fully loaded, the spring can be fully compressed and can exert maximum upward force against the follower and rounds towards the lips. Loading pistol magazines with the loader 10 can be quick, easy, and pain free for the user.

To use the pistol magazine loader 10, an empty pistol magazine can first be installed within the loader 10 by placing the upper surface 83 of the back wall 81 of the magazine 80 against the angled upper ledge 30 of the handle 20. Prior to this step, the user can ensure that the bracket 44 of clamp 40 is slid downwardly a sufficient distance along the length of clamp cut out 22 to allow the magazine 80 to fit between the angled upper ledge 30 and bracket 44. The back wall 81 of the magazine 80 can then be pivoted down into contact with the front surface of the handle of the loader, which can cause the magnetic inserts 23a-d to magnetically attract the metallic back wall 81 of the magazine 80. That magnetic attractive force can assist in holding the magazine 80 in place during the entire loading process, but may be particularly helpful prior to tightening of the bracket 44 of the clamp 40 in its final position. Next, the bracket portion 44 of the adjustable clamp 40 can be slid upwardly along the clamp cut out 22 until the bracket makes contact with the bottom wall 82 of the magazine 80. After the bracket portion 44 of the clamp 40 is urged upwardly into firm contact with bottom wall 81 of the magazine 80, knob 41 can be tightened to retain bracket 44 in the ammunition round loading position. Then, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the thumb pad 54 on the upper surface 53 of the reverse hinge lever 50 can be depressed causing the plunger 52 to downwardly pivot through the plunger cut out 32, which in turn can depress the magazine follower 86 and can create an initial round loading space 62a within the magazine 80. The initial round loading space 62a can be defined by the inner surface of the front wall 85 of the magazine 80, the front surface 60 of plunger 52 of the reverse hinge lever 50; the top surface of the depressed magazine follower 86, and the undersides of the front portion of the feed lips 88, for example. As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the back end 73a of a first round 70a can be inserted into the initial round loading space 62a. Then, the user can push on the front end 73a of the inserted first round 70a that can cause the back end 71a of the round 70a to slide under the feed lips 88 and move into contact with the back wall 81 of the magazine adjacent the back end of the feed lips 88. The process of pushing the front end 73a of the round 70a can cause the back end 71a of the round 70a to contact the front surface 60 of the plunger 52 and can cause the reverse hinge lever 50 to pivot upwardly back into an upward, pre-round loading position.

Thereafter, as best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, a second round 70b may be loaded by first pushing downwardly on the thumb pad 54 on the top surface 53 of the reverse hinge lever 50 to pivot the plunger 52 into contact with the top surface 72a of the previously loaded round 70a to create a second round loading space 62b defined by the back surface of the front wall 81 of the magazine 80, the front surface 60 of the plunger 52 of the reverse hinge lever 50, the front portion of the top surface 72a of the depressed, previously loaded round 70a, and the front portion of the pair of feed lips 88. Then, the user can insert the back end 71b of a second round 70b into the second round loading space 62b. The user can push on the front end of the second inserted round 70b to cause the back end 71b of the round 70b to slide under the feed lips 88 until reach the back wall 81 of the magazine 80 adjacent the back end of the feed lips 88. The act of pushing on the front end 73b of the second round 70b can cause the back end 71b of the second inserted round 70b to contact the front surface 60 of the plunger 52 so that the reverse hinge lever 50 can pivot upwardly into a second upwardly pivoted, pre-round loading position.

The pistol magazine loading process can continue in the same manner as for second round 70b serially for each of a number of additional rounds until the magazine is completely loaded to its capacity. Utilizing embodiments of the loader, users may be able to load a fifteen round capacity magazine in about thirty seconds, for example, with no discomfort to the user's hands.

Turning to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the pistol magazine loader 110 can be similar in all respects to the magazine loader 10 described above other than the addition of guides 139a,b and grip sleeve 149 described in detail below. Accordingly, the description of FIGS. 11 and 12 below utilizes corresponding 100 series reference numbers for the same structures as the reference numbers utilized above for corresponding structures in the description of FIGS. 1-10. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, guides 139a,b can be spaced apart on angled upper ledge 130 and located on opposing sides of elongated plunger cut out portion 132. Guides 139a,b can be substantially conically shaped with a slight curvature on the angled side walls of the cone. Guides 139a,b can be formed from brass, but other soft metals materials or plastic resins that will not scratch the outer surface of the pistol magazine may also be utilized to fabricate the guides 139a,b, for example. Guides 139a,b can be installed into angled upper ledge 130 by first boring a pair of holes into angled upper ledge 130 adjacent to opposing sides of the elongated plunger cut 132. The pair of holes can be drilled with a diameter that is selected to be slightly less than the outer diameter of the base portion 138 of the guides 139a,b. Each guide 139a,b can be inserted into one of the pair of holes with the base portion 138 of each guide projecting slightly past the upper surface of the angled upper ledge 130. The projecting portion of the base portions 138a,b can be forced into the upper surface of the angled upper ledge 130 which can compress each of bases 138a,b so that soft metallic base 138a,b can widen to hold the base 138a,b within the holes to hold each of the guides 139a,b firmly within the holes in the angled upper ledge 130. Each of the angled side wall surfaces of the conical guides 139a,b can be angled at about fifteen degrees from vertical to accommodate differing exterior width dimensions for magazines of different sizes and for rounds of from .380 and .45 caliber, for example. The guides 139a,b can be used to provide lateral support for the upper side walls of the magazine during the cartridge loading procedure to help ensure the magazine does not work free from the loader during a loading operation.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12, grip sleeve 149 can be inserted over adjustable clamp 140 to increase the coefficient of friction of the clamp 140 in order to improve the stability of the magazine within the loader 110 during a loading operation. Grip sleeve 149 can be made of natural rubber, but can be made of other resilient plastic resins having sufficient grip when placed into contact with metallic or plastic resin surfaces of the bottom walls of pistol magazines. The grip sleeve 149 can be die-cut from an extruded tube of natural rubber or plastic resin. The outer diameter of the grip sleeve 149 can be selected to be slightly smaller than the width of the angled bracket 144 of the clamp 140 so that it can be stretched during installation on the angled bracket 144. This stretching and the resilient nature of the grip sleeve 149 can help to ensure that the grip sleeve 149 does not become dislodged from the angled bracket 144 during use of the loader 110 in one embodiment. The increased coefficient of friction provided by the grip sleeve 149 to the angled bracket 144 can help to prevent the bottom wall 82 of the magazine 80 from twisting or slipping out from the clamp 140 during loading of the magazine.

To use the pistol magazine loader 110 of FIGS. 11-12, an empty pistol magazine can first be installed within the loader 110 by placing the upper surface 83 of the back wall 81 of the magazine 80 against the angled upper ledge 130 between the conical guides 139a,b of the handle 120. Prior to this step, the user can ensure that the bracket 144 of clamp 140 is slid downwardly a sufficient distance along the length of clamp cut out 122 to allow the magazine 80 to fit between the angled upper ledge 130 and bracket 144. The back wall 81 of the magazine 80 can then be pivoted down into contact with the front surface of the handle of the loader, which can cause the magnetic inserts 123a-d to magnetically attract the metallic back wall 81 of the magazine 80. That magnetic attractive force can assist in holding the magazine 80 in place during the entire loading process, but may be particularly helpful prior to tightening of the bracket 144 of the clamp 140 in its final, loading position. Next, the bracket portion 144 of the adjustable clamp 40 can be slid upwardly along the clamp cut out 122 until the upper surface of the grip sleeve 149 mounted on bracket 144 makes contact with the bottom wall 82 of the magazine 80. After the bracket portion 144 of the clamp 140 is urged upwardly into firm contact with bottom wall 81 of the magazine 80, knob 141 can tightened to retain bracket 144 in the ammunition round loading position. The remainder of the loading process for the magazine loader 110 can be the same as described above for magazine loader 10.

These and other embodiments of the systems and methods can be used as would be recognized by those skilled in the art. The above descriptions of various systems and methods are intended to illustrate specific examples and describe certain ways of making and using the systems disclosed and described here. These descriptions are neither intended to be nor should be taken as an exhaustive list of the possible ways in which these systems can be made and used. A number of modifications, including substitutions of systems between or among examples and variations among combinations can be made. Those modifications and variations should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in this area after having read this disclosure.

Claims

1. A pistol magazine loading assistance tool comprising:

a. a handle having a substantially planar front surface for retaining a back surface of a magazine;

b. an adjustable clamp portion, affixed to the handle, for engaging the bottom of the magazine, the adjustable clamp portion having an adjustable threaded knob for allowing movement of the adjustable clamp portion along the length of the handle;

c. an angled upper ledge extending from the handle toward the front of the magazine;

d. a reverse hinge lever, pivotally mounted on a front portion of the angled upper ledge, the reverse hinge lever having a downwardly extending plunger configured to contact the top surface of a cartridge; and

e. a plurality of magnetic inserts that are dimensioned for mounting on the substantially planar front surface of the handle to assist in retaining the back surface of the magazine against the handle.