Magazine loader

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240879-B2
Application number	US-201816036321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2018
Priority date	Aug 22, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A magazine loader for loading a batch of rimmed cartridges into a tubular rifle magazine is disclosed. In embodiments, the magazine loader comprises an elongate body comprising a hopper portion and a tubular magazine receiving portion with a circular aperture for receiving the tubular rifle magazine. In embodiments, the body defines a feed passageway extending between the hopper portion and the circular aperture of the tubular magazine receiving portion. The body may define, extending along the feed passageway, a first cartridge orienting passageway defined by a first cartridge orienting portion, a second cartridge orienting passageway defined by a second cartridge orienting portion, a third cartridge orienting passageway defined by a third cartridge orienting portion, and a fourth cartridge orienting passageway defined by a fourth cartridge orienting portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magazine loader for loading a batch of rimmed cartridges into a tubular rifle magazine, the magazine loader comprising:
an elongate body comprising a hopper portion and a tubular magazine receiving portion with a circular aperture for receiving the tubular rifle magazine, the body defining a feed passageway extending between the hopper and the circular aperture of the tubular magazine receiving portion, the body defining, along the feed passageway, a first cartridge orienting portion, a second cartridge orienting portion, a third cartridge orienting portion, and a fourth cartridge orienting portion;
the magazine loader further comprising a closeable hopper cover at the top of the hopper, an adjustable cartridge quantity selector at a bottom of the hopper, and a movable gate member positioned in the body between the second and third cartridge orienting portions;
the magazine loader being manually holdable, tippable and shakable, and having a magazine loading position with the magazine loader being positioned horizontal or tipped slightly at an acute angle from horizontal, a channel loading and cartridge orienting mode where the magazine loader is shaken with the magazine loader at an inclined angle, and a magazine loading mode where the loader is mostly upright or at an acute angle from vertical and a portion of the tubular magazine is inserted in the tubular magazine receiving portion;
the hopper portion defining a hopper cavity sized to receive an unordered batch of cartridges, the hopper cavity opening into a three-sided channel of the feed passageway defined by two channel walls and a channel floor, the body having a pair of opposing shoulders extending along an upward portion of the channel for keeping rimmed ends of the cartridges upward in the channel, wherein the body at the channel defines the first cartridge orienting portion, the three-sided channel having a first height, wherein when a plurality of unordered cartridges enter the three-sided channel the cartridges are guided toward a tip first orientation and aligned side-by-side in a first row in the three-sided channel, the number of cartridges disposed in the three sided channel being selectable by the adjustable cartridge quantity selector;
the three sided channel extending into a second cartridge orienting passageway at the second cartridge orienting portion of the body where two opposing passageway wall portions, a floor portion, and a ceiling portion, the second cartridge orienting passageway having a second height, the second height being less than the first height, the pair of opposing shoulders extending into the second cartridge orienting passageway, whereby the plurality of cartridges in the side-by-side ordered upright first row enter the second cartridge orienting passageway, each cartridge tipping forward to a rimmed ends forward and inclined side-by-side row;
the second cartridge orienting passageway extending into a third cartridge orienting passageway defined by the third cartridge orienting portion of the body where the body has a converging ceiling and floor, the third cartridge passageway converging to a third passageway height, third passageway height being less than the second height, wherein the plurality of cartridges in the rimmed end forward inclined side-by-side row are, by force of gravity, rotated to a rimmed end to tip row;
the third cartridge orienting passageway extending to a fourth cartridge orienting passageway defined by the fourth cartridge orienting portion of the body where gravity directs the plurality of cartridges into alignment with the tubular rifle magazine for loading the tubular rifle magazine.

2. The magazine loader of claim 1 further comprising a spring having a first end seated against the movable gate member and a second end seated against the body, the spring applying a spring bias force to the moveable gate member, the spring bias force biasing the gate toward the closed position.

3. The magazine loader of claim 2 , wherein the moveable gate member comprises a T-shaped part, the T-shaped part having a downward extending leg and two finger engaging tabs, a first finger engaging tab extending away from the downward extending leg in a first direction, the second finger engaging tab extending away from the downward extending leg in a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction.

4. The magazine loader of claim 3 , wherein the body comprises a first clamshell portion and a second clamshell portion, the first finger engaging tab extends through the first clamshell portion, and the second finger engaging tab extends through the second clamshell portion.

5. The magazine loader of claim 4 wherein the hopper portion comprises a pair of sloped walls, the sloped walls converging toward one another as the sloped walls extend toward the channel and away from the closeable hopper cover.

6. The magazine loader of claim 1 wherein the adjustable cartridge quantity selector is slidingly supported by the bottom and covers a covered portion of the upper opening of the three-sided channel, wherein a length of the covered portion varies as the adjustable cartridge quantity selector slides relative to the body.

7. The magazine loader of claim 1 wherein the adjustable cartridge quantity selector comprises a pointer and the body includes quantity indicating indicia, the indicia being positioned such that the pointer of the adjustable cartridge quantity selector points to the quantity indicating indicia.

8. A method for loading a batch of rimmed cartridges into a tubular rifle magazine, the method comprising:
placing a plurality of unordered cartridges in a hopper cavity defined by a hopper cavity of a body of a magazine loader;
shaking the magazine loader, wherein, upon shaking of the magazine loader, a plurality of unordered cartridges enter a three-sided channel that opens into the hopper cavity, the cartridges being guided toward a tip first orientation and aligned side-by-side in a first row in the three-sided channel, a first group of the cartridges aligned side-by-side in the first row in the three-sided channel being disposed under an adjustable cartridge quantity selector and a second group of the cartridges aligned side-by-side in the first row in the three-sided channel not being disposed under the adjustable cartridge quantity selector;
tipping that magazine loader so that the cartridges in the second group not disposed under the adjustable cartridge quantity selector fall out of the three-sided channel and into the hopper cavity, wherein a number of cartridges remaining in the three-sided channel may be determined by the position of the adjustable cartridge quantity selector when the magazine loader is tipped; and
urging a gate toward a non-obstructing position and allowing the cartridges in the first group to flow through a feed passageway defined by the body of the magazine loader and into the tubular rifle magazine.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a magazine loader including an adjustable cartridge quantity selector that is slidingly supported by a body of the magazine loader and positioned at the bottom of a hopper cavity defined by a hopper portion of the body, the adjustable cartridge quantity selector being positioned to selectively or continuously cover a covered portion of an upper opening of a three-sided channel that opens into the cavity, the length of the covered portion being varied as the adjustable cartridge quantity selector slides relative to the body.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a magazine loader, the magazine loader comprising:
an elongate body comprising a hopper portion and a tubular magazine recei

Assignees

• Vista Outdoor Operations Llc

Inventors

• Fischer Paul R

Classifications

• F41A9/83 Primary

  Apparatus or tools for reloading magazines with unbelted ammunition, e.g. cartridge clips · CPC title

• F41A9/72

  Tubular magazines, i.e. magazines containing the ammunition in lengthwise tandem sequence · CPC title