New P226 - Mag loading is a paaaain.

[heroimprisoned]

So I just picked up my first handgun, a P226 in 9mm. I got it home, and tried to load the magazines up.

Holy crap. I don't have weak fingers/hands at all, but these things get to be a real pain in the *** past about the fourth round. I can't get a full ten in, the best I can manage seems to be 9. So, what am I doing wrong? Should I just take off the skirt, or do these things break in a bit?

Also: New toy! Wheeee!

[BaronW]

new mags tend to have stiff springs, try getting one of these:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/47898-1.html

I've never used one but it comes highly recommended.

[SJgunguy24]

Don't you mean the full 15


NawJ/K some times they're like that, would you rather the spring be weak and fail to feed.

Top them off and leave them loaded for a while.

[domokun]

The magazine spring needs to be worn-in. It's probably really stiff due to it being a new magazine. You can load the magazine and leave it loaded to help break in the spring a bit and hopefully you'll be able to put the 10th round in after it's been broken in a bit.

The other option is to use something like an UpLULA magazine loader tool to load the last round into the magazine. All in all, the magazine will be easier to load after some use.

[heroimprisoned]

Thanks for the advice, folks. I might get one of those mag loaders, or maybe I'll just deal with only having nine rounds in until they break in a bit.

[eccvets]

get an uplula mag loader, it will make it a lot easier to load!

[duenor]

Dude, LOL ditch the panties and get those puppies in there.
REally, though, you are probably just "doing it wrong" unless you have lots of experience with guns and mags in general.

people who dont have experience often try to push the rounds in with their forefingers, which is very hard to do. the way i do it is... oh hell since i have the camera out heres some pics

hold mag in secondary hand


push down case heads of loaded rounds with thumb


keep secondary thumb on it (i had to take it off to hold camera), push in next round with primary thumb


keep pushing forward and back


keep pushing down with secondary, forward and back with primary


there you go, 15 loaded rounds!

[duenor]

gratuitous pic

[savasyn]

Dude, LOL ditch the panties and get those puppies in there.
REally, though, you are probably just "doing it wrong" unless you have lots of experience with guns and mags in general.

+1 Use your thumb to push down first.

[heroimprisoned]

Yeah, I can do 1-9 just fine like that, but once I get to the 10th round I can't seem to get the 9th far enough down to get the 10th past the lips at the top of the mag. I'll keep at it, I suppose. Making funny little marks on all the casings, anyway. heh.

[duenor]

well, the solution is to use 13s and 15s instead of 10s.
that is, of course, if you thought ahead to buy them before the ban.

alternatively, just wear those puppies down. are you using factory magazines? ive found that aftermarket mags are often bad at getting 10th rounds in, like the john masen mini14 ones.

[heroimprisoned]

These are factory mags, brand new out of the box. Guess I'll just be patient and count to 9, instead of 10, for a while.

[Scorpiusdeus]

GET THE UPLULA!!!! It is god's gift to shooters.

[Black Majik]

+1 to others, the magazines springs need some breaking in.

You haven't tried anything yet until you've attempted to load Glock 10 rounders without a mag loader.

[domokun]

+1 to others, the magazines springs need some breaking in.

You haven't tried anything yet until you've attempted to load Glock 10 rounders without a mag loader.

I have and agree that they're a royal pain in the behind to do if you don't have a magazine loading tool like the one Glock sells or the UpLULA to force down the 9th round so you can get that 10th one into the magazine. The fit is just very very tight with those magazines.