Over the last few months, there have been several threads regarding loaders for CZ rimfire magazines. . Much of that discussion was about not really having any commercial sources for said device despite some feeling the need/want for one.
So at that time, I reached out to the folks at HILJACK loaders to see if they were interested in working up something for the CZ rimfire (.22) mags. Joe, the companies owner re, sponded immediately and went about by ordering a (5 round) mag for development . About 10 days later, he sent me a few prototypes of this CZ rimfire specific quickie loader for testing. What was discovered in that test process is that there are significant differences in the feed lip arrangement and dimensions of the 5 round metal and 10 round poly mags. ( He had the 5 rounder only for development since 10 rounders are unobtainium these days) After some back and fourth dimension tweaking, he had the updated final product and packaging ready to go within another week. In any case, here is a short review of the CZ 22 Lr loaders I received for test.
Description:
So the loader comes as pictured in a plastic bag with instructions/pictures on its use. Fit and finish are better than your average 3D part. Shape wise, it’s a 3 sided affair with smooth and rounded contours all around and a comfortable swell to grab on the bottom edge so you don’t have to squeeze the hack out of it while in use. The inside bottom edge is also chamfered to aid in getting it over the mag quickly. Overall, the loader seems well made, well thought out and comfortable to use.
Testing:
Testing was done using both 5 round steel and ( mostly) 10 round poly mags. Ammo used was a (particularly slimy) batch of SK Match and some old Remington Thunderbolt I had laying around. All in all, I loaded 200 rounds with this device in one rage session plus maybe 100 more at home.
Honestly, the first couple of mags I loaded felt a little awkward as I struggled with the timing of the up/down stroke of the loader and the insertion/seating of the round ( as instructed in the packaging.). However, within a dozen uses, I developed a modified loading pattern that had me filling mags with greater speed and ease. Specifically, what I figured out is that if you push forward on the top of the loader at the top of it’s stroke, it will grab the previously partially loaded round and pull it back and down at the same time. (Thus eliminating the need to push the round fullin backwards in a separate step.) Once I “got it”, it was simple to run the loader in sort of a thin elliptical orbit that become a somewhat fluid motion vs 4 separate motions described in the included instructions. This sped things up considerably and eased the learning curve.
i.e. The sequence I used goes like this:
1) Push mounted loader down to depress follower
2) Insert .22 round (so that the rim slides under the mags feed lips)
3) Cycle loader body up and tilt forward before repeating step 1.
Results :
-This device does load mags faster than doing it completely by hand. Not 3X faster but it’s clearly an improvement. The slowest part is still the handling each bullet.
-It feels like it takes less force to push the top round /follower down and load the next since the tool automatically focus its force there is no finagling with the left / weak hand.
-Because the hand that operates the loader never has to touch a bullet. This is a benefit to those of us who use rounds with “slicker than goose poop” bullet lube (i.e. SKMatch/ELEYmatch/Etc) What lube that does get on you is limited to the finger and thumb of the hand that manipulates the rounds only. Consequently, clean up is simpler afterwards. Obviously, if you are not using a heavily lubed bullet, this is of little consequence.
-There is less handling of the round altogether. You pinch the bullet (only) with two fingers and insert it into the loader/mag. I feel less force is exerted across the length of the round than if you are using two hands to stuff the mag. i.e less chance of loosening/berding a bullet . ( Which I’ve experienced while loading Eley Match via traditional methods in the past.)
Summary:
This thing works pretty well and seems to work better/smoother the more I use it. I think much of this is attributed to the open face design that allows the flexible/elliptical movement of the loader during use. There is a learning curve to use but it is a short one. For the ( I’m guessing here) sub $15 price tag, I think it’s a good value and a useful tool for the CZ 452/455/457 community. I will likely be purchasing a few spares to keep with each of my 457’s as soon as they are on the website which I’m told should be within the next week.
NOTE: I have NO stake in Hilljack and have received no compensation (other than a few test samples) for helping with the development of this particular model. I undertook this arrangement with Hilljack as a CZ rimfire enthusiast and (bored) retired engineer. I’ve just been a happy customer of this small US company in the past and figured maybe they could help out the CZ rimfire folks. ( I’ve used HillJack loaders for years on my Ruger/Buckmark and SW rimfire pistols . They make quality stuff that goes a beyond homespun 3 D printing.. ) I initiated this arrangement with Hilljack as a CZ rimfire enthusiast and (bored) retired engineer.
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So at that time, I reached out to the folks at HILJACK loaders to see if they were interested in working up something for the CZ rimfire (.22) mags. Joe, the companies owner re, sponded immediately and went about by ordering a (5 round) mag for development . About 10 days later, he sent me a few prototypes of this CZ rimfire specific quickie loader for testing. What was discovered in that test process is that there are significant differences in the feed lip arrangement and dimensions of the 5 round metal and 10 round poly mags. ( He had the 5 rounder only for development since 10 rounders are unobtainium these days) After some back and fourth dimension tweaking, he had the updated final product and packaging ready to go within another week. In any case, here is a short review of the CZ 22 Lr loaders I received for test.
Description:
So the loader comes as pictured in a plastic bag with instructions/pictures on its use. Fit and finish are better than your average 3D part. Shape wise, it’s a 3 sided affair with smooth and rounded contours all around and a comfortable swell to grab on the bottom edge so you don’t have to squeeze the hack out of it while in use. The inside bottom edge is also chamfered to aid in getting it over the mag quickly. Overall, the loader seems well made, well thought out and comfortable to use.
Testing:
Testing was done using both 5 round steel and ( mostly) 10 round poly mags. Ammo used was a (particularly slimy) batch of SK Match and some old Remington Thunderbolt I had laying around. All in all, I loaded 200 rounds with this device in one rage session plus maybe 100 more at home.
Honestly, the first couple of mags I loaded felt a little awkward as I struggled with the timing of the up/down stroke of the loader and the insertion/seating of the round ( as instructed in the packaging.). However, within a dozen uses, I developed a modified loading pattern that had me filling mags with greater speed and ease. Specifically, what I figured out is that if you push forward on the top of the loader at the top of it’s stroke, it will grab the previously partially loaded round and pull it back and down at the same time. (Thus eliminating the need to push the round fullin backwards in a separate step.) Once I “got it”, it was simple to run the loader in sort of a thin elliptical orbit that become a somewhat fluid motion vs 4 separate motions described in the included instructions. This sped things up considerably and eased the learning curve.
i.e. The sequence I used goes like this:
1) Push mounted loader down to depress follower
2) Insert .22 round (so that the rim slides under the mags feed lips)
3) Cycle loader body up and tilt forward before repeating step 1.
Results :
-This device does load mags faster than doing it completely by hand. Not 3X faster but it’s clearly an improvement. The slowest part is still the handling each bullet.
-It feels like it takes less force to push the top round /follower down and load the next since the tool automatically focus its force there is no finagling with the left / weak hand.
-Because the hand that operates the loader never has to touch a bullet. This is a benefit to those of us who use rounds with “slicker than goose poop” bullet lube (i.e. SKMatch/ELEYmatch/Etc) What lube that does get on you is limited to the finger and thumb of the hand that manipulates the rounds only. Consequently, clean up is simpler afterwards. Obviously, if you are not using a heavily lubed bullet, this is of little consequence.
-There is less handling of the round altogether. You pinch the bullet (only) with two fingers and insert it into the loader/mag. I feel less force is exerted across the length of the round than if you are using two hands to stuff the mag. i.e less chance of loosening/berding a bullet . ( Which I’ve experienced while loading Eley Match via traditional methods in the past.)
Summary:
This thing works pretty well and seems to work better/smoother the more I use it. I think much of this is attributed to the open face design that allows the flexible/elliptical movement of the loader during use. There is a learning curve to use but it is a short one. For the ( I’m guessing here) sub $15 price tag, I think it’s a good value and a useful tool for the CZ 452/455/457 community. I will likely be purchasing a few spares to keep with each of my 457’s as soon as they are on the website which I’m told should be within the next week.
NOTE: I have NO stake in Hilljack and have received no compensation (other than a few test samples) for helping with the development of this particular model. I undertook this arrangement with Hilljack as a CZ rimfire enthusiast and (bored) retired engineer. I’ve just been a happy customer of this small US company in the past and figured maybe they could help out the CZ rimfire folks. ( I’ve used HillJack loaders for years on my Ruger/Buckmark and SW rimfire pistols . They make quality stuff that goes a beyond homespun 3 D printing.. ) I initiated this arrangement with Hilljack as a CZ rimfire enthusiast and (bored) retired engineer.
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