Review: Caldwell Mag Charger for .22 LR Ruger rotary magazines

Caldwell’s Mag Charger takes the fuss out of filling the popular Ruger rotary magazines for rimfire rifles, and it saves your thumbs if you’re a high-volume shooter.

It is amazing how many firearms now use the compact 10-round Ruger magazine and the many derivatives that have been produced.

Caldwell Mag Charger review — With a magazine inserted and the bin full of .22 LR ammo, all you have to do is turn the handle

The magazine was originally introduced with the famous Ruger 10/22 semi-auto rifle but in Australia now it is most familiar to owners of the Ruger American Rimfire rifle and the Charger pistol. Aftermarket makers including Australia’s Victor Precision make high quality versions in 15 and 25 round capacity, too.

We shooters who like to shoot a lot get tired and sore thumbs from repeatedly filling these magazines, which can be fiddly, so it’s great to find a simple, fast and easy method.

Caldwell, maker of all types of handy dandy accessories for shooters, has developed this Mag Charger specifically for the .22 LR Ruger magazine.

The idea is that you open the lid, fill the bin with ammo and close the lid, then inserts you magazine into the feeder and turn the Mag Charger’s handle.

Each full turn loads two rounds into the magazine, so in five turns you’re ready to go.

It is pretty simple and it does work well, but you do need to read the instructions and then play with it a little to figure out its likes and dislikes.

You can fit more than a 100 rounds into the Mag Charger’s hopper, but I found that filling it absolutely full results in hang ups, whereas when I loaded it with no more than about 100 rounds it ran much more smoothly.

The next thing is not to be tempted to force things. The filler is designed to automatically channel the rounds into position for loading. When it is working well it needs very little effort and is smooth enough that you don’t always think it is loading even when it is.

If you feel resistance it probably means something is out of line, and force will not help you. Far better to just stop for a moment and give the whole unit a couple of gentle shakes and all is usually good again.

The Caldwell can be a little finicky but take your time to get a feel for its operation, follow the instructions and you will find it a helpful product to save your thumbs if you are a high-volume shooter.