Review: Elite Force SL14 speedloader

[Red Dot]

So after waiting to hear from Airsoft GI on my pre-order and then finding out that it would be late September I was able to cancel it and grab one from Toronto Airsoft.

I used it at Ultimate Airsoft on the weekend and overall it's a handy piece of kit.

I use G&P midcaps http://www.evike.com/products/42513/, and compatibly was fine. There is no magazine catch or release, it's just a press till it clicks deal.

With the loader fully loaded (claims it holds 1800 BBs) it was super easy to load the bottom raceway that you pump to load the BBs, you hold the loader straight up and just tilt down a bit and the BBs flow out great. I estimate that once you get to around the half way point of the reservoir it becomes a little tricky to complete fill the raceway with 40 BBs, you have to play with the loader to find the sweet spot. It gets more frustrating as the reservoir gets lower so I recommend just topping it off once the loading becomes cumbersome.

The action is very smooth, you basically pump like a shotgun and if the magazine is full the handle stops or it skips a bit which doesn't sound nice but reading the manual and checking online I haven't seen any indication that it damages the loader.

I was able to fill my 9 midcaps very quickly with the full loader. Just for shits and giggles I will time it sometime this week to actually have a number via the traditional speedloader and the SL14. I estimate it's probably 3 times faster but I'll try and get some numbers to back that up.

In terms of carrying this out in the field it's big. I have a Condor Convoy Pack http://www.condoroutdoor.com/Condor-169.aspx and this thing still sticks out of the main compartment with the zippers closed. Also it's loud, the BBs rattle around too much for my liking. I would look to line the reservoir with something to absorb the sound if I really wanted to lug it around.

At around the cost of 6 regular speed loaders it isn't cheap but build quality seems good. I believe if you run a lot of midcaps this unit would pay off in the longer events where you'd like to minimize your downtime. Also if you have a team of players this unit could pump out around 14 midcaps (120 rounds) before you fill it again but as I mentioned at the top I would fill it up more often to keep the speed of the system up.

Oh, in the future it should fill other magazines. The adapter is easily removable but only time will tell how Elite Force supports it.

Any questions fire away, I'll update this post with the actual speed sometime this week.

[brock0]

I don't ever load my midcaps to capacity. Usually 8-12 rounds shy of a full load to avoid feeding issues, wear on the spring, etc. Did you notice any changes in mag feeding with the pump? I assume there would be no way to short load (minus 10 rounds from full) with it?

[Red Dot]

Originally Posted by brock0

I don't ever load my midcaps to capacity. Usually 8-12 rounds shy of a full load to avoid feeding issues, wear on the spring, etc. Did you notice any changes in mag feeding with the pump? I assume there would be no way to short load (minus 10 rounds from full) with it?

I actually don't think it loads it to capacity... the action never really changes as it gets fuller. I'll check it out and see how many rounds it actually loads when I do the test later this week. You can short load it by watching how many BBs you have in the raceway but then it would cut down on the loading speed I'd imagine.

[p0nch3]

I just picked up mine today. I don't know if they don't like KA metal mid caps but I just loaded mine and now it won't come off. I'm trying not to force it so I don't break it. But I don't know now.

EDIT
I managed to get the mag well off and take it off manually(scratching the catch up because of the magazine btw). Also if you take of the adapter and just line up the channel, you can in theory load other mags. Just did a few of my G36 mags but had to hold it pretty awkwardly

[Red Dot]

OK, maybe it needs to be a learned skill because the numbers I got tonight aren't anything to write home about.

So the test was at my kitchen table, a traditional 180 round speedloader (http://www.evike.com/products/27663/) versus the SL14. I started with both loaders empty and filled 6 of my magazines then stopped the timer.

Traditional speedloader: 4:38:60
SL14: 4:15:29

I was again trying to fill the track to get full pumps on the SL14 which for sure slowed me down, but honestly I thought I'd easily be half the time of a traditional speedloader but numbers don't lie. Maybe I'll get faster as it's only the second time I've used it but so far that's not very impressive.

As for how many rounds it loads, it seems to just be a few less then the rated 130 rounds of my midcaps... like 123 rounds and 125 rounds in the two I counted afterwards. Then again who knows if they fit exactly 130 rounds.

Plus on the SL14 it's a bitch to get the BBs out, that trap door is a complete pain to hold while trying to remove all the BBs.

[pestobanana]

Originally Posted by Red Dot

OK, maybe it needs to be a learned skill because the numbers I got tonight aren't anything to write home about.

So the test was at my kitchen table, a traditional 180 round speedloader (http://www.evike.com/products/27663/) versus the SL14. I started with both loaders empty and filled 6 of my magazines then stopped the timer.

Traditional speedloader: 4:38:60
SL14: 4:15:29

I was again trying to fill the track to get full pumps on the SL14 which for sure slowed me down, but honestly I thought I'd easily be half the time of a traditional speedloader but numbers don't lie. Maybe I'll get faster as it's only the second time I've used it but so far that's not very impressive.

As for how many rounds it loads, it seems to just be a few less then the rated 130 rounds of my midcaps... like 123 rounds and 125 rounds in the two I counted afterwards. Then again who knows if they fit exactly 130 rounds.

Plus on the SL14 it's a bitch to get the BBs out, that trap door is a complete pain to hold while trying to remove all the BBs.

How about I'll race you with a traditional loader?