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.