The humble UpLula
You got that semi-automatic handgun you wanted for Christmas, and now it’s warm enough to visit the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range to see how well it shoots (or how well you shoot it)!
So, you thoroughly fieldstripped your new handgun and cleaned off all the excess packing grease and oil. You added both grease and oil on places required by your owner’s manual. Now that the gun is put back together, you think it’s a good idea to preload all the magazines which came with the gun.
This is good practice whenever you do it. Just remember to unload your gun and keep the ammunition and filled magazines in a separate box from the gun when you transport it, unless you have a “concealed carry” permit. Also, these two boxes need to be located in an unoccupied place in your car, like your trunk, when you are traveling from one place to another. Even when you do have your “concealed carry,” when traveling to other states, pack both in separate locked containers in the unoccupied area of the vehicle (usually the trunk).
About that magazine loading…
It is harder than you thought, isn’t it?
Sure, you can press that first round with your thumb into the magazine quite easily. The second round isn’t too bad, either. The third and fourth are manageable, too.
But the following rounds?
Whew! They are harder and harder to push in the mag. Why?
There’s a spring in the magazine. When you put the first round in, you’re pushing against the spring: depressing it. The more rounds you add, the more you’re squishing that spring. Compressing the spring a little for the first couple rounds isn’t much work, but think of how much effort it will take when you compress it at 10 rounds or so. Many many new semi-automatic handguns hold 15 or even 20 rounds. Or more. You want to have an easier way to load those magazines.
And don’t even imagine how much that hurts your uncle’s arthritic thumbs. He is trying to help you, and he’s having an awful time. Ow ow ow.
So run right down to your local gun store and buy an UpLula. It might have a slightly different name, but the people in the shop will know exactly what you mean.
An UpLula makes your shooting life so much easier.
“No,” says Joe. “Don’t do it. I was in the Navy and Master Sargent Strongthumbs said you load it using your thumbs only. That’s the way I learned and that’s the way I do it today.”
For goodness sake. He’s such a hard… Um, well, he’s an inflexible person.
Try it yourself. Is loading every round easy? Or are you gritting your teeth and pushing hard, hard, hard to get the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th rounds into the magazine?
Spend the $35-$50 and gift yourself the UpLula.
It’s the best thing since sliced bread.
Don’t pooh-pooh the thought. Imagine your 5-year-old presenting you a peanut butter sandwich with bread he cut himself. He had to hack it with a table knife because you never let him near the sharp ones! And you should see how the rest of the loaf looks! Ha! Ah, the wonders of Wonder Bread.
So, I’m not exaggerating when I compare the UpLula to sliced bread. Loading magazines will be ever so much easier and your thumbs will thank you big time.
First, notice whether your gun has a single or a double stack magazine. This makes a difference because there are UpLulas for both the single and the double stack mags. Just ask for the correct one if you’re not certain. If you own more than one gun having double-stack magazines, the same UpLula will work for both.
You may notice that your gun came with a loader. In my opinion, the UpLula works better than almost every loader that comes packed with your gun. Spend the money for the UpLula and make life easier.
Let’s talk about how it works.
Place the magazine on a flat surface. Take the UpLula with your dominant hand and hold it above the mag. How will you know in which direction to hold it? There’s a picture of a round on top of the UpLula. Turn the UpLula in the same direction that you would have pushed the round had you not used the UpLula.
Is the UpLula hovering above the mag in the correct direction?
Now squeeze the UpLula. Notice it squeezes from front to back. Squeeze all the way. Keep it squeezed. Don’t worry. It’s not hard.
Bring the UpLula down over the mag until you notice that you’ve pushed down the top of the spring called the follower. This allows room for the first round to enter the magazine. Taking your non-dominant hand, move one round down the slide of the UpLula and then your round will move to the follower.
At this point, loosen your squeeze on the UpLula. The round will now be in place in the magazine. You are ready for the next round. Unsqueeze.
Let’s do it again. Bring the UpLula above the mag. Squeeze the UpLula. Push down over the mag. Drop in your round. Let go of the squeeze. Lift the UpLula up off the mag.
- Squeeze.
- Down.
- Insert.
- Unsqeeze.
- Up.
Notice your thumbs feel just fine.
Whether you have a single stack or a double stack magazine, there’s an UpLula for either one.
Don’t listen to Master Sargent Strongthumbs when he declares there’s only one right way to load a magazine. You’re not a 19-year-old young man.
You’re an adult who understands the repercussions of overtaxing your thumb joints. An adult who wants to waste no time loading your magazine.
An adult who wants to get to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range!
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
