If you have an airsoft pistol, you are going to need to load it! If you purchased a handgun that did not include a speed loader, you might need to do it by hand.
If you are using extended-capacity magazines, this won't be fun, but it is doable. Before you start cramming BBs into the feeding lips, fighting against spring pressure, let us cover the different ways you can load your gas airsoft pistol.
The best way to load an airsoft pistol magazine is with a "speed loader." If you are doing it by hand, you may either load through the feeding lips or by pulling the spring completely down to insert them into the feed/release slot.
Now that we know the general ideas for loading magazines let's discuss how to load these magazines with more detail (and pictures)!
If you don't have a speed loader, this may be the first way you think of loading a magazine. After all, it is how you load real pistol magazines!
However, you do not have to fight against the spring pressure for airsoft pistol magazines.
When loading through the feed lips, located at the top of the mag, you must insert the BB at the front-facing side and then push downwards. Doing this, you will feel resistance from the spring, mostly as you fill the magazine with more and more BBs.
One tip to help with this is to use the tab located on the spring and gently pull down when you insert a BB. Pulling the spring down helps fill the whole magazine without pushing too hard on the BBs to fit in.
On the front of airsoft pistol magazines, you will see a line cut out.
This cutaway allows you to see how many BBs you have in a magazine and will enable you to access to the tab on the spring. However, you may also notice the wider slot towards the bottom of the magazine.
If you ever need to unload your magazine, this is a great way to do that. All you have to do is pull the spring down past that slot, turn the magazine so the slot is facing downwards, and gently shake the BBs to line up and fall out.
This slot also allows you to load the magazine. If you have a magazine where the BBs sit in a "double-stack," where the BBs line up in a zig-zag formation, you may need to gently shake it to make sure they fit correctly.
If not, you will not be able to fill the magazine to its maximum capacity.
The speed loader is the fastest and most convenient option. Not every gun includes one of these, so you may need to order one separately.
To use these tools, you must first open the trap door to fill it with BBs. Secondly, you have to release the push lever, which you use to push the BBs into the magazine.
Finally, make sure you have the appropriate mag adapter on and load! Since these speed loaders can be used on any mid-capacity magazine, they usually have a simple cylinder protruding out the top to fit into the feed hole.
With pistols, you will usually use an adapter that fits over the magazine feed lips. This adaptor allows the speed loader to insert the BBs at the front-facing side at the correct angle.
Although a speed loader is not necessary, it does make loading magazines much easier and faster.
If you do not have one, you now know two different ways to load the magazine. With these tips in mind, you will be able to avoid aching thumbs from loading against spring pressure!
If you would like to know how to load a gas airsoft pistol with gas, you can check out my article here, “How to load a gas airsoft pistol”.
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