Cedar Mountain Quick Loader Review | First Impressions, On the Range, and Endurance testing

Full Disclosure, these products were sent to me for testing and use. No monetary exchange has or will occur. I do not profit from the sale of these products.

Earlier this year I was contacted by Aaron, designer of the Cedar Mountain Quickloader about reviewing his products. As a fan of small businesses, especially those in muzzleloading I thought it would be something fun to do.

Quick loaders come in all shapes and sizes for the muzzleloading hunter. Dating back to the 18th century we have evidence of pre-made paper cartridges being used to prepare loads for hunting, carved wooden and leather containers can also be found. Today, many quick loaders, or speed loaders, are made with modern plastics but the purpose stays the same: having multiple shots ready and at hand for easy reloading with a muzzleloader.

From basic plastic tubes which only hold powder, to ‘combo’ loaders with a place for powder and projectile, I’ve not seen much change in quick loaders until I heard about the Cedar Mountain Quickloader.

The Cedar Mountain Quick Loader comes as a single “loader” with three charge tubes, or in a “double” pack with two loaders and six charge tubes. The tubes are similar to other charge tubes on the market, I’d be surprised if they weren’t exactly the same diameter - which is a good thing. You might be able to use some of the charge tubes you have at home with the spout assembly.

At face value, the CMQL is a combo quick loader, with a place for powder and projectile, but what makes it different is its rotating “valve and drop tube” design. Standard quick loaders have a few cap designs. Some have a cap that is totally removed (and can be lost or dropped out of the stand while hunting very easily), or a hinged cap that is prone to breaking after repeated use, especially in cold temperatures.

With the CMQL, you measure your powder, transfer it to the tube and then you insert the tube into the valve and you are ready to go. When ready to reload, simply rotate the valve and insert the drop tube into your muzzle. The powder will flow out on it’s own, I never had to tap the tube during testing, then you can move on with your loading process. I really like this valve as a simple means to empty the tube because I don’t need my fingers to open the tube. In cold weather with gloves or mittens, the valve is easy to operate. Unlike some of the cheaper tubes on the market, the plastic in the valve is robust. While flexing the valve or knocking this around in a pack, I didn’t notice any signs of wear or breaking.

The drop tube is designed to work with modern muzzleloaders with a muzzle brake. I don’t currently have a muzzle brake on any of my muzzleloaders, but I really like the short tube for loading because the tube places the powder into the barrel and prevents any spillage. Other charge tubes and quick loaders have funnels built into their caps, but most don’t allow you to set the funnel before your charge begins dumping. With the CMQL, you can be sure your spout is in the bore before your powder begins to pour.

Realistically, do the tiny amount of grains lost at the muzzle affect accuracy? Probably not, but it is satisfying watching the powder drain from this loader.

It’s not really a comment on the special design, but I like that the included charge tubes don’t have measurement markings on them. More often than not, the tubes out there with measurements marked on the tube aren’t correct and don’t align with more precise volumetric measures. By not having measurements on the included charge tubes, a level of confusion for the user is left out - big plus.

Testing the Cedar Mountain Quick Loader

So, what exactly did I do with the Cedar Mountain Quick Loader and how did I ‘test’ it? This isn’t as much of a parameter-based test as our accuracy or penetration tests, but I did want to do what I could to really see how well these things would work. First, I measured out a series of charges of Blackhorn 209, Triple 7 2FG powder, and Swiss 3F Blackpowder. With each powder, I set out to the range and tried a few loads of each powder in the appropriate muzzleloaders. Each powder performed the same, flowing easily out of the Ceder Mountain Quick Loader when the valve opened. It might seem like an overly simple test, but I recieve a lot of specific questions about all sorts of powders and granulations, so I wanted to test to be sure it the CMQL would work with a variety of powders. I have no reason to believe it wouldn’t also work well with Pyrodex as it did with all of the aforementioned powders.

While at the range, I also tested the functionality of the projectile holder on the side of the valve, it performed as well as any of the other like products on the market, nothing really different here. The CMQL does include some dense foam in the projectile holder, which cuts down on rattle while moving with the loader.

Editor’s Note: After testing, Aaron from Cedar Mountain Quick Loaders wrote me to let me know I had placed the bullet backwards in the projectile compartment.

One small thing to point out, the bullet compartment is actually designed to have the bullet inserted tip first.  This should prevent the bullet from becoming wedged in there.  Clearly this is something that I need to make more clear on my site as I notice that [others have placed the bullet in the same direction as you].

After testing the functionality of the valve and bullet holder at the range I wanted to do some ‘endurance’ testing with the CMQLs. I loaded up two tubes with powder and plugged them each into the bright orange valve. To simulate a long hike to a stand or a weekend of spotting and stalking I carried each tube for two weeks on my daily goings-on. One loader road in my jacket pocket while the other bounced around in my daily carry backpack. After each day I’d check the charge tubes to see if they had come loose from the valve or were at risk of spilling powder all over, but each day the tube was as secure as it was when I inserted it. After a week it was the same. Even after the formal completion of the test (a couple of weeks ago by the time of publishing) the tubes haven’t budged. I’m impressed.

In a market dominated by quick snap caps and lightweight lids that seem to pop off at a moment's notice, the CMQL is rock solid. So solid in fact that it’s a little tough to remove the tube after you’ve emptied the charge. And for now, that’s my main critique. If you are someone with weaker hands, arthritis, or have difficulty in the cold you are going to want to test these a few times.

In closing, I think the Cedar Mountain Quickloader is a neat quick loader, definitely the best I’ve tried. The quality is reflected in the price. At the time of writing, it’s $25 for 1 valve with some charge tubes or $48 for 2 valves and charge tubes. When compared to some of the cheaper bulk charge tubes or speed loaders out there, this might seem like a tough pill to swallow, but if you are someone running a muzzle brake on your rifle or shop with a ‘buy once, cry once’ mentality, you’ll want to pick some of these up.

Pros

• Lightweight, durable design

• No spill powder loading

• Powder drains quickly and easily

• Tubes seat firmly and don’t come out unexpectedly, even after traversing rough terrain

Cons

• Tubes seat so firmly you can’t change them out of your spout quickly, dry skin or slick gloves could compound the difficulty

• Valve makes the loader bulky in the pocket despite low profile thickness