GSI Bullet Feeder

[Browning40]

I saw a GSI bullet feeder at Area 2 over the weekend and was pleased to see you can look in the case after the powder check.

I'm thinking about purchasing one

Any feedback is appreciated from 40 S&W loaders only. I'm wondering if there's any issues with 40's flipping upside down in the feeding process and the impact on loading.

Thanks in advance!

[Kahai808]

i dont have one for .40 but im sure it works the same as my 9mm. its pretty slick setup. i wish i had a Mr.Bulletfeeder to compare it to. so far the only issue i had with it is the bullet cyclinder that holds the rounds start to get rusted on it. i just cleaned it up and added some lube.

[kcannaday2011]

They work best with round nose bullets, they can jam up in the upper part where the bullets tumble with hollow point and flat nose.

[bagdad45]

I just put one my 650, 9mm and 45, saw them at Area 2 as well. Some minor issues with 45 but that is more to do with the lead bullets and bullet lube. Only loaded a 100 rounds of each but the 9 was flawless. Really like it so far.

[Justsomeguy]

Wait... they can load LEAD bullets? That'd be good!

[Frank34]

I have a GSI in 9, 40 and 45. The 9mm is awesome with 147 grain bullets. The 40 has a slight indexing issue with 180 grain Xtreme bullets but it is not a big problem and definitely not a deal breaker. The best part of the GSI is that you could run a powder check die with the bullet feeder. With so much going on at the same time a powder check die is essential. The bullet feeder is a great time saver and lets you load up some ammo quick. Also GSI has great customer service. When I had some problems with my 45 feeder they gave me a new bushing that fixed it right up.

Oh yeah you could load lead bullets with this powder that they have to coat them but the lube will eventually gum up the feeder causing you to take time to clean it. I wouldn't waste my time trying to load lead unless it is moly coated.

[Justsomeguy]

Ok... so not lead bullets with exposed lube... didn't think so! Coated ok... lubed not so much.

[CHA-LEE]

I purchased one of the GSI Bullet feeders in .40 for my 650. When I first installed it I had a few over indexing issues of the bullet tray if I ran the handle pretty fast. I contacted GSI and they shipped me some stiffer bullet tray retainer springs and it has been running like a champ ever since.

From a speed of loading ammo perspective I really don't think that the GSI bullet feeder is an advantage. I could load the same amount of ammo per hour by placing the bullets by hand manually. The one thing that I have noticed as an advantage while using the GSI bullet feeder is that the seating of the bullet into the case is WAY more consistent. I am yet to see any rounds were the bullet was seated at a slight angle or the side of the bullet is rippled up because it catches on the side of the case mouth as it is seated. Due to these bullet seating consistency improvements I am getting very few case gauge failures when checking the ammo after it is loaded. The rare times when I do have a round that will not pass the case gauge test it is an actual brass issue (Bulged brass, cracked case, etc) and not a bullet seating issue.

I give the GSI Bullet feeder two thumbs up from an improving ammo load quality perspective. I also give the GSI technical support and customer service experience two thumbs up. They were very friendly, responsive, and had a solution to me right away.

Is the improvement in load quality worth the price of the GSI bullet feeder? That can be a little hard to quantify. The only way you could really measure that is the reduction in feeding / jam issues seen while shooting due to the higher quality of ammo being produced. If you are only plinking at a practice range a jam or feeding issue really isn't a big deal. If you spend $1000+ to attend a Major out of state/country match and you have a jam or feeding issue due to poor quality ammo then its a pretty expensive failure.