I received a Big Lubeâ„¢ Tower of Power Stainless Steel Cylinder Loader (http://www.biglube.com/BulletMolds.aspx?ItemID=1302742a-9e12-41e5-881f-f99340c6d9e6) for Christmas and though I haven't used it yet I want to share my first impressions with everyone. The fit and finish is first class, stainless steel construction with a bright finish. The parts appear to have been cut out with a plasma cutter and then assembled with TIG welds that are uniform and well done. All the edges have been debured and the holes countersunk. It gets a 10 for appearance from me. I was pleasantly surprised to find bronze bushings at the sliding points on the ram and the handle. I have shot various revolvers for many years in North-South Skirmish Assn. competition and have always loaded the cylinder off the gun using a simple loader quite similar to the one Traditions sells but of better quality. I have 20 C&B revolvers, 8 different models by 5 different manufacturers and i wanted a loader that I could easily modify to work with all of them and any I might acquire in the future. A little research showed that the Big Lube unit was very versatile and easy to make new loading jags and cylinder pins for. The cylinder pins screw into the reversible cylinder plate with 1/4-20 threads and the loading jags screw into the ram using male 10-32 threads. One side of the cylinder plate is flat for Remington cylinders and the other side has a grove cut into it to accommodate the ratchet on Colt cylinders. A loader isn't a difficult thing to make from scratch and there are a number available that are quite adequate for the task but I have yet to see one that is as adaptable or as well made as the ToP. It is not cheap but I feel it is money very well spent.
