Wasn't sure if I should post this in Reloading or here, but since this is specific to belt fed machine guns, I figured the folks in here would have more insight.

I've found a few M27 linker, but at $350+ none seem to make sense as I can hand link rounds as fast as many of the linker claim to be. Then I stumbled across this guy https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campId=5337559805&toolId=10001&customId=j49eh0yu9q00zk8a00004&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2F352088374565 which comes shipped at <$35. Problem is, there isn't a clear enough picture to see how that works, and I have been unable to get a hold of the seller to get the instructions pre-purchase.

Anyone seen or used this particular linker? How does it work? What were your thoughts?

Not a lot of parts there, seems like a simple lever that you maybe use to help push the rounds into a single link at a time. You want one of those linkers that does like 20 rounds at a time where you lay the links down and lay the rounds down, pull the lever and they all get connected at once. IMO if you don't shoot that often just sit down to your favorite tv show with a beer and a box of links and ammo and have at it, you can have a thousand rounds linked fairly quickly.

not a ton of experience linking ammo though, have yet to acquire a belt fed.

You might be able to link as fast as the tray-style linkers for the first 100 rounds or so, but you'll get fatigued and your fingers will cramp and get sore if you go much longer than that without the mechanical assistance of those linking presses.

Most people can load single-feed pistol magazines quicker by hand than with a loading tool, as well, for the first two mags or so. Just try that at a two-day pistol run-n-gun training course where every off minute you're reloading mags to get ready for the next evolution, to the tune of 1000 rounds a day.

I guess the moral is that if you're not loading a lot of belted 5.56 and not doing it very often, you can get by with maybe a chunk of 2x4 and do stuff by hand. But no one who's done a lot of loading or linking will ever choose to do it by hand, if they have a choice.

And yes, we'd all love to have a mechanized/automatic linker, or access to one, but you've moved from $350 to $10,000+ at that point...

I use M27 links n my Stoner 63a and I have linked the ammo using a linker made from a 50 cal linking plate that was machined flat and then plates for 556, 762 (m60 links) and 30.96 (1919 links) were made to fit it. I don't remember who i got it from but I remember trading an ammo can of ammo for it. It works well but is not fast but its easier on your hands. If you got kids its a great way to put them to work by placing the links and ammo lined up on the plate and letting them push them home.

Luckily I have not had to link any ammo since 1998 when I got 250K rounds of linked 556 from the government for $1. The only problem is that its 4-1 with tracer so I have to pull the tracer from the belts if the range is not wet.

As someone who links lots of rounds, there's no way that hand linking is as fast as the 20 rounds linking press.

Speed issue aside, it saves your thumbs. After linking 1000 rounds, you'll have sore thumbs.

The only down side to a linker is that if you have bent links, the link will crush the shoulder of the cartridge and prevent the round from linking. It's hard to see which links have been bent (usually you bend them by stepping on them). That will slow down your linking.

I do a mix of hand loading and press style linker.

I link M13/7.62 with a 20rd press style linker from M60Joe, but link M27/5.56 and 9MM/FO links both by hand.

That said I am definitely going to buy a 9MM linker from Freedom Ordnance once they are back in stock.   Linking 9MM by hand f*%king sucks.  Those little buggers will give you carpal tunnel in a couple belts, especially when new.

I will probably keep linking M27/5.56 by hand for the foreseeable future.

It been my observation that M27 links are a lot more fragile and seem to get bent or messed up on a much higher frequency than their more robust M13 counterparts.  Given their more diminutive size they also seem to have less tolerance acceptability to defect in order to load correctly.  My Shrike also doesn't tolerate a tweaked link that results in a really tight grip on the cartridge as well as the HK23 does.

When linking M27 by hand I can quickly tell if a link is messed up and get it out of the mix.  In a press setup you are never going to notice that one M27 link isn't right, which may result in a stoppage.  Most of my M27 links are also to the point where they require very little force to slide the round in so I just sit in front of the TV with a beer and link them by hand with little effort.

I am fantastic at de-linking ammo.  If anyone wants to send it to me for this service, I will be happy to do so for a very fair price.