Best practices for reloads

I usually practice in an indoor range and do not worry about where the mag falls just as long as they are out of the way. I don’t want to get in the habit of trying to keep control of an empty mag while trying to insert a fresh one and keeping my eye on the target.

The shooting bay has rubber mats, so that helps some, but some of the classes I attend include reloads while moving so they do end up dropping on concrete.

2 Likes

An empty mag needs to get out of my gun right now so a drop is fast/expedient. I have no love for it until it’s loaded again :grin:

5 Likes

Welcome,
You will of course receive many view points…

In an emergency, you would let it drop, and insert a fully loaded magazine.

A Tactical reload is a good option, and in that you put the magazine you removed by hand in your pocket.

If you practice letting the magazine drop, be prepared and know how to repair magazines. Most of the time there is no problem, but sometimes there is minor damage, and usually easy to fix.

Depends on the reloads you want to train with.

And that ground keeps moving further and further away.

:grin:

Indeed, but you can repair bent and minor damage.

another 2 cents to proper emergency reload:

A_reloads_restricted

Let it fly…

6 Likes

Al right, you guys and gals have convinced me - destructive training drills are the only constructive way to learn. :+1:

Hopefully @Scott145 has not abandoned us because this has been one of the dumbest discussions I’ve read on this normally enlightening forum.

2 Likes

Why? Because we recommend throwing magazines into the concrete in order to survive the encounter?

These are my everyday use magazines. 13 months old. They probably spent more time flying into the ground than sitting in the handgun. They still work fine, they don’t need to look nice, they have to do what they were designed to.

Best quote from this thread:

1 Like

There is no need to throw them into concrete to train. Why not add throwing your firearm into concrete and grinding it with your foot every time you train? It could happen in a tactical survival scenario, so shouldn’t you add this to your everyday training?

Edit: Your profile is hidden, have you ever read mine?

Nope, but wherever I’m training there is no carpet :grimacing:
Home dry firing is an exception. All other places are either concrete ground (indoor ranges) or asphalt or dirt (outdoor range)

I’ve mentioned it already. Train the way you can expect in real life. And yes, throwing the firearm (not into the concrete, but into the assailant) is a part of my practice. You should try this as well to know how to do this if not other option left.
We can call it “tactical”… but all my training is for civilians - learn what to do and how to behave in case yours or your loves one’s life is in danger.
I’m not a crazy guy who prepares for “zombie apocalypse”… nope, I’m far far away from this. But whatever is gonna happen I do not gonna think what to do, I just know what to do. There is no place for surprises.

Mine is hidden? :thinking: I made it hidden for the Public, so I was hoping it’s visible for registered members…Perhaps @Dawn can help with this. However there is nothing interesting about me. I’m just a small dot on the big map of the World, one single drop in the Ocean… :slightly_smiling_face:
And yes, I’ve read yours.

Curious as to why this is a dumb discussion? Folks don’t all have to agree when they offer their opinions. We all have personal parameters we live by. Some folks baby their magazines, others look at them as expendable or consumables with a limited lifespan.

It’s all good. Your personal priorities and budget dictate what you do. No one is forced to agree with another or even do something in a way that will make anyone but themselves happy and safe.

So here’s my take on this. I try as best as possible to practice what I’ll have to do when the real SHTF so whatever I’m standing on will be meeting my magazines when I detect a slide lock or need to clear a gun. That way I don’t introduce the extra step of “where is my magazine landing?” into my pathway of nicely oiled neurons.

6 Likes

My thoughts, exactly. I make sure to have a minimum of 4 with each new pistol purchase and add 3 or 4 more soon after.
I also look at it from the angle of obsolescence. I have pistol that takes proprietary mags that is long out of production. If or When Numrich gets one in stock, it is priced at $75 at minimum. Needless to say, it has just one mag.

You are right :+1:

My budget and priorities right now dictate I take precautions to protect my equipment when training. Others maybe not so.

1 Like

OK, after reading several posts, including the ‘dumbest discussion ever’ and the criticisms of others claiming they must throw magazines into the concrete… .

First, if you have extra magazines, such as 2 or 3 for EDC and 3 or 4 for training, sure. drop the mags. If you know how to repair minor damage, drop the mags.

if you train to do tactical reloads, you are not dropping the mag anyway…

So, everybody has an opinion… everyone trains different.

I have dropped mags, and I have not dropped mags.

The question here also must be asked, how many take their vehicle out and drive around in an icy parking lot and skid, slide, brake hard, do everything they might come across on the public road, BEFORE they get on the public road… so they 'know how to react and have the muscle memory.

Yes, training as close to realistic as possible is great, but not always needed, and again, if you damage magazines, they may fail.

So, instead of arguing over dropping or not, point out the differences, the pros and cons of each.

Personally, I do NOT drop mags during training if I can help it, but that does not mean I do not do it.

I have shot in timed competition (years ago and only on a small scale in house manner …including pin shoots … and hitting a bowling pin in a timed effort is NOT always easy.) and have cleared malfunctions and reloaded both magazines and speed loaders with a revolver and discarded the empty magazine or speed loader without pausing to ‘think’ about it… it was a natural action, and I did not always ‘train’ to do it.

Each person is different, each has natural abilities, some can bring the firearm on target naturally, others naturally have trigger control, and each has to work on certain things.

If NOT dropping mags is the complaint from some, perhaps there is no real complaint.

If you have the magazines, and / or you know how to repair them, there is on problem, others… have other concerns

3 Likes

As am I.

2 Likes

Use a revolver… problem solved…

1 Like

Me, as have everyone of my kids.
If fact one year, with about a foot of fresh snow on everything, I tossed the keys to a soon to be driver (dually crew cab with an empty bed) and said “take me to the gas station”, NO you can’t use 4wd!!! That was fun and after picking up coffee at the gas station we proceeded to the school parking lot.

But I also made them back from the house to the barn using only mirrors (no backup cam or looking over shoulder)

3 Likes

Yep Yep.

I do it at least every time I get a different vehicle, as they all, while similar, react different… and yes, I learned early to use mirrors, and HATE little sideview mirrors that serve no real purpose.

But most do not.

2 Likes

Sorry, I misspoke - let’s move on.

2 Likes

It’s all good. I completely understand your perspective now. We all do what is best for ourselves, and that’s the way it should be!

4 Likes