people would laugh and stare in wonderment watching me reload. doing it one handed (one arm dislocated)
my method is slower than most but I can get it done. it involves me dropping the mag then retrieving my spare. but because I can’t lift my left, my right along with my gun comes down to my hand with the extra mag.
i realize it sounds funny but, once you see me do it it’ll make sense.
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Regardless of which method I use, I use the fast slow technique by Mike Seeklander. - YouTube
He doesn’t mention it in this video but you slow down right before you but the mag in the gun and once it is partially in speed up again. Eventually and gradually it becomes one fast motion.
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I only practice 1 & 4. The way I hold onto the mag when pulling it out of the mag pouch remains the same when inserting it into the gun. So trying to also grab the partially depleted mag with that same hand, and especially relying on fine motor skills under stress, makes #3 not an option. I also make sure to practice #4 with different pants/shorts because the top of the front pocket can be very different, making it a challenge to stow the partially depleted mag. The top of the front pocket can be close to horizontal or almost vertical, or any angle in between. Am I dropping the mag into my pocket in a vertical motion or am I entering the pocket on an angle? Fortunately, this tends to be kind of a seasonal thing as my attire changes with the weather (e.g. Levi’s vs shorts), but remains pretty consistent for months at a time. Practice, practice, practice…
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@leo23 … there is nothing funny or weird about properly operating your firearm.
Most people use techniques taught by Instructors or friends and never try anything else, thinking that used one is the best.
People with disabilities have to look for workaround solutions that work for them. Technique is not so important as the final result. If your method works for you - that’s the best method for you.
I personalty use ER (#1) and TR (#3), depending which one is needed at the moment. From tactical perspective I’m avoiding ER. I always want as much ammo as possible, not counting them. I don’t like surprises. So TR is the most used method in my case.
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Honestly, I worry very little about reloads. I try, and try, and ask, and ask, but I cannot verify a single instance in modern US where a concealed carry private citizen ever reloaded during a defensive gun use.
I’m sure it has happened, and will happen, but, it’s inefficient to put too much time and effort into something that is basically non existent because time and effort are finite, everything spent on this is time and effort not spent on something far more likely to save your life.
That said, I train to retrieve spare mag with off hand, bring it up near the gun, and then, with spare mag ready and waiting in my hand right there, drop the old mag and immediately put in the new. Old mag drops to the ground.
I want to minimize the time I spend with zero mags in the gun. 0 mags in the gun is bad. I don’t want to spend any time there.
I can do a fancy reload where I hold both magazines in one hand at the same time to do a reload and retain the old mag, but the way I see it, that increases my odds of dying, as it increases the time I spend with zero mags in the gun, and increases my odds of losing the new mag in addition to losing the old mag.
If the slide is locked to the rear, I release it the same way I do when I reload my locked to the rear AR, I use my support thumb to hit the release.
If the slide goes forward by itself as I insert the mag, I train to rack it manually instead. It is possible to drop the slide while the mag is on the way into the gun, and “chamber air”.
But I would rather, if the slide is locked, release it with my thumb. That’s faster, simpler, and less likely to induce a malfunction…slingshot introduces failures like riding the slide, or sticking your thumb/hand/etc intot he ejection port as it’s closing, or all kinds of weirdness. Hitting the stop/lever avoids those
/tldr
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100%, I have the same belief. That does not preclude me from carrying a spare, but I doubt even more than the highly unlikely need of ever using my firearm for defense that I will ever need that reload, and IF I do, I am in deeper sh-t than I will be rationally prepared for.
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Agreed.If you can’t get it done with 17 rounds something is wrong.My personal belief is that’s way to many.
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