Rounds forward or rounds backward in Mag placement

[1slow]

Most 3-gunners seem to go bullets rear. Is there some because:gunfighter reason for bullets forward? Presumably the competitive shooters are doing whatever is faster...

I would guess it has a lot to do with where the rifle mags are carried and wrist articulation.

[David Armstrong]

I first saw the front mag bullets forward back mag bullets backward for pistol in the 1970s. If memory serves there are some pictures of Colonel Cooper with the 1 forward 1 back setup. I think the idea was 1 ready mag 1 reserve.

That was the way I was taught in the military and initially for LE/non-military training. In fact, some of my mag holders from back then did not even work properly unless you put the front mag bullets forward and the rear mag bullets back. IIRC (and the memory is having to go back over 30 years, so I won't swear to it) the doctrine at the time was to use the rear mag for normal mag changes and to save the front mag mag for emergency reloads.

[drummer]

It sounds like I'm in the same boat as a lot of you guys. I've always carried rifle and pistol mags bullet foward for simplicity sake. I switched maybe a year and a half or two years ago to bullets rearward for my primary and secondary rifle mags only ( belt mounted). Because they are mounted behind my double pistol pouch, I found that it makes more sense to let the wrist articulate and use the beer can technique for my belt mounted rifle mags. I also find that the beer can technique gives me more control over the magazine and let's me do the push/pull thing with ARs if I need to (tac loads).

Further, I find the beer can technique easier with rock-in loading rifles such as an AK. Especially if doing a speed reload with a standard AK.

However, the spare rifle mags on my vest/pc are still pointed bullets foward because they are too high up for my wrist to fully articulate and in theory, they are only there to backfill my primary belt mounted pouches. As a LEO, if I've gone through the mag in the rifle and the ones on my belt and have to reload from my vest, it's a real bad day.

[rob_s]

It sounds like I'm in the same boat as a lot of you guys. I've always carried rifle and pistol mags bullet foward for simplicity sake. I switched maybe a year and a half or two years ago to bullets rearward for my primary and secondary rifle mags only ( belt mounted). Because they are mounted behind my double pistol pouch, I found that it makes more sense to let the wrist articulate and use the beer can technique for my belt mounted rifle mags. I also find that the beer can technique gives me more control over the magazine and let's me do the push/pull thing with ARs if I need to (tac loads).

Further, I find the beer can technique easier with rock-in loading rifles such as an AK. Especially if doing a speed reload with a standard AK.

However, the spare rifle mags on my vest/pc are still pointed bullets foward because they are too high up for my wrist to fully articulate and in theory, they are only there to backfill my primary belt mounted pouches. As a LEO, if I've gone through the mag in the rifle and the ones on my belt and have to reload from my vest, it's a real bad day.

That's more or less what I found, but in classes and matches I've found myself having to go for the chest-mounted mags, or having ONLY the chest-mounted mags when I am doing certain things. That's why I wanted uniformity in the way I had my magazines facing.

This past week I've been setting up my gamer belt with the Safariland ELS system. With that system, which hopefully will allow me to change out pouches for a stage/match-specific load, I'm so far finding the rifle mags easier to grab with them bullets-front but less interference with the pistol mag(s) when they are bullets-rear. In spending some time going through various gyrations, I can also see how some people's wrist and elby could bend differently than one another, and that coupled with the rotational location of the magazine as well as the height could make the front/rear issue one simply of preference and comfort, not some because:ninja or because:gamer kind of catch-all.

[LittleLebowski]

That's more or less what I found, but in classes and matches I've found myself having to go for the chest-mounted mags, or having ONLY the chest-mounted mags when I am doing certain things. That's why I wanted uniformity in the way I had my magazines facing.

This past week I've been setting up my gamer belt with the Safariland ELS system. With that system, which hopefully will allow me to change out pouches for a stage/match-specific load, I'm so far finding the rifle mags easier to grab with them bullets-front but less interference with the pistol mag(s) when they are bullets-rear. In spending some time going through various gyrations, I can also see how some people's wrist and elbow could bend differently than one another, and that coupled with the rotational location of the magazine as well as the height could make the front/rear issue one simply of preference and comfort, not some because:ninja or because:gamer kind of catch-all.

Looking forward to hearing more about your journey into gaming, I hope you write about it. It's a hell of a thing, seeing your score and name public.

[Mr_White]

Looking forward to hearing more about your journey into gaming, I hope you write about it. It's a hell of a thing, seeing your score and name public.

Yes, definitely. I thought rob_s has done a bunch of competition shooting though? Is that right, Rob? Maybe I am remembering wrong.

[rob_s]

Yes, definitely. I thought rob_s has done a bunch of competition shooting though? Is that right, Rob? Maybe I am remembering wrong.

Oh yeah, I've been shooting off and on for over a decade. IDPA, USPSA, founded my own carbine match that's been going for 7 or 8 years, etc. Just never for long enough to get "good" by competition standards. Then one day I realized that "fair to middlin" by competition standards is actually top <1% by just about any other standard, and decided to embrace the mediocrity.

What is probably new(ish) is my attitude that it's just gaming, that gaming doesn't hurt my because:ninja skills, and is more about entertainment than any kind of delusion that I need to do it "tactically".

[Mr_White]

Makes sense, thanks Rob.