Tactical Pistol Reloads, which technique works best?

[GyroF-16]

Here’s my perspective…

When I think of reloading, the first thing that happens is my support hand grabs the fresh mag.
That’s what I do when initially loading a pistol.
That’s what I do for an “emergency” of slidelock reload.
It’s also what I do for a “tactical reload” or a “reload with retention.

I complete in IDPA, and have experimented with the “magazine out and into pocket, then fresh magazine from pouch to gun” technique.
I would agree that it’s slightly faster and requires less dexterity.

But, despite practicing it some, when the pressure’s on, as soon as my brain says “reload”, my hand goes to the mag pouch.
So I’ve accepted that drawing a fresh mag and doing the exchange at the gun is the best method for me.
I think it also has the added benefit of avoiding a situation where you begin a tactical reload only to discover that you’re out of magazines.

[Redhat]

If I've just been shot at, I think I might prefer the most fumble proof technique.

[GyroF-16]

If I've just been shot at, I think I might prefer the most fumble proof technique.

Agreed. But if I find myself with a mag in my hand (as I’ve done in the pressure of competition) I’ll press on with an exchange at the gun.
(Haven’t been shot at on the ground, but I imagine it’d go the same then). But if someone else doesn’t have my training scars, definitely avoid fumbling.

[Redhat]

Agreed. But if I find myself with a mag in my hand (as I’ve done in the pressure of competition) I’ll press on with an exchange at the gun.
(Haven’t been shot at on the ground, but I imagine it’d go the same then). But if someone else doesn’t have my training scars, definitely avoid fumbling.

What is most "fumble free" for me might not be the same for someone such as yourself. Also, for me it comes down to the decision of in my current situation, do I want a fully loaded gun or am I willing to stay with what I've got. I'm less confident of my ability, in that type situation, to manipulate two double stack magazines in one hand at the same time.

[DMF13]

I will probably be decried as a heretic, but here goes.

I don't practice "tactical reloads," "mag exchanges," or whatever else you want to call it. I did practice them a little when I occasionally shot IDPA, but that's been a long time ago.

If there is a "lull in the action," (oft mentioned, but rarely defined, and if an attempt at a definition is made, it's often very vague), that means I'm not actually fighting with the gun, or anything else for that matter. If the fight has changed to a point I'm willing to temporarily turn my gun into a single shot, I will very consciously have decided that I can exchange mags. It's a conscious decision, to take a very deliberate action, and it should be at a time of greatly reduced stress (much reduced from the time when I thought someone had created a threat of imminent death, or serious bodily injury, and I was using deadly force). It won't be a time I need subconscious skill to complete it rapidly. If I'm in a situation where I need it done rapidly, with subconscious skill, I'm not turning my gun into a single shot, and doing a "mag exchange."

Any other reload, will be under great stress, will require subconscious skill, to get it done very rapidly, and will be either a "slide lock reload," or "speed reload," and the mag that's in the gun will be dropped free. Those are the skills I practice, often.

I'm not wasting my limited time, developing a subconscious level of skill in something that I won't do under extreme stress.

[Chain]

If there is a "lull in the action," (oft mentioned, but rarely defined, and if an attempt at a definition is made, it's often very vague), that means I'm not actually fighting with the gun, or anything else for that matter.

Also if there's a lull like that I should also be thinking about GTFO.

[Hambo]

What has served me well since 1990 has been to : grab the fresh mag with thumb and first 2 fingers , bring it toward the pistol, eject mag in gun and receive it between third and little fingers gripping it hard. Insert fresh mag and stow partial in pocket etc…

Almost:
-Grab mag with thumb, index, middle, ring finger.
-As my hand is moving, the fresh mag ends up between my middle and index finger.
-Ejected mag gets pinched between index finger and thumb
-Fresh mag is inserted. The base of the mag is deep between my fingers with the palm driving it into the mag well.

I know it's backwards, but I have large mitts. I've done this a million times in 40 years, starting with 1911 mags, but it works for me with any pistol mag.

Outside of matches, I wouldn't worry about it much.

[1slow]

Not backwards , just another way.

I ended up with a way that worked for me and trained it lots.

I looked at other ways but by that time I was well towards automaticity and did not change.

I have trained other ways in case I am damaged but stay with what I have done for 30 plus years.

[JAD]

I particularly like that ST mentioned training from principles rather than process. The principles that guide the way I think about reloads for my own context are:
1) don’t throw your shit on the ground
2) don’t disassemble your gun in the middle of a fight
3) if you are deeply inclined to violate (2) use a technique that minimizes the time that the gun is disassembled.

For me that usually means that I don’t worry about reloads with double stacks, and use a bring-mag-to-gun technique with single stacks. Works for me.

[rob_s]

I will probably be decried as a heretic, but here goes.

I don't practice "tactical reloads," "mag exchanges," or whatever else you want to call it. I did practice them a little when I occasionally shot IDPA, but that's been a long time ago.

If there is a "lull in the action," (oft mentioned, but rarely defined, and if an attempt at a definition is made, it's often very vague), that means I'm not actually fighting with the gun, or anything else for that matter. If the fight has changed to a point I'm willing to temporarily turn my gun into a single shot, I will very consciously have decided that I can exchange mags. It's a conscious decision, to take a very deliberate action, and it should be at a time of greatly reduced stress (much reduced from the time when I thought someone had created a threat of imminent death, or serious bodily injury, and I was using deadly force). It won't be a time I need subconscious skill to complete it rapidly. If I'm in a situation where I need it done rapidly, with subconscious skill, I'm not turning my gun into a single shot, and doing a "mag exchange."

Any other reload, will be under great stress, will require subconscious skill, to get it done very rapidly, and will be either a "slide lock reload," or "speed reload," and the mag that's in the gun will be dropped free. Those are the skills I practice, often.

I'm not wasting my limited time, developing a subconscious level of skill in something that I won't do under extreme stress.

I don't think my hats anywhere near as controversial as you make it out to be.

But, the topic of the thread is “tactical pistol reolaods…” so we are all kind of starting the presumption that one has chosen to perform one rather than debate the merits of the core concept.

All of that to say that I, and I daresay a lot of the others posting here, don't actually disagree with you.

Also, just to clarify, it's not the subconscious level of skill in the mag exchange that I'm advocating, it's the subconscious level of skill with ALL THENOTHER THINGS so that you can consciously focus on the mag exchange, and choose the method that best fits the situation.