Tac Reloads & Mag Seating

[Complication]

In recent training classes I've been having some difficulty with tactical reloads and getting the magazine to seat with my weak-ass grip.

I bring up a new mag (beer can grip), wedge my index finger between the new mag and the seated mag, wrap my lower 3 fingers around the seated mag and drop it. So far so good. I then press up with the new mag but it almost never seats. The problem is my grip. With just a thumb and a single finger on the new mag and the rest of my grip occupied with the old mag, I don't have the force or leverage to seat the new magazine.

I've tried this with 11 magazines. All PMAGs bought in 3 different batches. All down-loaded to 28 rounds.

But with that grip, I just can't seem to get the mag to seat without dropping my grip and knocking it in from the bottom (and letting a magazine just hang in the mag-well while I adjust my grip and slam it home is not what I'd consider a good solution). It's worse with gloves, but the problem still remains without gloves. My hands aren't especially small (I wear XL-sized Oakley gloves). Grant's converted me to the idea of retention reloads over tac reloads, but despite that, I'd still like to be proficient at both.

So I suppose my question is:
Given that-
My mags are down-loaded to 28...
I've got normal or larger hands...
What am I to do?

Should I just stick to gripping the two mags in an "L" shape?
Do I need to down-load to 27 or 26?
Is there a better way to modify my grip?
Do I just have 11 shitty PMAGs on the wrong side of tolerances?
Do I just hope no one ever requires me to do a tac reload instead of a retention reload?
Or does anyone else have any other ideas?

[NCPatrolAR]

I use the L with great success

[l8apex]

I use the L with great success

+1....

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Exact same boat in a MD class earlier this year, but it was mostly on day 3. I had cleaned mags everynight, but had not lubbed them to keep the dust from accumulating. Some did just not want to seat. Was wondering if the rounds in the mag where giving enough drag on the magwall sides to keep it from seating. OR was it my mag catch (Norgon ambi) not catching right, or the lower just a bit out of spec.

Sitting here now, I wonder if I had my trigger finger dragging on the BAD lever. Could that give just enough drag on the bolt catch to keep a mag from seating, even with a closed bolt?

[Mac679]

Let the fresh mag rotate in your hand so that your palm is beneath it as you drop the used mag. Switch the mags and use your palm to drive the mag up. It could also be that part of your problem in seating the mag is that you're grabbing too high on the mag. I put my pinky finger under the base of the mag sometimes to prevent grabbing too high.

[rob_s]

Tactical Reloads vs. Reloads with Retention (http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=57130)

What you describe is one more reason I advocate the RwR as a better, closer to 100%, solution.

Barring that, the L-method may be your only option.

Some other random tips...

When keeping both magazines vertical, grab the fresh mag as low as possible, and the in-place mag as high as possible. Put your booger-picker between the mags and wrap your other three fingers and about both mags. Squeeze. Hard. You are not going to hut your booger-picker.

When using the L-method with Pmags, hook the floorplate of the fresh mag behind the spine of the in-place mag and the body of the fresh mag just above the floorplate of the in-place mag. This gets them as close as possible together and "locks" them into place. Keep the thumb in-line with the barrel along the side of the fresh mag, and wrap all four remaining fingers under the floorplate of the in-place mag.

Regardless of method, don't keep the stock in the pocket. Drop it down and tuck it into your armpit, and elevate the muzzle slightly while rotating the ejection port down slightly. Working in this space is far easier than working out at extension.

ETA:
Maybe I missed it, but what kind of gun is this? I have encountered guns in the past that were VERY hard to work with when dealing with magazines with even as few as 5 rounds in them. Have you tried this with multiple guns?

When writing out the above I was working with a BCM 14.5" midlength with BCM BCG and complete lower and I had zero issue seating the magazines standing in my kitchen.

[Complication]

It could also be that part of your problem in seating the mag is that you're grabbing too high on the mag. I put my pinky finger under the base of the mag sometimes to prevent grabbing too high.

I'm grabbing the new mag with my regular beer can grip, so when I drop my other 3 fingers off of it, I'm pinching it rather high up. That might be part of the issue.


ETA:
Maybe I missed it, but what kind of gun is this? I have encountered guns in the past that were VERY hard to work with when dealing with magazines with even as few as 5 rounds in them. Have you tried this with multiple guns?

Noveske N4 Light (with the Noveske BCG which has been FailZero EXO-coated). I haven't tried this with other guns, but since this is my only AR (so far).

I feel like I'll be spending some quality time in the bedroom with my AR today so I'll report back with what works or more questions. Any more suggestions are welcome, though (gunfighting is not something I'm content being "eh... alright" at so I'll take all the tips I can get).