Training For Quicker Mag Changes

I have really never paid much attention to this. First, I'm in a ten round state so I am always running out and always thinking I would have a standard magazine in real life and that would be plenty. Second letting the mag hit the dirt is a little revolting to me. Guys in videos load three rounds or so and go through several changes in rapid succession. Is dry firing an option? This could be done inside with empty mags, just pretending you are dry and the bolt has locked back---but it hasn't locked back, so is this even practice?

What do you do? How do you practice changing magazines?

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Originally Posted by Dr. Bullseye

I have really never paid much attention to this. First, I'm in a ten round state so I am always running out and always thinking I would have a standard magazine in real life and that would be plenty. Second letting the mag hit the dirt is a little revolting to me. Guys in videos load three rounds or so and go through several changes in rapid succession. Is dry firing an option? This could be done inside with empty mags, just pretending you are dry and the bolt has locked back---but it hasn't locked back, so is this even practice?

What do you do? How do you practice changing magazines?

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What the hell does that mean?

Second letting the mag hit the dirt is a little revolting to me. If you are training for anything practical/real world mags need to hit the ground.

Tactically, I would train to avoid locked back reloads. I've always had two thoughts on this: 1) reload when you want to, not when you have to; 2) in battery/slide forward reloads require less manipulation and are less likely to induce problems.

I would not make any effort to retain jettisoned mags unless it was practical - if I was taking a knee for some reason, or using cover. You need to keep your head up and in the fight and you might need keep moving.

IMO the 'tactical reload' where you catch the ejected mag in the support hand and do manipulations that allow you to insert the new mag while retaining the old one in the same hand are to time consuming and cause MOST shooters to break concentration on what is important at the time.

That being said you also need to be able to problem solve - so you have to be adept at both slide forward (in-battery) and slide back 9out-of-battery) reload.

If you are adamant about retaining the old mag you need to first work on catching/stripping that mag and shoving it in a pocket you will always/most likely have and can get to - for me this is the rear pocket - then correctly grasping the new mag,seating it into the weapon, add letting the slide go forward for out of battery reloads. You could build a degree of speed using this technique, but, of course it will always be a couple seconds slower than just dumping the mag from the pistol.

You can use these to work on the out-of-battery/locked back reloads: https://holsterops.com/products/tap-...aining-aid-trt.

They also make weighted mags: https://shop.actiontarget.com/conten...g-magazine.asp https://www.alternateforce.net/ber92fmag.html

You might also want to buy a book: https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...l_2cl7i8mpfj_b

If you are practicing tactical magazine changes, the fresh magazine should be in the support hand before removing the magazine that is in the weapon.

I like to practice both tactical and slide lock reloads when training, a majority of them being slide lock reloads. Slide lock reloads require more effort than replacing a magazine with a round in the chamber and reinforces skills necessary to get an empty handgun up and running.

Handgun or rifle? Heres some thoughts:
1.Hitting the slide release/bolt release is minimally time consuming, I train in occassion, most training is with action forward
2. Weight matters. I fill the mag with a snap cap on top, and one in the chamber and practice that way. If you practice empty mags, youll likely botch full ones.
3. Use a shot timer
4. Try different methods
5. Dont worry about your mags getting dirty. Revolting? :blink:
6. Train often, like every day.
7. Watch where the mag is going
8. Getting a good, consistent grip is very important.

Do you have standard or "High Capacity magazines"? Meaning, as an example, a Glock 19, do you have "grandfathered" 15 rounders or are all magazines 10 rounds? I'm thinking you have all ten round magazines and simply don't want them hitting the ground. If so, I would strongly encourage you to invest in a set of training mags that you can use to effectively train, as in realistic drills. Maximize your time and effort to get the desired result with your equipment. Work with what you are restricted to and be proficient.

This reminds me of a father and son who I taught a pistol class to about 1995, well into the 1993 AWB(Assault Weapon Ban) They had HK's, pre-ban mags at the time for those were about 175-200 each. They refused to drop them onto the ground, spent some good money on that 5 day class and wasted any portion that involved dropping a magazine. On day one I suggested they invest in a set of 10 round mags which where about 35 each and 100 yards away, they refused to spend chump change. They also had a set of custom 1911's that were wiped down and lubed after every set of drills-was a long 5 days.

To somewhat give you an idea-get some dummy rounds and start with an empty mag in the gun, slide locked back and aimed at target to simulate a slide lock reload. Retrieve spare magazine(with dummy(s) and insert into weapon, slide forward with preferred method and dry fire onto "target". You can do this at home and place a towel or mat, etc. underneath you to quell the concern. On the "aimed in" portion, you should eventually get to "feel" a change in the gun and "see" a change to where you will go into the reload sooner than when you have an opportunity to manage your sights. I should say maybe you will, it's a fine line and some never get there.

That's just one example of practicing the reload, you can use your imagination and come up with variations, a live range would be needed for that though.

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Originally Posted by T2C

If you are practicing tactical magazine changes, the fresh magazine should be in the support hand before removing the magazine that is in the weapon.

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Obviously, we are of two minds on this:

IMO the 'tactical reload' where you catch the ejected mag in the support hand and do manipulations that allow you to insert the new mag while retaining the old one in the same hand are too time consuming and cause MOST shooters to break concentration on what is important at the time.

There are no absolutes. Obviously mag capacities differ, it is much easier to execute a retained mag tactical reload with a single stack mag than a double stack. The technique also has more relevance to low capacity mags than to high capacity mags.

We used to teach the tactical reload with the fresh mag in the support hand and all the catch the ejected mag manipulations.

The IBO's (itty bitty officers) often had a very hard time holding both mags during the 'crossover' and sometimes (enough that you would notice) they didn't fully seat the new mag.

In general, most shooters drop their attention to the bottom of the pistol and their hands instead of up in the fight.

The second issue could be cured with increased reps, but you have to prioritize your training time and we ultimately decided to focus on straight in-battery and out-of-battery reloads.

As an instructor, I am adept at the technique, but the reality was that most of the officers won't practice the technique unless it is the focus of a training session.

As an aside, I believe in 'mags cross in the air' for both out-of-battery and in-battery reloads.

Thanks guys.

This is on an AR15, I forgot to mention that. Practicing changing when the magazine is not yet empty is something I had not even considered. Using designated magazines for only this purpose is also a great idea. I have a couple plastic mags I really don't care about.

My suggestion is a class.

Reloads and reload drills, as well as wounded reload drills are part of a good defensive class.

Not making fun: I don't get the revulsion at dropping a spent mag. What will you do in a real life gun fight? Get over that block, or you might suffer consequences. Like the posters above said, mag changes take some acuity away from your target, worrying about what your mag is doing will only add to that. The stuff going on inside your firearm's action is a lot filthier than earth (Not to mention hazardous to your health, compared to plain old dirt).

Define your goal(to your self).

Additional pointers, break it down.
Practice grabbing and pulling a mag from whatever retention you would actually use (I use a pocket, if this is for competition, use a mag holder)
Once you get that down, pratice getting a full mag from belly height and inserting it.
Then, insertion-mag release.
Finally, tie it all together slowly.

Use a timer, start slow- like 4-5 seconds. Focus on moving slow and being smooth.
Eliminate wasted motion.
You body shouldnt move.

Once you get that, slowly work the time down.

In a week or so of daily practice, start pushing it. See how fast you can go, but keep in mind, speed is in efficiency.

Humans are creatures of habit. Reloads are a matter of habit.

Like coming to a four way stop-- you don't think "okay, now I take my foot off the gas, then I put it on the brake, wait, which one is the brake? Oh, okay. Foot on the brake, here we go."

If you think about it at all, you think "stop." Your body does the rest.

It is, therefore, critical to establish if not "correct" habits for reloads then at least good habits for reloads. Habits that, at a minimum, won't get you killed. (Like understanding whether you should be dropping mags in the dirt.) Habits that will get the weapon reloaded. How you release the mag. Where you keep your eyes. Which hand you use to grab the reload. Whether or not you believe in "indexing" the reload. How you rack a slide with one hand. How you reload with one hand. How you reload with either hand.

It's much easier to teach than it is to write. It is much easier to learn in person, from someone who knows how to teach. (Knowing how to reload is the easy part.)

Then you train. And train. And train.

Until you don't think about reloads anymore than you think about the brake pedal.

The best way to learn good habits is from an instructor, in a class.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Jammer Six

My suggestion is a class.

Reloads and reload drills, as well as wounded reload drills are part of a good defensive class.

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You seriously think one can't watch a couple of videos then setup some dry fire drills are home to learn and get good at reloading?

This isn't some mystical skill that one can only glean from "vetted" (love that word LOL) instructors

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Originally Posted by Don Quijote

You seriously think one can't watch a couple of videos then setup some dry fire drills are home to learn and get good at reloading?

This isn't some mystical skill that one can only glean from "vetted" (love that word LOL) instructors

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This was 3 months ago, the OP has already gone on to other things.

I also think that the 'vetted' instructor thing is overdone. Most of the time you should be able to find a competent local guy to help you.

The right videos, sure, you can do it yourself, if you also plug in observed practice. You can do this by videoing yourself and comparing the tape you made to the tape you are watching.

For dry mag change practice with my G-19 I slip a rubber O ring over the barrel with a small hose clamp to hold it in place. This is is to prevent the slide from slamming into battery on an empty chamber, I don't know if it is really necessary but it does cushion the shock of the slide going forward. I stand in front of a table with a blanket on it to catch the rejected mags. I start from a shooting stance with a simulated trigger press with the slide locked to the rear, drop the mag, insert the new one and drop the slide using the slide release or overhand sling shot. I do this once a week for about 30 minutes.

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Originally Posted by P2Vaircrewman

For dry mag change practice with my G-19 I slip a rubber O ring over the barrel with a small hose clamp to hold it in place. This is is to prevent the slide from slamming into battery on an empty chamber, I don't know if it is really necessary but it does cushion the shock of the slide going forward.

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You do realize that due to this thing called headspace the back of the cartridge case is not in contact with the slide when the case mouth is up against the chamber's shoulder, right?

Which means that empty or loaded chamber the slide slams into the barrel with equal force, meaning all that effort you go through to cushion things achieves nothing.

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Originally Posted by Don Quijote

You do realize that due to this thing called headspace the back of the cartridge case is not in contact with the slide when the case mouth is up against the chamber's shoulder, right?

Which means that empty or loaded chamber the slide slams into the barrel with equal force, meaning all that effort you go through to cushion things achieves nothing.

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Stripping the cartridge slows the slide down. Does it matter, I dont know.

I use and recommend snap caps for various reasons so its a non-issue.

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Originally Posted by Don Quijote

You do realize that due to this thing called headspace the back of the cartridge case is not in contact with the slide when the case mouth is up against the chamber's shoulder, right?

Which means that empty or loaded chamber the slide slams into the barrel with equal force, meaning all that effort you go through to cushion things achieves nothing.

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Perhaps you do not visualize what I described. The slide remains about 5/16" from battery so no the slide does not slam into the barrel only into the rubber O ring which is positioned 5/16" behind the muzzle on the barrel.

I usually keep 2 pmags with snap caps in them. With a shot timer app on your phone you can practice both types of reloads. Get a baseline and go from there.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Inserting the mag is the most time-consuming part of the reload, but its dependant on how you gab the mag.
Use snap caps and start practicing 5mi s a day and youll see big results.
Start slow, work on eliminating unnecessary motion, then start speeding up.

It's like anything else in life, practice anything and with repetition comes mastery. Obviously whatever way you practice is what you will master, so maybe a couple day handgun class could start you off with the different techniques (how's and why's one would use them) and then you can then practice at home, range, competition, wherever.

In all my "business" mags, I have a tracer (M856) loaded as the 6th round. THAT way, when I see the tracer, I know I have 5 rounds left - mag change a-COMIN'!

Don't know if that makes it any FASTER, but it gets me to thinking about it sooner than an open bolt would! :eek: