Training For Quicker Mag Changes

[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?

[Leuthas]

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?

What the hell does that mean?

[26 Inf]

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

[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.

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.

[MegademiC]

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?
6. Train often, like every day.
7. Watch where the mag is going
8. Getting a good, consistent grip is very important.

[mark5pt56]

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.

[26 Inf]

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.

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.

[Dr. Bullseye]

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.

[Jammer Six]

My suggestion is a class.

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

[Joelski]

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).