http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAHr248LPuY

Seriously. Wouldn’t it better to drop it like it’s hot? Or do you really need to hang onto that unknown number of “extra” bullets for another tactical reload? Remembering that most shooters in a self-defense situation shoot until they’re dry, as inadvisable as that may be. (Ideally, you should shoot until the threat stops; no more, no less.) Keeping in mind that your free hand should probably check for ammo BEFORE you jettison those “spare” bullets. Which would necessitate two weak hand trips to the ammo belt if you were pocketing the semi-played mag. And taking note of the need to keep the gun unloaded for as little time as possible.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. wow…. it looks really cool when the operator checks the action by putting his hand near the muzzle, but there is nothing that can be done near the front of the gun that can't be done safer from the rear.

    The problem with the concept of the tactical reload is that it requires a "lull" in the action. What's that? A gun fight is a bad time to be caught with out a mag in our gun. Since we will never know how soon the fight might start again, the most important thing is to get the gun loaded again…quickly. Grab your spare mag, drop your used mag, reload. Deal with the dropped mag if there is time and you feel the need.

    Even worse is the "tactical reload with retention" which is an abomination (oops, I meant "invention") of IDPA that has the shooter hold the old mag between the finger while trying to reload. It was designed when all magazines were single stack and the operator actually had a slim chance of performing it under stress. Most people can not perform it reliably and it is close to impossible to do so under the stress of a fight. Get your spare mag, drop the mag in the gun, reload as quick as possible, then deal with the fallen mag if needed.

  2. With all due respect the way you are teaching a tac reload is in error. The proper way to do a tac reload is to "range bird" the fresh supply. If you do a tac reload your way and the fight restarts while you are switching mags just takes way too long. You want your fresh supply in hand when you take out the old mag via a "range bird" as it is called. This way there is maybe 1 second when your gun is without a magazine.

    This is especially important for any handgun, like a Browning or S&W, that may have a magazine drop safety. Without a mag in there that one bullet is inert.

    Bottom line you have to save time when doing tactical reloads, you want to be as ready as possible to get back in that fight.

  3. That "lull in the action" sounds like a great time to get the hell out of Dodge while you're reloading. LEOs may not have that option, but if I do, it's feets don't fail me now!

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