Topped Off

Loading and reloads are integral parts of any form of shooting.

 

As I see it, there are three types of load or reloads.  They are: administrative loads, oh-shit or emergency reloads and the tactical or reload with retention.  They each have a place in the tool box of an armed citizen.

All three can be found on the sporting range and in actual combat.  Surprisingly they have the same function:  To make the rifle fully functional.

The Administrative Load.  No matter if the weapon is a handgun or rifle, on the square range or getting ready to walk out the door and into danger, it’s the same.  In the moments of calmness, when you are safe and secure you want to insure your weapon is loaded and has actually picked up a round.  Pistols can be press-checked, but rifles not so much.

For a rifle, always fill the magazine to the same amount so the top round is always on the left or right side of the magazine.  I fill all my 30 round AR magazines to 28 rounds.  The top round is always on the left.

Insert the magazine and push-tug to insure the magazine is seated and locked in place.  Cycle the rifle and click the safety on.  Remove the magazine and if a round has been picked up the round is now on the right.  Reinsert and push-tug to insure the magazine is seated and locked in place.

Now you are ready.

The Emergency Reload is simply what the name implies.  You are out of ammo but the fight/competition rages about you.  You have only one function until you get reloaded.  That is to be a bullet magnet soaking up rounds that might have been directed at an armed, fighting person, a person who can do something to end the problem.  You need to drop the empty magazine, draw your spare magazine, properly inset it in the magazine well, push/tug and let the bolt carry a round into the chamber.  You are now an armed fighting person.

Kidding aside, this is the most common reload and needs to be practiced to become a reflexive response to “Damn, I’m out!”

The third and least practiced reload is the Tactical or Reload with Retention.  I first saw this reload in IDPA.  Bill Wilson, one of the founders and resource man, came back from a gun school entranced with the reload with retention.  It became a part of IDPA string or stage, but few of us liked it.  Eventually IDPA relegated it to an off the clock reload between strings, which is its main function.

The reload starts with rifle pointed toward danger, finger off trigger and safety off

You’re in a temporary hold and are anticipating another push.  It might be a good idea to completely refill your weapon.  At the same time you can’t afford not to have a loaded weapon or to leave ammo behind.  Hence the tactical or reload with retention.

The magazine is carried with the bullets pointed forward

It starts with a particular grip of the non-firing hand to a spare magazine.  Grasp the bullets-forward magazine with the thumb pressing the magazine into the social commentary finger while the index finger sits under the rounds.  The butt of the magazine should be in contact with heel of the hand.

I've just drawn the magazine and my finger is under the tips of the bullets; It's also high enough I can see it with my peripheral vision

Extract the magazine and bring it up to the gun which is either pointing straight forward, or with the muzzle slightly raised.  The safety is off, the bolt is forward and your finger is off trigger.  Press the gun butt against your body for stabilization.  The firing hand is supporting the entire weight, so raising the muzzle slightly transfers some of the rifle weight back to the body.

Holding magazine by index and social finger.  Magazine heel in palm of hand

At this point, snap the index finger to the thumb side of the magazine.  You should be holding the new magazine between index and social finger, freeing the thumb.

Grasp the partially expended magazine, between the thumb and the index finger.  The replacement magazine is still held by the index and social comment finger.  At this point and only at this point press the magazine release with the shooting index finger.  The partial magazine will come free.

Starting the exchange.  i got a solid grip on both magazines before I release the partial in the rifle

Partial magazine removed and filled magazine ready to be seated with push/tug

Move the hand slightly to align the replacement magazine with the open mag well, insert mag with a push/tug.  Usually the weight of the rifle pressing down on the magazine which is supported by the palm’s heel is enough to seat the magazine.  Push/tug anyway.

It’s not the best idea to return the partial magazine to your mag carrier.  You would not want to accidently load your rifle with half a magazine and think you are up full speed, would you? 

Placing partial magazine in drop pouch for future use 

Besides the thumb/index finger grasp may be solid, it is still clumsy as you aren’t really sure where the end is.  You keep your eyes up and in the general direction of where a threat might be.  To look down to guide the magazine into a container defeats part of why you’re restocking to capacity.  

Put the partial magazine in your drop pouch or largemouth pocket.  Those remaining rounds could be the difference between life and death.

My experience is this works best with plastic magazines which have a slightly larger base plate and surfacing texturing and grip lines.  The smooth side sides of aluminum magazines can at time seem slippery.

There are other methodologies for reloading.  If you find another that suits your needs, practice it until you master it.

For example, many shooters carry their spare magazine orientated bullets point backwards.  This method is often called the beer can reload, because the grip on the magazine is the same as on a beer can.  The above reload with retention can be used here as well.  It just requires a slight rotation of the magazine in your hand, driven by your thumb, and moving the index fingers from one side to the other.

These reloads represent tools for your use.  Tools that may give you the needed edge. 

Be safe.