Given what I observed in DPS2 class, I’d like to make a comment about reloading semi-automatic handguns.
There are many techniques for reloads. Here’s Todd Jarrett demonstrating the most popular:
It’s important to note that Todd Jarrett is one of the top shooters in the world, but notice on the last two techniques (reload with retention, tactical reload). Notice how long they take to do. Consider Todd Jarrett has practiced these heavily, he has minimal chance of flubbing them but is still human and could well flub them.
Now consider yourself. Are you just a private citizen that carries a gun for self-defense? Do you practice at the level Todd Jarrett does? When your life is on the line, do you have the time or desire or motor-skills to deal with fumbling? As well, consider that shit can happen at a moment’s notice and the longer the gun is out of commission well… the longer the gun is out of commission.
The only reload you really need to worry about is the so-called “speed reload.” I was made a believer of that fact at the Combined Skills class. Why is this the only reload to care about? Because it is the fastest reload. It keeps your gun out of action for the least amount of time and gets you back in the fight as quickly as possible. It breaks your concentration as little as possible. Everything about it is less, simpler, the most basic, the essence of reloading. If you did have to do another type of reload it would be what Jarrett called the “slide lock” reload or some may call the “emergency reload” because you’ve run the gun dry. Still, that reload is about the same as the speed reload apart from the need to release the slide.
Watching people in DPS2 you saw all manner of fumbling and fiddle-farting around with magazines. Since cardboard targets don’t return fire or otherwise attack you back, you don’t feel the pressure of needing to get the gun back in the fight as quickly as possible. As we got people to just drop the magazines on the ground and speed reload, it made a huge difference. It’s just a magazine. Let it drop. It can handle it, and if it doesn’t then perhaps you need new quality magazines or a gun that doesn’t only have cheap magazines available for it. Yeah it might get dirt in it, but hopefully your gun is reliable enough to handle some dirt.
Practice like you fight, and hopefully then you will fight like you practice.
I had put time into other reloading techniques, like reload with retention or tactical reload because I could see they were more involved motor skills and thus needed more practice. Sure I practiced speed reloads but it seemed so simple that I didn’t practice it a whole lot. It still is simple, but given my personal goals I see little reason to practice any other reload. So the time I spent practicing those other reloads I’ll just now spend on speed reloads or other more relevant skills. Again note this is due to my personal goal set. Your goals and situational requirements may be different and may require the application of other reload techniques. Train accordingly.
Stuff From Hsoi 
A quick couple of thoughts:
Empty mags go on the ground, magazines with ammo in them go in your pocket. That’s what I was taught from the beginning and it just makes sense. Why throw away ammunition, you might need?
Anytime behind cover/concealment tactical reload and keep the spares.
I am guilty of many fumbled reloads, this is one part of the class, that I really, really, liked, actually. Because I’ve never had the opportunity to spend a large amount of time reloading, an autopistol.
The other quick thought, the magazine safety is going away in my gun. It is only hindering the ability to use the gun for both dry practice and in case of a tactical reload, it is taking the gun completely out of the fight.
I agree that it’s hard to consider throwing away ammo you might need, but there are many ways you can look at it.
Who says the ammo is totally thrown away? It’s there on the ground. If you need it for some reason, you can get it. Of course if you’ve moved off, you may not be able to retrieve it, I grant that. When the fight is over, you can get the ammo too (e.g. done shooting, back in the holster). Focus first on winning the fight.
Another consideration is a primary reason for a spare mag is NOT for additional ammo but because your pistol malfunctions. If you’ve got a malfunction, frequently it’s due to the magazine… why retain a bad magazine that could cost you more trouble?
As well, consider the real-life setup that someone is attacking you, either physically or returning fire… do you have time to determine if this magazine has ammo or not (maybe the slide doesn’t lock back for whatever reason thus you don’t have that “obvious tell”)? You now could be storing an empty mag and what good is that? As well, if someone is attacking you, you need to get that gun back in the fight as quickly as possible… if you’re spending time retaining magazines, you’re not fighting. In those few seconds, how much damage could be done to you either because you can’t fight back or you’re not fighting back or your focus is on getting that mag back in the pocket and not on fighting?
Again, most gunfights (in the realm of private citizens defending themselves) don’t take enough ammo to necessitate a reload because you ran out of ammo. It’s mostly a redundancy factor because the magazine goes bad and/or there’s some other malfunction that might necessitate it. I do realize in some military contexts that you need to always retain. That’s why I said ultimately it depends upon your goals and training situations.
Now of course if you can retain the spare, sure. Yeah, if you’re behind cover/concealment and can retain because you’re just topping off? Sure, do it. But if the fight is on, screw it… speed reload. When seconds count, make sure you make the best of them. When you have time, then you can do things that take time.
The mag safety… yeah, I never liked the concept of those. Heck, I searched for a while in buying my S&W 442 because a primary criteria was no internal lock.
Well, now I will say one thing in response to the if you’re retaining magazines, you’re not fighting. Why are we taking the gun apart in the middle of the fight, if it’s not out of ammo?
Isn’t that the point? We shoot, threat seems stopped, we scan, MOVE, scan, MOVE, then we reload, ONLY when the threat seems down. If he gets back up in the middle? Well, drill him with that immediate action single round in the gun, then get it gassed up and back to the fight.
I agree in the fight, if the gun runs dry, nothing happens, make it work. Click, click, reload. Slide back? Reload. In all of these cases, let the mag go, who cares. If the time is there to tactical reload, should we dump the mag on the ground and scoop it up or do the little “hand dance” and swap mags?
I don’t know. I think our opinions here will simply differ. 😉
-Rob
Why take it apart in the middle of the fight? Because you want to have a full gun. Granted, if there isn’t a pause in the action you shouldn’t be reloading (unless the gun ran dry or malfunctioned), but if there’s a pause, get the gun topped off. Reason is that you probably aren’t going to be counting the rounds you fired so you really don’t know where your gun is (somewhere between full and empty)… if the round 2 starts you’ll be happier if you have a known full gun. And you may not know when/if round 2 starts, so keeping the gun out of commission for as little as possible is desired… out of comission includes not just not having a magazine in there, but also not having both hands on the gun.
Furthermore you just don’t want to reholster an “empty” gun because what if you need it again.
But yes, we can agree to disagree. 🙂
Great video, thanks for sharing it. I’m not even getting into your discussion! 😀
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