Alaskapopo Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 For me load 2 is much faster. My fastest with weak hand for loading 8 shells is 12 seconds. Which sucks I know with the load two vest I purchased after just 30 minutes or so of practice my reload times were 8 seconds for 8 shells. I know I can get better if I modify my loading area and lifter on my M2. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellyn Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 While Kurt "Mr. Weakhand" Miller converted me to the weakhand style (which is not really weakhand for me as I'm left handed but shoot right handed), I can't say that you need to do it to win. Daniel H usually loads stronghand off the caddies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuke8401 Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Just looking at the 2012 3GN PRO series rules, with the short distances, fast COF, it looks like the time spent reloading a shotgun (if required) could have an even more significant impact on time/score. David E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Just looking at the 2012 3GN PRO series rules, with the short distances, fast COF, it looks like the time spent reloading a shotgun (if required) could have an even more significant impact on time/score. David E. I had three open shooters call me just yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) I currently run stong side off the caddies as well. So not surprising that I am faster with load 2 off the strong side shoulder. I practice both weak side and strong side, from both traditional caddies and a Carbon FSL caddy. I simply don't have the dexterity with my weak hand to pull off a traditional weak hand reload. I'm much faster off the strong side. Edited February 2, 2012 by co-exprs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MstngLX50 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I'm limited to strong hand loading only. I picked up a load 2 belt at the FB3G last October and have become a pretty vocal advocate of the method. I went from 8-9 second loads down to an in match 5.5 after only about 2 hours of practice. Practice times now are hovering in the high 4 low 5 range. I still don't like shotguns, but I don't dread a shotgun stage at a match anymore. I still practice loading out of 4 round caddies in case it comes up, and if I had the ability to load weak hand I'd practice that too, you never know where/how you'll have to reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miker Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I just ordered a Mark Otto load 2 today have only seen them on youtube hope the load 2 method works out as good as you guys say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) They're fast for sure. One thing everyone should be cautioned on. No loading system is going to make you win stages. They level the playing feild in one specific area. Winners are still gonna win. The great thing about 3gun is that you have to be good at so many different skills. Not just the shooting of different firearms, but everything which happens in between too. Snap up a load 2 belt and get that sub 6sec reload down, and then use the available time to work on all the other skills. That's where the real value of the load 2 systems comes to play. They get you up to speed quickly in this one trouble some area, so you have time to work on all the other stuff. For me, it's transitions and long range rifle. The load 2 style reload allows me to check that box and get to work on my gaps. Edited February 3, 2012 by co-exprs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk_nh Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Sorry if this question seems like necro-posting. I've been practicing the Load 2 method for 30 minutes a night for about 10 days. I've also watched videos from Mark at Carbon Arms and Patrick Kelly using the Load 2/Pinwheel; it seems effortless for them. Each time I try, my left thumb comes away bleeding. If it helps, I'm trying to reload an M2. I have the load gate welded but no other modification. I have the pistol grip in my right hand, pressed against my side, and the loading gate facing the sky. The dummy rounds I use are the ones from Brownells that resemble #6 shells. I'm wondering if there is a finer point of the technique I'm missing. Maybe my left is in the wrong position. I'd be grateful for any advice from those who have mastered Load 2. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I'd be grateful for any advice from those who have mastered Load 2. Thank you Best thing to do is take a video and send it to me. I get several a week from customers, some wanting a little tweak or input on their method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benellibuilder Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 My wife uses the Otto Load 2 vest and has had no problems with it. She loads 8 in the 5.5-6.0 sec range. She has only shot one match and adapted to the loading in just a few hours. Gonna work with her on the weak hand load next. Its good to have the flexibilty of different loading styles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskapopo Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I am down to 6 seconds for 8 shells with my load 2 vest. Weak hand loading from the caddies are much slower for me. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benellibuilder Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Ultimately, you need to master several different techniques. I'm not super fast with any, but I can load 2 off the chest and off the belt, both stong ane weak hand. I can also load weak hand side and strong hand side from caddies. My load 2 times are around 5.5-6.0 sec in the match and about 7-8sec from caddies. 50% of the time I load 2 off the belt from a home made rig, which was inspired by the Carbon Arms Backbone. For high round count shotgun stages I break out the chest rig. There are times however when load 2 isn't my first choice, such as going prone, or when you have to compress behind some short wall, or when carrying a slung rifle. For those stages I still break out caddies, because I can mount them off to the sides for going prone, and caddies protect the shells better when you are using a slung rifle. Because of this, I still practice both load 2 and caddy reloads. It takes long time to accumulate both the gear and the skills to adapt to all of the situations encountered at matches. I like options as options lead to versatility. I'm not a top competitor, but I'm becoming more consistent, and I am just good enough to keep the good guys honest and make them at least try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint-M Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) Many are faster but my weak hand reload of 8 shells from shot to shot live fire is consistently under 8 seconds and occasionally high 6. Really the only variation is when I throw a shell because I take my eyes off what I'm doing, which was also my biggest problem when doing the load two method. We need a couple of pinned video threads to have these questions answered definitively with more than words. CM Edited June 25, 2012 by Clint-M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Two years ago, was hitting 30-40% on all shotgun stages doing weak hand caddie loads. Last year, switched to TWinS loading and hit some 60 and 70% stages. Just got back from the HPSC (12 stages of all shotgun). Had a few 80s, some 70s and even the stages where my plan was crap and one where I had to make up 6 misses at the end, still a low stage score of 55%. 79% overall of the winner. Lots of unloaded starts. NOT having to focus on loading has let me spend my limited time learning to shoot shotgun, which I still think I am only at about 65% of the top guys. TWinS loading has certainly increased my scores and cut the gap between me and the top tier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmiller Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Bought a backbone from shooters source, it arrived on Thursday. I played with it about 20 minutes, and used it today. I love this system! Glad I purchased it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 If your lower receiver is cut deep, wide and undercut at the front, loading 2 off a vest is much faster and easier to hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyNo! Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I vote for both. 2x2 is EASY to learn compared to weakhand. In the hand of an experienced shooter, I'd say they're about the same speed with weakhand being easier to mess up and drop shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCFooter Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I currently weakhand load 4 from caddies but I just ROed the Rockcastle SG match and was able to observe ~ 100 shooters on 2 stages and I will admit I was pretty impressed with the +2 method. I believe the top spots went to the load 4 caddies but the load 2 looks pretty good for the average shooter. I also learned that you need to be able to load in a dead run to be in the top few.... I do well just to run myself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Adam Carter Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 It's "load two" for my son Devin and I. I don't take time to practice and you must if using the weak hand method. The rig we use is a Mark Otto product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CmbtEngr Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Here's a little load-two action under the clock by a young shooter (my son). He hasn't practiced much, but enough to beat me. Loaded six in about six seconds using the TACCOM 6UP Duaload product.http://www.taccom3g....ALOAD_BARE.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 So, there was a nice stage at last weekend's Tarheel 3-gun. There were six round knockdown steel and three poppers that had to be engaged with shotgun, then eight small square knockdown steel for shotgun or pistol, then some paper for pistol, and finally some prone rifle shooting from under a table. Everybody in my squad shot the shotgun dry on the first nine targets and transitioned to pistol for the small KD steel. I was the only one in the squad with a load-two setup (the Mark Otto belt, which I wear on the chest above my regular gear). I was crazy enough to do a full shotgun reload to take down all the steel. I noticed lots of other people taking a bunch of pistol misses on the small steel, sometimes enough to force a reload they would not otherwise have needed. In looking at my videos, I think I pulled off the full reload of 8 in about 6.5sec, which would pretty much be my fastest full reload in a match yet. It put me in 15th place on the stage out of almost a hundred shooters---and that with a shotgun stovepipe to clear, and rushing a little (forced one shotgun miss on small steel that I had to make up with pistol). Without those two hiccups, I would have been possibly top 10. I point that out because I am not, generally, a top 10 shooter (yet!), especially on shotgun stages. I have been using the load-two since the end of last year, so I am getting better with it at matches. I am definitely sold on it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landshark45 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Got my load 2 chameleon a few day ago and first impressions are good ones. I can consistently load 8 in under 6 sec. I would be doing well for 12sec load 8 weakhand. I need to open up my port more for this technique. & I think with practice I could get under 5 sec load 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 3 of the 5 division winners at RM3G were using Carbon Arms products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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