Side Saddle or CCW style pouches for reloads ?

[paraman1]

I used to be a fair hand with a Shotgun but having been away from most of competitive shooting for the last 5 years I may be outdated in my reloading technique . Everything used to be loaded strong hand either off the gun , your forearm or some sort of chest/waist rig . Fast forward to today and it would seem most of the guys are using some sort of weak hand reload technique using California Comp Works style pouches . Are people still using side saddles and forearm shell holders much in competition ? If so are they just for really long stages when you can't carry enough in the pouches ? Or are just the top guys using the weak hand technique ?

[Jesse Tischauser]

Daniel Horner loads strong hand and he's pretty darn good last time I checked. I think the trend is to load weakhand though. I know I can load faster weakhand than stronghand after practicing for a month or two.

[EkuJustice]

The trend is definately toward weakhand off the belt. You occasionally see the side saddle turn and burn being used. I usually go off the belt but have a side saddle I can put on for a match were there is going to be slugs and shot in the middle of the COF. In that case if I have to load the gun in a very specific order, I line then down the side saddle in that order and go front to back so the shells go in the order I need them in. I dont like the side saddle as well as the gun dosent balance as well with it on there.

[Jadeslade]

Turn and load for Remington. Weak hand reload for Benelli. Our local match two weeks ago-shotgun/pistol- was won by a strong hand loader with Remington. I don't think anything has passed you by. Lots of guys use the 4 shell holders on the belt for strong hand loading.

[HRider]

I saw plenty of both types of reloading done at Ft. Benning. I watched one of the highest scores on the shotgun speed shoot load off of his forearm. I can load faster weakhand out of caddies than I can from a forearm rig or sidesaddle though. If you were proficient before, nothing has passed you by.

Hurley

[BPiatt]

It's nice to have a side saddle available especially when you have a stage that's shot and slug mixed. you can put all your slugs on the side saddle and all your shot on your belt. Reduces the chance of mixing them up.

[ShooterSteve]

I usually load weak handed off the belt, but I do have a side saddle on the gun. On a stage with a mix of slugs and bird, I use the side saddle and take a big sharpie and put a big "S" on the bottom of the slugs. In the heat of the moment, it helps me make sure that I'm stuffing the right type of rounds in, in the proper order. I do load them in order so that things should go smoothly, but it seems like Mr Murphy wants to get in on the action sometimes.

[55fmj]

I load out of a side saddle. At our local matches you see a mix of side saddles, belt caddies, and a few forearm holders. I think it is just a matter of what you practice at.

[Les Snyder]

I load out of a side saddle. At our local matches you see a mix of side saddles, belt caddies, and a few forearm holders. I think it is just a matter of what you practice at.

just a comment. I'm an old guy (old being the operative word) with rotator cuff problems thanks to crashing a DL1000, so use side saddle, forearm and trays. I use a "Cramblit twist" with shotgun vertical, loading gate rotated to face you and load strong hand. For extremely long shotgun stages (32+ rounds) like the North Carolina Tactical put on by the evil Kyle Lamb consider a Blackhawk bag. If you have to reload more than available off your sidesaddle/arm, be sure to use the trays first as you tend to loose fine muscle control due to adrenalin dump. As others have noted a variety of practiced locations allows you to mix and match slugs/ birdshot

regards Les

[Les Snyder]

make that lose not loose

Les

[Neil Smith]

At the last IPSC European Shotgun Championship level IV match held in Czech Republic the top shooters in Standard Auto & top team both from Finland were using elastic wrist holders & no belts at all & they beat the weakhanded CCW users.

It was a similar story in Pump Division, the top three places & also top team all came from Italy & they all used elastic loop belts loading two shells at a time & beat the CCW weakhand loading users also.

So its really a case of being good with whatever you decide to use.

N

[superfly]

I would like to see what you are talking about thanks Mark s

At the last IPSC European Shotgun Championship level IV match held in Czech Republic the top shooters in Standard Auto & top team both from Finland were using elastic wrist holders & no belts at all & they beat the weakhanded CCW users.

It was a similar story in Pump Division, the top three places & also top team all came from Italy & they all used elastic loop belts loading two shells at a time & beat the CCW weakhand loading users also.

So its really a case of being good with whatever you decide to use.

N

[patrickbeijer]

I would like to see what you are talking about thanks Mark s

At the last IPSC European Shotgun Championship level IV match held in Czech Republic the top shooters in Standard Auto & top team both from Finland were using elastic wrist holders & no belts at all & they beat the weakhanded CCW users.

It was a similar story in Pump Division, the top three places & also top team all came from Italy & they all used elastic loop belts loading two shells at a time & beat the CCW weakhand loading users also.

So its really a case of being good with whatever you decide to use.

N

This is Igor Jankovic ,he won in the ESC 2009 in modified

They also use alot the belts with 2 rounds on top off eachother ,like i use as well .

With this technique you do 2 rounds in each time

[TruePunisher]

Does anyone have a video of Carl Carbon loading? I hear it is different from most.

[Wicked Wrister]

Does anyone have a video of Carl Carbon loading? I hear it is different from most.

Ditto.

I saw Carl shoot at the 2008 Tri-Gun team event and as I recall he turns the gun over, puts the comb on his right shoulder (right handed), grabs four from a caddy on his right side and whips 'em in like milking a cow (heel of the hand first, thumb on top). I have been trying to find a video too, as I can not for the life of me figure out how it's possible, but it was hands down some of the fastest and cleanest loading I have ever witnessed.

Edited May 1, 2010 by Wicked Wrister

[Mike Dame]

This is Igor Jankovic ,he won in the ESC 2009 in modified

They also use alot the belts with 2 rounds on top off eachother ,like i use as well .

With this technique you do 2 rounds in each time

what kind of shell holders are those?

[patrickbeijer]

This is Igor Jankovic ,he won in the ESC 2009 in modified

They also use alot the belts with 2 rounds on top off eachother ,like i use as well .

With this technique you do 2 rounds in each time

what kind of shell holders are those?

Igor uses the shotshellclips from Hopnerr & Shumann

and the belt i use is handmade in Tsechie ,but simulair are now also sold on webshops

[Wicked Wrister]

Igor uses the shotshellclips from Hopnerr & Shumann

and the belt i use is handmade in Tsechie ,but simulair are now also sold on webshops

This system looks like you can't use it with other gear on the belt. It seems like a "shotgun only" set-up. Has anyone used this system for a multi-gun stage? Also, has anyone encountered a match where you were not allowed to reconfigure your gear after the first stage? I recall a match where we were not allowed to change or relocate our pouches, caddys, pistol, etc, after the start, same as not being allowed to reconfigure your firearms. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but if that were the case, this "shell clip" system looks like it would be tough to work around.

[bigbrowndog]

most of the Euro guys do not shoot multi gun as we know it, so yes it is a SG only type affair, as for matches not allowing equipment to be moved around. I have not been to one yet, but I don't get around much.

Trapr