Reload video... with a twist!

[mudman]

First off, I just want to thank everyone who commented on my draw. You've given me lots to work on.

Hopefully I can ask for a little more of your time to comment on my reloads. When I first started, I tried to work on "Burkett" reloads (pausing to make sure the magazine was line up with the magwell before slamming it home). Just for fun, I recently tried reloading with my eyes closed - and for some reason it felt smoother. Not sure how or why this is possible... I'd be very interested to hear what you guys think.

Video is here:

Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.

[PINMAN44]

Hahhhh dude that blindfold is some crazyyyy $h#t! Your mag changes look smooth man, if you can consistently do that then you are in good standing. You might want to practice some reloads on the move as well.

That blindfold reminds me of some movie.

[mudman]

Hahhhh dude that blindfold is some crazyyyy $h#t! Your mag changes look smooth man, if you can consistently do that then you are in good standing. You might want to practice some reloads on the move as well.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if I'd stay in the frame, so I just took one small step left/right while reloading.... I normally practice with a bigger step

That blindfold reminds me of some movie.

Please don't say "9 1/2 Weeks"......

[High Lord Gomer]

I was hoping he meant Bloodsport.

[ParaGunner]

Pretty cool!

[BSeevers]

Let's see the blindfold reload on the range. Just kidding

PS My reload ceased to be visual dependant a long time ago. I think at first you need to "look at the magwell, line, barber pole, white painted dot" and maybe you still do when you make M but for me reloading has become the same as most other tasks. I don't think or attach a requirement to "it" I just visualize it before then let it happen. Sometimes I do notice the magwell if that makes sense. Sometimes I notice the RO riding on my back instead.

Edited March 23, 2010 by BSeevers

[PINMAN44]

High lord yeah bro the one with Jean claude.

There ya go.

[CHA-LEE]

Watch the below reload video of Travis Tomasie. Watch it over and over in comparison to your reloads.

A fast reload mainly depends on (1) aggressive hand speed to the mag and back up to the gun. (2) Minimizing the displacement of the gun off target during the reload.

From an aggressive hand speed standpoint your support hand needs to burst down to the mag and then back up to the gun. Any slow moving hand effort during this process is pure wasted time.

Look at Travis’s gun displacement during the reload. Its maximum displacement off target is very minimal. From the side view he is only pulling the gun back about 5 inches from the fully mounted position. He is also breaking his strong hand wrist forward slightly to keep the gun pointing forward as much as possible while still being able to present the magwell to receive the new magazine. The gun starts pointing at a 9 O’clock position, then points up to a maximum of a 10 O’clock position. From the face on view look at the minimal counter clockwise twist of the gun needed to present the magwell to the receiving mag. The maximum deviation has the muzzle pointed at the 1 O’clock position. Also take note that ALL of the guns displaced movement is to move the gun ABOVE the normal resting position while fully extended. EVERYTHING is optimized and the result is a super fast reload from shot to shot.

Look at your video. Your hand speed isn’t that fast. Your hand isn’t exploding down to the mag and coming back up aggressively. Now look at your gun displacement. From the side view you pull the gun WAY back. It looks like you are pulling the gun back about 12 inches or more. Then the muzzle is pointed excessively high at the 11 O’clock position. From the face on view your gun points at almost 12 O’clock at its maximum during the reload and you are actually breaking your wrist backwards to present the magwell to the receiving magazine. You are keeping the gun high at face height during the reload which is fine, but you will find that you will need to raise the gun slightly as you break your wrist forward a little to make the mag well available for the receiving magazine.

Minimize ALL of your gun displacement movements during the reload and your shot to shot reload times will drop dramatically. I would suggest working on minimizing the gun displacement movements first to burn in the proper technique, then work on speeding things up.

[Jake Di Vita]

Biggest thing is don't point the gun up so high.

Most people try and align their forearm/mag to the gun. Try aligning the gun to your natural forearm/mag position instead.

[mudman]

I can't thank you guys enough for all your comments. CHA-LEE, you have an amazing eye for detail, and I really appreciate how you break everything down to the smallest elements. Jake, somehow you manage to cover everything I need to do with just a few words (guess that's why you're a GM).

I worked on my reloads for about an hour this morning, mostly focusing on minimizing the gun's movement and also lining up the magwell with my natural LH position. I also spent a lot of time watching and re-watching TT's and Jake's (production) reload videos. One of the things I noticed was that my reload sounded very different from theirs ("ker-chunk" as opposed to "chunk"). This was happening because my magazine/forearm wasn't lined up properly with the grip of my pistol, causing the top of the magazine to hit the inner walls of my grip before slamming home. After working on lining the angles up properly, I'm getting that nice "chunk" sound - and it actually feels like I'm throwing the magazines into the gun with no resistance, rather than cramming/forcing them in with my left hand. I'm not up to speed yet, but it's definitely much smoother.

Then I tried it with my eyes closed and ended up launching a magazine across the room. *sigh* I guess I have a lot more work to do....

Many thanks again for all your help. You guys are the best!

[MemphisMechanic]

I think i actually came up with this one on my own:

Especially in dryfire, when the sights lift in recoil and you are beginning the reload... watch the spent magazine drop out the bottom of the gun. Try it. You can't help but keep looking there as you present the magazine and insert it. It also encourages you to get on the mag release faster.

Burkett's reload drill is actually slightly different than what you've been doing. It's the best tool I've found for building hand speed. Leave the magwell empty. Present the gun on target, and do a reload but STOP RIGHT AS THE MAG IS ABOUT TO ENTER THE MAGWELL. It never makes contact with the gun, but goes right back into the pouch. Do this as fast as possible, over and over. Without bending over to retrieve mags, you can do a lot in a very short time.

Snap the hand to the mag on the belt, snap it back to the gun. Focus on getting a mag ready to insert as soon as humanly possible, and do not neglect getting on the mag release the moment the load is begun.

[Jake Di Vita]

watch the spent magazine drop out the bottom of the gun.

That's a trick I've used for many years actually.

[mudman]

I think i actually came up with this one on my own:

Especially in dryfire, when the sights lift in recoil and you are beginning the reload... watch the spent magazine drop out the bottom of the gun. Try it. You can't help but keep looking there as you present the magazine and insert it. It also encourages you to get on the mag release faster.

Burkett's reload drill is actually slightly different than what you've been doing. It's the best tool I've found for building hand speed. Leave the magwell empty. Present the gun on target, and do a reload but STOP RIGHT AS THE MAG IS ABOUT TO ENTER THE MAGWELL. It never makes contact with the gun, but goes right back into the pouch. Do this as fast as possible, over and over. Without bending over to retrieve mags, you can do a lot in a very short time.

Snap the hand to the mag on the belt, snap it back to the gun. Focus on getting a mag ready to insert as soon as humanly possible, and do not neglect getting on the mag release the moment the load is begun.

Thanks MemphisMechanic! I'll give it a try. My back likes the sound of "not bending over to pick up mags"

[Jake Di Vita]

Thanks MemphisMechanic! I'll give it a try. My back likes the sound of "not bending over to pick up mags"

I recommend dropping a mag at least 75% of the time or more. Set a chair in front of you with a laundry basket full of clothes on it.

[jkatz44]

Thanks MemphisMechanic! I'll give it a try. My back likes the sound of "not bending over to pick up mags"

I recommend dropping a mag at least 75% of the time or more. Set a chair in front of you with a laundry basket full of clothes on it.

During dry fire, I almost never drop my mags because I am usually running to different positions. But, I always make sure I hit the mag release firmly. I have never had an issue of not dropping the mag in a match.

[Jake Di Vita]

During dry fire, I almost never drop my mags because I am usually running to different positions. But, I always make sure I hit the mag release firmly. I have never had an issue of not dropping the mag in a match.

Sure, you haven't yet had a problem - but you can only say that until you do.

It's also a good way of making sure all your mags continue to drop free correctly.

There's really just no good reason to not do it.