Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

reloading question.


chino

Recommended Posts

I've been experimenting with how to reload a bit, lately. What I've come up with is that I should not bring the gun back as close in as I have in the past, and that I should angle the mag well so it points directly at the left edge of my body, and the magazine can be pushed straight from where I grab it into the mag well.

I guess there's about a foot and a half between my chest and the mag well opening, and the angle inside my elbow is somewhere around 120 degrees.

But I'm no Travis Tomasie, that's for sure.

DogmaDog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spent a little while studying the TT video to see what he does with his strong arm and it looks like he just pulls the gun straight back a bit, then tilts it with some elbow rotataion-- as usual, less is more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

somehow that video won't download for me (ends up as zero size...) :(

DD, you made the ingenious remark that you are not Travis, and there is something very deep about that statement: You need to experiment what works best for you given where you are performance-wise and what body and gun you have. I would discourage from blindly copying someone else's way of reloading, no matter how good they are. Just use it as a guideline or suggestion. Use the timer to tell you what works better, and use averages over 10 reloads rather than your best reload time. Like DD, I find that the gun has moved farther away from my body with the years, and up....

--Detlef

Link to comment
Share on other sites

chino,

There's no real "right" answer to your question. All of the faster reloaders manage a 0.7 - 1 second reload, and they're almost always different.

Travis has a great load, but trying to learn his way is not easy. His gun stays nearer to eye level than most, and this is a difficult position to consistently insert a magazine quickly. Chris Tilley has started reloading this way, as well.

The most effective way I've found to teach a fast load is to imagine a straight line b/t the pistol (aimed in) and the mag pouch. Then perform the reload at the mid-point of that line. The fastest A reload A I've managed using this way is a .62 split. The fastest hit - reload - hit was a .47....with a witness!

When it all comes down to it, fast reloads are just a matter of smoothness and consistency. There's no one right way, but plenty of wrong ones.

Just an opinion.

Phil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A .62 reload is no big deal, I do them all the time cold and on demand. But .47 is really smoking. Did I mention I never do my .62 reloads with a witness? :lol:

Seriously, I have a mediocre reload but I am finding I am faster with the gun further out and at eye level. The problem is, I either hit the magwell or blow it big time. I need to develop one method and practice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least one of the big names (I think it was TJ) says that arms-further-out is faster, but closer-in is more reliable, especially on the run. Ron may be on to something.

I think I did a witnessed 1.47 once.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you're superhuman, merely human endeavours ARE boring :D .

Seriously inspiring, even though I'm probably twice his age and more than twice as slow. But I am practicing, and trying to relax definitely makes the reload smoother (speed, I assume, will follow, though I can't complain since I've shaved a tenth or so off my time already :lol: ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I don't know what BE was alluding to but one thing I notice is that his hands must be huge. He doesn't appear to relax or roll his strong hand at all during the reload. He just reaches up with his thumb and releases the mag. Alot of my time is wasted in moving and re-establishing my grip.

dj

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know what BE was alluding to but one thing I notice is that his hands must be huge. He doesn't appear to relax or roll his strong hand at all during the reload. He just reaches up with his thumb and releases the mag. Alot of my time is wasted in moving and re-establishing my grip.

dj

Maybe you have small hands :) I wear men's medium glove and don't have to roll. Travis isn't a big guy and his hands are average sized. If you have to roll you might want to invest in a paddle for your mag button.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alot of my time is wasted in moving and re-establishing my grip.

dj

Or, if your anatomy is right, you can do a "Merle" (as in Edington). Reach under the trigger guard with your middle finger to hit the mag release. You never lose your firing grip that way. I use a fairly high Ed Brown checkered button w/o a paddle. My hands, by the way, are so small that I swim in a size 7 (men's small).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I knwo from Racing Bikes and Cars (Road Course) that you can divert attention to the four quadrants without maving your eyes off of POA.

Here is a lil drill to try while dry firing. While looking down the sights, place your attention to the Upper right hand of your visional plane while still maintaining sight picture. Now move your attention to the Upper Left of your visional plane.

Where you still able to have some semblance of sight picture??? If so I gather this will help you with your reloads as you can divery your attention to the lower Left or Right hand Quadrants and still maintain your attention on sight picture. I have practiced this and have become pretty profficient with it.

I shoot strong Right hand and am capable of maintaining a decent sight picture for when the reload has been completed. I drop my left (weakhand) to my spare mag and can trace it via attention and not eye movement to my mag well. Initially I was tracing it with my actual eyes and not my attention and would lose time as it did not feel as fluid and reacquiring sight picture/alignment also added time.

I hope it works for you all.

~Andy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...