Critique my reloads

[38SuperDub]

I've been working on my reloads - Got a suggestion from an Oklahoma firearm instructor to get my pistol higher and been working on that.

Any other suggestions?

Yes I almost didnt get a grip on the first mag change...

Edited May 23, 2011 by bsdubois00

[sfpmb]

I love these

[CocoBolo]

Keep the muzzle down, if you ever shoot IPSC you will get Dq'ed, plus it makes it more difficult to get the mag in, looks like you are in front of the gun with the mag coming back. You have a lot of head and shoulder movement., like you are bending down to reach the gun, lift the mag. Hard to tell but it looks like you are not dropping the mag while fully extended.

Small things. Now practice getting the mag change done from 0 to 45, all different angles. Then in conjunction with moves left, right, forward, and backward. Target is to get-r-done in the first step.

Stand in front of mirror have some one daw a line on the mirror from the guns shooting position back to the point where you start to push the gun out during the draw. Now from the mag pouch straight to that point. Practice following the line during the reload. Keep the muzzle down and turn your wrist slightly look the mag into the gun.

Edited May 23, 2011 by CocoBolo

[38SuperDub]

Was focusing on indexing my finger higher earlier...

Edited May 23, 2011 by bsdubois00

[Heckler]

Looks like you are just grabbing the base of the mag. Grab it by the front with your index finger extended along the front to use as a guide to the magwell. Just grabbing the base pad will cause you to miss the magwell and also drop a lot of mags.

I checked out a couple of your other videos.........did you get tired of shooting right handed and decide to go lefty?

[38SuperDub]

No - I use my webcam on my computer and it flips the images LOL

Still a righty - I'm working on the indexing the mag further down if you notice in the 2nd video my finger is much more down the mag almost touching the feed ramp...

[Sin-ster]

Getting the pistol "higher" means bringing it up into your workspace. Some people align the mag well with the tip of their nose; others advocate being able to barely see over the top of the muzzle. EVERYONE understands that bringing the pistol in closer to their body provides for much better control. You obviously don't want to be handcuffing yourself, so see what feels the most natural for your body type, eyes, etc. When you start to get faster and more comfortable, you'll want to start picking up the next target well before the mag is fully seated. If you've got thousands of reps with your head down, it's going to be a big problem.

Think of it this way. When you're doing something that calls for a lot of fine motor control-- rigging a fishing lure, getting a splinter out of your finger, putting a screw in your glasses-- what do you do naturally? Bring the work in close to your eyes of course. The same principle applies.

It also looks like you're closing one eye in the second video, when you're focusing on the front post. That's something else you should try to train away, provided it's not a necessary evil due to some issue with your vision.

EDIT to add: Watch Travis do it. The Man

Edited May 29, 2011 by Sin-ster

[grapemeister]

Pointing the gun at the ceiling when doing the reload doesn’t make much since to me. At one time I was sort of doing the same thing, but it dawned on me that maybe I could cut some time off the reload, if I try to keep the muzzle pointed in the general direction of the target, or at least downrange, not to mention the safety aspect of keeping the muzzle pointed downrange.

Now I’m flipping the gun more in my hand so I can reach the mag release while trying to keep the muzzle pointed at the next target. I think I’m getting faster reload times as this new way is becoming smoother.

The standard for me is firing one shot at the lower A zone of a 12 or 13 yard target when the timer goes off, reload, and then fire another lower A zone shot. The reload is a failure if I don’t get an A zone hit, or if the reload isn’t below 1.90 seconds.

Yesterday I was doing consistent 1.82 reloads with 12 yard A zone hits, and had one really smooth reload of 1.74 seconds. Of course, now my new goal is to have consistent reloads below 1.80 seconds and a long term goal of 1 second flat reloads. When I reach the 1 second mark, I’ll put the target out further to maybe 15 or 20 yards, and then start over.

Good luck to you, and practice, practice, practice.

[DonT]

Hello. I'm no expert but I think your doing a fine job. Your reloads seem smooth and deliberate and you're watching the mag in. It shows that you have spent a considerable amount of time practicing this and now just need to fine tune a few things. The main thing I see is you should get the gun up a little more for your reload. In frame #1 of your pictures your eye is lined up with the sights. In the last frame after the reload, your gun is lower and didn't line back up with your eye. Keeping the gun up at eye level might help you get back on target faster. Then the other things that have been mentioned like keeping the gun pointed downrange and dropping the mag while the gun is vertical and loading the new mag with the gun about 45 degrees. Just need to fine tune what you've already learned. Keep up the good work.