Weak hand thumb to hit mag release

[Sarge]

I have been struggling with my reloads with the new platform. (2011) I am really having to reach for the mag button.

While doing some dry fire today I tried hitting the mag release with my left thumb. It works really well and is much faster for me.

I know it is outside the "norm" but can anybody point to any serious pitfalls?

[ParaGunner]

It's slower. You should be reaching for a mag with your left hand while pressing the mag release with your right.

[Singlestack]

It's slower. You should be reaching for a mag with your left hand while pressing the mag release with your right.

+1

I have to shift the gun in my hand to reach it well. Dry fire is your friend here.

[Pat Miles]

If your grip has been textured or gritted you might consider sanding smooth the area where your strong hand thumb travels to the mag release. Your thumb does not drag on the rough surface while moving to the release. Just smooth it out, remove minimal material.

Pat

[Chris Keen]

Much slower than traditional methods. Get a longer mag release button, a smaller (narrower) grip, or get a thumb stretcher.

[Pat Miles]

Much slower than traditional methods. Get a longer mag release button, a smaller (narrower) grip, or get a thumb stretcher.

Thumb stretcher! YIKES!

Pat

[bigstick0000]

i agree with smoothing the grip where your strong thumb goes. I had the same problem and it didnt take much to smooth it out. Its much easier now that I contoured it slightly

[Lou D]

Where can I get that thumb stretcher??? I got the tip of my right thumb cut off in a work accident,lost about 3/8 of an inch from it.REALLY doesn't do my reloads any good.Even with an extended button,I have to rotate the gun a little just to reach it.The one thing I did kind of pick up from it though,is using my left thumb to drop the slide release as my hands drop back into shooting position,instead of putting in the mag,then using my right thumb to drop the slide.the slide falls almost automatically without any interruption as my hands go back into position,pretty much mag in,back on target..Really works well.

[sdm74]

I have been struggling with my reloads with the new platform. (2011) I am really having to reach for the mag button.

While doing some dry fire today I tried hitting the mag release with my left thumb. It works really well and is much faster for me.

I know it is outside the "norm" but can anybody point to any serious pitfalls?

Not sure how much time you actually lose. I know a guy who just shot at the world shoot who releases the mag with his weak hand. That is how he learned to shoot from when his hands where to small to hit the release with strong hand.

[Corey]

put yourself on a timer and find out exactly how much slower it may or may not be. In theory, yes its slower because your weak hand gets delayed getting to the fresh mag. But if you have to do a large shift to hit the button, then shift again to get it back into your firing position, then mess with it more once you re-grip before you can fire, maybe the weak hand button push would save you time. One way to find out

[Singlestack]

That's only going to be a good evaluation if you are proficient at hitting it both ways.

[ddpenn]

I have shorter thumbs and had the same problem until I fixed how I hold the pistol. If it is rotated in your hand in proper alignment it should not require much shifting even with short thumbs.

I have thought about reversing the mag release to activate with the trigger finger maybe others could chime in about their experience with this set up.

[digby7]

theres a master level guy here that shoots open - he's a bit shorter and I noticed watching him that he actually drops the mag with the middle finger of his strong hand.

haven't tried it myself but that might be a option for you.

Ive also tried out every single mag button known to man - finally settled on the arrondendo - they have them at cpwsa - thin, long enough, good texture and cheap.

[gtldvm]

theres a master level guy here that shoots open - he's a bit shorter and I noticed watching him that he actually drops the mag with the middle finger of his strong hand.

haven't tried it myself but that might be a option for you.

Ive also tried out every single mag button known to man - finally settled on the arrondendo - they have them at cpwsa - thin, long enough, good texture and cheap.

I'm new to competition shooting and this forum. I have recently realized that I hold my pistol incorrectly and have since corrected that, but my point is I got in the habit of dropping the magazine with my middle finger of my strong hand. It also makes me sure my index finger is off the trigger as it is necessary to place beside the slide to stabilize the gun and maintain my grip position.

Greg

[ChuckS]

I had heard that The Jet uses the weak thumb for the mag release...

[3Sigma]

I had heard that The Jet uses the weak thumb for the mag release...

This is true, Jethro uses his weak hand thumb (he doesn't really have big hands) and it didn't seem to hurt him too much in the match or the shoot-off. I guess it all boils down to preference and making the best of what you have.

Edited October 19, 2011 by 3Sigma

[Joe4d]

Not weak thumb, but weak hand, the meat/ below your thumb. That is already right next to your mag release. From a thumb forward hold a slight rearward rotation has that part of your hand right on the button. Your fingers stay in same position and the side of your index finger sweeps down the front strap. This will catch any mag pads from mags that may not be dropping free.

How many times you seen people doing the mag drop maracas, shaking the gun trying to get the mag to fall.

May not be absolute fastest if everything goes well but it does have the advantage of pre clearing a mag that is hanging, and no hand shifting of your strong hand.

[Sin-ster]

There are very few pistols from which I can drop a mag without shifting my grip. Knowing that there were plenty of excellent shooters out there with the same problem, I decided to evaluate why I was having so much trouble.

Turns out I was moving the pistol way too much. I went home after a match riddled with bad mag changes (I shoot Production) and decided to slowly find the best technique. In a matter of minutes, I discovered I had but to drag the fingers of my strong hand a quarter inch or so from their original position towards the front strap and I could hit the release on my Glock every time. The gun never moved against my palm, and fell naturally back into place without any effort at all.

I've noticed that, like myself, most people want to "toss" the gun to get to that release when they can't reach it from their natural grip. Not only is it a bit hairy, but it's extremely inconsistent-- even with a lot of practice. And consistency and repetition are the foundations for speed.

You might try figuring out just how much movement it takes, and decide whether or not that's preferable to using the support side thumb. In my limited experience with a 2011 platform, I found the amount of movement and the overall feel almost exactly like my mag changes with the Glock. Haven't had a bad reload since... that wasn't the result of something else, at any rate.

[67 LS1 Camaro]

I have been struggling with my reloads with the new platform. (2011) I am really having to reach for the mag button.

While doing some dry fire today I tried hitting the mag release with my left thumb. It works really well and is much faster for me.

I know it is outside the "norm" but can anybody point to any serious pitfalls?

I've experimented this and really liked it. Works really well on the 2011 platform. If there was a time loss, it wasn't noticeable for me. Just a tap on the mag release as my weak hand leaves the grip position on it's way to a fresh mag. I like that I maintain my grip and keeping my thumb on the thumb safety.

Although it does not work on the Glock platform. Fast tap on the mag release makes the mag stuck halfway out.

Edited October 21, 2011 by 67 LS1 Camaro

[3Sigma]

I have been struggling with my reloads with the new platform. (2011) I am really having to reach for the mag button.

While doing some dry fire today I tried hitting the mag release with my left thumb. It works really well and is much faster for me.

I know it is outside the "norm" but can anybody point to any serious pitfalls?

I've experimented this and really liked it. Works really well on the 2011 platform. If there was a time loss, it wasn't noticeable for me. Just a tap on the mag release as my weak hand leaves the grip position on it's way to a fresh mag. I like that I maintain my grip and keeping my thumb on the thumb safety.

Although it does not work on the Glock platform. Fast tap on the mag release makes the mag stuck halfway out.

Same here. I use it only for the 2011 platform, I've tried installing an extended button like the one STI produces but it sort of gets in the way and I've had my mags drop on me accidentally. But for single stack or a glock I have no issues using my strong hand thumb to release the mag.

Edited October 21, 2011 by 3Sigma

[Steve RA]

Get an Ambidextrous magazine release and push it with your trigger finger. Dawson sells one from Mitchell for your gun. S&A for a 1911.

[Avenida]

haha going to revive this zombie thread to add my experiences:

 

if the grip starts wrong i.e too much finger wrapped around the front serrations of the grip and web of the hand not centered with the grip safety, you will never reach the release unless you have stupid long thumbs.

 

paying attention to your hand placement before the draw and practice this motion hundred of times has gotten rid of this bad habit brought over from smaller guns.

 

good news is once I did that, I can reach the release easily (I have small hands btw) and ALSO my grip has dramatically improve.

 

I will do a video if I have time!

 

[Xanatos903]

The Williams girls don't seem to have much trouble with it. They've still got faster reloads than most shooters. 

[waktasz]

It's still sub optimal. Find a mag button you can reach or switch it around to the other side like Steve said (8 years ago)

[DeweyH]

One of the things that most people do not consider is the hit after the reload.   I did some testing many years ago and the difference in time between normal and weak hand thumb reloads was about .2 seconds.   The thing that I noticed in testing was that I had more consistent A hits with the Weak thumb reload.   If you do the hit factor for a Major C in 1.00 seconds Vs. an A in 1.2 seconds the A in 1.2 is .1666 hit factor better.  So even though it is not best to use the Weak thumb method, it is probably not horrible either.  If you are shooting Minor it may even be a wash over time.