Loading from the belt (shotgun)

[Religious Shooter]

I'm switching to weakhand shotgun reloading and I am going over the motions before I burn in the process through a bazillion repetitions.

I guess it's all the pistol shooting I've done, but when I reload from the belt I don't look down -- I just KNOW (through all the repetitive practices) where that mag pouch is.

But is this the right thing to do for shotgun (3-gun)?

For your meat and potatoes reload, do you look at the belt? Or do you do like you do with pistol reloads and not look and just rely on your muscle memory?

Right now I find it hunky-dory with the first shell holder (placed where my #1 pistol reload would be). But the rest of the holders are currently disasters. I know I can get rid of this by just practicing and burning it in.

But my concern is that I find myself moving holders in different places depending on the stage... if it's a pistol and shotgun stage I gotta put X here and Y there... if I have to bend over to a squating position I gotta put this here and that there... etc.

So I don't think burning it in like we do with pistol is ideal --- how can you burn it in if the shell holder moves? What are you guys doing to address this problem?

[PacMan]

Ahh...another "weak hand" convert! Don't know if this would help, but I always start loading from the back carrier (hardest) for the first reload, then move toward the front. I don't look at the belt when doing reloads. Practice reloading with eyes closed (and feet moving) really helped me with hitting the right carrier.

[EricW]

For your meat and potatoes reload, do you look at the belt? Or do you do like you do with pistol reloads and not look and just rely on your muscle memory?

I'm working through this right now, with the exception that I'm pulling 4 shells at a time stronghand. I know where to for my ammo on my belt, but just like with the pistol, I make a point of looking the rounds into the port. That's the hard part.

[kurtm]

I don't look for the shells, after a few tries it just becomes part of loading. Don't over think this part of loading. If you need a quick glance no big thing! Pacman has got it right. If you can practice loading with your eyes closed, then when you are loading you can be looking for the shells if you need to. Also in practice, try moving your carriers around and from which carrier you grab from first. KURTM