Regimen for refilling extended mags between stages?

[CHLChris]

I just added Dawson +5 extensions to my G35 magazines. After a stage I always always always put my used mags in my pocket instead of my mag pouches. Until now, I've always played in L-10 and just needed to keep the mags full to 10 (or 11 for my barney mag).

Let's say I only shot 2 or 3 rounds out of my last mag, so 17 or 18 are still in the mag, but the windows only go to 15. What do I do to make sure they are full?

My thought is to unload to 14, then load 6 more. Any other thoughts?

[caspian guy]

Any time any of mags are used or hit the ground they are emptied and cleaned if necessary, then refilled.

[JaeOne3345]

When I finish a stage, mags that got used do not go back on the belt. I just take these mags back to the table, empty them regardless of how full they are, clean if necessary (clean any dusty ammo as well), and reload.

It doesn't take that long to do.

Edited November 27, 2013 by JaeOne3345

[Sarge]

If your mags all hold the same number of rounds EXACTLY then just jam them as full as they will go and pull one out. That will usually give you good reliability and reloadability.

Or you can download them to a known point such as your 14 then top off.

OR, especially if you drop one on the ground, just empty the mag completely and make sure it is clean enough and reload.

Lot's of shooters empty every mag after they shoot a stage so there are no surprises next stage. Rounds have been known to get cockeyed inside the mag when dropped and when you think it is full you will get about 2 rounds fired and it will go Tango Uniform on you.

[jcarpenter82]

Im with Sarge. I will drop the one in the gun for the show clear call and put it in the first mag pouch. ill go pick up the other mag(s) and walk back to my bag, pull out used mag in pouch and place used mags on table....rotate the unused full mags up into the empty spots, kick out all rounds left over in used mags, dissy...clean...reassemble, fill them up, place them back in empty pouches and continue my match. Never had a problem yet.

[Kraj]

As long as they look clean if I know that they are mostly empty (hit the ground) I empty them. If i shot a couple and take it out of the mag well i just fill it up and take the last one out

Also in my 20 round G35 Mags the 20th one im fighting the spring but it just barely make it in, so i know when im at 19

Edited November 28, 2013 by Kraj

[CHLChris]

I've never cleaned a mag in the field. Maybe that's because we're just not dusty at my club. We're also not playing on gravel chips like some clubs. I suppose that's a big benefit of the Dawsons: easy on/off.

I've also never completely emptied a mag after a stage.

I have a feeling that every step y'all have added to your routine is because of a real-world problem that has messed you up in the past. I hope to learn from all of your experience!

[t0066jh]

Different strokes for different folks. With Ltd or open, Unload and show clear mag goes in front pocket to be topped off til full. It becomes the "make ready" mag for the next stage. Mags from the ground are dissassembled cleaned and reloaded, usually no more than 2 mags.

For SStack. Same routine except mags on the ground get wiped off and swabbed from the top. Never had a problem with these mags....they're Tripp Cobra. jmho

[OUshooter]

Even if i drop a mag in the grass and it's "clean" i always empty, inspect and refill. Bullets/mags do weird things when dropped on the ground, seems worse if it's mostly full and heavy.

It doesn't take much extra time and it keeps me from having that little voice "i hope that #3 mag doesn't stick" just as I'm slamming it home.

I've picked up mags that i dropped in the grass and looked fine, but shake it and it sounds like a box of tic tacs. Had this with several brands of Glock mag extensions.

Edited November 29, 2013 by OUshooter

[38supPat]

After every stage I strip and reload every mag whether it got used or not.

[CHLChris]

I pretty much followed Sarge's suggestions. My first stage I loaded my mags to 20 and TWICE had them pop back out when they didn't seat. Some of that was the bitter cold, but most of that was me not slamming the over-filled magazines home.

Every stage after that I only loaded to 19 and I never had that problem again, though I made sure to follow-through and each and every magazine insertion.

[LilBunniFuFu]

I shoot a glock. Even even with that, if it comes out of the belt and hits the floor I clean and reload it. Better to be safe than running the risk of screwing a stage.

[Daft]

Anyone load up a bunch of mags before the match so there is more time for other stuff?

[Ultimo-Hombre]

A buddy of mine loads his mags the night before a match. I don't, I have this incorrect sense that that will somehow weaken the springs faster. It has been well proven that it is cycles that kills a spring over time, so if it suits a fella, then go for it.

It is part of my match day rituals to load all my mags waiting for the morning briefing. I don't carry mags on my belt anymore in between stages, just slap em in on deck.

As far as managing them between stages...

At unload that mag goes in my back pocket, along with the ones I dumped on the stage. After scoring all mags that were used in any way get unloaded and cleaned, the ammo that was in them gets a once over with a rag, then I reload from zero. That way, I am certain there is no grit and I am certain of round counts.

May seem excessive to some, but all part of the fun and avoidable malfunctions suck.

[ZackJones]

Before switching to revolver I would take any mags used during the stage and unload them completely and then reload them. Those magazines that didn't get used (I carried 4 on my belt) were rotated from left to right on the belt. That way I would cycle through all magazines during the course of the match instead of just using the same couple of mags over and over. Now that I'm shooting a revolver a I have a similar process in that moon clips are added to holder on the left side and everything shifts to the right as it is used. I also pre-load 30 moon clips the night before the match. That gives me 180 rounds loaded and ready to go. I help with scoring using a tablet so my downtime between shooting is minimal.

[CHLChris]

After including mag extensions, I can't afford any more than the 6 mags I've got.

Since people keep talking about "cleaning" their magazines, how is you clean them? Remove the base plate and run a rag up through them? Maybe an Arredondo mag brush? What?

[Sarge]

After including mag extensions, I can't afford any more than the 6 mags I've got.

Since people keep talking about "cleaning" their magazines, how is you clean them? Remove the base plate and run a rag up through them? Maybe an Arredondo mag brush? What?

Magbrush is typically good enough for match cleaning. To me it's less about cleaning than it is about making sure nothing got inside the tube that will jam up a follower

[GuildSF4]

If it hits the ground I empty and clean it. As Sarge says a mag brush works just fine for matches, rags can get stuck and be a pain.

[Ultimo-Hombre]

After including mag extensions, I can't afford any more than the 6 mags I've got.

Since people keep talking about "cleaning" their magazines, how is you clean them? Remove the base plate and run a rag up through them? Maybe an Arredondo mag brush? What?

Decontaminating more than cleaning. Just have to get the bits of grit out of there as they bind the follower or cartridges.

A single pass with a brush.

That is for 2011's though. For everyone else, just load and shoot! It's only the expensive guns that won't run a dropped mag!!

[Sarge]

After including mag extensions, I can't afford any more than the 6 mags I've got.

Since people keep talking about "cleaning" their magazines, how is you clean them? Remove the base plate and run a rag up through them? Maybe an Arredondo mag brush? What?

Decontaminating more than cleaning. Just have to get the bits of grit out of there as they bind the follower or cartridges.

A single pass with a brush.

That is for 2011's though. For everyone else, just load and shoot! It's only the expensive guns that won't run a dropped mag!!

This is true. I have rinsed muddy Glock mags off in a rain puddle and they worked fine!

[GuildSF4]

After including mag extensions, I can't afford any more than the 6 mags I've got.

Since people keep talking about "cleaning" their magazines, how is you clean them? Remove the base plate and run a rag up through them? Maybe an Arredondo mag brush? What?

Decontaminating more than cleaning. Just have to get the bits of grit out of there as they bind the follower or cartridges.

A single pass with a brush.

That is for 2011's though. For everyone else, just load and shoot! It's only the expensive guns that won't run a dropped mag!!

Paras too... Maybe some others.

[Graham Smith]

Lot's of shooters empty every mag after they shoot a stage so there are no surprises next stage. Rounds have been known to get cockeyed inside the mag when dropped and when you think it is full you will get about 2 rounds fired and it will go Tango Uniform on you.

I didn't used to do this, but after having a few screw ups, I do now.

When I am done, full mags stay on the belt, partial mags go in the pocket. Then I want every round out of the partial mag and I start from scratch. My G35 extended mags hold 20 rounds but will only work properly with 19 if not at slide lock, so I load each one with one 10 round row and one 9 round row from a tray. Look at each bullet as you go and watch how they are feeding. Pay as much attention to doing this as you do to everything else. It doesn't take that long and it is just as important because you don't want to be at the line wondering how many rounds you have in what magazine.

[thermobollocks]

For my 17+6 M&P 9 mags, I wipe them on my pants between stages and load one light. It's very easy to tell -- it's the last one my magloader can fit. For AR mags, I try to bring 6 for a 3 or 4 stage match -- usually works out pretty well. I throw the used ones in my trunk and pick the fresh ones out of my bag.

[CHLChris]

I've noticed a few people talking about loading the extended mags up to capacity MINUS one. I never understood that, but once I actually tried to use completely full mags in a recent match and had three or four times a full mag drop out the bottom in the middle of a stage because it never engaged.

I will now use down-loaded mags, as I did on stages three to six...without any problems.

[thermobollocks]

With mine in particular, you're supposed to be able to modify the follower so the very last round doesn't exert so much pressure on the slide when you ram one home. I don't know about other manufacturers, though.