1/5 mag changes I flub

[skargoh]

I am new at uspsa. But have shot a bunch and taken defensive classes, etc.

Now, I have started dry firing every day for a few weeks and practicimg mag changes etc. It seems I am getting less consistent.

Somehow I am "jamming" the follower into the well lips of the gun every 5 mag changes or so.

Enough to flub the mag change.

It is frustrating. I have tried to slow down, drawn a reference point inside the well, done it with eyes closed, and I seem to be getting worse in my mind. Or at least not getting more consistent.

Any tips? Is this normal, something that will eventually click?

[AJE]

Are you always practicing with empty mags? I screwed it up more often before I started using dummy rounds to get them to the right weight.

[skargoh]

Yes empties

[shel6977]

I still fumble some mag changes when dry firing but not nearly as often since I started using dummy rounds in the magazine when practicing.

[NMBOpen]

Look at it another way: You're getting 4/5 right. Diagnose and make corrections to go 5 for 5.

[ChuckS]

Yes empties

Get some dummy rounds. You probably won't be speed loading empty mags in a match No sense in practicing something you will not do!

[Allfat]

Using dummy rounds also makes it easier because the feed lips won't catch on the edge of the magwell like in your pic. You can just put one dummy round in each magazine to get the right effect, but loading them full up also helps you get the right weight in the mag also.

[Dr. Phil]

Man!!! I wish the weatherman could nail 80%! Just sayin...

[Sac Law Man]

For me, the key is to get the mag to the magwell as fast as possible. Sort of like lining them up, then pausing, then seating the mag. However, its all in one motion though. Just as important is seeing the mag into the magwell. Every time I flub a reload, I can usually recognize I was not focused on the magwell.

[Matt Cheely]

For me, the key is to get the mag to the magwell as fast as possible. Sort of like lining them up, then pausing, then seating the mag. However, its all in one motion though. Just as important is seeing the mag into the magwell. Every time I flub a reload, I can usually recognize I was not focused on the magwell.

This. Practice getting the mag to the magwell, and not into the gun. Putting it in after it gets to the magwell is the easy part.

[Jshuberg]

Try this, very slowly and smoothly observe the path the magazine takes as it enters your peripheral vision, and into the magwell. Use your eyes the way you normally doing a mag change, but become aware of the path that the mag makes through the air and then when it enters the magwell and locks into place.

After you've observed this path slowly and carefully numerous times, overlay a visualization on top it. Imagine an arc in space, like an orange ribbon (or whatever you prefer) that occupies the path that the mag takes from the pouch to the gun, and again slowly and smoothly take your mag from your pouch and into your gun, making a point to follow the path of the arc you are visualizing. Do this many more times, and then start adding speed.

Every time you go to reload, you should visualize the arc in space the mag takes into you magwell. What you are doing here is giving your subconscious another piece of information as to what you want it to do, as well as leading the motion of the mag with your mind, rather than simply following it. Fumbling is most often caused by your motions getting ahead of your minds ability to follow them, or losing control of the motion to it's momentum. Brute force repetition can solve this problem, but so can using a cooperative visualization where the mind leads the body by seeing the path you want it to take in your minds eye, and then your body simply follows that path.

When you pooch the reload, you should notice just as it's happening that the mag has left the arc you are visualizing. Slow it down slightly, and keep practicing it. Eventually, the visualization will happen automatically without your having to think or remember to do it. This is also the point where your subconscious will also be capable of bringing the mag up and into the mag well automatically for you, taking no conscious effort.

You should also make a point to see the mag in the instant just before it enters the magwell, and then slide it home. You don't have to pause, just slow down slightly just prior to insertion so that you can see the mag, and to dampen the momentum slightly. Think of it as how you take a tight turn at speed with your car, slow down slightly before entering the turn to slow your momentum, and then accelerate slightly through the turn to maintain maximum control. You should slow down slightly an inch or so below your magwell, see the mag, and the speed up slightly as you slide it in.

If you practice these two things, you'll very rarely ever fumble a mag change. Hope this helps.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Jshuberg

[benos]

I never praticed with rounds in the mag. It all comes down to looking the mag in. And lots of it...

[skargoh]

Just finished a half hour of prax after contemplating all the comments.

I started by really focusing on examining the process and movement, and trying the visualization process described above. I also tried breaking the movement down into pieces and slightly slowing down as I inserted the mag.

I noticed my shoulders were really hunched and tense. I relaxed them. Practiced some more. Still had some flubs but then decided to take my time, visualize before each one, and end with 10 consecutive smooth ones.

It took a while, but I ended with ten consecutive smooth reloads. Not fast, but felt great.

[SWHlctx]

I've got similar problems at times. I recently worked on reloading with a shooting coach (a master shooter). I didn't realize it, but I have a bad habit of dropping my hands down when going for a reload from slide lock. My hands (and gun) were ending up down around my upper stomach level. So what was happening was I would drop the gun down to stomach level, grab a mag, reload and then bring it back to my line of sight which of course costs me time. Also caused some fumbling.

So, he is constantly on me about "working in front of your face" meaning I need to keep my hands and gun up. I've been practicing keeping my gun up at eye level, grabing a mag and reloading with par times. As BE says working on looking the mag in. Gotta say it is working a lot better. Must be something to that master stuff.

[skargoh]

I just noticed I was focusing on the paint mark on the mag well, and watching that.... while hoping to see the mag come into this spot.

Is that the correct way, or am I supposed to watch the magazine and follow it into the paint mark?

If so, when do you start watching the magazine? In its holder? Or as it comes up?

[Jshuberg]

If you decide to use the visualization trick I described above, where you look is at the visualization just below the magwell. This is where both your mental and optical focus should be. Note that you're actually focusing on an empty space until your magazine gets to that spot, at which point you slow down, see the mag, and slide it home. "looking the mag in" is the best description I've heard

I'll go a bit deeper into the idea - imagine that there's an arc of light, a ribbon, a comet trail or whatnot, the shape of your magazine that goes from your magwell, rotates down and into your mag pouch. Work on seeing this in your minds eye, and overlap this visualization on top of what your eyes are seeing. This arc represents the most direct and efficient path the mag can take from your pouch into the weapon. As you drop your empty mag and reach for your new one, see this arc in space, and move your eyes to it and focus on it just below your magwell. Take your magazine out, and follow the path of the arc to the weapon. What you want to see just as you slow down is your magazine coming into the center of your vision, in crisp focus, perfectly aligned in the center of the arc, just below the magwell. Once you see it in crisp focus speed up just a tad and watch it as you slide it home. Don't slam it home, but slide it in firmly.

As I stated above, this cooperative visualization helps your subconscious guide your motions more accurately, and actually helps speed up the process of developing procedural memories. After you do this awhile, you'll find that you automatically visualize this arc without thinking about it, and at some point may not even be consciously aware of it anymore as the subconscious takes over the entire task. When learning this technique though, the visualization is the most important part. More important than even your motions or seating the mag properly. Once you can master the visualization, the physical motions will follow, and the mag will find it's home with very little effort.

One last thing, don't try to move fast. Move quickly, but above all else move smoothly. If you put yourself on a timer, and move at 3/4 speed but focus on being smooth, you'll find you're actually faster than when you focus on full speed. It doesn't feel like it, but the timer doesn't lie

Also, the most common reason that people drop their hands down to their chest or belly when reloading or clearing a malfunction is that they've likely spent quite a lot of time shooting behind a bench, where they loaded and manipulated their weapons at the bench at that height and location. They've simply trained themselves to perform weapon manipulation at that position, even when there is no bench. The best way to solve the problem is to return to the scene of the crime - go back to shooting behind a bench, but don't use it. Train yourself to manipulate your weapon up in your workspace when behind a bench and you'll more easily break the habit of bringing your gun down "to the bench" when there isn't one present.

Hope this helps.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Jshuberg

[skargoh]

I actually did try your visualization technique. I am not great at visualization, but I tried it and it seemed to help and I could see what you meant.

So thanks.

[zhuk]

Just as important is seeing the mag into the magwell. Every time I flub a reload, I can usually recognize I was not focused on the magwell.

I reckon this is key - you should watch your mag insert into the well at that moment just as sharply as you would see your front sight. Once the point of the mag goes in, the rest will follow so no need to keep watch further and you can return your attention to reaccquiring your support-hand grip and picking up the sight picture as you present the gun to the target.

[zhuk]

Also, the most common reason that people drop their hands down to their chest or belly when reloading or clearing a malfunction is that they've likely spent quite a lot of time shooting behind a bench, where they loaded and manipulated their weapons at the bench at that height and location. They've simply trained themselves to perform weapon manipulation at that position, even when there is no bench. The best way to solve the problem is to return to the scene of the crime - go back to shooting behind a bench, but don't use it. Train yourself to manipulate your weapon up in your workspace when behind a bench and you'll more easily break the habit of bringing your gun down "to the bench" when there isn't one present.

Absolutely. Watch top shooters and they keep their reloads up where they can see them, and where you will be pointing the gun after reload. I knew I had to do that but it took a long, long time before I could train myself out of the habit of dropping my hands during reloads/clearances

[basman]

Weak hand fast to the mag, LOOK the mag into the gun.

[hops]

I dont often use full mags (full of dummy rounds) when i practice, put i always have at least a single dummy round in the mag, it does help the mag glide in if you are slightly off on the trajectory. I also noticed i flubbed the reloads more often when i was stiff. Reloads need to be done from relaxed, not stiff and tense. Plus you are faster from relaxed starting point.

Painting or marking inside the magwell? Isnt that illegal in Production?

[eric nielsen]

Without the help of a huge magwell i had a lot of problems with the Production mag change too. Remembered a class with Ron Avery where he showed us tipping the magazine into the gun after initially touching the mag to the back of the magwell. Looks like how this guy does it. If you can capture and replay the video at slow speed you see the contact - back of mag to back of mag channel:

That helped a bunch but I will be working on the arc-visualization too, I think I need that.

[Jshuberg]

There's one more thing that can really help out with mag changes, and all aspects of shooting. Before I explain it though, try the following exercise:

Close your eyes in a dark, quiet room while sitting comfortably. Take several slow, deep breaths, and relax and calm the mind. Normally our mind is like a pot of boiling water, with random thoughts bubbling up constantly. Relax and calm the boil as much as you can by sitting quietly and breathing. Now imaging yourself signing a piece of paper with your dominant hand using your normal signature you'd use on a legal document. Visualize this as clearly as possible, see then pen, see the paper, see your hand moving as you sign the paper. Do this 3 times. Then switch to your non-dominant hand. Again, see the pen, the motion of your hand across the paper as clearly as possible. Do this 3 times as well. Do this exercise before reading the next paragraph.

What you will have noticed is that you signed the paper with your dominant hand about as quickly and accurately as you actually do. However, you signed it with your non-dominant hand more slowly, and the signature didn't look right. In other words, you imagined what you actually do in reality. If you practice the visualization of signing your name with your non-dominant hand often enough, you will be able to do it just as quickly and just as accurately as you do when you visualize signing it with your dominant hand. This can take awhile, several weeks or more depending on how often you practice it.

Here's the *really* interesting part - once you get to the point where you can visualize signing your name just as well with your non-dominant hand, and then try it in reality, within a few tries you will *actually* be able to sign your name with your non-dominant hand just as well as your dominant hand, using nothing but practicing the visualization. Don't believe it? Try it!

Now do the same thing, only instead of sighing your name, visualize doing a mag change as accurately as possible. See the magazine, see the magwell, see where your eyes are looking when you perform a mag change. Chances are that you'll pooch the reload in your mind about as often as you do in reality. Until you can perform a perfect mag change in your mind every time, you won't be able to do it in reality. Your mind will simply be holding you back. It's also much easier to visualize the arc this way, since your not trying to overlay it on top of what your eyes are actually seeing.

Every time that the mag strikes the mag well, stop the scene, and delete what you just did as if it was a video. When you are able to visualize the perfect mag change, a nice fluid efficient motion, directly into the magwell without making contact with the side, where it slides in without resistance, stop the stop the visualization and rewind it and watch it again, over and over in your minds eye. See the arc, see your hands, see the magwell, feel the mag as it slides in with "nothing but net". If for some reason you pooch it, delete the video and start over. You won't be able to master the reload by visualization alone, you obviously need to practice the actual task, but also practicing it entirely in your head will solve the problem of your mind holding you back, and repeating past mistakes.

This technique also works with any physical activity that your wish to master. Train the body on the task, while also training the mind on the task separately will help you master the task faster and more effectively.

[Masonlaneactionshooter]

I used to run into the same problem, I diagnosed that I wasn't pointing the magwel toward my pouches enough. That fixed the problem though

[SWHlctx]

Also, the most common reason that people drop their hands down to their chest or belly when reloading or clearing a malfunction is that they've likely spent quite a lot of time shooting behind a bench, where they loaded and manipulated their weapons at the bench at that height and location. They've simply trained themselves to perform weapon manipulation at that position, even when there is no bench. The best way to solve the problem is to return to the scene of the crime - go back to shooting behind a bench, but don't use it. Train yourself to manipulate your weapon up in your workspace when behind a bench and you'll more easily break the habit of bringing your gun down "to the bench" when there isn't one present.

Absolutely. Watch top shooters and they keep their reloads up where they can see them, and where you will be pointing the gun after reload. I knew I had to do that but it took a long, long time before I could train myself out of the habit of dropping my hands during reloads/clearances

I thought I was making some progress on keeping the gun up in my line of sight on reloads, but in recent video of a match I'm still dropping the gun down (my brain seems to go far, far away at the sound of the timer). I guess the good news is it isn't as far down as it was, but still well below my chin.

I think I will give the visualization training technique a try. Thanks for the suggestion and explaination.

SWHolly