Loaded on barrel (or table) starts - Dropping mag

[seako_916]

I don't know how many times Ive done it but Ive done it enough that it makes me furious.

WSB for a given stage states gun starts on barrel or some other surface loaded and un-propped. I have a high tendency to what must be smacking the gun and putting pressure on the gun against the table and pushing the mag release in the processes. I can get the first round off and sometimes even the second before the mag falls out but it kills me. 
I have practiced it at home and don't have a problem but when there is a real beep behind it, Im just a slob. Are there any good tricks to picking the gun up and not being a moron? Im getting to the point that Im considering flipping the gun over and picking it up with weak hand and transferring to strong hand to eliminate the problem but that seems to introduce a new problem. 

Edited July 14 by seako_916
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[Joe4d]

Let me guess , big oversize  and or extended mag release ?

[seako_916]

4 minutes ago, Joe4d said:

Let me guess , big oversize  and or extended mag release ?

No, factory Shadow 2 mag release

[MHicks]

Just take a split second more time. Be more deliberate not rushing.

[BJB]

35 minutes ago, seako_916 said:

.....Are there any good tricks to picking the gun up .....

A few things to consider.

1) If the barrels and tables at your range are like most ranges they're probably well used and beat around somewhat.  Find a divot or indention or hole on the barrel/table surface.  When placing the gun be sure to place the mag release directly over the indention/hole (unless it's a "trigger guard centered on X" start). The mag release will never be touching the surface so it won't be engaged when retrieving the gun. 

2) When retrieving the gun after the beep, don't simply slap your strong hand down on the gun to pick it up.  Have your weak hand contact the gun first to start cupping it and picking it up from the top of the slide and from the side and a split second later your strong hand contacts the gun to get your grip, but your weak hand has already lifted the gun up somewhat from the side and the mag release is no longer contacting the table surface.

3) As soon as you pick up the gun think of TAP, RACK, BANG but leave out the RACK part. 

 

#1 above will cost you no extra time at all but is not always possible.  #2 and #3 above might cost a fraction of a second, but just a fraction, to insure a properly seated mag. That fraction of a second is time well spent if you avoid inadvertently dumping a mag. 

[shred]

2 hours ago, seako_916 said:

No, factory Shadow 2 mag release

Factory S2 mag release is already pretty big with a paddle.  Flipping with the WH is probably your best bet absent a thumb rest or slide racker.

 

[seako_916]

Thanks for the pointers guys! I’m sure it’s just me rushing it. The idea of getting my weak hand on it first seems like the most logical method and will put it into my practice routine. 

I can not add a slide racker or a thumb rest shooting Carry Optics. I’m also left handed so the slide release thumb rest things some have isn’t an option either. 
 

I’m 100% sure it’s me and not the gun. Will just need to work on this. 
 

thanks again y’all! 

[shred]

That makes it a bit more difficult.  I'm a lefty but leave the button on the left side for trigger-finger reloads so it's not available to be pushed into the table.

 

[Cuz]

1 hour ago, shred said:

That makes it a bit more difficult.  I'm a lefty but leave the button on the left side for trigger-finger reloads so it's not available to be pushed into the table.

 

 

Same here, never been an issue.  I'd be afraid to swap the mag release after so many years, don't know what my trigger finger would be doing during a reload if it wasn't needed to drop the mag...

[Out of Ammo]

I agree with what's been said.  I have a Shadow 2 with an oversized release because I have small hands.  I use my weak hand to flip the gun into my strong hand and have never had a problem.

[shred]

One thing to note, if you ever shoot IPSC and are on a one-hand-only stage, any 'helping' with the other hand to pick up is verboten.

 

[seako_916]

22 hours ago, shred said:

That makes it a bit more difficult.  I'm a lefty but leave the button on the left side for trigger-finger reloads so it's not available to be pushed into the table.

 

I swapped it right away when I started and don't know any difference at this point. I could try to swap it back like factory, but my issue isn't due to me being left-handed with the mag release swapped. The same issue could be experienced by a right-handed shooter with a factory setup. 

That being said, swapping back to the factory position and using my finger instead of my thumb would remove the problem but again introduce a new problem I'd have to learn (mag release with finger). 

[shred]

Right handers can add one of the ridiculous "not a thumb rest, really" slide stops to prop the gun.  I guess you could try a ginormous safety paddle.  

 

FWIW, I learned trigger-finger release decades ago when that's all there was.  If I was starting again now I'd seriously consider switching over since you can do that with nearly everything now.

 

[Andy9]

Here is something that hasn’t been discussed yet, and I found with one of me S2’s is that the mag release spring was a little week and that anything more then a bump would drop the mag.

You may need a new mag spring, or you could tweak it a little so that it exerts more tension holding it in place.

[CGoodwin]

I absolutely second the tap rack when picking up a loaded gun. I actually had an issue with a major brand holster activating the mag release on a Sig P226 I used to shoot. Unfortunately, we identifed the issue in the middle of a classifier...

[PA_USPSA]

I use my weak hand to lift the slide off the table so my strong hand can grab the gun better.  I don't find that it adds any time since I can get a good grip this way and don't need to readjust my grip.

[motosapiens]

i had this problem on my limited gun before i put a dorky thumbrest on it. i found that it takes exactly the same amount of time to start with the gun flipped over, so thats what i did from then on.

[seako_916]

I've been playing with it and can easily replicate it on the bench at home. Maybe my mag release spring is weak.. It takes just the slightest touch of pressure to make the mag release. This is with a half full mag or even a full mag (24 rounds with a hard seating into the gun).  I've also played with it flipped over and grabbing it with my weak hand. I'll try flipping it next time I encounter it in a match. I cannot add a thumb rest as I'm left-handed and the mag release is on the right side of the gun. Only other thing I've thought of is adding an extended safety that may prop the gun up a little, but the right-side extended safeties are all out of stock everywhere for Shadow 2.