Mag Reload Question

[thejoe]

In short the question is: aside from not hitting the mag well with the mag when reloading is there any other way to protect the mag well from getting beat to @*$# when practicing my reload? I have a S&W Sigma for which I doubt there are any aftermarket mag wells that will hold up better. Any ideas from the experienced guys? Thanks in advance.

joe

[ihatepickles]

Put a snap cap in the magazine. That will help with not chewing up the magwell when you miss. If there's enough clearance some electricians tape will help pad the magwell too.

As you said though, the less you miss the better off you'll be. You might add a few dots of paint on the inside edge of the magwell so that you have something to focus on and help you nail the reload.

Edited to add, you can also do a halfway reload, people call it a Burkett reload. The principle is to hit the mag release button with good pressure (don't start with a mag in the gun, just hit the button to simulate dropping the old mag) and then bring the new mag up to the edge of the magwell so that just a bit of the mag is inserted into the gun. It's not so hard on the gear and it really is the hardest part to get right so you benefit a lot from practicing it that way without banging your gear up. You get more practice too since you're not picking up mags every minute.

Edited February 8, 2007 by ihatepickles

[Duane Thomas]

One of the tricks to getting better at any skill - including the speed reload - is to break it down into parts, figure out where you're screwing up, and then only practice that part. On a complex, multi-part skill like, for instance, the speed reload this allows much faster improvement that simply practicing the entire skill since you're not wasting time on the areas in which you're already good. Instead all your practice goes to building up the weak area.

Where almost everyone screws up the speedload, if they're going to screw up, is in the alignment and insertion of the fresh magazine, then getting the gun back on target. Thus that should be where most of your practice goes. Hold the gun in whatever position you hold it at magazine insertion, with the magazine perfectly aligned with the mag well but about an inch away. Then simply insert the mag and bring the gun back up to line of sight with the sights perfectly aligned and drop the hammer. Recock the gun, drop the mag into your support hand. Do it again. And again. And again. Do that a few thousand times and you'll find those bobbles where you bang the magazine off the mag well going away.

[Merlin Orr]

A scared and banged up magwell is a badge of honor showing diligence in your practice of the speed reload. Those who would worry eat french fries with a fork and don't lick their fingers when eating BBQ.....

[dirtypool40]

Come on man, Race cars use tires!!!!

YOu can always tell the new guy with the shiny gear. GET SOME DIRT ON THAT THING!!!

[thejoe]

But... but... it's my baby!

Ok... Not really.

joe

[Micah]

A scared and banged up magwell is a badge of honor showing diligence in your practice of the speed reload. Those who would worry eat french fries with a fork and don't lick their fingers when eating BBQ.....

+1. I would recommend setting aside two magazines and load them up with dummy rounds to simulate a more realistic weight. Dryfiring with an empty gun and reloading to empty magazines isn't something that you would do in a match.

[dajarrel]

Also, it would be a good idea to practice mag changes while moving. It's real convienient to stand still and practice until you are proficient/fast...but then go outside and run across the yard while doing the same mag changes. Things change. The principles are still the same but the target (magwell) is moving.

Just my take on it.

And OBTW, you will bugger up the magwell as you practice reloads. If it gets too beat up, you can file or sand it down again.

FWIW

dj

[Duane Thomas]

I would recommend setting aside two magazines and load them up with dummy rounds to simulate a more realistic weight. Dryfiring with an empty gun and reloading to empty magazines isn't something that you would do in a match.

If you're going to do this, you might want to stand in front of your bed to practice speedloading, so the bed can cushion the mag's fall. I found out the hard way that dropping a fully loaded SIG P228 mag on my apartment's floor would trash the mag (popped the welds along the mag spine).

I practice with only a single dummy cartridge in the mag and I've never had a problem with the difference in magazine weight during a match.