My New Dry Fire Reload Drill

[dirtypool40]

Like a lot of us in the Enos-verse I practice reloads as part of my dry fire routine, when I get off my ass to do it. BUT I have always practiced them standing still, like in a speed shoot.

I saw myself on tape from my first nationals, and was HORRIFIED at how I stood there when it was time to hit a moving reload, or sort of half assed it at half speed.

Now even though it's still dry fire in my ilttle apartment, I practice what I call a "BLAST OFF" reload like I just finished a port or an array and it's time to haul ass and snap a reload right now.

You can't really set a par time, but it is a diffeernt movement than a static reload, so I think it's worth my time.

I'll sweep across an array of pasters on the wall, and then take that first charging step as I reload. It takes a different type of focus and readiness for me.

When I get time to live fire again I intend to do it as a part of live fire too, shoot an array on teh move past it, and smash the reload as I accellerate. Again you can't really time the reload, but it's learning the focal shift and to let the targets go. The mechanics are there from static practice, I need the movement mindset.

Jeez, I hope I haven't given away a secret before I get any results from it. Anyone out there doing anything similar?

[Jake Di Vita]

I've always tried to integrate reloads on the move into my dry-fire routine...keep at it and you will see really fantastic results.

[Garfield]

My house isn't big / empty enough for that

But indeed it seems a very logical way to practice reloads.

[Jake Di Vita]

Don't really need a lot of space...do you have any halls? Can even go from one side of a room through a doorway into another room.

[blkbrd]

I love this forum, my competition is always giving me ideas on how to improve!!

Of course before I call Dirtypool my competition I need to be within at least a few % now don't I???

[Garfield]

Well, my wife and I have a rule that no weapons are allowed in the house besides in the attick, where I have my safe, reloading bench etcetera. The attick is not so small (for Dutch standards) but it is pretty full. But now that I am thinking about it, I might be able to move some stuff out of the way and clear some sort of path that I can use. Hmm, I guess I just found another add-on to my dry-fire practice routines

[diehli]

Sounds like it might be time for some re-negotiations.

How I got around the whole housemate/gun-phobia thing: kept playing with guns in the house. It's kinda like walking around naked... they get used to it.

[Garfield]

[thread drift]

Hi, make no mistake: my wife certainly is not anti-gun or so. In fact, every now and then she accompanies me to my club and beats a lof of people when shooting .22lr pistol / revolver In fact, she would love to join the club and shoot on a regular basis, but she has other hobbies too and we only have so much time and money

However, I'm living in NL where privately owned guns are an exception. Although I am free to handle my guns in the house, it just doesn't "feel right". We mutually agreed upon this "rule". AND we have two little kids running around the house, and we don't want to raise them thinking it's absolutely normal to run around the house with a gun. They're 1,5 and 3,5 y/o, they are just not capable of fully understanding. But I don't hide my guns from them either. My oldest son regularly "visits" me when I'm reloading or cleaning and he knows that they're not toys. And he already says "I cannot handle them now but when I am older I can come with you and shoot too" But I don't practice in their presence. It's just so totally different here in NL when it comes to guns, that you have to be a bit cautious, just to avoid trouble.

[/thread drift]

[Steve Anderson]

It is very helpful to learn to do an automatic "burst of speed" when reloading.

You walk or stand to make your shots, but on the reload you just haul ass to that next position, slide in with the gun on target and you're golden.

You don't need much space, just the commitment to improving.

Watch Travis on the Burkett DVD...on the slot machine field course, he does a perfect example of the burst of speed.

SA

[DogmaDog]

I've started doing this, too.

I dry fire in the living room, usually during commercial breaks on TV.

I start with some standing reloads, and then I'll do moving reloads, starting at the doorway, I'll reload moving into the room, then I'll reload moving sideways accross the room, then reload again in the same direction. I try to get the reload done in two or three steps, with the reload complete as I decelerate into a shooting stance.

Shooting positions are typically only a few feet apart on some courses, and you really only need to practice the leaving and the entering, where transitions are happening, so you don't need a really big space--10 feet in the long direction should be enough, I would think.

DogmaDog

[oddjob]

My son and I dry fire in the family room. I practice reloads while moving and it helps. My son is so good at it he doesn't have to move. He just stands and reloads.

[Jake Di Vita]

My son is so good at it he doesn't have to move. He just stands and reloads.

That doesn't mean he shouldn't continue practicing it.

[twix]

I like to practice reloading as I leave a shooting position. Then I continue on a few steps to simulate shooting on the move at 2 or 3 more targets.