When you’re working with a mag-fed handgun, how quickly you can reload after firing the last shot, or experiencing a magazine malfunction, may not just be a matter of scoring in competition, but of life and death.
Therefore, it behooves you to drill with your reloads so you can reload as quickly and safely as possible.
Here are some notes on how to improve your reload speeds. Now get some 9mm full metal jacket ammo and get ready for the range.
Orient the Mags Properly
The foundation of a fast reload is making sure your handgun magazines are not only accessible, but oriented properly.
For competition shooters who are right-handed, this means the mags should be mounted baseplate-upwards, with the front of the magazine angled to the front of the wearer on the left side and towards the back of the wearer on the right side.
Having the magazine mounted to a belt or vest with the baseplate up with the front of the mag facing forward on the non-dominant side and backward on the dominant side ensures that the wearer can grab the magazine with their support hand without needing to flip it or switch it around prior to loading.
Grab the Mags the Right Way
When you have to reload quickly and have your mags oriented in the manner described above, first, drop the spent mag and let it fall.
Then, bring the handgun inwards, close to your chest. You can do this by jamming your elbow in against your hip. That will force the handgun in and keep it close to your body.
Doing so will shorten the overall range of motion you need to exercise to reload the gun, and will help minimize misses and fumbling. The shorter the distance your arms need to travel, the less room there is for error - and the more control you’ll have over both the gun and the mag.
Take your support hand and place it so that the palm is flat on the baseplate of the magazine, with all of your fingers aligned towards the front of the magazine.
Cup your palm over the base of the magazine and lay your index finger as far along the front of the mag tube as you can. This will vary depending on the length of the mag, but if you can get the tip of your index finger right up to the top of the front of the magazine so that you’re touching the nose of the lead bullet, that’s great.
Grabbing the magazine in this configuration will help you exercise greater control over it as you guide it towards the magwell.
The Reload
With the baseplate of the magazine flat on the palm of your hand, and your index finger laying along the front of the mag tube, you’re in a good position to drive the magazine home.
Remove it from your belt, turning your hand over so that the top of the magazine is now pointing up. Bring it in towards the gun, leading the top of the magazine towards the magwell.
With your finger on the mag tube, you should be better able to feel where the magazine is pointing, directing it into the magwell.
When you have the nose of the magazine in the magwell, remove your finger from the tube, open your grip so that your fingers aren’t in the way, and drive the mag in forcefully.
Just for good measure, if you want, you can give the bottom of the mag a good rap to make sure it engages the mag catch.
With this done, you can release the slide and you’ll be ready to shoot.
Why It’s Effective
The method described here is effective because it brings the gun in close where you can control it, and coaches you to grip the magazine in a fashion that will help eliminate fumbling as well as “misses” - meaning that you need a few attempts to get the mag into the mag chute. It is one of the most effective protocols for speeding up reloads with a mag-fed handgun.
Now You Need to Practice It
The method described is one of the most effective ways to quickly reload a magazine-fed handgun, but the most important aspect of a quick reload isn’t the technique, it’s the time you spend training.
No method for a quick reload will be any use to you unless you drill it into muscle memory. So carve out some time, get the ammo cans full of some 9mm full metal jacket target ammo, and get to the range.
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