Learn to Reload Month continues here at pistol-training.com.
In the past two weeks we’ve worked on dry-fire practice and then live-fire planned reloads. This week we’re going to take that smooth skill and learn to apply it on demand with the Surprise Reload Drill.
This drill is specifically designed to work both reload speed as well as learning a reflexive response when your pistol is empty.
As with last week’s drill, this time we’ll be using a fairly large target (such as a 8.5×11 sheet of paper or a paper plate) at a relatively close range like 5 yards. You’ll also need as many magazines as you can find. Set up your gear on your belt just as you would normally, whether that’s for duty, concealed carry, or competition. The rest of your spare magazines can just sit on a bench until you need them.
Load some of your magazines with three rounds, some with four, and some with five. Mix up the magazines so you have no idea which is which. Load your pistol with one magazine at random and put some others in your mag pouches without trying to keep track of how many rounds are in any of the mags. Don’t cheat yourself … the biggest benefit to this drill comes from being surprised when your pistol runs dry.
Start either from the ready position or, if you’d also like to incorporate some draw practice, begin from the holster.
On the “GO” signal, fire four rounds at the target. Focus on your shooting … get all your hits and try to fire the shots as fast as you can while staying in control of the gun. Repeat the drill over and over again.
Your pistol will run out of ammo as you shoot the drill. It could happen during or at the end of the 4-shot string. Because your magazines have different numbers of rounds in them, the reload will come at different points in the drill each time. As soon as the slide locks back, perform your reload and keep going … finish the four shots each time.
As you run out of magazines on your belt, grab some more from your spares. Try to run the drill over and over again with as little down time as possible. You won’t need to reload each time … in fact, you’ll get through the drill without a reload more often than the times you will have to reload. So don’t think about the reload while you’re shooting. This is still a shooting drill, so focus on your shooting when you’re shooting. But as soon as the slide locks back, react and get into the habit of performing a reload the moment you feel the gun go dry.
Training with firearms is an inherently dangerous activity. Be sure to follow all safety protocols when using firearms or practicing these drills. These drills are provided for information purposes only. Use at your own risk.