Recently, the importance or lack thereof surrounding reload practice for defensive use has become popular discussion.
To me, the point is fairly moot. Do reloads happen often in fights? Statistically no. Sure, you can come up with an outlier story and show that it was a critical need somewhere but you could say the same of other uncommon needs like Weak Hand Only malfunction clearances: someone will have one story where it made a huge difference and spin it off into a belief that everyone needs to master it “just in case.”
But reloads are kind of different. Unless you have a Hollywood gun with infinite bullets, you’re going to reload during practice anyway. And if you’re going to do it, you might as well learn to do it as properly and effectively as you can. Why waste the training opportunity when putting bullets in your gun?
You may not need the world’s best reload, but since you’ll be reloading a lot anyway when you’re on the range, do it right and try to do it better each time.
Train hard & stay safe! Toddg
I consider reloading skill to be kinda like carrying a gun. Odds are you won’t need it, but if you do need it you will need it VERY BADLY.
What Tom said! (And also, I’m never going to get a sub-5 second FAST if my reloads suck.)
Well said. It’s just part of being proficient with the weapon you carry or rely on.
Great article and I completely agree.
I’ve never understood citizens that have concealed carry permits and actively carry concealed, but rock themselves to sleep with statistics that say [insert organization] study states that statistically, in the a self-defense shooting the concealed carry permit holder fired only [insert small number] of rounds.
If you carry a firearm, you are preparing for the worst case scenario you will face. For most firearms owners, employing your firearm is the worst case and not the average, so why rely on the average?
Can I split the difference and just figure out a way to carry a Glock 19 with a 33 round magazine without printing too badly? 😀
J.Ja
I run a gunshop in a rural area. I can not count how many times a FUDD walks in and says his hi-point is the greatest gun ever and it only takes one shot, because they shot a dear once. I truly believe if you can’t reload under stress, shoot, move and shoot again, you are laying in a pine box. Todd thank you for keeping up the good fight against Elmer FUDDS. PLEASE COME BACK TO TULSA FOR ANOTHER AFHF CLASS.
Or Pittsburgh,KS
I’m terrible at math, so I will leave the averages to others. I carry a reload for either gun that are my regulars. I hope I never need the pistol, let alone the reload. Need for either means that I have just become a bit of a statistical out lier to begin with.
If you wan’t to train stress reloads because you enjoy it, great. If you think you might need it, fine. Statistically, You won’t. But using the argument that “If you do need it, you will need it very badly!” is not logically sound. Why? Because then the focus of your training should be to shoot while you are blind, or while tied up, or while being held under water …because chances are slim, but if you find yourself blind, tied up, or held under water, you are REALLY going to need to know what to do! I am not suggesting that you should not train for reloads. I agree with ToddG that you do it on the range, so you might as well do it right. So many people over emphasis it like it is a critical task…and its not! In my observations, and from experience in actual fire fights where stress reloads were neccessary, those very same reloads could have been prevented with proper training and tactics. So what I am suggesting, is that 90% of the time that someone does a stress reload in an actual shooting, they screwed up! There are so many better options: Do a tactical reload before you run out of ammo; transition to your pistol, or your backup, or your knife when you get bolt or slide lock; go hands on and smash the guys face in with your empty weapon; take cover and reload, etc..
I think it is funny how some people tend to cherry pick facts to get behind, v. those to ignore. Statistically, I am unlikely to need my seat belt on my drive home, my kids are unlikely to need the protection afforded by their car seats, I am unlikely to need a firearm, and I am also unlikely to need the insurance I pay on my house, my car, and my life. With a lot of luck, I won’t have to do CPR on anybody either.
However, I have a current CPR card, wear my seat belt, my kids are secured in car seats, I pay insurance on any number of things, I bought the best handgun I could afford, and I have plenty of magazines.
Generally, we as “gun people” prepare for the exceptions, not the rule – and that is a good thing.
I think this was very well put Todd. I agree that there is no need to waste a good training rep. I make it a point to reload properly every time I have to do it. Though I can’t honestly say I spend a lot of time doing reload drills I do make sure I’m proficient at it.