Ways to Hold Your Magazine During a Reload

Types of Reload

How you hold your magazine will determine if you have a successful reload. In general, there are two types of magazine reloads; tactical and speed. There is a third called an administrative reload which is performed without pressure during training. The Tactical Reload is done when you have a lull in the engagement and you have extra time to reload. The speed reload is where you are in the thick of it and have to get a fresh magazine in yesterday. Though there are many articles on how to perform the reloads, this article will focus on how to the two different methods of holding your magazine during any

The Tactical Reload is done when you have a lull in the firefight and you have extra time to reload. You are generally behind cover but you can also change magazines while moving. The speed reload is where you are in the thick of things and have to get a fresh magazine in yesterday. You may be behind cover or not.

There are many articles on how to perform these reloads. This blog post will focus on the two different methods of holding your magazine during any type of reload.

Types of Holds

There are two ways to hold your magazine while performing a reload; caveman and index. Both work well under stress as long as you train and practice. The Caveman Hold is similar to holding a hammer. The Index Hold is similar to reloading your handgun. You grab the magazine and index your finger on the side to help guide you into the magazine well. With my rifles, I prefer the Caveman Hold because under stress you lose your fine motor skills but can easily handle gross movements. I stick to the Index Hold when using handguns because the magazines are much smaller and easily controlled.

 

Caveman Hold Reload

You always reach for your fresh magazine before you remove the old one. When you grab your new magazine, you hold it like you would a hammer or other club-like tool. Depending on the type of reloading you are performing, you will either drop the old magazine or hang on to it. Once the magazine is removed, you place the tip of themagazine inside the magazine well to index it and slam it home.

Index Hold reload

As stated above, you always reach for your fresh magazine before you remove the old one. Depending on the type of reloading you are performing, you will either drop the old magazine or hang onto it. When you grab your new magazine, you place your palm over the bottom of the magazine and as you pull it out of your magazine pouch (or wherever you have it stuffed), you place your index finger on the backside of the magazine. You use your index finger as a guide to insert the magazine into the magazine well, then slam it home.

The Key is Training

Regardless of which method you use, you must train with it. You must practice by way of repeition in order to build your actions into muscle memory. During an engagement is not the time to fumble with a reload or drop a magazine.

If you’d like more information or have any questions, feel free to email me at Murgado.a@livefreearmory.com. Please remember that Live Free Armory is here to help you whether you choose to buy from us or not.  We believe that obtaining the right information should always be your first step.