What about the tactical reload or reload with retention?

[fullautovalmet76]

The IDPA matches I have participated in will require the shooter to to do a tactical reload. IDPA's defines a tactical reload as:
Recharging the gun during a lull in the action by:

• Drawing a spare magazine prior to the ejection of the partial magazine from the gun.
  
• Dropping the partial magazine from the gun.
  Inserting the spare magazine into the gun.
  Stowing the partial magazine properly.
  

IDPA defines reload with retention as:

• Dropping the partial magazine from the gun, Stowing the partial magazine properly (See “proper magazine retention.”)
  
• Drawing a spare magazine.
  Inserting the spare magazine into the gun
  

Other than reloading at slide lock, do these reloading methods have any real benefit when it matters most? Or should I avoid disabling a working gun until I need to reload?

NOTE: This question is not meant to discuss the merits of IDPA, just the effectiveness of these types of reloads.

[luvmy45]

Good question, I am curious to the real use of that type of a reload.

The only one I can think of is after a shooting has occurred that you have expended rounds, you have assessed the situation and deemed it safe and would want to top off the gun before reholstering the weapon.

Any other situations?


Brian

[m25operator]

Other than reloading at slide lock, do these reloading methods have any real benefit when it matters most? Or should I avoid disabling a working gun until I need to reload?

Happiness is a full gun. Keeping your pistol or rifle full when the opportunity comes is a good thing, shooting til slide lock may happen and you react accordingly, leaving live ammo and magazines on the ground could come back to haunt you, I think retaining your partially empty mags is a good idea, revolvers have a completely different mindset. It is more possible to reload a few cartridges, in the cylinder, or just dump out what you have and stow the empties and the live rounds somewhere, and use a speed loader.

I don't know why your reloading should disable your pistol, it should have one round chambered, unless your empty, and if I have my rules right, your reloading behind cover, and expose yourself afterward, to address the threat. 1 of the few things I like about IPDA.

[Rob Pincus]

I have written on this extensively, but Real Quick:

1. Outside of some military environments, the overwhelming majority of the dynamic critical incidents that outlast the capacity of the firearms being used require slide lock reloads. The magical "lulls" rarely seem to appear.

2. The "tactical" reload (basically as described in the OP), is really "strategic" it is something that is done after a critical incident, in preparation for another one. It is not actually a counter-ambush skill and is much more administrative in nature.

3. It used to be common for square range training to include concepts like "counting rounds" and "double tapping". These antiquated concepts have fallen by the way side in progressive defensive training.

4. In a real incident, if you encounter slide lock you have a much more critical moment than having a "lull" and the opportunity to top off.

When you look at those 4 items, you should get a quick understanding of why we only teach topping the gun off inside of appropriate scenarios. We overwhelmingly stress the slide lock reload in training. As a concept, the "tactical reload" is spot on. As a range habit that gets in the way of actually practicing slide lock reloads (emergency, critical incident, etc), they are a problem. If you are in the middle of engaging a threat and reach slide lock and you've spent years on square ranges counting rounds or otherwise keeping yourself from reaching slide-lock, you won't have an efficient/intuitive response or a well rehearsed technique to get you back into the fight. On the other hand, if you must look down at the gun to do a top-off while behind cover waiting for another threat... so be it.  You should spend much more of your time practicing the Critical Incident skill.

The Concept of topping off is what you need to understand, but the mechanics of slide lock reloads is the more vital training issue. If anything, when you are on the square range, you should download your mags to get MORE slide lock training!

-RJP

[DonWorsham]

I knew there was something I liked about Rob.

+1

[Sponsor]

[PoorSoulInJersey]

NOTE: This question is not meant to discuss the merits of IDPA, just the effectiveness of these types of reloads.

I think IDPA does that to equalize the stages a little more (no crying foul because you started out with one round in the magazine). In a real civilian self defense situation, I seriously doubt you will have time to reload (for reasons Rob expressed much better than I could).

I think it's good to hit slide lock in IDPA just so you get used to seeing it and reacting to it in a somewhat stressful situation (more stressful than the range, but not as stressful as a real incident).

[luvmy45]

I think IDPA does that to equalize the stages a little more (no crying foul because you started out with one round in the magazine). In a real civilian self defense situation, I seriously doubt you will have time to reload (for reasons Rob expressed much better than I could).

Just to clarify, that is not the reason that IDPA does them...

At least according to the IDPA rule book, reload's like Tactical and RWretention are to be done OFF the clock at a Match... the only time a tac or retention reload should be used in a course of fire would be a standards type drill, such as the classifier.

If a club is mandating a tac reload or RWrentetion, then they are not adhering to the intent of IDPA or the game.

At least that is my understanding of it.

I like Rob's take on the this, a tactical reload of some type is an administrative task... that's a great way to describe it.

Rob, where would one look to read your previous writings on this?

Thanks,

Brian

[ericire12]

I knew there was something I liked about Rob.

+1

Yep, He is a wealth of knowledge...... and a snappy dresser too:
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=4938.msg58631#msg58631

[Rob Pincus]

Luv,

Google it with my last name.... and there was an article in SWAT Magazine that discussed it in the fall of 2007. You can buy/download those from SWAT Magazine.

Eric,
.... uh..... thanks....

-RJP