It doesn't matter very much.
*****
That said, the old school tradition, which was established for no apparent reason other than tradition, is to point your bullets forward. It is generally the preferred method simply because that's how all the competitors do it... and so did the guys they copied... and so did the guys they copied. There is not an objective reason for the preference. If someone tells you otherwise, please let me know the reason cited.... This is a perfect example of the importance of the "why?" question and the irrelevance of the "I can do it faster this way" answer..... "***** can do it fast that way" is even less important. Here's our "why?" explanation:
The fact is that carrying them forward is bio-mechanically less efficient than carrying them with the bullets backwards. You an search YouTube for a video clip with an explanation of this concept from the Combat Focus Shooting program, it includes a demo of the two versions compared to one another in terms of efficiency. If you look at how the hand/arm work, the bullets pointed backwards method is more intuitive and efficient. It is consistent with the way you would reach into your pocket and pull something out. It also allows your hand and the magazine to stay against your body and the mag is brought up to the gun in a high-compressed ready, which enhances your ability to reload without looking at the gun and in confined spaces.
Given a Blank Slate student, we always recommend bullets backwards. If, however, someone is an experienced shooter with hundreds or thousands of reps reloading with their bullets forward, we do not recommend that they change. I think that the time/effort/energy involved in changed the technique outweighs the advantage of carrying in the more efficient way. I think this came up in the class that FA was in last week, as some students were experienced with the "bullets forward" style. This is one of those key examples of allowing common sense to prevail over an instructors own personal preference and understand the difference between "perfection" and "practically acceptable".
As a side note, most people over-think the mechanics of a reload... as some of you have noted above, some things "just feel right" or "just work"... that is INTUITIVE stuff and that is usually the stuff that will work best for you. Indexing the bullet, for example, is something that you do not need to do if you carry your mags consistently in one direction al the time and which actually over-complicates the process. None of you need to do such a thing to bring your two hands together at any point around your body.... inserting the new mag is simply that action while you hands are holding the gun and the mag. Intuitive skill development will trump contrived mechanics every time given equal time and effort in training.
Again, the caveat to all this is that "I can do it THIS way quickly" means nothing if you have only practiced one way. We are looking for an objective bio-mechanical answer, not dogma or personal experience based on repetitive practice with a less efficient method. As Tony Blauer often says, "be careful what you practice, you may get really good at the wrong thing."
-RJP
PS- If you really don't like my explanation based solely on your preference or what you've seen other people do, you should go back to the first sentence of my post and let it go.
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