THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY to reload a semi-auto pistol

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY...
...to reload a semi-auto pistol...
by CR Williams

Keeping a semi-auto fed. It's been on my mind lately. I've been going over the three reloading techniques, one of which has two variations.

Something started to nag me, though. It took me a while to work out what. Here's the question that told me what was nagging me:

What is the similarity between each so-called technique of changing magazines in a semi-auto pistol?

I don't remember the answer taking a long time to form, but it did take some time: The same thing happens at the pistol. That is, you do the same thing with the magazine you're loading and with the pistol no matter what technique you're using to reload. You index the magazine you're loading, finger over the top round; hand finds hand; line the magazine up and SLAM it into positive lock; RACK the slide; get back into the fight.

It doesn't change, no matter what 'technique' or 'method' you're using.

If that doesn't change; if what you do to actually load the pistol is the same thing, then is it really three different methods (plus one variation), or one method with four variations?

What makes the variation? What you do with the magazine, whether empty or partially loaded, that comes out of the pistol.

If you drop it, it's a speed reload; if you catch the empty magazine and put it away somewhere, it's a reload with retention; if you pull the partially-empty mag, tuck it away, and load a full mag, it's one variation of the tactical reload; if you get the fully-loaded mag before you pull the partial mag out of the gun, it's another variation of the tactical reload.

Not too hard, when you think about it that way.

I realize that some will say that since you don't nromally run the slide when doing a tactical reload, it should be considered a separate technique. It's a legitimate point. I do note that I often run the slide even in tactical reloads because it's practiced more. I would bet that other people have the same kind of default. If that's true, then we have just the one technique with four variations.

This simplifies things for me considerably. I only have to really worry about getting that one IMPORTANT technique done under the stress of someone trying to kill me. As long as I do the main technique, what happens with the variations is not so important.

Maybe. Hard to tell when a small thing will become a large thing when the fight is on, I would say.

In the meantime, I offer here this simplification for you to consider and make use of if you want to. I hope it helps.

Live Large.