'Tactical Reload' and racking the slide.

[KriegHund]

On general principle, if you do a reload where you are unsure of the amount of rounds left in the magazine, after replacing the magazine with a full one, do you rack the slide?

I think it would be a good idea unless you need to fire RFN. Better to lose a single cartridge then to not have a round in the chamber.

However, it also adds another step to the process, and your chance of a jamm while extracting a round by hand is more likely.

 

[Soap]

I would not rack after a tactical reload. If you are worried about your slide not locking back after the last shot in the magazine, then you either need a new pistol or you need to learn how to hold it.

 

[Jeff White]

KriegHund,
If you've fired your weapon and it functioned correctly, why would you think there is no round in the chamber? Thre are only a couple reasons why you wouldn't have a round chambered.

1) You failed to seat the magazine propery when you initially loaded and it dropped when you fired.

2) The last round you fired was the last one in the magazine and the slide failed to lock open.

Both of these are malfunctions Not part of a tac reload.

If you're not finshed with the immediate threat and ready to reholster, or preparing to move from a covered position into the open where you may have to engage an unknown assailant, you shouldn't be loading anyway.

Jeff

 

[Ares45]

Why?

That's one of the reasons for a tactical reload...no need to expend time and energy racking the slide. If you rack the slide you're just wasting valuable resources.

I don't know about everyone else but for me it's easy to tell when the slide locks. The gun feels different and sounds different. If you shoot till slide lock then obviously you have to pull the slide. Otherwise ram home a fresh mag and keep gettin it.

 

[crofrog]

I rack the slide on a tac load, better safe than sorry. Also it's commonality amoung training. I use the same grip and rack for every manipulation. Be it speed load, TRB or tac load.

 

[geekWithA.45]

I don't walk around with enough bullets to leave them lying around on the ground.

 

[JamisJockey]

The point behind a tactical reload is the premise that there is some sort of "lull" in the fighting you're in. You've got a full mag in your pocket, and you've not fired your gun to slide lock. You know its functioning well, you know you have ammo in the gun and one in the pipe. You're replacing your partially empty magazine with a full one. You also must retain that partial mag, you might need it later.
No racking of the slide necessary, however, make sure you slam that mag home firmly.

 

[Gelicious]

IF ALL ELSE FAILS then get an XD. I have a Loaded Chamber indicator. If the little button is UP on the top of the slide, which is right in line with the sights so ill know if its up while looking through them, Then you know your loaded and ready.

Plus im kinda pulling for the XD because i have a 45 and i love all the features and double saftey. But with the loaded chamber indicator there is NO QUESTIOn if im loaded and ready

 

[Srigs]

As long as your gun has a slide hold open on empty the answer is NO! You will know when your out...

 

[Nitrogen]

This is why I wanted a main carry weapon (XD-9 sub) with a loaded chamber indicator.

 

['Card]

Yeah, I'm just starting to get used to that loaded chamber indicator on my XD, and the more I get used to it, the more I like it. I especially like the fact that, like the 'cocked' indicator, you don't even have to look at the gun. It's specifically designed to let you check by feel, even in complete darkness - to make certain that it's cocked and that you've got one in the chamber.

It's an officially 'cool thing' in my opinion.

 

[joab]

Press check

Press the slide back just far enough to visually verify that there is a round in the chamber, if you are unsure

 

[JohnKSa]

I'm still developing my opinion on this topic, but here's where I am right now.

If you NEED to reload, then you need to reload. NEEDING to reload means your gun is empty, and the first order of business is getting it full again.

If you don't really NEED to reload, then that's another story. You're behind cover and/or you still have ammo in your pistol and/or the threat appears to be neutralized. At this point you can assess your situation and decide whether or not to "top off".

BUT, once you dump the mag in your gun (regardless of the reason) then you're back to the first situation (you NEED to reload) unless there is absolutely no remaining threat. Your gun is empty (for all practical purposes--especially if it has a magazine safety) and your only priority should be getting it full again. Once the mag in the gun drops out, you shouldn't be doing ANYTHING but getting a full mag into the gun as quickly as is possible.

THEN, after your gun is reloaded, you can again assess the situation and decide if it's prudent/possible/worthwhile to pick up the mag you just dumped.

Since you didn't "automatically" do a "top off reload", that means you also don't have to "automatically" rack the slide.

I strongly disagree with the idea of doing a "mag juggle reload" while there is still an existing threat. Anything that leaves you with an empty gun longer than is absolutely necessary just doesn't make sense.

This "philosophy" means that you only have ONE programmed reload technique--the "fill up my empty gun that has a locked back slide reload". That one would definitely include your choice of techniques for operating the slide (slingshot or slide release).

If you DECIDE based on your assessment of the situation that you need to top off, then you will still have a round in the chamber and since there is no IMMEDIATE threat (or you wouldn't be turning your gun into a single shot--even temporarily), you don't have to go into "programmed reload mode." Just get a full mag in the gun as quickly as you can.

 

[JamisJockey]

Sorry you disagree.
Its a technique you must be comfortable with and practice with.
Us average civilians will likely never face a situation where we need a tac. reload. The idea goes more into the threat of a prolonged gun battle, where many rounds are being exchanged.
As it pertains to us civilians, say you're confronted by a couple assailants. Shots are exchanged and as far as you can tell the BG's have retreated or left. Are you going to stand there with a 1/2 empty gun, or slap home a full mag and be prepared to rock-and-roll again?
And dumping the half-empty mag is basically a waste of ammo. Be practiced in mag retention.

 

[El Tejon]

I'm with joab. Why not press check?

I use my fingers, not my eyes though. Don't want to get in habit of looking down, want to keep head up and eyes out.

 

[JamisJockey]

Just be careful with a press check. You might take the gun out of battery....no bang=bad....

I stand with my original statement. A perfectly functioning gun that you fired a few times, but didn't fire to slide lock. You have every expectation there is one in the pipe. No need to rack, press check, or anything. Swap mags, assess the situation.

 

[El Tejon]

Hmmm, I don't know, Jamis. That Mr. Murphy is a tricky devil.

 

[JamisJockey]

Agreed, which is why I'm not a huge fan of the press-check. I'd hate to take my firearm out of battery...
No single technique is applicable to every situation, though.

 

[El Tejon]

Double edged sword and all that. Darn life anyhow.

Taking gun out of battery vs. taking corner with empty gun, both are less than optimal.

 

[JohnKSa]

Shots are exchanged and as far as you can tell the BG's have retreated or left. Are you going to stand there with a 1/2 empty gun, or slap home a full mag and be prepared to rock-and-roll again?
And dumping the half-empty mag is basically a waste of ammo. Be practiced in mag retention.

This falls into the second case--when you don't really NEED to reload.

In that case, you assess the situation to see if there is an immediate threat. If there is no immediate or apparent threat, you reload as FAST as possible. That means dumping the mag in the gun onto the ground. I don't see a need to rack the slide if you feel confident that there is already a round chambered.

Then, once you are back in business with a full gun, you reassess to see if it is prudent/worthwhile/possible to retrieve the dumped magazine.

If it makes sense to pick up the mag, pick it up. If not, leave it.

The idea of a "mag juggle reload" is not a good idea, IMO. It turns your gun into a single shot (at best) and you into a one handed shooter for longer than necessary.

 

[joab]

Agreed, which is why I'm not a huge fan of the press-check. I'd hate to take my firearm out of battery...

All auto loading pistols have a forward assist integral to their design.

I just tried for about an hour on three different makes to get one to go out of battery and couldn't get any of them to.
Not saying it couldn't happen, but then you could have just broken your firing pin on that last round also

 

[smince]

after replacing the magazine with a full one, do you rack the slide?

Only on the cheap handguns that don't have a slide hold open device.

to make certain that it's cocked and that you've got one in the chamber.

All things mechanical can and have failed. Never trust a loaded chamber indicator.

 

[Thin Black Line]

No racking. Continue engaing the enemy and keep count of your rounds
this time. Before you've fired the last round that has been chambered
from this mag (the mag itself is now empty), drop it and insert a full mag.

 

[bogie]

If you don't know whether or not you're empty when you reload, you really need to play a different video game.

 

[Jeff22]

racking the slide after a reload

I believe that the H&K Academy did/does teach to manually cycle the slide after any reload, to make sure that a round is chambered.

One of the reasons they do that is commonality of doctrine through the entire H&K weapons group, because their long guns DO NOT lock open after the last round has been fired. I don't know why that is. I have an H&K 91 and have a little trigger time with the MP5 series guns, and I always thought that was a significant design flaw.

(It is possible under stress to short circuit an out-of-battery/slide lock reload by hitting the slide release BEFORE the magazine is in all the way, thus chambering empty air and creating a failure-to-fire malfunction. I've seen inexperienced shooters pushing for speed make this mistake.

Some schools teach the solution to that issue is to use the thumb of the SUPPORT hand to release the slide AFTER that hand has inserted a fresh magazine.)

But racking the slide after a tac reload done behind cover during a break in the action? Well, I suppose that's one way to be CERTAIN that there is a round in the chamber.

If you have long thumbs and shoot with the currently popular thumbs forward shooting grip, it is possible to ride the slide stop and prevent the gun from locking open when the last round is fired. In such a circumstance, you may believe that you are doing an in-battery reload when in fact the chamber is empty, and manually cycling the slide guarantees that there is a round in the chamber.

There are so many weird nuances of weapon manipulation possible, and you don't want to overthink this stuff and suffer from paralysis through analysis. Pick a manual of arms that works for you and your weapons system, and stick with it.

If you get training from a school affiliated with a particular manufacturer, remember that some of the techniques they teach will be specific to THAT particular variety of weapon, and those techniques may NOT be appropriate for some other weapons systems.

There is not one true answer. There are many answers. You just have to make sure to ask the right question