John Lindsey
15th October 2007, 13:20
One of the most common mistakes I see with new pistol shooters is how they orientate their magazines in their waist belt mag pouch. Either the bullets face the front, or they can face the rear. To me, this is really a no brainer, but I still have people try to explain why they prefer the other way. Then, I explain to them WHY it is better, emphasizing the tactical considerations.
You really only have two options, bullets face the front, or the rear on your belt. Or as we say in Texas: pecker or pooper.
Bullets facing the front is the accepted orientation.
All this boils down to how is the best way to load a mag in a pistol. Best does not mean lightening fast. You may be tired, hurt, confused, shell shocked, etc. It has to be natural and without thought..
You must understand that there is a difference between shooting a gun, and fighting with a gun. This is the biggest challenge I see as an instructor. If you never intend to use your pistol for nothing other than range shooting, then you don’t need to be worried about this stuff. Just do it safely. If on the other hand you want to learn to use it as a weapon, you better learn to do things properly and put the time and effort into converting it from a drill to a skill.
Like it or not, anytime you do anything with a weapon, you are training.
Your are training your body and subconscious on how you interact with it. Remember the story of the dead police officer with revolver brass in his pocket? On the police range, officers were required to immediately remove the spent casings and put it in their pockets, so not to dirty up the range! He did what he was trained to do.
It is true that for simply loading a magazine, it is not rocket science. Most people can take a mag and insert it in a gun without any problems. The real problem is, we do this is a controlled, stress free environment, such as when you load your weapon before leaving the house. You have all the time in the world, and you are in complete control of the situation. Every time you do it, you are training. Is it good training? Depends if in the future you will only have to load your weapon under such conditions. Then it is fine. But we know that is not the case. If you change the situation, induce stress or confusion, then you fall back on what you have trained.
.So, we want to optimize our movements and mindset. We know now that the best way to insert the mag is to use the first finger to point to the mag well and guide it in. We want the magazines facing to our front so we don’t have to search of the magazines leading edge. We want to grab it and go. That is why the forward mag orientation is the best way.
When I load my pistol, be it at home, at the range, or at work, it is always with the same core movements. Nothing is done casually. It is done with intention and focus.
You really only have two options, bullets face the front, or the rear on your belt. Or as we say in Texas: pecker or pooper.
Bullets facing the front is the accepted orientation.
All this boils down to how is the best way to load a mag in a pistol. Best does not mean lightening fast. You may be tired, hurt, confused, shell shocked, etc. It has to be natural and without thought..
You must understand that there is a difference between shooting a gun, and fighting with a gun. This is the biggest challenge I see as an instructor. If you never intend to use your pistol for nothing other than range shooting, then you don’t need to be worried about this stuff. Just do it safely. If on the other hand you want to learn to use it as a weapon, you better learn to do things properly and put the time and effort into converting it from a drill to a skill.
Like it or not, anytime you do anything with a weapon, you are training.
Your are training your body and subconscious on how you interact with it. Remember the story of the dead police officer with revolver brass in his pocket? On the police range, officers were required to immediately remove the spent casings and put it in their pockets, so not to dirty up the range! He did what he was trained to do.
It is true that for simply loading a magazine, it is not rocket science. Most people can take a mag and insert it in a gun without any problems. The real problem is, we do this is a controlled, stress free environment, such as when you load your weapon before leaving the house. You have all the time in the world, and you are in complete control of the situation. Every time you do it, you are training. Is it good training? Depends if in the future you will only have to load your weapon under such conditions. Then it is fine. But we know that is not the case. If you change the situation, induce stress or confusion, then you fall back on what you have trained.
.So, we want to optimize our movements and mindset. We know now that the best way to insert the mag is to use the first finger to point to the mag well and guide it in. We want the magazines facing to our front so we don’t have to search of the magazines leading edge. We want to grab it and go. That is why the forward mag orientation is the best way.
When I load my pistol, be it at home, at the range, or at work, it is always with the same core movements. Nothing is done casually. It is done with intention and focus.