During my first class three years ago, we were taught that if there is a need to "top off" a pistol during a "lull" in a gunfight, use a "reload with retention" technique - where a partially empty magazine is removed and stowed. A fresh magazine is then draw and loaded into the pistol. Some benefits to this technique: It's easier to manipulate one magazine at a time, especially under stress. The motion for speed load and "tactical load" are the same. There is also the notion that the original "tac reload" - where you hold both magazines in support hand - dates back to early Gunsite days of expensive 1911 magazines and gravel surface.
However, there are still trainers that advocate - sometimes with strong words - the use of classical "tac load" - where you retrieve a fully loaded magazine first, then you remove a partially full magazine and insert the full magazine into the pistol. The common theme is that your pistol is out of the fight for a shorter duration since you are not going from your waist or wherever the spare magazine is. However, given that juggling two magazines by the magwell is a rather tricky endeavor, I don't think it's much of a win over reload with retention. The only argument for "tac load" I heard that I buy is this: In a fluid situation you may loose track of how many spare magazines you have. So if you do a reload with retention, and stow your partially loaded magazine somewhere inaccesible ( behind your shirt, etc) and then, as you go to retrieve the fully loaded magazine, it's not there. You are in deep doodoo.
Still, I am more in favor of "reload with retention" technique. I wonder what other people's thoughts and techniques are.
Thanks.
However, there are still trainers that advocate - sometimes with strong words - the use of classical "tac load" - where you retrieve a fully loaded magazine first, then you remove a partially full magazine and insert the full magazine into the pistol. The common theme is that your pistol is out of the fight for a shorter duration since you are not going from your waist or wherever the spare magazine is. However, given that juggling two magazines by the magwell is a rather tricky endeavor, I don't think it's much of a win over reload with retention. The only argument for "tac load" I heard that I buy is this: In a fluid situation you may loose track of how many spare magazines you have. So if you do a reload with retention, and stow your partially loaded magazine somewhere inaccesible ( behind your shirt, etc) and then, as you go to retrieve the fully loaded magazine, it's not there. You are in deep doodoo.
Still, I am more in favor of "reload with retention" technique. I wonder what other people's thoughts and techniques are.
Thanks.