Reloading Like Your Life Depends On It.

[federali]

The subject of reloading under tactical conditions comes up constantly. It is well-known that when receiving incoming fire, the conscious mind often shuts down and the sub-conscious mind takes over. What you have programmed into that subconscious often determines whether or not you survive. This is the reason for repetitive training.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours on commercial or public ranges and I belong to two NRA affiliated gun clubs. Outside of formalized academy style firearms training, I can’t recall witnessing anyone reloading his pistol in any condition other than slidelock.

In a gunbattle, I certainly would like to have one of those guns they use in TV and big-screen violence that never seem to run out of bullets. We want the highest capacity possible but a word of caution is in order. It is often assumed that you’ll first shoot the gun dry and have to reload in slidelock, perhaps the easiest reload to perform except for the fact that you’re out of bullets and facing hostile fire. This is why reloading in slidelock is most often referred to as an emergency reload.

In my opinion, most street thugs, but not all of them, will break and run upon receiving armed resistance. However, some of you have expressed concerns of being present during a terrorist attack where the bad guys tend to hold their ground and fight back tenaciously. The odds of this happening are remote but it could certainly happen. Regardless of the felonious threat you face, you should be familiar with and practice two additional reloading techniques: the speed reload and the tactical magazine exchange. The three reloading techniques I’ve so far mentioned may be known by different names in different police departments and locales.

A speed reload and a magazine exchange are done under a CLOSED slide. What you need to know is whether or not your particular handgun will accept a full magazine under a closed slide, or, a slide in battery. Many will not. For this reason, a spare magazine may have to be carried one round short of capacity in order to allow the additional compression necessary to seat the magazine.

Following is a quick sampling of whether or not pistols will accept full magazines under a closed slide with the guns available to me:
Browning HP: factory 13-rounder, Yes. Factory 10-rounder, No.
S&W 1911: Factory 8-rounder, No. GI 7-rounder, Yes. McCormack 10-rounder, Yes.
Glock 19: Factory 15-rounder, Yes. Factory 10-rounder, No.
Glock 34, Factory 10 and 17-rounders, Yes.
S&W M&P .45: Factory 10-rounder, No.

As you can see, you need to test your handgun with the magazine you carry. In some parts of the country, we’re required by law to use ten-round magazines, which proved to be a problem in the Browning HP, S&W M&P and the Glock 19.

The conditions leading to a speed reload are that you have fired an unknown number of rounds and you are presented with a sudden opportunity to get the handgun back to full capacity. You eject and discard the existing magazine and reload with a fresh one. The tactical magazine exchange is similar, except that you believe hostilities may be over, you are in a position of cover and you have fired an unknown number of rounds. In the magazine exchange, you catch the partially expended magazine with two fingers while inserting a fresh magazine. The first magazine is retained in the event it is still needed as a partially expended magazine is far better than no magazine at all.

There are many subtle variations in reloading techniques. Some work better for some people than others so I won’t invite the wrath of fellow forum members by standing on a milk box and issuing pronouncements as to what technique is best.
However, there are certain things that are not subject to opinion or compromise and one of these is that eye-hand co-ordination works better the closer your index finger is to the focus point of the eyes. To take advantage of this, always extend your index finger along the front edge of the magazine upon retrieving it. This will help guide it into the magazine well with less chance of missing or fumbling.

We must discuss the slide stop lever as you have the option of using it during the emergency reload. On some guns, the slide stop lever works quite easily while on others, considerable pressure is needed to release the slide. Combine this with anatomical differences in hand sizes and finger length and we come to the unavoidable conclusion that one size or technique does not work for all.

My preferred technique is this: I bend my elbow and pull the gun back while ejecting the spent magazine, (I’m right handed) and rotate the gun approximately 45 degrees clockwise to turn the magazine well toward my left hand. I insert the magazine in one motion. Do not use the technique often portrayed in movies of inserting the magazine in the well, then slapping it in in a separate motion. Once seated, I rotate the gun counter-clockwise approximately 180 degrees so that I may grip the top rear of the slide with the thumb, index and middle fingers of my support hand. I then do a sort of shoulder shrug, pulling on the slide with my support hand while pushing the gun forward with my shooting hand. This releases the slide stop and allows the slide to “slingshot” forward provided you don’t ride the slide home, something you should never do as you could cause a failure to feed, chamber or close. I then rotate the gun back to shooting position and my support hand is right there and instantly available for a two-hand hold.

This is an extremely fast reloading technique relying solely on gross motor skills. In trained hands, I readily admit that using the thumb on the slide stop lever is even faster but I have seen students rush through the reload so quickly that they activate the lever a fraction of a second too soon and close the slide on an empty chamber. In trying to use the slide stop lever, if you must use two hands on the gun to release the lever or if you must break your shooting grip, then re-acquire it, you should not use the lever during the emergency reload.

Vince Lombardi said, “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
Jeff Cooper said, “Ahh, I knew this might happen to me, some day, and I’m prepared to deal with it.”
Federali said, “Winning is a matter of skill and luck. The more skill you have, the less luck you’ll need.”

I once did this stuff for a living and I’m happy to share my experience with fellow forum members.

 

[moxie]

What you call speed reloads and tactical exchanges I call a tactical reload. Same process except I always retain the mag if it has one or more rounds in it. Stick it in your pocket, belt, or whatever. Why throw away a mag with ammo in it you might need later?

I never use the slide stop. I always slingshot. And I use the whole cupped hand over the slide and sight instead of pinching with thumb and fingers. More positive, better use of gross motor skills. Your pinky might object at first but you'll get over it. Plus you are able to MUCH more easily keep the muzzle oriented towards the target than with the pinch method.

Regarding whether pistols will or won't accept a full mag under a closed slide. Personally, I won't own a gun that won't. Carrying a downloaded mag is just...uncivilized.

But everybody needs to pick and practice with the method that best suits them. There is no single perfect doctrine.

Thanks for the discussion. Nice work.

 

[Fastbolt]

In trained hands, I readily admit that using the thumb on the slide stop lever is even faster but I have seen students rush through the reload so quickly that they activate the lever a fraction of a second too soon and close the slide on an empty chamber. In trying to use the slide stop lever, if you must use two hands on the gun to release the lever or if you must break your shooting grip, then re-acquire it, you should not use the lever during the emergency reload.

...

Nice little nugget and observation that deserves not to be overlooked.

I've also seen some folks, even under the "ordinary" stress of range training, drills & quals become momentarily confused and either hit their slide stop lever before their magazine has been seated, closing on an empty chamber ... or, providing for a bit more "shooter surprise", they seat their mag and hit the mag catch, instead of the slide slide stop lever, releasing the mag they'd just seated. A bit of finger/hand confusion and mixing up which control needs to be used, perhaps?

The subject of tactical reloads, or loading-with-retention, is often a contentious one. Personally, when working with the average shooter/professionally armed person, I prefer to work with the overhand grasp/retract/release of the slide. It serves as a technique that can be learned for both loading (reloading) and as part of a malfunction/stoppage technique.

The important "tricks" are to make sure the shooter doesn't interfere with the slide's release & run forward, and to make sure their off-hand doesn't shift or rotate forward in front of the muzzle while they're trying to reacquire a 2-hand grip.

I've seen at least my fair share of shooters who did their overhand grasp/release and then rush to get their off-hand back to their primary hand, pushing the off-hand forward and sweeping their fingers down and across the muzzle.

FWIW, even if a bullet doesn't find an errant finger tip if a rushed trigger press occurs before the off-hand has a chance to get back to the primary hand ... the hot gasses and pressure of a muzzle blast can easily open a nasty laceration (or partial avulsion) in a finger tip. Some cauterization seems possible (minor consolation), but it's still a trip to either the ER or the designated urgent medical care facility. Just saying ...

I save the "tactical reload" for later.

Yes, some folks who have spent years practicing their slide stop lever release method can be greased lightning, and many of them seem able to adapt their method to a useful variety of the differently placed/sized slide stop levers found on newer pistols. Handy. I don't try to "fix" what isn't "broken" on older, skilled and more experienced shooters. Not when it may offer them advantage in the real world.

There are some other issues that can occur when some folks get a bit overly exuberant and use what might be described as an excessive amount of force to seat a magazine against an open/locked back slide, versus against a closed slide. That's probably a subject for a bit later, as training progresses a bit, though.

Anyway, the subject of reloading under "tactical conditions" comes up constantly. I adpat what I'm teaching to conform to two general conditions ...

First, whatever I'm instructed/asked to teach. (I'm teaching for the agency, after all.)

Second, according to the level of training, experience and skillset of the individual user. It's easier when I can take the time to offer some individual (1-on-1) training to someone, working directly according to their skillset and knowledge.

Hope your thread becomes worthy of your attention and time, federali.

 

[Old cop]

The only emergency reload I experienced was in the early '70s in a parking lot. I was in a gun battle w/three armed robbers and my Colt Det. Spl. ran dry. I grabbed a speed loader from my coat pocket and was back in the fight in the blink of an eye. It's quite an experience, but the point is we had trained to do this on the range. I was in plain clothes so I practiced at the range the way I carried on the street. It paid off.

 

[ContinentalOp]

The tactical magazine exchange is similar, except that you believe hostilities may be over, you are in a position of cover and you have fired an unknown number of rounds. In the magazine exchange, you catch the partially expended magazine with two fingers while inserting a fresh magazine. The first magazine is retained in the event it is still needed as a partially expended magazine is far better than no magazine at all.

Combine this with anatomical differences in hand sizes and finger length and we come to the unavoidable conclusion that one size or technique does not work for all.

I'm not a fan of the tactical reload as you've described. I could do it with a 1911's single-stack magazine, but trying it with a double-stack magazine like a Glock or Beretta 92 becomes an exercise in dexterity. As you mentioned, people have different anatomical "quirks". I found this tactical reload to be somewhat fumble prone under controlled conditions. Add in the stress of having just been in a gunfight (because you don't use tactical reloads during a gunfight), stress-induced shaking of the hands, and possibly reduced fine motor skills and I could see a dropped magazine being a good possibility.

My preferred method is what I've seen described as "reload with retention". I take the partially expended magazine out of the gun with my support hand, stick it in a pocket, grab the fully-loaded spare, and load it into the gun. It can be done quickly and, to me at least, seems less fumble prone.

And for those of us who carry revolvers, I do think it's important that we be able to reload our guns without looking at them. Regardless of how fast you are at reloading a revolver, it will be slower and more fumble-prone than with a semi-auto. For me, it helps to pull the gun in close to the belly during the actual reload, i.e. after cases have been ejected. Hands and wrists are not at awkward angles and from what I've read you have more dexterity when your hands are closer to your body than when extended; my experience tends to confirm that. I also practice using physical reference points so I can consistently get my revolver loaded without looking at it because I will presumably be looking around for any additional threats (or escape routes, as the case may be).

When using strips I will occasionally practice doing partial reloads, i.e., get two rounds in and re-engage the threat if I need to do so RIGHT NOW!

Those are just my thoughts on the matter, for what they're worth. Like federali said, some techniques will work better for some people than others so it's good to experiment. But when you find a method that works for you, practice it.

 

[RSanch111]

Here's a thought: No such thing as a "tactical" or "speed" reload. A reload is a reload just as a "draw" or a "holster" (the verb) is a draw or holster.

Meaning: You should, always draw, holster or reload as if it was "the real deal". My academy instructor told me that 30 years ago and he was right. This way, at least those of us who DON'T spend hundreds of hours on the range get SOME practice...At least once in the morning when we holster up...When you go to the john....When you come home and unholster...when you unload and reload to clean your gun, etc......

Same goes for shotguns. Cycle the action like you mean it and load and unload properly, not like half the cops I see cycling the action 10 times to eject 4 rounds.......

This is also why it's a good idea to carry one gun, or at least one type of gun, instead of having a "rotation" depending on what sort of mood you're in or what grips make your eyes look better depending on the sun or overcast for that day.....

I'm not a much of a fan of grabbing half empty mags with two fingers and reloading the next one, etc..... I'd just rather drop it and recover it if the opportunity presents itself at some point.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I'm not a much of a fan of grabbing half empty mags with two fingers and reloading the next one, etc..... I'd just rather drop it and recover it if the opportunity presents itself at some point.

Another good approach and is what I do with revolvers. With semi-autos reloads-with-retention (like I described above) don't require a lot of fine motor skills. Trying to do tactical reloads with a revolver is trickier because you have to open the cylinder with the muzzle down, find the rounds you just fired, press the ejector up enough to pick out the fired cases but not so much that all your rounds spill, and then fill the empty chambers from a strip/pouch/cartridge slide before getting the gun back in service. How many people can do this without looking under stress?

For simplicity I just do speed reloads with revolvers. Sure, I may lose a few live rounds in the process, but I can get the gun reloaded more quickly and with less fumbling. Plus I can do it without looking at what I'm doing so I can keep watch for potential threats.

 

[hoc9sw]

All sorts of good info presented here. Some has been part of my training, some just makes good sense even if not part of what I learned.

Easier to say this than to "like" all those posts.

 

[S&W Fan]

Funny this comes up now. This past Saturday I was in an advanced pistol class with 10 other students. I was the only one using a single stack pistol (9mm Shield). A good portion of the class was spent on just this topic.

The instructor also made it very clear that it was up to each student to keep the mags topped up-this allowed those not familiar with the "administrative reload"-gun holstered, removing partial mag and replacing with a full mag-to practice it as well. I've trained with this instructor multiple times over the past 2 years, he's a patrol sgt. with a local pd, former firearms instructor and swat team member with this dept. and Marine scout/sniper prior to entering L.E. He's a great instructor in my view.

The other students all had pistols with at least 15 round mags, I purposely chose the Shield as it's what I carry during the warmer months.

We practiced reloads from slide lock, we practiced reloads simulating the "tactical" method/situation. Most of us have good deal of experience, there were two "first timers". Everyone thanked the instructor for including these drills in our 4 hour class.

I also learned how I need to practice more on my reloads with the Shield. The mags are obviously smaller than the full size M&P and still smaller than the 1911 frequently carry that I fumbled a few times.

Good skills to practice.

 

[federali]

Reloading the Revolver

A number of you brought up revolvers. I actually spent more time training with revolvers than with semi-autos (20 years with revolvers, the remaining ten years with semi-autos).

My observations are as follows: While the semi-wadcutter has always been popular as a self defense round, that little shoulder in the bullet means they do not enter the chambers quite as easily when the user is under stress. This was especially so when using any form of speed loader. Competition shooters often have their chambers chamfered to facilitate loading. I've seen great chamfering jobs and I've seen some horrors apparently done with a Dremel tool. I carry SWCs in my Model 37 but JHPs in my speed loader.

Speedloaders: The HKS speed loader is both sturdy and popular. The one design problem is that in order to release the rounds, it is necessary to turn the knob, which adds a step and creates a camming action between the speed loader and cylinder, preventing the rounds from falling into the chambers as long as you maintain that camming action by forgetting to release the knob. No amount of dialogue, advice or demonstration was able to cure this problem with 100% certainty. Whenever I saw an agent trying to shake the rounds out of the speedloader, I knew he was holding the knob in the release position.
Repeat to yourself: "turn and release," "turn and release," "turn and release." Once you release the rounds, the speed loader is useless and should be allowed to fall away, to be retrieved some time later. My personal preference is for the Safariland loader as it eliminates one step in reloading: just enter the chambers and push in the same direction---no camming action.

There are a number of techniques for clearing the empty cases from the cylinder. I can't stress enough the need to keep revolvers clean as a sticky chamber can hold on to a casing and cause the extractor star to somehow bypass it. Once you get a casing under the extractor star, you are out of business. Find a clearing technique that relies primarily on gross motor skills and which you're comfortable with and use it. As the revolver is transferred to the weak hand during loading, I prefer slapping the extractor with the palm of the strong hand.

Loading from pouch or speed strip. With any form of single or double round loading, sometimes the obvious escapes us. Rotate the cylinder with the fingers of the weak hand and do all loading to the chambers farthest away from the frame.

Partial reloading: A vital skill when necessary. Please study the Newhall shooting incident.

Keep an old toothbrush in your cleaning kit and be sure to clean under the extractor star whenever you clean your revolver. Unburned powder or a thread of a cleaning patch can keep the cylinder from closing.

The revolver must be at a steep downward angle to allow gravity to work for you when reloading.

 

[BAM-BAM]

A number of you brought up revolvers.



Speedloaders: The HKS speed loader is both sturdy and popular. The one design problem is that in order to release the rounds, it is necessary to turn the knob, which adds a step and creates a camming action between the speed loader and cylinder, preventing the rounds from falling into the chambers as long as you maintain that camming action by forgetting to release the knob.

. My personal preference is for the Safariland loader as it eliminates one step in reloading: just enter the chambers and push in the same direction---no camming action.

The revolver must be at a steep downward angle to allow gravity to work for you when reloading.

As a footnote on HKS speedloaders........ on at least 2 occasions (PPC or Qualifying can't remember) I was using HKS speedloaders in a Bianchi; open top, leather double pouch which relied on friction retention..........

Grabbing the HKS speedloader by the knob; there was enough drag that I inadvertently turned the knob...... finding myself with a empty speedloader in my hand and 6 rounds loose in the pouch.......

I switched to Safariland speedloaders asap..............

 

[ContinentalOp]

While the semi-wadcutter has always been popular as a self defense round, that little shoulder in the bullet means they do not enter the chambers quite as easily when the user is under stress.

The same can be said for wide-mouthed hollowpoints like Speer's Short-Barrel GDHP, my self defense ammo of choice. I do most of my reloading practice with dummy rounds but they have a round FMJ profile so when I go to the range I make sure I practice reloading GDHP, too. While my 642 doesn't have chamfered chamber mouths, I have considered doing it. One thing I've seen recommended is to not chamfer the extractor star as that could potentially cause an extraction failure depending on how much material is removed.

Speedloaders: [Edit: Safariland > HKS]

I agree on the preference for Safarliand speedloaders. I used HKS at first, but once I tried the Safariland I switched. I also like the fact that they're relatively inexpensive. I keep about half-a-dozen loaded speedloaders at home. I have some that I use for practice so I don't have to worry about them wearing out or breaking or being dropped and some for carry that get tested periodically to make sure they still work. I also keep a couple in my range bag.

I can't stress enough the need to keep revolvers clean as a sticky chamber can hold on to a casing and cause the extractor star to somehow bypass it.

I probably spend more time making sure my chambers are clean AND dry than any other aspect of cleaning/maintenance.

Find a clearing technique that relies primarily on gross motor skills and which you're comfortable with and use it. As the revolver is transferred to the weak hand during loading, I prefer slapping the extractor with the palm of the strong hand.

Agreed, but not all reloading techniques require a hand transfer. I prefer the deBethencourt method for reloading. It works well for me. An added benefit is that I can keep a reload or two on my belt on my left side, the same place I'd keep a spare magazine(s) if I were to carry a semi-auto. Commonality of training is a good thing. I also like that it keeps my fingers away from the forcing cone which some reloading methods do.

https://youtu.be/sjRTdXvjBmE

Since I like to keep another reload on my right side I also practice doing a hand transfer reload. I ended up going with a hybrid technique where I use the deBethencourt method to eject than the Ayoob method to transfer and reload. Here's Ayoob's method:

https://youtu.be/oXUwI_d8JlA

Loading from pouch or speed strip. With any form of single or double round loading, sometimes the obvious escapes us. Rotate the cylinder with the fingers of the weak hand and do all loading to the chambers farthest away from the frame.

I agree in principle, but it also depends on your specific method. With the deBethencourt method I've found it works best (for me, at least) to load at the "top" and "bottom" of the cylinder, mostly due to the angle of my hands. When I do a right hand reload I do it as you described.

Partial reloading: A vital skill when necessary. Please study the Newhall shooting incident.

Keep an old toothbrush in your cleaning kit and be sure to clean under the extractor star whenever you clean your revolver. Unburned powder or a thread of a cleaning patch can keep the cylinder from closing.

The revolver must be at a steep downward angle to allow gravity to work for you when reloading.

Agreed on all counts.

 

[Frizzman]

This is an excellent discussion that anyone who carries a handgun for serious social situations should read and consider. I spent most of my LE years with revolvers and engaged in hundreds, maybe thousands, of reloads from loose cartridges in pockets to belt loops, dump pouches, speed strips and speedloaders of various types. That's why that despite the obvious advantages of the auto, I still feel more confident with my revolvers and usually carry two with at least two reloads...I cringe when I read of hear carriers say they will "probably" never need to reload their weapon in the fight and quote the old "three shots or less" line...I won't risk on "probably" keeping me or mine alive...I rarely see anyone on a public range practicing this skill. This is not a game...NO do-overs and the loser DIES.

 

[Fastbolt]

Damn federali ...

We're at opposite ends of the lower 48, and I could almost swear that we received the same revolver training at some point.

 

[Fastbolt]

Since there's an obvious nexus and overlap between "loading" & "stoppage/malfunction clearance", I'd like to lend my opinion in support to the folks who opine that proper practice needs to occur to the point where someone has the ability to do whatever needs to be done at almost the unconscious (without deliberate thought) level of competence. In real time.

You know it needs to happen, but you don't have to stop, step off to the side, and go through a lengthy mental Rolodex in order to perform the step-by-step movements involved.

Kind of like when I found myself in a Sim training scenario, and the loaned SIG Sim-gun exhibited a nasty double feed on the first shot, while I was being "attacked" by two "ambushers". Annoying, right?

Anyway, as I threw myself to the floor (from a chair back against a wall), I raised the jammed pistol to within my rotating perspective of the world, and it was almost like I was watching someone else manipulate the gun to resolve the stoppage. I saw what was happening with the gun in my hands, as my shoulder and side were absorbing the hit of landing on the floor, but it was like watching someone else doing it. That time dilation/perceptive shift continued until I had the recovered weapon extended back out in front of my, laying sideways under a table, and fired a hammer at the lower end of the COM at one of my attackers, resulting in to tightly spaced hot-pink dye splotches ... just below the bottom edge of his vest (got his attention).

Upon my return from that outside training week, I immediately thanked the head trainer for all the nagging and annoyingly repetitive stoppage clearance training he'd been making his instructors perform.

After all, who wants to have to try and take the time to carefully stop and plan each and every hand & arm movement involved in catching yourself when you trip and fall face-first toward some stair steps? Better to have such movements practiced and thoroughly ingrained before they're really needed ... and then hope your reflexes and attention aren't distracted by something else, off course. Clouds can get in the way, right?

Nice thread.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Since there's an obvious nexus and overlap between "loading" & "stoppage/malfunction clearance", I'd like to lend my opinion in support to the folks who opine that proper practice needs to occur to the point where someone has the ability to do whatever needs to be done at almost the unconscious (without deliberate thought) level of competence. In real time.

You know it needs to happen, but you don't have to stop, step off to the side, and go through a lengthy mental Rolodex in order to perform the step-by-step movements involved.

Unconscious competence is my ultimate goal. I'm still working on it. I'm fairly confident with my ability to reload my snub if I need to, but I keep practicing.

Now, strong-hand-only and weak-hand-only revolver reloads, that's another matter. I practice them, but I have a ways to go until I'd consider myself proficient in those skills.

 

[Old cop]

Frizzman makes a good point about carrying a reload for your ccw. In post #4 where I referenced an experience I had in the early '70s I only had one reload w/me and ran out of ammo just as the fight ended. It was an experience that I'll never forget, and while I no longer go in harm's way I do carry at least one reload w/me.

 

[Bat Guano]

This stuff is how you become a pistolero.

 

[moxie]

Frizzman makes a good point about carrying a reload for your ccw. In post #4 where I referenced an experience I had in the early '70s I only had one reload w/me and ran out of ammo just as the fight ended. It was an experience that I'll never forget, and while I no longer go in harm's way I do carry at least one reload w/me.

Although Old Cop's experience was with a revolver, it's a perfect example of why it's a bad idea to discard a partially full mag during a tactical reload. You never know when you might need more ammo. Throwing it away in the middle of a fight makes no sense.

 

[Rastoff]

federali,
Let me just take a moment to say thanks for posting this. It is a subject that is far too often overlooked.

I would like to address this though:

Following is a quick sampling of whether or not pistols will accept full magazines under a closed slide with the guns available to me:
Browning HP: Factory 10-rounder, No.
S&W 1911: Factory 8-rounder, No.
Glock 19: Factory 10-rounder, No.
S&W M&P .45: Factory 10-rounder, No.

I have all these guns and I believe that these results are most likely due to technique. I can load all of these with a full mag even with the slide closed. I even have a friend, retired policeman, who couldn't load his Sig with a full 12 round mag with the slide closed. Once I taught him this technique, he could.

Here's what I teach:
The mag must first be indexed properly. This is how you hold the mag in your hand. You touched on it, but allow me to add this pic:

This is called indexing the mag.

Then it is inserted in the magwell by matching the flat of the mag with the flat of the magwell:

Then the mag is inserted in one smooth, but firm, motion using the heel of the hand to send it home:

I think if you do it this way, you'll find that those 10 round mags will go in even with the slide closed. Even so, your advice to test all your mags is sound.


Two more thoughts...

I don't teach the speed reload. I always teach to retain partially spent mags. I only teach the tactical reload or reload with retention. However, I wouldn't fault someone for doing a speed reload. I just think it's important to retain those extra rounds. You never know when you'll need them.

When removing a partially spent mag, it should still be indexed. Two reasons for this: First, you may not have the time you thought and need to re-inset it right away. If it's properly indexed it can be easily pushed back in with the heel of your hand. Second, it's easier to stick in a pocket if the mag is indexed.