The Importance of the Reload
Lightning fast Reloads are cool and sexy. There's a lot going on and it's always eye-catching, but just how important are high speed reloads in the real world. Well, which world are you talking about?
Competitive shooting
If you are a member of IPSC/USPSA/IDPA or any other competitive organization, the Reload becomes a big issue. You are shooting against time as much as anything else and thousandths of seconds can mean the difference between braggins rights and a sheepish smile. Time spent training to ensure a smooth drop and positive mount of the new magazine are critical to these timed events. Mag wells that look like funnels, oversized releases,weighted base plates, polished mag walls and bodies, and magazine pouches that barely retain the magazine are all acceptable in this realm. Because the Reload might make the difference on the clock.
Operational shooting (Law Enforcement/Military)
If you are carrying a gun for a living in a non-permissive environment then you know that a prolonged engagement is a real possibility. To that end, reloading or changing magazines during a lull in the fight for tactical purposes, takes on greater importance. Being able to continue the fight and put rounds on target effectively could mean the difference between living and dying, it doesn't get any more important than that. But you are not likely to have “Competition gear” so you must train to get the mechanics of the reload smooth, efficient, and able to be done subconsciously. This becomes as important to being second nature as immediate action drills.
Defensive shooting
Most civilian shooting encounters in the U.S. take place at halitosis distance, less than 3 yards, in the space of eight seconds and usually about 7 rounds total are fired. Obviously, there are outliers to these circumstances but by and large this is what the average civilian defensive carrier is likely to encounter. Most modern defensive handguns of quality have a greater than seven round carry capacity and are relatively small and compact. The “competition” set up is usually not found on these weapons for a number of reasons, civil liability not being the least of them. So being able to reload quickly is nice but not nearly as important as many instructors would have you believe.
The benefits of a quick and effective reload stem from the confidence that this tends to give the shooter as much as the ability to get more ammo into the “fight.” A confident shooter is less likely to rush, fumble, or miss when it matters.
So do some self evaluation to determine which camp you belong in and spend your range time and dollars wisely.