Rifle Loading Techniques

Today’s Pro Tip is on Rifle Re-loading Techniques. What we just shot here was a close range, rifle field course. I shot through to an empty chamber.  What I like to do here when the targets are close is leave the rifle mounted on the shoulder, just roll around, grab the magazine in a rather boxy fashion, make a good insertion, keep your hand close on the receiver, hit the bolt release, and engage the target. Time is very important here, so you will have a good performance. The important aspect of the box grip on a magazine is it aligns your thumb perfectly with the bolt release.      The next reload technique I’d like to show you is with a loaded rifle that has a loaded chamber. And what that means is, you’re coming in with a fully loaded magazine. You have a lot of spring pressure to overcome. So your re-load technique has be a little bit more vigorous. First, finger out of the trigger guard always when you do a re-load. When you make the presentation to the rifle, come in there pretty hard. And to make sure that you’ve seated the mag, just give a little tug to make sure that it is seated, and it’s set into in the magazine catch.  We’re going to run the same stage of fire this time, except we going to go with a re-load to a rifle that has a loaded chamber. The key to this re-load is that you have a loaded rifle and the finger is always out of the trigger guard.    Another thing you want to have in your bag of tricks when you go to a competition is a double magazine holder. What this allows the shooter to do, of course, is to do a very fast magazine change, without having to go to his belt. That’s all you have to do. Very fast. Either way, you get the job done.  It saves a few seconds and in a match, that’s winning and losing. Not having to go to the belt for the re-load, with this double mag holder, really saves a lot of time on this stage.    The key to any one of these three techniques is consistency. Smooth is always fast. Put a little practice in, and you’ll have a good performance on the range.   CLICK HERE FOR PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION