Mag Orientation

[Bensmiata]

Bullets forward, works great for me.

 

[hole punch]

mine are all upside down and bullets facing rearward. i realize now it's because of my "beer can" grip i use to grasp, yank from pouch, and shove into handgun's magwell.

should i dump this technique i've been practicing for 2+ years, and start using this bullet-fwd method and grip like the army cpl in the video does, or stick with what works for me?

edit: with my "beer can" grip, my index finger ends up to the rear, still on the bullet, my mag is just oriented differently, and therefor my hand is in what i feel is a more natural position. both seem smooth to me now that i try them.

 

[2SAM22]

I checked, rounds face foreward.

Mine too.

 

[RobMoore]

should i dump this technique i've been practicing for 2+ years, and start using this bullet-fwd method and grip like the army cpl in the video does, or stick with what works for me?

If you were learning to ride a motorcycle, and slowed down to 12mph so you could steer through every turn, and someone told you "don't slow down, countersteer and lean into it" would you stick with "what works for you"?

Sure an exaggeration, but the it shows the fallacy of continuing a bad habit.

 

[fisunshine]

I have always heard rounds forward so that is what i do. I have seen guys carry them rounds to the rear and i have watched more of those guys screw up a reload or take longer on a reload than those that carry rounds forward.
index finger along the front edge of the mag, the palm of your hand is on the basepad. there is no rotating of the wrist or anything. this way you just point your finger to the magwell like you would touch a doorbell and insert your mag

 

[DCSCO]

Lot of good information. Just wondering if their was a popular technique with rear facing mags.

 

[regularfunk]

Rounds forward here too.

 

[MightyWarMonger]

Lot of good information. Just wondering if their was a popular technique with rear facing mags.

not one that I know of IMO I think it will just add a step to the reload, I sugest if you keep your mags rounds faceing to the rear and want to try rounds forward it will feel weired but the more you do it you might find that it works better for you. Like when I was active duty Marine Corps fresh out of boot camp they didn't really specify or teach were to put my mags and with witch hand to reload so I put them on the right and reloaded with my right hand (also my shooting hand) I did this until I took the advanced combat trainning and they made me put them on my left and load with my non shooting hand. I was resistant at first but soon saw the error of my old habit and switched and havent looked back since. a little different than rounds back or forward but I think the princible of it not being what you are used to still applies.

 

[Kilroy]

If you were learning to ride a motorcycle, and slowed down to 12mph so you could steer through every turn, and someone told you "don't slow down, countersteer and lean into it" would you stick with "what works for you"?

Sure an exaggeration, but the it shows the fallacy of continuing a bad habit.

I'm going to necro this thread to post a video I made about this topic. I'm not understanding how bullets facing backward is a "bad habit." Can someone show me why I am doing this wrong? If anything, bullets backward is more efficient because you don't have to twist the magazine.
I originally started doing this because that's how my AR mags are oriented. Can't twist a mag that big very well...

 

[RobMoore]

I don't see how your slow technique on your way, and your slow and exaggerated technique on the accepted way make your point for you, so I'll post you another video that does.

Bullets forward


Having trained with him in person, and shot a match with him, he is just as fast with the mags at his side as he is with the ones up front.

...and just so I'm not simply posting videos of other people to refute yours, here are a couple of mine. I seem to have lost the most current ones, but these 2 from 2008 (when I was slower, and only carried an expert classification) should suffice.




http://www.idpa.com/matchresults/2008/2008_md.pdf


The difference between pistol mags and AR mags is that you don't have over half of the mag still left below the pistol to grab onto like you do with 30 or even 20 round AR mags.

 

[E.Shell]

'Front Toward Enemy'

 

[Mooseman]

Mine face forward. Try both and do what works for you.

 

[Kilroy]

'Front Toward Enemy'

That's not a real reason though.

@RobMoore I wasn't trying to show the speed, just that you have an extra movement with bullets forward carry. I'll try to figure out a way to time the difference, but since I've unintentionally taught myself bullets backward, I think I'll definitely be faster that way. Can you think of a reason bullets backward would be slower than bullets forward?

 

[Blaster229]

I'm going to necro this thread to post a video I made about this topic. I'm not understanding how bullets facing backward is a "bad habit." Can someone show me why I am doing this wrong? If anything, bullets backward is more efficient because you don't have to twist the magazine.
I originally started doing this because that's how my AR mags are oriented. Can't twist a mag that big very well...

Critique here. You need to get that pistol higher in your sight alignment, closer to your face, on the threat. I think rounds forward, indexing with your pointer finger to seat the mag is the way to do it. You eliminate the twist which is one more step in the process.
Either way though, get that blaster up on your face so you can see everything and immediately be on target, shooting as you press out.

 

[Dogabutila]

I think he's just trying to keep it in the video without showing his face?

 

[niftyvt]

Rounds forward for handgun, index grip.
Rounds backwards for rifle, beer can grip.

 

[Boats]

Forward (i.e. rounds pointed towards the pistol) in the chest rig and thigh rig. Just works better for me. The sides of the mag present a larger surface to grab than the front and rear.

Same with rifle mags

 

[Boats]

Critique here. You need to get that pistol higher in your sight alignment, closer to your face, on the threat. I think rounds forward, indexing with your pointer finger to seat the mag is the way to do it. You eliminate the twist which is one more step in the process.
Either way though, get that blaster up on your face so you can see everything and immediately be on target, shooting as you press out.

agreed. Although for a CCW mag pouch at the 8'oclock position running the mags backwards may be benificial since it would be easier to grab the mag fore-aft than on the sides.

 

[RobMoore]

The reason rounds to the rear is slower and less reliable is
#1 Your wrist makes a sharper angle to grab the mag than rounds forward. The beer can grip is harder to achieve than palming the baseplate.

#2 Beer can grip doesn't allow you to have your index finger along the leading edge of the mag to guide it into place. This is very beneficial at speed, particularly when stressed.

#3 Not palming the mag on the way up means you have to transition to the heel strike in the middle of insertion, which can lead to fumbling or failure to fully seat the magazine.

But, you can keep handicapping yourself and convincing yourself not to change if you like, just to avoid twisting the mag half of a turn.

 

[byf43]

Rounds toward front.
The farther toward the hip (7 or 8 o'clock) the magazines are located, the baseplate is 'tipped' toward the front.

Grasp magazine with index finger along front of magazine to 'index' insertion.

It was the way I was taught 30 years ago. It works for me.