Dropping Magazines

Uber · Jul 9, 2021

I normally shoot at an indoor range on a hard floor. To practice quick reloads, I want to drop empty mag's on the floor. And from dry fire practice, I know the mag's will bounce and scoot 3+ feet when they land on the carpet.

Problem #1. This is a problem at the range, since they could easily bounce forward of the firing line.

Problem #2. Further, it will probably damage the mag's over time if they repeatedly impact the concrete floor at the range. I considered bringing a rubber mat to cushion the fall. But a bouncy piece of rubber just propels the mag's further across the floor, making problem #1 even worse.

I considered a piece of cardboard, provided the range allows me to put it on the floor. I'm curious what other people do.

TheBert · Jul 9, 2021

Magazines are a consumable item.

Sundazes · Jul 9, 2021

Practice reloads at home with empty mags or snap caps. It's the muscle memory you are after.

ken792 · Jul 9, 2021

Own enough mags that some can be range only to be trashed by being dropped on concrete or stepped on over gravel. Dropping partially loaded mags is especially tough on them since they have a tendency to land feed lips first.

I also only do that outdoors. Indoor ranges are for zeroing or function checking and getting out as quick as possible.

cantstop · Jul 9, 2021

I second the outdoors (on a tarp).

You should also be familiar with the correct disassembly of the ones you drop since they will inevitably find dirt and grass.

4g64loser · Jul 9, 2021

Measure the booth at your usual range(s). Buy a sterilite tote or laundry tub that fits. Place it on the floor in front of you with either a mesh laundry bag secured so it doesn't quite lay on the bottom or like it with a piece of comforter/thick blanket doubled up. As a bonus, this rig makes you gray when transporting your handgun(s) and gear to the range in plain sight. Laundry day. Going to the laundromat.

To echo others, you should really have "work" mags and "practice" mags. All numbered.

John from MD · Jul 9, 2021

Carry a range bag and lay it where your mag falls. It won't bounce when it hits the bag.

teratos · Jul 9, 2021

sundazes said:
Practice reloads at home with empty mags or snap caps. It's the muscle memory you are after.

This.

trickg · Jul 9, 2021

So you're one of those people.

joppaj · Jul 9, 2021

Check with your range. At least one of them that I used to shoot at had signs prohibiting the intentional drop of magazines. Probably got tired of having to do ceasefires to get mags that went forward of the line.

smokey · Jul 9, 2021

Find a range where this is more practical. Typical indoor ranges here aren't super great for practicing a lot of different skills, reloads included. If you do want to practice reloads there, work more on tactical reloads in which you retain the magazine. That's more doable. You can fully load two mags, then just fire, switch, fire, switch...etc. Either way, you're still teaching yourself to just stand in one place while doing all your shooting without moving or likely sucking back behind cover, so it may not be super awesome to do all your reloading work there anyway.

Doing dryfire work with snap-caps or even airsoft replicas at home would likely be more beneficial for "real world" practice than just standing at an indoor range dumping mags on concrete. You'd at least be able to practice doing it while moving or while pulling behind cover after getting the fundamentals down.

alucard0822 · Jul 9, 2021

smokey0118 said:
Find a range where this is more practical. Typical indoor ranges here aren't super great for practicing a lot of different skills, reloads included. If you do want to practice reloads there, work more on tactical reloads in which you retain the magazine. That's more doable. You can fully load two mags, then just fire, switch, fire, switch...etc. Either way, you're still teaching yourself to just stand in one place while doing all your shooting without moving or likely sucking back behind cover, so it may not be super awesome to do all your reloading work there anyway.

Doing dryfire work with snap-caps or even airsoft replicas at home would likely be more beneficial for "real world" practice than just standing at an indoor range dumping mags on concrete. You'd at least be able to practice doing it while moving or while pulling behind cover after getting the fundamentals down.

yes, this, and practice dry-fire or with a weighted airsoft to build memory. All a static indoor range can do is help with some basics like trigger control, recoil recovery, and basic marksmanship. Worse yet is if it's slow fire only, then it's near worthless practice for defense. Find a private range that allows more, even if it's a drive, or if it requires you to get into competition. You need to practice reloads under stress, drawing from a holster, and moving around while shooting at reactive targets of various sizes/ distances. Practice that way a little, and it will feel like a waste of ammo going back to public ranges. The difference in comfort, skill, and competency between people that practice drills and skills vs people that shoot paper in a booth is staggering.

teratos · Jul 9, 2021

alucard0822 said:
yes, this, and practice dry-fire or with a weighted airsoft to build memory. All a static indoor range can do is help with some basics like trigger control, recoil recovery, and basic marksmanship. Worse yet is if it's slow fire only, then it's near worthless practice for defense. Find a private range that allows more, even if it's a drive, or if it requires you to get into competition. You need to practice reloads under stress, drawing from a holster, and moving around while shooting at reactive targets of various sizes/ distances. Practice that way a little, and it will feel like a waste of ammo going back to public ranges. The difference in comfort, skill, and competency between people that practice drills and skills vs people that shoot paper in a booth is staggering.

If you have airsoft, kids make a great reactive target.

rbird7282 · Jul 9, 2021

Aside from them going forward of the firing line, I wouldn’t worry about damage. I shoot Falling Steel and 3 gun matches and drop mags everywhere, grass, stone, concrete, etc. and have never damaged one. Even if I do it’s not a big deal to get another.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Uber · Jul 10, 2021

Thanks for a bunch of helpful ideas. I will buy more mag's when I have more cash. The Sig P320 Xfive mag's are about $50 each. $$$!

At the indoor range yesterday, the RSO was super nice and taped double-thick cardboard backers on the floor in the booth. I did 45 mag changes, none of which bounced beyond the firing line. Though, I'm not sure all the RSO's will be as accommodating. As suggested, I need an outdoor range to prepare for competition. Suggestions are welcome.

I've been practicing mag changes during dry fire for weeks--with and without snap caps. The effects of transitioning to live fire yesterday were interesting. I fumbled the mag changes about 5 times out of 45. Not too bad. But the double-tap I've been practicing for months diminished badly following a mag change or a holster draw. Maybe it's just brain overload. But the double-taps were both slower and less accurate following holster draw and mag changes. Groan. The expectations for my first competition tomorrow diminished based on yesterday's practice. That's probably a good thing.

erwos · Jul 10, 2021

I drop my mags all the time at indoor ranges if I'm practicing reloads on the clock. They get scuffed up, but they don't break, because I don't use trashy magazines that break. And, yes, I use P320 X5 magazines with TTI baseplates that cost a fair penny each. I'd do it if I were running a 2011, too.

I'm not going to tell you that the speed of your mag changes doesn't matter - it does - but, arguably, WHEN you execute those reloads matters much more. USPSA guys have to practice stupid fast reloads because of classifiers, but on actual stages, they're simply reloading as they're moving 90% of the time. Same thing for 3gun, for the most part. IDPA is really the only time when you're forced into ad-hoc reloads, and TBH, unless you totally blow your reloads, I doubt it's going to be a major stage time contributor.

You need to come out to the AGC 3gun practice on 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month...

photoracer · Jul 13, 2021

Well technically at USPSA matches you game the stage not only to know where to shoot but also when and where to dump the mag. You never should run dry and HAVE to make a mag change. Anybody that is not doing that is not playing the game.

erwos · Jul 14, 2021

photoracer said:
Well technically at USPSA matches you game the stage not only to know where to shoot but also when and where to dump the mag. You never should run dry and HAVE to make a mag change. Anybody that is not doing that is not playing the game.

Correct. And a way you game USPSA stages (and some pistol-heavy 3gun stages) is figuring out how you can reload while you're moving. I'll be honest, it builds some terrible habits for IDPA, because I carry like four mags on my belt and I almost can't stop myself from smashing that mag release as soon as I get moving to the next shooting position.

XCheckR · Jul 14, 2021

it is treads like this that make me feel smarter after reading them....lots of good info here.

Uber · Jul 14, 2021

Epilogue

erwos said:
IDPA is really the only time when you're forced into ad-hoc reloads, and TBH, unless you totally blow your reloads, I doubt it's going to be a major stage time contributor.

You need to come out to the AGC 3gun practice on 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month...

I shot at the match on the weekend. It was an IDPA match. And you were right--the reloads were a very minor factor, IDPA or not. This being the first time I ever shot competitively, the major factors were things like:

Never moved and fired a pistol before
Target transitions (you don't do this at an indoor range)
Engaging targets in order
Excessive nervousness about a safety violation, thereby going home early
Brain overload and fog

Anyone who said indoor ranges don't prepare you for a match was right. I'll look into AGC 3gun practice and other ways to prepare.

The upside is that competitive shooting is SO MUCH FUN! Instant addiction.

Thanks for the collective wisdom. I've been shooting only since last September and I have a ton to learn.

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