Have we been training incorrectly?  Incorporating certain illogical concepts into the finite reality of the "square range" and if we have, should we change it?  This question comes up, from time to time, and it did after I wrote The Carry Reload in early 2017.  There was a lot of research that needed to be done, so I sought out people who I knew had the experience I was looking to reference, to contrast against my own, and I wanted to get other information from various sources because I wanted this to be as unbiased as possible, I wanted the facts to lead me.  The problem which we are constantly plagued with in the training industry is that we try to reinvent the wheel, we try to stick to the known, friendly and acceptable methods of instruction.  The issue which comes out of this type of dogmatic training paradigm is that we find ourselves repeating drills based on nothing more than perceived need of doing so, or attempting to achieve some sort of status.  Reloading is one those aspects of various drills which a lot of instructors incorporate in their coursework, and it should be, but should it be regarded to at such a high level as to completely detach itself from the requirements of reality?

Read the full article here ->  http://www.vdmsr.com/2018/12/training-for-reality-reloads-and.html

I would agree with the article in that setting aside the one off three or four crack head home invasion, a defensive shooting does not last that long. Your not going to be slinging rounds in a runing gunfight through a mall. Getting good fast first hit shots are way more important than a fast reload. But as he stated malfunctions happen so being good at clearing those should be high on the list of training. Just my opinion.

He definitely presents a good argument.

Doesn't hurt to incorporate speed reloads into your training though.

No one in a gun fight (that had to reload) ever wished they had done it slower...

The other being a tactical reload. When the threat is over, if possible you should be moving to cover if you weren't there already and changing the magazine out for a fresh one if available.

The issue, at hand, is that there is no documented instance of anyone actually reloading during a gunfight to save their lives....

You don't have to be lightning at it, but it's not hard to be proficient and have the muscle memory so it gets done correctly if need be.

I routinely carry my reload in a pocket. Specifically my back pocket. This is for one reason primarily and a couple secondaries.
Primarily: I’ve spent too much of my life being uncomfortable. I’m at the point now where if something feels like shit I’m just not gonna do it. This is where my mag carrier comes in. Will I need 45 rounds in an EDC situation? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Fuck no. So why am I carrying 30 extra rounds that jab into my side when I’m in my car? That’s uncomfortable af and I’m rocking a single mag in a pocket.

Secondly (and this is tactics vs range-isms): if my gun stops working I see two options based on the distance of the fight. If I’m within a couple meters, this fight just turned into a melee and a speedy reload isn’t gonna do dick anyway. That’s when it’s time to start using the inop pistol as a blunt weapon, or go to my knife. If we’re outside grappling or striking range, it’s time to get the fuck over to cover and I can sort out the stoppage or reload along the way. More important part of that is to avoid getting shot. When your gun doesn’t work, avoiding getting shot means you gotta move. Quickly. Preferably to something that will stop bullets. The speed of the reload is less important at that point as the speed of preventing lead from entering me, and I can spend the extra half second flipping a mag around after retrieving it from my back pocket.

Third: back pocket actually conceals surprisingly well. Most people don’t notice my pistol anyway (OWB at 3:30), and the mag in my pocket doesn’t look like a gun, it looks like keys or a leather man or who knows what, but most people aren’t checking out your ass anyway no matter how many squats you do.

Context? Civilian/non-PD only?

FIFY

I can think of a thread right off the top of my head where an ARFCOM member was ambushed by multiple assailants and ended up retrieving an AR pistol which he employed when the bad guys decided to come back at him. There's a video of a liquor store robbery in Tulsa where a mom and daughter both shoot the assailant, he comes back and takes the mom's empty revolver and pistol whips her with it.

There are also a whole lot of instances of LE, on camera, reloading during a fight but maybe you didn't intend to include them?

There are tons of domestic LE gunfights where the officer reloaded.

Here's one example where the officer reloaded multiple times during the gunfight with a single assailant: https://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/6199620-Why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job/

In the article, he does clarify that he is talking about citizen shootings.  LEO is a different animal because the option of fleeing the scene shouldn't be there.

I read your article and I think you bring up good points.

I absolutely love that you are challenging the status quo...just because we've always done something doesnt mean we should continue to do it.

Having said that, I disagree with your premise, although admittedly I have no stats to back this up and I am a police officer which skews my view point.

Self defense shootings are a rare phenomena, yet the majority of us here on this site carry.
Why?
In the rare occasions where necessary, those of us who carry want to be able to possibly save ourselves, our loved ones, or others in the event the unthinkable happens.

With that in mind...

You acknowledge that cops are more likely to get involved in shoot outs with subjects who are going to be aggressive and will likely carry reloads...how is this different than the normal non cop?
The subjects who are aggressive and going to fight are not going to stop at just cops, these people walk around daily and whether you want to admit or not, you've probably been in close proximity of these people whether you knew it or not. If they've just shot at a cop, do you think they'd stop at shooting anyone else?
The first one is expensive, the rest are free.
Meaning after shooting or killing a cop....anyone else is fair game. How many times a person be sentenced to death?

Carrying reloads and being proficient and timely in reloading isnt a bad thing and doesnt hurt anyone.

Not being proficient in a reload and not having a reload/back up magazine, (I know you threw out revolvers in for your position in your article,  but still...), could potentially hurt you.

If we're carrying a gun for a situation that will hopefully never happen, carrying a reload and training to reload under stress in a timely manner wont hurt.

I do agree with you regarding precision vs speed. But I do see the other side of the argument as well.
We were taught in the Marines that violence of action won the day and putting hits on target won fights 4 to 1.
I have no stats to back that up and it could very well be something made up to make us feel better and support the very argument you are against.

At the end of the day....I tend towards looking at it this way...
Carrying a reload and training to reload under stress and with a time constraint wont cause a training scar, and potentially cost a life on the street...the opposite is not true.

Please continue to write articles and push the status quo. I greatly respect the effort and time you put into this article, even if I dont agree with the premise.
Complacency kills and only by constantly questioning the narrative/powers that be can we improve.

Gotcha.

While rare, I have read documented cases of citizens reloading during gunfights. What's more common though are incidents of needing to reload but not carrying a spare magazine.

Off the the top of my head, the citizen that engaged an active shooter at the Trolly Square Mall was forced to only attempt to suppress instead of effectively engage the shooter because he carried only the 8 rounds in his 1911 with no spare magazine. Luckily, he was saved by responding police.

Ken Hammond was an off duty cop in the Trolley Square shooting- but it could have been a regular citizen given how it played out.

Wasn’t there a Southern California jewelry store owner that stashed guns all over his shop, and ended up shooting more than one of them dry during one of the (three?) robberies he experienced?

I hadn't shot a match in a long time, mostly paper punching.  I recently went to an indoor range with a random moving and spinning target.  I used a bone stock 1911 and had to do multiple speed reloads in order to keep double tapping the target.

I did not embarrass myself.  

Magazine capacity is definitely a thing, but using 8 rounders makes for great practice.

Pretty sure there was a shooting in Texas where the CHP holder reloaded before being killed by the suspect (he had an AK).