for you guys that practice tactical shooting, how do you deal with reloading? specifically, do you wait for the "click" or do you reload when you know you are getting low and just dump pouch the nearly empty into your dump pouch?

i love my AK's but i struggle with them as a combat weapon because of the lack of bolt catch. when my AR holds open on the last round i can almost always tell and if not a quick glance tells you.

am i over thinking it?

If you are doing a reactive reload (shot gun dry) Get a fresh mag in hand, Hit mag catch with fresh mag, Insert fresh mag into gun, Run bolt with ejection port facing down.
If you are doing a proactive reload (Because you want a fresh gun) Grab fresh mag in hand, Hit mag catch with fresh mag, Insert mag into gun, Run bolt with ejection port facing down.
Reasons to do a proactive reload are before moving, Just finished up shooting and are about to sling rifle, Behind cover Etc....

ya, i like the mag into the mag latch trick, learned that a few years back.

i am mostly interested in what the school of thought is on WHEN its best to reload. or is that a fluid tactic that requires a situational dependency?

Whenever you need more rounds... Try not over complicating it. If you have time to reload and are in a safe position to do so then by all means do it. If you are out of rounds get to cover and reload.
Edit: Close range though just switch to your pistol.

Have you thought about getting BHO mags?

Surplus Yugo BHO mags are reliable and affordable. Think AIM has them for around $15 a pop, they're worth the weight/cost/rattle. It doesn't matter if the enemy knows you're out of ammo, you need to know if you're empty before trying to pull the trigger.

A tactical reload is done during a break in the fight, when you're behind something solid and you want a fresh mag while retaining the partial one. Think of it as an end of gunfight routine: Look, assess, reload, look some more, figure out what you're doing next. You still need to keep your eyes up and looking out for any new 'problems.'

Speed/emergency reload is done when you run dry and/or need a full mag NOW. When bullets are still flying, you're out of cover, or when you believe the enemy is still around.(When in doubt, speed load and worry about your spent mags later) For this, train simple: grab, flick, set, tilt, turn, rack and get back on target. Nothing fancy, just get it done consistently, then work on speed and reloading while moving and in weird positions.(Try reloading while upside down, or in 'dynamic' prone, or with one hand. AK Operator's Union shows a bunch of cool techniques)

A gun's just a lump of steel and plastic without ammo, so keeping your weapon loaded up is a priority. SOP for FBI agents is to reload during the first lull in the fighting, seeing as most people can't keep track of how many rounds they've fired under stress. Hope this helps.

I will readily admit that an AK is my first choice for a battle rifle, and here are my thoughts on your question ( as well as some extra thoughts thrown in )

I struggled with the lack of a BHO on a battle rifle as well, and this was largely due to me starting my real weaponcraft as a 17 year old 11B, and learning that the BHO was the indicator to reload.

I found that in true practice however, when frolicking upon the 2 way range, if I had a moment to think to myself " I wonder how many bullets I have left in this mag " then my next step was to take that mag out ( stow it if I thought to, drop it if I didn't ), and load a fresh one in.  This way the answer was 30.

If you are engaged, you will seek cover naturally ( or you will get shot ).  If you suffer a weapon malfunction, transition to your pistol to keep a weapon in the fight, and then get behind cover and go to corrective action ( HK users treat an empty mag as a malfunction, and the corrective action for an empty mag is the same as a jam on an MP5 )

If you have been in an engagement and are preparing to make a "big" move from cover ( forward or backward )   ) you want to do it with as many bullets at the ready as possible, so a reload is probably in order anyway.

All AK shooters are aware that there is a (small) possibility you will go to engage and get a click ( this also applies to MP5s, P90s, pump action shotguns, and many other popular combat long guns )... just like all rifle shooters are aware that there is a (small) possibility that you will go to engage and get a light strike, misfire, squib, or other terrifying "clunk" when you were expecting a triumphant BANG.

So just like you prepare for malfunctions by drilling corrective action till it hurts... Practice emergency reloads too.  You may surprise yourself how quickly you will get your weapon back into service if you do it enough times, even under stress.

Lastly, on the note of the emergency reload where you use a mag to activate the release:  I've tried it, got quick with it, and if YOU swear by it I will give you a high five because of your confidence.  I personally have found that it is no faster than using your support hand to ensure that mag comes out, and I prefer not to fill my hand with something when I may still need the use of my fingers.

With the support hand method you are gripping the mag and activating the release at the same time, and I have never failed to successfully extract the mag this way ( watch me say never and it will happen tomorrow ).

With the fresh mag activation method, there is a microsecond where you are racing the depressed mag latch and trying to get the empty mag out before the catch re-seats behind the mag lip ( this is where the rake, raKE, RAKE!!!! HA! GOT IT THAT TIME! )  comes from.

Lastly, hopefully if you are in a gunfight, you brought friends... lots of em.  And hopefully they have rifles too.  If during an engagement, you all go dry at the same time... you were never meant to win that battle... sorry.

If this was a helpful I'm glad, and if it was a waste of your time I apologize.

Yugo/Serbian mags. All I run on my "oh crap" gear.

Alternatively, Making Bolt Hold Open Magazines. You can grind the rear of a Euro-patern follower square, the only difference that makes between them and the Yugo is that the Yugo will catch the bolt about 1/4" farther back, which is essentially irrelevant.

When these run dry, believe me, you'll know it.

situational dependent; youre over thinking it

reloads the same method--kiss

situational dependent; youre over thinking it

reloads the same method--kiss