Do You Always Load Your Magazine to Capacity at the Range?

[zoid 24]

I find I usually don't load more than ten at a time. Sometimes I'll only do five. Makes

me concentrate a little more on each shot rather than just letting them all go and getting

too trigger happy. It's surprising how fast you can go through ammo.

[Maksim 1,504]

I find I usually don't load more than ten at a time. Sometimes I'll only do five. Makes

me concentrate a little more on each shot rather than just letting them all go and getting

too trigger happy. It's surprising how fast you can go through ammo.

 

 

Typically 10 in the mag, be it at a match or just practicing.

[checko 180]

I usually load all 15 for my 9mm. I take my time and rest my arms if needed. I do it just to cut down on reload time. My. 45 on the other hand only holds 7 anyway.

[vladtepes 1,060]

depends on the shooting I am doing... most of the time to max.. but if I am moving and shooting a lot.. sometimes I will load random amounts.. and mix them up... so that the last round catches me off guard and I have to react and change mags..

[RecessedFilter 222]

Depends what I am doing at the range, be it something like drills, slow fire, malfunctions, accuracy, etc.

 

Most of the time I load to 3/4 to full capacity, but with a lot of drills I have started practicing, I will only load 2-4 rounds per mag.

[bbk 188]

Depends on what I'm doing. If it's just function checks, I'll load 3-6. Drills it will always vary. But I do make sure to load at least a few full magazines so I can remember what a fully loaded magazine feels like, as well as the weight change as I expend rounds.

[Sivl32 27]

If I'm alone at the range i tend to load less.. like 5 rounds in each mag.. cause other wise I fly through ammo faster then I can afford to shoot it.

[this_is_nascar 162]

A couple observations/comments from this beginner.

 

#1- I was surprised at this question even being asked. Why would someone NOT load their mag to capacity every time?

#2- I was even more surprised to see most of who responding DO NOT load it to capacity all the time.

 

What gives and why?

 

The only time I don't load to capacity is if it's my last round at the range and just completed a box of ammo. I won't open a box at the end, just to fill the mag at the end of the day.

[CageFighter 236]

never!

if im shooting my rifle in the pits, im loading btwn 5-10rds so i can work on swapping out the mags.

at an inside range, i only load my handgun mags with 5 rounds. this way, i can take my time in between groups.

otherwise, I can be like RayRay and get addicted to mag dumps REAL QUICK! (but 308 isnt cheap)

[tony357 386]

9 rounds in the wilson combat 1911 9mm mags, mag is jammed to tight when fully loaded.

 

5 rounds at indoor range. 5 rounds per target. and then remark target or cover holes.

[John Fox 5]

Usually 5 rounds. They come out of the box that way.

[Jon 264]

10rds for me.

[msg73 1]

I like to take 3-4 mags and load 5 rounds in each. I feel it helps me slow down and focus more. I also notice that if I load up the mag (15rnds) and shoot at a target, I don't always see where I'm hitting towards the end of the mag as some may be going through existing holes. It also lets me practice reloads.

[Urban Grunt 44]

I load 30 rounds for the .22

[Wolfy 51]

Multiples of five. Revolvers 5 shots and semis 10.

[MedicYeti 96]

It depends on what I'm doing. Just target shooting I charge to capacity. Reload drills I charge random numbers so I don't know when I'll go to slide lock. NRA/Winchester marksmanship shooting goes to the suggested load for the COF. Competition shooting gets the suggested capacity. If I'm going for pinpoint accuracy I usually load one at a time, forcing a reload and a breather between shots.

[bry@n 195]

Revolvers I load to 6 (6 round cylinder). The semi's I load to a max 10. Generally I will load them between 5 and 6. I make it a habbit to swap out mags.

 

It truly depends on what I am doing. If I am noticing that I am doing something wrong or jerking, I load less and pay more attention to my triger control.

 

I will at least at the end have at least one mag dumo of 5-10 rounds.

[DevsAdvocate 112]

I find I usually don't load more than ten at a time. Sometimes I'll only do five. Makes

me concentrate a little more on each shot rather than just letting them all go and getting

too trigger happy. It's surprising how fast you can go through ammo.

 

Pistols, I usually do 5 in a mag. Rifles I do 3-4... this, for me, is based on the boxes of ammunition. Pistol ammo is usually in 50 round boxes with 10 rows of 5 cartridges. Rifle ammo typically comes in boxes of 20 (sometimes 30 for milsurp stuff), so there you want to do shoots of 3-4.

 

Depends on the type of shooting you want to do. Slow-fire fundamental stuff, you don't need full mags... sighting in a rifle doesn't require a full mag either.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

10 for pistol. I went as far as getting 10 round mags for my 1911. It makes it nice and easy, 5 mags for 50 rounds, 10 rounds per target. Its nice and even and at the end you dont have 2 rounds left just sitting there. 5 would accomplish the same thing but thats not enough, I dont want to break my grip to reload and screw up my group.

[HKHockey 5]

A couple observations/comments from this beginner.

 

#1- I was surprised at this question even being asked. Why would someone NOT load their mag to capacity every time?

#2- I was even more surprised to see most of who responding DO NOT load it to capacity all the time.

 

What gives and why?

 

The only time I don't load to capacity is if it's my last round at the range and just completed a box of ammo. I won't open a box at the end, just to fill the mag at the end of the day.

 

Reload drills and getting back on target is the biggest part of it.

[vladtepes 1,060]

A couple observations/comments from this beginner.

 

#1- I was surprised at this question even being asked. Why would someone NOT load their mag to capacity every time?

#2- I was even more surprised to see most of who responding DO NOT load it to capacity all the time.

 

What gives and why?

 

The only time I don't load to capacity is if it's my last round at the range and just completed a box of ammo. I won't open a box at the end, just to fill the mag at the end of the day.

 

 

already explained.. but here again..

 

the single best way to practice a malfunction is to load a mag with an unknown amount of ammo.. I load up up 3 or 4 mags..one with 5 rounds.. one with 10.. one with 8... one with 12.. whatever.. just a random assortment.. put 3 in my rig.. and load one in my gun.. then proceed to shoot..when the mag goes.. I do mag changes... OR sometimes I will run the same process but each time clear the weapon.. to practice clearing a malfunction.. on the last mag I will transition to my handgun.. I am not a competition shooter.. so this just keeps it fun for me.. this is with my guns that I shoot while moving.. when I shoot my DPMS 308 I just load them fully because I shoot that gun slowly..

[Krdshrk 3,883]

Try mixing in some snap caps too to simulate failures

[hd2000fxdl 422]

I load 30 rounds for the .22

 

When your out of state,, right?

[vladtepes 1,060]

Try mixing in some snap caps too to simulate failures

 

 

good call..

[hd2000fxdl 422]

For pistol at the indoor range I will do a combination of what Glen and Nick do, different number in each mag and I'll sometime toss in a few snap caps, that is when I remember to toss them in my range bag.

 

 

 

[raz-0 1,265]

If I'm shooting steel for fun? Fill em.

 

If I'm shooting practice drills like draw, 2 on near target, reload 2 on far target repeat? Fill em, I want as much practice as possible.

 

If I'm doing practice for production or l-10 that capacity matters for getting in the right kind of practice? 10 rounds.

 

Rifle? Either fill em or single round at a time. Depends on what I'm doing. Mostly fill em.

[XDJohnTact 49]

Most of my mags only hols 10 rounds, so I usually stick with that. The exception is my M&P 15-22.

[Maksim 1,504]

Was just thinking... pistol is absolutely 10 rounds, or less for drills. Rifle, as Raz-O, either fill it, or single shot.

[bulpup 98]

I like the random number bit for the reload drills. I think I am goin to do that.

 

Recently I started reloading my 9mm brass and cince I don't trust myself yet I load 4 to see if they cycle right and then when it is empty I can put the the gun down empty and look for the brass. I examine them for bulges and in general see how it all came out.

 

So far so good, BTW. Loading Rainier flat points.

 

Doing this though, I keep a separate set of mags at home with my HD loads so I don't cycle the hell out of the springs.

[Urban Grunt 44]

When your out of state,, right?

Nope Nj, i used a trimag.