Administrative Reload

Jammer Six said:
I've wondered about that since 1975. I've always thought that low light is no time to be wondering about the condition of your weapon.
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How would you know? What will determine whether it's an appropriate or desirable time to verify the condition of your weapon will be the totality of the circumstances. And if given the totality of the circumstances one concludes that it would be appropriate or desirable to verify the condition of his weapon and at the time, the light is poor, it's certainly convenient to be able to perform that verification by touch.

That is certainly the reason given at Gunsite for teaching a method of tactilely verifying the condition of a weapon. Now if I have a choice of paying attention to my instructors at Gunsite or you, I'll choose paying attention to my instructors at Gunsite.
 
Very interesting discussion. I would like to throw my two cents into the action.

First, as a point of information for those that have never been in a firefight, when that times comes (and we all hope it never does come) you WILL revert to your training and what some term muscle memory.

My former Agency trained for CQB (close quarters combat). Our guns were never out of our possession except when we were in the shower or sound asleep. Our training dictated that when we strapped our gun on after it was off our body, we did a mag check to insure it was properly seated and a press check to make sure a round was in the chamber. It cost us nothing but a second or two of our time.

We also trained for two types of reloads: Emergency and Tactical. The emergency reload was when the slide locked back. The magazine was ejected and a fresh mag was inserted and the slide returned to battery. I always try to count my rounds while firing but in the heat of battle with a 12 or 15 round magazine, it is not always the easiest thing to do. The tactical reload was when some rounds were expended and there was a lull in the action. The partially used magazine is ejected and held while a fully loaded magazine is inserted into the mag well. There is still a round in the chamber and you still have a magazine in your possession that has rounds remaining.

Training was always with two spare magazines. Today, many years later, I carry two full magazines with me when I carry. If my gun is not on my body, it is because I am in the shower or asleep. However, it is close by as is the two spare magazines. And the press check, I do it every time the gun goes back. For me, its just a little peace of mind...a little assurance that everything as is it should be.
 
I press check (or actually open the cylinder to check, I carry a revolver) every time I start the day. Even knowing its loaded because I don't unload it. Just a habit I got into when I first started carrying a long time ago (in the
60s).

Not only that, I've I'm working with a partner that I may have to depend on I check his gun to insure it's loaded.

I learned that the hard way. A long time ago I was a FTO, (field training officer). My rookie and I were on a (drunk) barricaded man w/gun call who had threatened his family with a gun chasing them out of the house. We had to go get him. (We didn't have SWAT teams back then, something we just had to do).

Anyway after sneaking/crawling through the house looking for the guy (which took what seemed like hours) we found he got tired of waiting for us and passed out. No biggie, we got the gun and secured the bad guy without incident.

We had a indoor range next to the briefing room and every night after shift I went and shot a bit. On this night, I took my rookie to the range only to find out he spent the whole night with an empty revolver. I almost had a heart attack. Did a bit of cursing my rookie who had the habit of unloading his service revolver when he got home so his small kids wouldn't get it.

Anyway that was the last night I didn't check my rookies gun prior to shift, and mine. I habit I still follow.

I not in the game any more but I still shoot a lot of different type of matches, I'm forever seeing people getting "clicks" on the first shot after the timer goes off.

A lot of guns out there have "loaded round" indicators, I think they are a good ideas, I have a couple, but for some reason old habits die hard. I usually forget about them and when the command "load and be ready" is given (using a semi) I always press check before I re-holster.

I also give my magazine a good whack when I insert it, I've done it and I've seen it done more then once, where one doesn't get the magazine inserted properly and the slide fails to pick up a round on the first cycle.

Not so much with revolvers, I load and close the cylinder, kind of hard to screw that up.

But for my carry revolver, I always check it when I start my day, maybe again if I start out somewhere.
 
I press check my nightstand gun every few days, I check my revolver also.

I like to stick to very basic stuff, but also train in different tactics and methods. It is kind of interesting training in some new tactics because the coordination is wacky then after a little training the muscle memory picks it up and you have more skills, if ever needed.

Many accts of gun fights I read basic things go wrong and situations turn into scrambling chaotic messes, it seems like a good idea to have training and muscle memory to deal with unknown stuff. Some accts I have seen people get altered senses(tunnel vision, distorted hearing, shock, etc) so you might not always know how many shots you have taken? If you have you guts blown out and shock do you really trust yourself playing with the slide?

you never know.
 
When I was regularly carrying a duty auto, I cleared the gun and replaced the previous day's magazine with a new one. I watched the cartridge go into the chamber. End of exercise.

Never learned any of those catchy terms like "Administrative reload" "Emergency reload" "Tactical reload". The only "condition" phrase I ever learned about a 1911 was "cocked and locked". It was either in that condition or it was disassembled, or ready to be, for cleaning. Never had to suffer the mental game of remembering "Condition I" or "II" or "III". Nor did I have to learn what color my mindset was supposed to be in.


Sgt Lumpy
 
For most of my life, (meaning when I wasn't vacationing in Canada) I've been able to check weapons (and lights, locks, the stove, toaster and coffee pot) as the last thing before I turned the lights out. So no, if I had to reach out in pitch darkness and pick up a weapon, I wouldn't check it.

Thinking about it, I might check it if I had the opportunity to turn on a light, but not in the dark.

Hearing a bump in the night in the darkness is not the time to learn a new skill, and tactile press checks are not a skill I've trained, because I've always had this question about it.
 
Jammer Six said:
...Hearing a bump in the night in the darkness is not the time to learn a new skill...
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True.

Jammer Six said:
... tactile press checks are not a skill I've trained...
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It is a skill I've trained. So it is a skill available to me should I decide it would be a good idea.
 
Allow the index finger to drop down into the space between the end of the barrel hood and the breech face. If there was a round in the chamber, you will feel it.

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Sorry Frank, but that is the silliest thing I have seen you write. I am not sticking my finger into a partial open slide. I don't want to be slide bit in any fashion.

My press check is done when before I holster my weapon in the morning.
I always drop my mag. empty my chamber, inspect and lube my pistol if needed then chamber a round, drop the mag top off, load and holster.
 
Like Mark, I'm not sticking my finger into the chamber of an auto. Bolt action rifle, maybe. But even then, I'm ending up with an oily finger. Which I don't care to then gunk up my gun with.

My Baretta has an external extractor.


Sgt Lumpy
 
So forgive me for asking, but after reading this thread from start to finish, I still don't know what an administrative reload is...
 
So forgive me for asking, but after reading this thread from start to finish, I still don't know what an administrative reload is...
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The concept is that if/when there is a lull or a time out in the battle, . . . you grab a full mag and replace the partial mag in your weapon with the full one.

Then you have a full mag with which to continue the battle, . . . and you somehow have to find a place to put the partial, . . . so you don't lose it, . . . but at the same time, . . . not confusing it with others you may have that ARE fully loaded.

I personally don't see it as a concept that most CHL people should ever concern themselves with, . . . being in Fallujah, . . . yeah, . . . Cleveland, . . . nahhhhhh. If you are doing an admin reload in Cleveland, . . . with a hand gun, . . . nahhhhhh.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
I don't do press checks generally, but I have done them in the past. I know my 1911 is always loaded, as it's my EDC and is kept cocked and locked. I also know both my Glocks are loaded at a glance, as the triggers are forward, and being as though they are carry weapons for specific times, I keep these always loaded and charged as well.
I have done press checks on my Colt Mark IV and my Delta Elite, whenever I pulled them from the safe, but I no longer keep either of them loaded, so there's no need.
 
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