Loading...
There's been some chatter on the gun internet about how tactical reloads might be you killed in "the real world".
First off, a brief primer on what a tactical reload is, and why might want to learn this skill. I'll let Steve Gilcreast from the Sig Sauer Academy do the heavy lifting in that department with this video.
So a tactical reload is something you perform during a lull in the fight to top off your gun and prepare for what's next. Is that a useful skill to learn? Probably. Is that a necessary skill for all of us who are armed and don't wear a uniform and a badge to work?
*thoughtful pause*
First off, let's acknowledge the fact that we are not cops, and it is not our job to go out seeking bad guys, it's our job to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from harm. If we do that by stopping a threat to our lives with our CCW gun, great. If we do that by not being around such people, even better. We are not there to look for trouble, we are there to survive the trouble until the authorities arrive and take over.
Secondly, if (God forbid), we do run into trouble, it's because of something the bad guy did, not an intentional act on our part. At some point, the bad guy made a huge error in the victim selection process and is now (figuratively and possibly literally) fighting for his life. Unless it's an active shooter situation or there is a personal element to the encounter like a stalker or an abusive relationship, the goal of the bad guy is to get what he/she wants and then quickly move on to enjoying his/her ill-gotten booty.
Combine those two things, and we see that a) the only pause in a gunfight that we "civilians" will probably ever see is after the threat has been eliminated or is running away and b) at that point, our job is over and the job of the cops begins, tactical reloads then become part of the after-action drill, and not something to be done as part of a continuing engagement. Useful, necessary and definitely NOT something that will get you "killed on the street", but not a #1 priority for training, either.
Update: I forgot about this.
"Private citizens reload in approximately 1/2 of one percent of shooting incidents (3/482). If the defender fires any shots, most likely it will be 2 rounds."Not exactly something that's a pressing need, then.
