I’ve got a question for the brain trust and hoping some of you can give me educated opinion.
I’m left handed and have always loaded from an empty chamber (ran dry) by using my weak (right hand) to grasp my mag from my weak side hip with the cartridges pointing to the rear, inserted, push/pull and then use my left trigger finger drop the bolt home.
After reading some AAR’s it seems many well thought of trainers seem to teach to always pull the charging handle to re chamber. As a left hander that involves rotating the weapon inboard to accomplish. I’ve been training both ways lately and the trigger finger seems quicker for me. And more importantly it doesn’t require me to push my weapon away from my body to clear the charging handle. With a fully loaded vest to include armor and plates this seems a big disadvantage.
My question is if there is any real advantage to using the charging handle vs. my trigger finger? Am I missing something or overthinking this?
I think the people teaching the charging handle method are maybe doing so because they believe you cannot perform fine motor schools under pressure? This is just an assumption on my part as to why some teach that way. I don’t buy it, one does not loose fine motor skills under pressure and the LAV doesn’t believe you do either…if he says you don’t it’s good in my book :D.
I certainly understand loosing fine motor skills but I firmly believe that if you’ve used and trained a certain way for 100,000’s of rounds that your training will allow you to do this task. I mean after all is it my trigger finger! I am wondering if there is a belief that it is more positive or more reliable?
The only thing I can think of suggesting is to add an “extended bolt release” (such as the Magpul BAD, Tactical Link, ect.) to give yourself a bigger “target”…but like you said, if you’ve trained tens of thousands of rounds a certain way and can do it consistently/smoothly/efficiently, then you should be ok.
I know very few trainers that advocate use of the charging handle for an emergency/dry/speed reload (depending on whose dictionary you happen to be using).
The bolt release paddle has demonstrated fewer failures to feed than racking the CH in my observation (Colt, FN, Diemaco, BCM, Noveske, S&W, Daniel Defense, and LMT guns primarily; both as a military instructor and open-enrollment class participant).
I have seen failures of the CH (bent, broken, worn) that stopped the gun when the CH failed.
Racking the CH is slower to get the gun back into action, once the shooter intuitively knows the location of the bolt release.
I won’t say that this applies to ALL rifles, but for the AR, it works very well.
I am a Lefty also, and I reload ‘beercan’ style and pop the bolt catch with my left index finger exactly as you describe. The process works quite well for me. Apparently, it works for you also. I’ve never found a valid reason to revert to using the C/H during a reload. My timed reloads prove it’s faster for me and at this point it would be a major PITA to retrain and switch to a different method.
Also a lefty, also originally taught the charging handle. Fuck that. Run the bolt release.
As for rounds forward or backward?? I run all rounds forward, pistol or rifle, draw the same, index the mag the same, and insert the mag into the gun the same. I know plenty of dudes that do rifle, rounds to the rear, but they still use the bolt release.
Lefty here as well. IMO, using the paddle is more efficient. If I can’t find it with my finger I use the palm of my hand to smack the side of the receiver. Problem solved. It’s also a gross motor skill.
The fine motor skills comment are valid though. I think if one practices enough it tend to really help in minimizing the effects of duress.
I appreciate the replies, it reaffirms what I’ve always been doing. As a serious student I’m not afraid to mentally step back and self analyze new techniques and tactics as I’m made aware of them. At times I have slapped the release with the palm of my left hand and really tried to get away from it to preclude removing my dominant hand from the grip.
I have a friend that recently attended a well thought of school and told me of this. That’s what promted this thread and I thought, let’s give it a shot. In researching it I found some like it and teach this manner. As a lefty it adds more to the puzzle instead of less.
As far as the direction of the rounds go I found over 20 years ago that from the weak side, actually right over the appendix for me in a duty belt that rounds forward was for me. I generally used a vest or vest mount rifle pouches and liked the rounds to the left. When I went to a battle belt with my 2 mags at my 3:00 I tried forward and rearward for the rifle mags and felt it took less wrist turning and twisting to draw and insert with the rounds rearward.
No. Fine and gross motor skills are involved during all of shooting. You use fine motor skills to manipulate the safety, trigger, and magazine release. Why is the bolt release different?? So if you can’t get the bolt release with your trigger finger of your shooting hand you release your grip of your primary shooting hand and slap at the bolt release with your palm?? No.
Well, I’m not a lefty, or an industry professional. I’m just a regular Joe that has taken a couple of classes. However, I do use the charging handle to reload from a dry magazine.
I use the charging handle instead of the release becuase it transfers more enegry into the spring, then just releasing it from the stop, if done properly. But, if you ride the handle any amount forward, even the slightest amount, it will reduce the stored energy that drives the BCG, striping the round from the magazine, and seating it properly. This handle riding/reduction may even drop the stored energy in the spring to a lower point than just using the paddle release. Using the charging handle, instead of the just using the release, does not transfer a lot of additional energy(IMHO, 5-10% more, maybe?), but it might make the difference. Personally, I found that this way of doing it was very beneficial after the 1k round count using WPA, when the crap build up in the upper started to get things slowing down.
Are there downsides to it? Sure. It does involve more things that can break, or bend, or just stop. It also involves more movement. As with all things in life, there are risks and rewards in each of our decisions and actions. In the end, I think we all decide what works for us, and then practice the way we choose, to get as efficient and consistant as possible. The Zen of the magazine change…
Sorry, but for me, that’s not a good enough reason to run the charging handle. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m trying to be the most proficient with the gun as I can. I’m not basing my manual of arms on something that “may” increase my probability of chambering a round when the bolt release does it 99% of the time and lube usually takes care of the last 1%.
To put things in perspective, if I’m doing a speed reload on a rifle that means someone has shot at me, I’ve reacted enough to empty a FULL mag, and now I’m out. To say I’m behind the power curve would be an understatement. I need ammo right fucking now, so the extra manipulation of turning the rifle, running the charging handle, and not being able to finalize my sight picture as fast is not worth it to me.
What about the energy that is robbed because the action spring now has to push the added weight of the CH, with the increased friction of the CH nubs inside the upper receiver?
I think that a lot of things are vastly blown out of porportion on the internet. If your technique works for you, rock on, but there is no significant loss of force in releasing the bolt via the bolt release versus the CH.
I am the same Dave, as in that I have small hands and it is a bit of a stretch with my trigger finger as a lefty and to use that method I actually have to break my grip a bit which I don’t like and overall I am not as reliable as I would require of myself. As a lefty I teach both the trigger finger and the mag grip and reach around method that you use. For myself, I use that voodoo thing that goes through the trigger guard, but we can keep that discussion or battle in the thread that is already going. Works amazingly well for a lefty for locking and releasing the bolt. Gives a lefty a larger advantage than a righty.
As for the CH release, not something I teach for the various reasons already mentioned.
