In the context of auto-loading pistols with box magazines (1911s, Glocks, etc.) “mags” containing the ammunition inside the grip – ( “clips” are entirely different and rarely encountered with handguns), there is a right way to quickly and safely do a “speed reload”.    First, keep all your mags on your belt facing the same way – bullet tips pointing to your belly.   The sequence is something like this:  

Do three things at once – 1. remove your trigger finger from the trigger and allow it to fully straighten outside the trigger guard, 2. remove your weak hand from the grip and grasp the new mag on your belt – your palm and index finger should contact the forward side of the mag.

3. With your index finger on the fresh mag and close to the tip of the first round, use your strong hand thumb to press the mag release button with the gun still held vertical so the expended magazine will drop straight down to the ground.  

Then, slightly retract the gun, keeping the gun about chin high while slightly canting it so the bottom of the grip magazine well ("magwell") is aligned with the direction the new mag is coming from.

Quickly bring the new mag up to the gun while your eyes are on the gun's magwell opening.   Matt Burkett teaches an interesting and counterintuitive technique at this point – pause the insertion motion so that the top of the new mag is about an inch short of the magwell. When your eyes tell you that you have achieved proper alignment, press it home, taking care not to “jam” your weak hand's index finger.  

The reasoning behind this pause is to prevent the major delay caused by a blown mag change due to misalignment.   As you improve, you can reduce the duration of the pause.   With the new mag fully seated; I'll say it again: fully seated, the weak hand rejoins the grip while the gun rotates back on target.   During the entire process, the finger is off the trigger, and the muzzle points downrange – not up or down.

Below is an Mpeg video showing Grandmaster Travis Tomasie doing what may be the world's fastest reload. If you want to see it multiple times, please right-click it and choose "save as" or "download".

Dial-up connections may not be able to display this.

This is the conundrum all practical shooters must decide – when to spend the extra time achieving a better sight picture, and when to use a “good enough” sight picture and go faster.  Quotes from champion shooters: "When I evaluate how to shoot a stage, I usually decide there's two ways to shoot it - fast and faster" (Rob Leatham) "Make every shot count" (Max Michel). Do these bits of advice sound like contradictions? Actually not, as you'll do both, depending upon the difficulty and distance of the target. Results will tell you when to slow down – if you're getting misses ("mikes"), then obviously you must slow down and use more care. If you're getting all alphas but are consistently the slowest shooter, consider speeding up a bit.  Experience will teach you how far you can push your speed and still score well.   A good rule of thumb is to shoot at a speed where you get no mikes, and at least 90 percent of the available points.   In the case of shooting major caliber, this means half A-zone hits and half C-zone hits.   If you're shooting minor caliber, you need to be getting more A hits.   During practice, shoot for exclusively A-zone hits. You need to have the confidence of being able to reliably hit the A-zone on demand.

It really comes down to this:

1. Develop your stance, grip, and trigger pull so that when you pull the trigger through, your sights remain in the A zone during dry fire. The sights will rise during live fire recoil. Practice quickly returning them to the A zone.

2. Pay really close attention to your sight picture. Try hard to see everything - it's all happening right before your eyes.

3. Shoot as fast as you can execute 1 & 2.

The hallmark of the Grandmaster is not just speed - but smoothness. All wasted motion is removed until only the essentials remain.   You should try some practice in slow motion, and watch what you're doing in a mirror. This way you can correct mistakes, build good safety habits , and program the "muscle memory" that will allow you to shoot smoothly and safely.

Depending upon your personal goals, required practice can vary from almost none (only shooting matches) to five days a week if you're on the really fast track. Realistically, as a minimum when you're first developing your skills, plan on live fire at least once or twice a week, supplemented with at least twice a week dry fire practice. Experts recommend more dry fire than that.   That's right – dry fire.   It's worth repeating.   The top shooters agree that dry fire practice is very effective.   There are many online resources that provide practice drills.   Grandmaster Steve Anderson made it to the top using primarily dry fire practice.   And he wrote a popular book on it.

Click the image at the right to download a sample of Steve Anderson's book in PDF format. It can be ordered from BrianEnos.com

When you practice live fire, don't skimp on ammo.   200 plus rounds per session is a good place to start.   Many expert shooters begin and end their session with group shooting, which is shooting slowly for maximum accuracy at distance, say 25 to 50 yards.   The reason for this is to maintain accuracy skills, to prove that your sights are set correctly, and that your gun will deliver A-zone hits if you do your part.  I've personally started a match, only to find that I couldn't hit distant targets for some reason.   This destroyed my much-needed confidence.   After bombing two stages, I finally discovered that my sights had come loose.   If I had ended my last practice session with group shooting, I would have discovered the problem before the match. 

Practical shooting, like any sport, takes time and effort to increase skill. There will be times when your progress is fast and things are going well. But you'll also experience bad days and extended downturns. This is normal. Consistent practice will take you where you want to go.

As you progress, an accessory item you should consider is a shot timer so you can really know if you're improving. These are available from several practical shooting vendors, such as Kentucky's own Shooter's connection. You should also visit Dawson Precision, Speed Shooters, and Brazos.