If you exhaust a magazine, do you put it in a dump pouch or pocket, or does it go to the ground? If your reply is "it depends on the circumstances", how can you be sure that you'll have the wherewithal to apply the proper technique in that likely stressful moment? With enough training, anything's possible. Is it perhaps best to train retention, and assume that if the moment's extremity dictates a ditching, you'll likely do it? Of course it's all circumstantial and based on one's "use case". A LE/MIL may just train to toss it because they're confident they can get a replacement; a prepared civilian may train to keep it, as a homeland crisis may have resupply in short supply.

Since I shoot USPSA my mags get dropped.
In a highly stressful life or death situation I care about getting another mag into the gun asap more than being frugal.

I suppose it is safe to assume that, if a reload is prompted by a magazine being shot dry, as opposed to a "tac" or other form of more administrative reload, the circumstances are quite dire, and spending the extra time required for retention would be ill advised.

Perhaps dry=drop.

That’s another of your interesting questions that would have never occurred to me otherwise.

To answer directly, I’ve never trained or taught others to retain magazines during a reload. If I see a trainee holding onto a mag during a reload, I yell, “Drop it, drop it, drop it! If you need something to throw, pick up a rock.”

My first reaction to the idea of retaining and stowing a mag during a fight for one’s life after running dry was, “Get more magazines if you can’t afford to lose some in a situation like that,” and followed by the thought that the extra time and distraction that would involve could mean the difference between life or death.

I could actually imagine retaining magazines during a firefight would likely be more important for certain extended military operations. Soldiers and others in such situations would probably be part of large groups and unless Charlie is coming through the wire 25 meters away, there would be more time to retain magazines as they were emptied. Also, resupply might consist of ammo only without more mags.

I was not in the combat arms and I never needed the extra ammunition I had available at times in Vietnam, not to mention being young and ignorant. But my extra load consisted of seven loaded magazines with 18 rounds each in a bandoleer, and seven bandoleer pouches with 20 rounds each on stripper clips. If I had known then what I know now, the second bandoleer (and perhaps more) would have had loaded magazines as well. If I had ever needed all that, it would have probably been when I was alone or with another counterintelligence agent or two at most. And I probably would not be here today to tell all that regardless of how much ammo I was carrying.

Every training class I have been to has trained to drop whether empty or with ammo after a malfunction. You need to get the weapon back in action as fast as possible. I know during competition we had stages where we did tactical reloads with retention. In a real gunfight, trying to retain magazines could get you killed.

quote:

I care about getting another mag into the gun asap more than being frugal.

This. A magazine isn't worth risking my life over. If I win the fight I can pick it up later. If I don't, well, I'm not going to need it anymore anyway.

No.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
I suppose it is safe to assume that, if a reload is prompted by a magazine being shot dry, as opposed to a "tac" or other form of more administrative reload, the circumstances are quite dire, and spending the extra time required for retention would be ill advised.

Perhaps dry=drop.

I believe this is overthinking it. In your situation you describe you are in a gunfight and the only way to win is to get your shots on target faster than your opponent. In that scenario the mags, gun, and every other piece of equipment is expendable in comparison to surviving that encounter.
My mind certainly won't be on the "next one".

I am certainly prone to thinking (and perhaps overthinking). I can't be shooting as much as I'd like, but I can always think! I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

Normally the way that you train at the range is what and how you will react in a real life shooting situation........... drill sgt.

Nope, dump and go!

I recall a story about a Marine in Iraq or Afghanistan getting shot and paralyzed due to the “training scar” of always picking up or retaining empty magazines in the training environment, and the time wasted in his effort to retain the empty mag gave the insurgent the chance to hit him.

When I was training my guys prior to deployment, my advice ( for better or for worse) was if you have a malfunction, don’t sit there and try to analyze things, clear it out and get a fresh mag in the gun, and don’t worry about trying to rescue even a partially loaded mag. It is most likely the cause of the malfunction to begin with, so why retrieve it and take the chance of mixing it up and trying to use it again.

I have been to a respected shooting school that emphasized ( from a civilian perspective- where we typically carry only one or two spare reloads) retaining partial magazines as “ you might really need that later” and I can see the point I suppose.
In a military situation where you carry a large number of mags I see it being much less valuable than getting back in the fight

For the past 25 years, nope. Dump and keep going.

No.

I am just a civilian so take this with a grain of salt.

I might be doing it wrong but I practice dropping and reloading as fast as I can without failing to reload. I do this dry fire at home, ranges around here don't allow this type of training and I can protect the mags a little more by setting up some towels for them to drop on.

I also practice tactical reloads where I swap mags and place mags back into a dump pouch. I can get away with this at the range if it's not too busy and I work some practice at home where I will duck behind cover and do the tac reload.

I need a lot more practice. I still miss the magwell when rushing or failing to rack the charging handle/slide properly. I still sometimes bring my hand back without securing a new mag from my belt or pouches on the other side of my chest. I have noticed not having to look at the mag well as often. It took me months to break that habit.

Again, I am just a hobbyist who wants to have some sort of ability. My training relies firmly on the adage "I don't have to be the fastest, just faster than the slowest"