Top off magazine?
- Thread starter Sld1959
- Start date
Recusant
Hellcat
I remember being told by a Vietnam vet that was there in 67 that GI's were instructed to load the M16 mags with only 17 or 18 rounds into their 20 round magazines. I'd say if your semi-auto functions to your satisfaction with a fully loaded mag plus one in the chamber then carry it that way. Some semi-autos for whatever reason seem to struggle with this. In that case I'd carry it with one less round as long as it functions to your satisfaction at the range.
Keystone19250
SAINT
Wether it’s funny or very disturbing I probably don’t really want to know.Hey @Old_Me when you say stopped for bathroom, food or whatever, how about filling us in on the whatever, or should we just start a poll to see what people’s guesses are?
Something like that falls into the TMI category.
Keystone19250
SAINT
All my handguns are full mags +1 in the chamber, I’ve always done that.
My M1A has loaded mags with 1 inserted in the gun but an empty chamber.
My M1A has loaded mags with 1 inserted in the gun but an empty chamber.
The Night Rider
Professional
Full disclosure I carry either Glock 19 or a Glock 26 with a 19 magazine as a reload. The smallest handgun I carry is a Glock 43 and I don't top it off either.
I don't for a couple of reasons.
1 extra round isn't worth the hassle to me. JMO but if it all comes down to one round I'm carrying the wrong gun anyway.
Second reason it doesn't happen often (never since I retired) but theythey're have been times when I was required to unload and show clear. I was able to put the chambered round back in the magazine instead of having a loose round.
This topic has come up on other forums. What I find truly odd is how foaming at the mouth mad people get when I post that I don't bother.
I don't for a couple of reasons.
1 extra round isn't worth the hassle to me. JMO but if it all comes down to one round I'm carrying the wrong gun anyway.
Second reason it doesn't happen often (never since I retired) but theythey're have been times when I was required to unload and show clear. I was able to put the chambered round back in the magazine instead of having a loose round.
This topic has come up on other forums. What I find truly odd is how foaming at the mouth mad people get when I post that I don't bother.
Bassbob
Emissary
Everyone keeps saying that, but my carry guns all remain loaded whether I am carrying them or not. And when I load them I see no reason not to fully load them. There are exceptions I reckon. My XD Mod 2 4" .45 is very stiff on the mag release with 13 in the mag, so I load to 12.
The Night Rider
Professional
Everyone says what?
People sometimes get too wrapped around the axel about mag capacity in general and about an extra round specifically.
I don’t top off to this day for a couple reasons. One when I was in the USAF we never did the +1 (we carried the M9 with a 15 round mag and one In The pipe and a spare 15 round mag most cases) When in Municipal LE I was in and out of jails without doing +1 it was easier to keep track of when down loading to go in and out of jails multiple times a day.
But more importantly when I started to run an MP5 we learned to downloaded 1 or 2 rounds BECAUSE it’s never always going to be a slide or bolt to the rear reload. You reload when you want to and slamming a fully loaded magazine in a bolt or slide forward gun can be problematic (in most cases) and can add several moments or seconds to you. Do it bother ways (cold) under a timer and you will see the difference
We started doing this with our spare mags in about everything we ran. One or 2 rounds is not going to make or break a fight when your talking 17 vs 15 or 30 vs 28.
This downloading a round or 2 practice actually started in the late 1970’s with British SAS with the Hi Powers and MP 5’s and trickled down over the years with US units and LE Agencies
Old_Me
SAINT
the poll may be more interesting than my "whatever", could ever be.......Hey @Old_Me when you say stopped for bathroom, food or whatever, how about filling us in on the whatever, or should we just start a poll to see what people’s guesses are?
i suggest you start one in the "lounge" board......
Jfal
Professional
I don't care what anyone else does, let alone care enuf to get in a huff about this topic. EDC is always carried chambered and mag fully loaded. Many in military still recommend soldiers to load 29 in a 30 round mag in their A4. My AR has never had an issue inserting a fully loaded mag on a closed bolt. Heck, I can easily get all my 30-round P-mags inserted with 31 in the mag on a closed bolt.
Blackfeather
Custom
1 chambered
50 in the magazine
50 in the magazine
HayesGreener
Ronin
I carry my magazines as the manufacturer intended it, fully loaded with 8 big, fat, squat, angry 230 grain .45 acp
Bassbob
Emissary
They don’t top off. It’s a misnomer really. What you’re actually saying is you download your mags by one. Nothing wrong with that if that’s your thing, but effectively you have made your 15 rd. Mags 14 rds, your 8 rd mags 7 rds, etc.
I’m not concerned with what other people do nor do I pass judgement, but all the posts attempting to give some tactical reasoning behind downloading a magazine by one are bunk. Or at least they don’t pertain to me. My guns get shot a lot. I train a lot. Never lost time or had a failure due to carrying a fully loaded mag.
Sld1959
Ronin
I do not top off the magazine after loading for one reason only. When I remove the firearm from my immediate possession I empty the chamber. If I had topped off the magazine i would at that point I have one loose round to do something with. To me that's a PIA, so I simply do not do so. It's not worth having one extra round for daily carry to bother with that.
After loading , removing the magazine and adding a round is indeed topping off the magazine. If it was downloading there would be one less round in the magazine prior to loading the chamber. Effectively making two rounds less in the pistol upon loading.
Old_Me
SAINT
Sld1959
Ronin
you know, you could always put that 1 extra round, where this guy put his........
View attachment 28686
Most of my t-shirts do not have a button down pocket though.
Since I retired the first time I have avoided dress shirts, suits and ties whenever possible. I have been about as "unbuttoned down" as possible.
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The Night Rider
Professional
I didn't give some tactical reasoning behind not dropping my magazine and putting another bullet in it. I said I was too lazy to bother.
I also said that if my life hinges on that one bullet I brought the wrong gun anyway.
The Night Rider
Professional
All my work T-Shirts had a pocket in them. It was a great place to keep a notebook until my employer went to a stupid polo.Most of my t-shirts do not have a button down pocket though.
Since I retired the first time I have avoided dress shirts, suits and ties whenever possible. I have been about as "unbuttoned down" as possible.
The Night Rider
Professional
I mean, the reality is that (barring our members who are law enforcement or security) the vast majority of us will go to the end of time without having a genuine need to draw our firearms in self-defense.
Out of the probably less than 1% of us who do less than 1% of them will actually have a need to fire the first round let alone the plus one (Although I suppose technically the plus one would be the first round in the magazine).
Of the (probably) less than 1% of us who actually have to fire a round statistically less than 1% of them will empty the magazine (Per John Corriea Active Self Protection).
To quote John Bernard Bookd load six if your insides tell you to."
And if the day ever comes when my insides tell me to I will too.
Out of the probably less than 1% of us who do less than 1% of them will actually have a need to fire the first round let alone the plus one (Although I suppose technically the plus one would be the first round in the magazine).
Of the (probably) less than 1% of us who actually have to fire a round statistically less than 1% of them will empty the magazine (Per John Corriea Active Self Protection).
To quote John Bernard Bookd load six if your insides tell you to."
And if the day ever comes when my insides tell me to I will too.
Old_Me
SAINT
i had applied for a job at Auto Zone, since in my earlier years i turned wrenches, and well, i know auto parts.
i was told i had to buy my own red shirts, i said, "good, i need a pocket for my glass case"
manager said, "we do not allow pockets"
"and where the hell do i put my glasses when i ain't wearing them"??, i asked...
he had no answer.
needless to say, i didn't need that part time, keep me busy, in retirement job.
but he was impressed with my resume`, and knowledge of automotive things.
his loss, never mine.