Count your shots

[puckerstrings]

Hello all, Well since I am kinda new hear, I would like to not step on anyone's toes, but being a former LEO I have noticed that alot of people load up their Xd's with one in the barrel, then load up the Magazine to full capacity. When I was a LEO I trained alot and it was aways drilled into our heads to only load the magazine then but on in the barrel. And to always count your shots even in practice. The reason for this is if and when you ever get into a gunfight, you will count your shots and if you have to reload you will always come up with the same amount of shots from first magazine to the last. I hope this makes since to you all.

[GunnBugg]

Originally Posted by puckerstrings

Hello all, Well since I am kinda new hear, I would like to not step on anyone's toes, but being a former LEO I have noticed that alot of people load up their Xd's with one in the barrel, then load up the Magazine to full capacity. When I was a LEO I trained alot and it was aways drilled into our heads to only load the magazine then but on in the barrel. And to always count your shots even in practice. The reason for this is if and when you ever get into a gunfight, you will count your shots and if you have to reload you will always come up with the same amount of shots from first magazine to the last. I hope this makes since to you all.

Interesting point, but questionable logic.

The approach you cite only works if you shoot to slide lock every time. The first time you do a reload not at slide lock (aka tac reload), you break your reasoning because you've brought your gun to a mag cap+1 state (like all the rest of us).

Hence, load one in the chamber, load mag to capacity, so that unless you run yourself dry, you always have what.....the same number of rounds.

If you plan to run your gun to slide lock, your stated approach works, but then that brings us to the obvious question of why would you bother to count rounds if you are going to shoot to slide lock. And, if you are going to shoot to slide lock, most people would prefer to have the extra round, I think.

So, your training rules seem to be a bit askew...I'm just sayin'.

[BentLink]

I think this makes more sense with a revolver, less so an auto-loader. The only indication the wheel gun gives that it's empty is a click, which is the same as a bad primer. Knowing you've sent six out the barrel (or five or whatever yours holds) is particularly useful. With the magazine-fed pistol, the locked slide is a big clue you need to take action, if it's empty or not. This could be leftover, revolver-centered idea from long-standing training practices.

I do see more value in counting rounds for a LEO, since the standard for accounting for rounds fired is quite high.

[GunnBugg]

Originally Posted by BentLink

I think this makes more sense with a revolver, less so an auto-loader. The only indication the wheel gun gives that it's empty is a click, which is the same as a bad primer. Knowing you've sent six out the barrel (or five or whatever yours holds) is particularly useful. With the magazine-fed pistol, the locked slide is a big clue you need to take action, if it's empty or not. This could be leftover, revolver-centered idea from long-standing training practices.

True. Must count on wheel guns or waste time and make apparent that you are dry when you go click click. And given wheel gun reload times, that would put the shooter in a significantly vulnerable state by giving his opponent valuable information.

Very very dangerous to go click click............seen it in several old western movies..........never works out well for the click click guy.

[XD45TACMIKE]

Doesn't matter how many times you shoot...if the gun goes bang and the target is still a threat continue to fire until the threat is over or the guns stops firing then determine if it is a stoppage due to a failure jam etc or is it out of ammo then correct the problem tap rack bang reload etc.... it doesn't matter how many you have in the mag if it stops feeding and you have to dump it...... and I always carry plus 1 as does every LEO I know.

[spamlovr]

I don't know where the OP was a LEO, but when your brain dumps adrenaline and someone is trying to kill you, I don't think that everyone will be able to remember to count shots. I don't think I would waste any brain time to try it, I'd only be worried about accurate shooting, which is worth more to me than counting rounds fired.

[dosei]

As GunnBugg pointed out so well, your concept only works if you shoot to slide lock, so why bother counting. If you load to max +1, then the count is always the same. For instance, if you are carrying an XD45 with 13 round mags (+1 in the pipe)...then you always want to reload by or before the 13th shot. After 13 shots your mag is empty, every time. IMHO, when to reload is more a function of opportunity over expenditure...if you have the opportunity to reload you should.

[Verk]

Most after action reports clearly show counting your shots is almost impossible to do. Most will underestimate the number of rounds they have in reality fired.

Most gunfights result in running your gun dry with the required speed load. Whereas tactical reloads might have a place they are overrated in a gun fight. I'd spend more time on learning how to run your gun to include stoppage drills than to get in the habit of counting your shots. Its a waste of time and could potentially take your concentration away from where it belongs.

[rm_fritz]

the way i was trained was that you'll never be able to count the rounds you've fired. but the reason for full +1 is so that when the smoke has cleared then by seeing what you have left, then you know exactly how much you shot, for investigative purposes only.

[M2XD]

Originally Posted by spamlovr

I don't know where the OP was a LEO, but when your brain dumps adrenaline and someone is trying to kill you, I don't think that everyone will be able to remember to count shots. I don't think I would waste any brain time to try it, I'd only be worried about accurate shooting, which is worth more to me than counting rounds fired.

Exactly, this is the most important thing you should be focused on in a gunfight!