T-97 rapid reloads

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So who is doing what?

I myself am fine tuning manipulating everything with my weak hand. When empty, I rotate my trigger hand with the rifle clockwise so that the mag is sticking out at a 8 or 9 o'clock position, grab the mag while engaging the mag release button with my thumb of my weak hand. As soon as the mag is free of the magwell, I either retain it in a dump pouch or drop it, and grab a new one. I then have a good view (if need be) of the magwell still in the 8-9 o'clock position, insert the mag give it a tap, and rack the charging handle with all 4 of my fingers inserted in the carry handle area.

Here is a video of my order of operations in dry fire practice (My shooting area is also my hunting area, so I didn't want to mess up my deer hunt this week with a ton of shooting :D )



What is everyone else doing and are they having success?
 
Not so different but I dont tip the gun and I hit the mag release with my left index finger around the front of the mag well. The mags will drop free. This was my first day with the gun in the video and I know with a bit more practice I could get alot faster.

 
There's a pretty good discussion about reloads and immediate action and stoppage drills with the T97 on CanAm's thread:

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/981065-T97-barrel-issue-AND-NRR-WISHLIST!!!

The thing is, especially with a rifle I don't like the idea of NOT inspecting the chamber to see what caused the stoppage. True enough, using 5 round mags, it's easy enough to guess that the issue may be an empty mag, but especially until individuals figure out the magazine compatibility causing bullet setback (and even beyond), I really don't like the whole "firing stops, quick reload!" idea.

I'm more of a fan of the Canadian military immediate actions for stoppages with the C7, with the first step being to cant the rifle to the left and visually inspect the chamber and carry out an immediate action.

The thing with all these speed reloads is an automatic assumption is made that the problem is an empty magazine or that changing the magazine and cycling the action will clear whatever the stoppage is - furthermore, I really detest the idea of dropping mags - especially steel or aluminium ones (even indestructible polymer mags), as regardless of what anyone says, dropping mags induces a stress on the mags they are NOT designed for - potentially damaging localized portions of the mags that are critical to reliable cycling and operation.

Even though I know in competition - dropping mags and doing speed reloads may make the thousandth of a difference second needed to win (under most scenarios) - I still think it's prudent to know how to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with the rifle.

Just look at some of the posts of new users who don't know how to operate the gas selector: 0 is for blank firing or turning the rifle into a straight pull, bolt action, 1 is for standard shooting conditions (low volume, low rate of fire), 2 is for adverse shooting conditions (high volume, hit rate of fire).
 
If you listen to your rifle talk to you, you can tell if the stoppage is an empty mag or not. You get used to the sound of a bolt holding open, or what have you. IAD's are an essential in timed competitions if you even remotely expect to stay in the game. And usually, even if you are slick with your IA's you will not have enough time left, or will have taken to much time on a stage, to be competitive.
 
Video I posted a little bit ago. Dont mind the mess :p

[youtube]?v=UXjp08lBuVk[/youtube]
(Finally, I couldnt seem to see your video on my phone during my work breaks today!)
Wow, so... robotically precise. That's a amazing. I would love to see your method in a brighter light (I should redo mine over in actual day light as well...) and done over a couple times as I am replaying yours over and over. Great job.
 
There's a pretty good discussion about reloads and immediate action and stoppage drills with the T97 on CanAm's thread:

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/981065-T97-barrel-issue-AND-NRR-WISHLIST!!!

The thing is, especially with a rifle I don't like the idea of NOT inspecting the chamber to see what caused the stoppage. True enough, using 5 round mags, it's easy enough to guess that the issue may be an empty mag, but especially until individuals figure out the magazine compatibility causing bullet setback (and even beyond), I really don't like the whole "firing stops, quick reload!" idea.

I'm more of a fan of the Canadian military immediate actions for stoppages with the C7, with the first step being to cant the rifle to the left and visually inspect the chamber and carry out an immediate action.

The thing with all these speed reloads is an automatic assumption is made that the problem is an empty magazine or that changing the magazine and cycling the action will clear whatever the stoppage is - furthermore, I really detest the idea of dropping mags - especially steel or aluminium ones (even indestructible polymer mags), as regardless of what anyone says, dropping mags induces a stress on the mags they are NOT designed for - potentially damaging localized portions of the mags that are critical to reliable cycling and operation.

Even though I know in competition - dropping mags and doing speed reloads may make the thousandth of a difference second needed to win (under most scenarios) - I still think it's prudent to know how to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with the rifle.

Just look at some of the posts of new users who don't know how to operate the gas selector: 0 is for blank firing or turning the rifle into a straight pull, bolt action, 1 is for standard shooting conditions (low volume, low rate of fire), 2 is for adverse shooting conditions (high volume, hit rate of fire).

I totally agree with not just assuming that an empty mag is the cause of the interruption in firing. Inserting another mag into a malfunction could make things even worse.
However, as to the issue of dropping mags - I wouldn't go out of my way to damage mags (which dropping them does tend to do), but if one always trains to retain mags and/or not drop them, when/if they ever get into a situation where they are required to reload as fast as possible (life or death situation, or just a competition), under stress they will just revert to what they have trained through repetition, thus costing them precious time, points and/or their life.

Solution:
a) Dedicate some mags exclusively for training, and mark them as such. That way, when they eventually reach the end of their life cycle, you can replace them accordingly.
b) Practice/shoot over a wool blanket or some other sort of soft material so as not to damage your dropped mags.


If you listen to your rifle talk to you, you can tell if the stoppage is an empty mag or not. You get used to the sound of a bolt holding open, or what have you. IAD's are an essential in timed competitions if you even remotely expect to stay in the game. And usually, even if you are slick with your IA's you will not have enough time left, or will have taken to much time on a stage, to be competitive.

Good point, but that may not always work, especially if one is wearing multiple layers of clothing, or armour (less felt feedback from the rifle), under acute stress/adrenaline-fueled reaction or in sensory overload (noise, tunnel vision, etc.). Under relaxed conditions at the range I can feel the last round from the mag, but I highly doubt I would be able to do the same while engaged in combat.
 
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