Admin Load, so you do it?

Do you perform an Admin Load?

  • Yes, I do an admin check to see/feel the brass.

    Votes: 57 71.3%

  • No, the loaded Chamber indicator or other works for me.

    Votes: 23 28.8%
  • Total voters
    80
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
Amazingkg3

Amazingkg3

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
231   0   0
Location
St. John's, NL
At our office there is a lot of debate over performing an administrative load when hitting the range. I was always born and bred to perform an admin check and ensure the round fed properly, however not riding the slide, and ensuring the weapon is in battery before holstering. The other half of the argument I am hearing is that "the firearm will never fail to feed a round into the barrel should the magazine be seated properly" and to trust the loaded chamber indicator.

Personally I need to see the casing in the chamber before I feel comfortable. Just looking to see if I am a different breed than most people...
 
I used to but stopped after I got thinking more about muscle memory. If what you do after every time you insert a mag is cycle the action and then do a press check then you will teach yourself to do that subconsciously. Watch guys that train for failure drills. When they pull the trigger and get a "click" they immediately tap and rack. It's subconscious, like making your heart beat. I don't want my subconscious to "learn" that what I should do when I insert a mag into my pistol is to do a press check. That might not be an issue on the flat range, but if you're in the real world that could get you killed. I'll opt out of the "getting killed" part, thanks.

What I do now is insert the mag, cycle the action. Then I drop that mag and insert a full mag from my pouch. Once I do that I come back to the low ready and then re-holster. I retrieve my dropped mag and load an extra round into it. That way I know that there is a round in the chamber and a full mag in my chunk. I do it that way, every time, no matter the pistol.
 
Muscle memory does not overrule all brainpower. I haven't seen a guy well trained with admin loading accidentally chamber checking while doing a speed/emergency load or a tac load.

You need to chamber check, because sometimes you aren't firing off 2-3 rounds at a fast pace, you're firing one shot that has to count.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I used to but stopped after I got thinking more about muscle memory. If what you do after every time you insert a mag is cycle the action and then do a press check then you will teach yourself to do that subconsciously. Watch guys that train for failure drills. When they pull the trigger and get a "click" they immediately tap and rack. It's subconscious, like making your heart beat. I don't want my subconscious to "learn" that what I should do when I insert a mag into my pistol is to do a press check. That might not be an issue on the flat range, but if you're in the real world that could get you killed. I'll opt out of the "getting killed" part, thanks.

What I do now is insert the mag, cycle the action. Then I drop that mag and insert a full mag from my pouch. Once I do that I come back to the low ready and then re-holster. I retrieve my dropped mag and load an extra round into it. That way I know that there is a round in the chamber and a full mag in my chunk. I do it that way, every time, no matter the pistol.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, but your muscle memory from your speed/tac reloads should override you doing a press check. That's usually why you take all the time you need in your admin load. AN alternative to press check is if your magazines have a round count window, to see that you went from 10 rounds to 9.
 
I was unaware that the topic of "admin load" or not was a hot political issue of our time.

That and the fact that this is NOT a poll in a newspaper or other media source dooms it in this forum section

Heck even the first STICKIE states


This forum is for POLITICAL polls

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are in the politics section of the forum remember.
Click to expand...


as such............


MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I'm with biguglyman, having no confidence in your abilities and/or your system should not be validated with a press check. When you reload during a match or a gunfight, do you stop to press check? No. If the gun fails to fire you execute an immediate action and move along. You trust the gun to load, fire, extract, and eject during operation without you coddling it, so why would that change when first charging the system??

Personally, the press check involves operating the slide/CH and could result in an out of battery condition which would completely negate the purpose of the press check. Checking the magazine witness holes or ensuring the top round has switched sides in the case of double stack rifle magazines, is a far better method. Of course, witness holes don't work under low/no light conditions but the tactile round check for double stack rifle magazines does. As for loaded chamber indicators, if they're functional I see no issue in using them in addition to the methods above. If your loaded chamber indicator is attached to your extractor like that on a Glock, a physical touch of the raised extractor indicates a round in the chamber and that your extractor is still present. Both good pieces of information.

TDC
 
So, BigUgly, if I read your post right - You chamber a round, then swap mags to put a fully loaded one in the pistol?

My understanding is that is a potential cause for stoppage?
 
nelly said:
So, BigUgly, if I read your post right - You chamber a round, then swap mags to put a fully loaded one in the pistol?

My understanding is that is a potential cause for stoppage?
Click to expand...

I think not - if im not mistaken he's talking about racking the slide a bit so you can see the brass inside of the chamber ready to rock n roll instead of chambering a round and then topping off (which is common, don't believe it has any effect on causing a potential for stoppage)
 
nelly said:
So, BigUgly, if I read your post right - You chamber a round, then swap mags to put a fully loaded one in the pistol?

My understanding is that is a potential cause for stoppage?
Click to expand...

Negative. Chambering a round then swapping mags to a full one will not induce any stoppage. He is simply topping up with another mag as opposed to stuffing another round in the magazine he removed then plugging it back in.

TDC
 
I would do it if I could carry. At the range I just load and shoot! even at a match I don't do it. puling the slide back a little would just put the hammer is half #### and I don't have a de-cocker on that gun.

NOW. What I do is admin un-load; ;) when I take a gun out of the safe I pull the slide back a little to make sure its unloaded.
 
I do a press check everytime I am ordered to load and make ready. It's a very good habit IMO. When I complete a stage and the command is to make ready for the second stage, I do a press check in case I shot my pistol dry and the slide did not lock back. It can happend on some pistol.

I do a press check then tap the back of the slide to make sure it lock into battery. Never had a jam because of that.
 
TDC said:
I'm with biguglyman, having no confidence in your abilities and/or your system should not be validated with a press check. When you reload during a match or a gunfight, do you stop to press check? No. If the gun fails to fire you execute an immediate action and move along. You trust the gun to load, fire, extract, and eject during operation without you coddling it, so why would that change when first charging the system??

Personally, the press check involves operating the slide/CH and could result in an out of battery condition which would completely negate the purpose of the press check. Checking the magazine witness holes or ensuring the top round has switched sides in the case of double stack rifle magazines, is a far better method. Of course, witness holes don't work under low/no light conditions but the tactile round check for double stack rifle magazines does. As for loaded chamber indicators, if they're functional I see no issue in using them in addition to the methods above. If your loaded chamber indicator is attached to your extractor like that on a Glock, a physical touch of the raised extractor indicates a round in the chamber and that your extractor is still present. Both good pieces of information.

TDC
Click to expand...

There is always a chance of having a stoppage which is why people perform press checks. You are right by saying that you wouldn't perform one when reloading in a match or a gun fight. You assume the gun is going to function, and if it doesn't you perform your stoppage drills. The whole point of a press check is to ensure that everything is in working order while you are not under the pressure of time constraints or being shot at in a gun fight. It's just a way to eliminate that "possibility" of a stoppage on that first shot.
 
Last edited:
I do a press check every single time I perform an admin load or the pistol leaves my control or sight ie: jail lock box. I have never had an issue with it not working. It makes sense and has no bearing on the functionality of any quality pistol.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom