Farrah T. was a police officer in Florence, South Carolina.
One day, Farrah and fellow officers served a search warrant at a residence where a violent offender was living.
Before the officers could knock on the door the suspect started shooting at them from inside the house.
Farrah was shot multiple times.
However, even after being shot, Farrah stayed in the fight and engaged the shooter.
She returned fire until backup arrived.
Sadly, 19 days after being shot Farrah succumbed to her injuries.
She gave her all to serve and protect her community.
As I mentioned, Farrah and her fellow officers likely reloaded their weapons during the shootout.
And, depending on the severity of their injuries, these officers could have been forced to reload their weapons one-handed.
Reloading one-handed is something that most shooters don’t practice, but it’s something that could save your life and keep you in the fight.
Considering this, here are a few techniques to help you practice one-handed reloads.
Right hand:
Reloading one-handed with your right hand is easier than it sounds.
First, when the weapon runs dry, leave the slide locked back and use your thumb to eject the magazine.
Then, put your gun in the holster with the slide still locked back (it won’t be a perfect fit, but the holster should be able to hold the pistol).
Next, carefully insert a new magazine into your gun.
Don’t do it too hard since the pistol isn’t 100% in the holster and the last thing you want to do is knock the pistol out of the holster.
Once the magazine is secure in your gun, draw the pistol and depress the slide release with your thumb.
Left-handed:
When the pistol is in your left hand you can use your index, or trigger, finger to press the magazine release.
You can insert the pistol into the holster in a cross-draw position.
In this method, the pistol should be in the slide lock position and will be put in the holster backward.
Again, this isn’t the most secure, but you’re simply using the holster as a second “hand” to hold the pistol in a position that allows you to insert a new magazine.
Keep in mind that the holster isn’t designed to hold a pistol backward. So be very careful inserting the mag.
After the magazine is inserted, bring the pistol up and press the slide lever release.
Use your gun belt:
Another method for reloading one-handed is to use your gun belt.
To do this, keep the pistol pointed down in a safe direction.
Then, you want to catch the rear sight on your pistol against your belt.
Push down and then let go to release the slide and chamber a round.
If your pistol has a red dot sight, it can be a good catch point on your belt.
Revolvers:
Revolvers are a little trickier to reload one-handed, but it can be done.
First, grip the revolver with your hand and use your thumb to push the cylinder release – this will allow you to swing the cylinder out.
Then, use your thumb to engage the ejector rod underneath the barrel, which will push the spent casings out.
When using one hand you can safely hold the revolver against your body for support.
Next, carefully load each round into the empty chambers of the revolver. This is tough with one hand but can be done slowly.
Once the rounds are loaded use your thumb to push the cylinder back into place.
Between 70% to 80% of people who are shot survive their wounds.
So, being shot doesn’t mean you lose the fight, and you can still shoot and reload even if you are wounded.
But, to ensure you have the best chance to survive and win a gunfight without getting wounded, you need to have your fundamental skills down pat.
