We’re working on bringing training videos to the blog! Let’s start at the very beginning with the most basic 3 handgun manipulations that you should learn, practice and know very well as you advance in your gun-fighting skills.

For left handed shooters, don’t feel left out! There are instructions for left handed manipulation as well.

Mag in, mag out

An empty magazine is of no use to us and getting it out of the gun efficiently is an often overlooked skill to practice. Depending on your hand anatomy and the gun, you will need to discover the exact amount of shifting and button pressing to release the magazine. Also, get used to the idea of the magazine dropping and hitting the ground. No need to spend precious energy and time retaining an empty mag while you’re shooting on the range.

When inserting your magazine, use your finger to index along the front of the magazine to help guide it into the right place. This is also a good time to think about how to orient your magazines in your mag pouches on your gear or in your pocket.

Roll and rack

This manipulation can be tricky for those who are new and unfamiliar to semi-auto handguns. Where do I put my hand on this thing? Why is this so hard to pull? Argghh errghhh.. The next thing we know, the student has the gun pointing all over the place trying to rack the slide. No. We don’t want that.

When practicing this, remember to push the gun away from you while holding the slide firmly. Use both push and pull to rack the slide. Facing the ejection port to the ground will allow gravity to help you clear the chamber when you do this manipulation as part of a simple malfunction clear.

Slide open and lock

By being able to properly clear your gun and lock your slide open the first time, every time, without fumbling, it demonstrates that you’re familiar with your gun and can show that the gun is clear when called upon.

We hope this was helpful and gives you guys something to practice on at home to prepare you for a successful training day on the range!

If there are any topics you’re interested in and would like us to cover, send us an email at media@monarchdefense.org!