The emergency reload looks pretty simple, but there are a lot of little details that we need to discuss when reloading from slide lock. Let's take this step-by-step.

I am going to insert an empty magazine into my Colt Combat Unit 1911 pistol. Moving parts lock to the rear, and there’s nothing in the chamber. This is just an empty magazine.

First thing I want to do is bring the pistol into my “workspace.” That’s a distance of my hand’s width when raised here to my chin. I want the pistol right here, not down. Just right in the workspace. That way I can see what’s going on in my threat zone. So, bring the gun right to your workspace.

Then I want to get the empty magazine out. 

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I want to move the gun so that I get my thumb on the magazine release by flipping it in my hand like so, or I can use the base of the index finger of my support hand under the trigger guard and drag the gun around so it drags my thumb right to the magazine release.  

What I am going to do is, when I bring it around, I am going to dump it.

Then, my support hand comes right down to the magazine pouch.

A key point: when you draw your magazine, you want your finger right up on top, at the front, so it guides the magazine directly up into the pistol in one smooth stroke.

Don’t try to drive it through the gun, just put it in using one smooth stroke.

Now, when we get that magazine seated in the pistol, how do we get the moving parts forward? There are a couple of ways to do it, and we are going to debunk a myth that a lot of people perpetuate in this industry.

When you seat the magazine and get the slide forward and around in battery, you can grab the slide and pull back. We call it power stroke.

Or you can sling shot and release it, or you can use your thumb to release the slide. 

Now, some people will argue that you can’t do this because it’s a fine motor skill, but that’s not true. If you can take your thumb and press the magazine release to drop it out, you can use your thumb to press the slide release to get around in battery.

When I seat the pistol in my Colt 1911 Combat Unit, my thumb ends up right by the slide lock. So, press it, and the gun is in battery, right back on target.

Remember, for practice you can load multiple magazines with one round, that way when you go to the range all you have to do is draw and fire once, reload and fire again. You can do a number of sequences to get it down nice and smooth. 

A couple of minor key points you need to be aware of though. If you turn the pistol on its side, gravity is not going to help drop the magazine. So keep it up and down so the magazine will fall free.

If for some reason the magazine sticks as you're coming up with the spare, don’t shake it. Don’t treat it like it’s a snake you’re trying to get rid of. Simply come right up, flip it out, fresh magazine in, moving parts forward, then go back into the fight.

Remember everything you do right in life takes practice and this is a critical skill. Practice it.