ATAC TV Firearms staff ALWAYS carries extra magazines. Seems reasonable if you have a loaded rifle in your hands, extra ammunition is a good idea in any situation and with the Mini 14, which means extra loaded magazines. If you are going to venture farther than 20 feet from your car or pick up with a rifle, you should be carrying an extra magazine or two just in case you need it. Having the extra ammunition in your pocket or carrier is much better than needing more cartridges and not having them. So, carry more ammunition, get it?

There are a couple of different reloads you might encounter shooting your Mini 14. Lets break them down separately.

Rifle with partial depleted magazine:

You have fired some rounds, but you want to make sure the firearm is as full of ammunition as it can carry, here is how you fix it.

• You are in no hurry to do this; look around to make sure you don’t have to shoot immediately.
• Trigger finger goes straight along the frame of the rifle, tuck butt of stock under your arm to support the weight of the rifle.
• Non-firing hand grabs the magazine; while the thumb pushes the magazine release lever, then rock that magazine forward out of the well. Put the partial depleted magazine in your pocket while looking around evaluating the situation.
• Get a full magazine out of your pocket or carrier, insert it into the magazine well hooking it on the front post and rock it back until the magazine release lever locks in place.
  
• You have time to chamber check to guaranty there is a loaded cartridge in the chamber. Once you know the rifle is completely loaded, go about your business.

Gun is Empty:

Ok, you been shooting at all kinds of things, or just haven’t been hitting whatever it is you are shooting. The rifle runs out of ammunition and normally the bolt will lock open when this happens. There is no trigger, meaning you press the trigger and nothing happens. Glance down into the ejection port and see that it’s all black and dark in the port. The magazines follower is sticking up and there is no brass or cartridges visible. The gun is empty.

• Trigger finger goes straight along the frame of the rifle, tuck butt of stock under your arm to support the weight of the rifle.
• Non-firing hand grabs the magazine; while the thumb pushes the magazine release lever, then rock that magazine forward out of the well. Put the empty magazine in your pocket or if you are in a huge hurry, dump the magazine on the ground.
• Get a full magazine out of your pocket or carrier, insert it into the magazine well hooking it on the front post and rock it back until the magazine release lever locks in place.
• Get back on the target and sights ready to shoot again.

Either of these reloads takes practice with your equipment to become proficient with the Mini 14. In the tactical world, these reloads are called Combat, Emergency and Tactical loads. Call them anything you want but it amounts to reloading the rifle in any situation. Watch the ATAC TV video linked below for a demonstration of these reloads.

WATCH VIDEO HERE: Ruger Mini 14 Reloads

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