What the devil is an "Admin Reload"?

[dgg9]

When the magazine is inserted into or removed from the magazine well the gun is in the holster.

This is what I've always understood it to be.

Typically it only happens in training classes, where you shoot a string, then reholster per the CoF. At that point, the line typically goes cold, BUT the one thing you're almost always allowed to do in classes, even when the line is cold, is to: leave the pistol in the holster; do not draw it; but just hit the mag release button, withdraw the depleted mag, and insert a fresh one (or top off the original one).

It's "administrative" because you can do it on a cold line.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[QKShooter]

I have no problem with differing genre of "Admin Reload" as long as each version or rendition is demonstrated or at least clarified at whatever facility.

[patrol]

We use "Administration Reloads" all the time during the course of fire because of the rules requiring Officers to keep their sidearms holstered at all times except when instructed to fire.
This type of loading is done in between relays to "top" off your magazines for the next course of fire so you don't have as many if any rounds floating around in your pockets.
I (of course) will just bring an extra two magazines so I always have enough to shoot the entire course whether it's a 60 or 50 round course of fire.

Bottom line, your weapon is "hot" or "condition one" meaning a round is in the chamber but holstered.
You simply take out your magazine only and top it off then reinsert it into the weapon while it's still holstered.
That is the ADMIN reload.
A tactical reload has to do with what you do during the actual shooting phase while there is a "lull" in the action and doing this during training will insure you do it in real life as well.
We do this type of reload more when we do our moving targets and go from one stage to another same with the shotgun.
You should never have to worry about counting shots during a fire fight so this helps.
You basically "change out" magazines in the middle of shooting and put in a fresh magazine.
One time I had a drug dealer sic his fighting pit bull on me in a City I worked at before.
I didn't even think about it.
I had my back turned & was walking another Officer back to our cars.
We had just chased a guy we caught with crack cocaine and just as I was nearing my car another buddy yelled out "Look out pit bull!!"
Luckily I had uniform pants that were semi-baggy in my rear end because I had enough time to see the dog within feet so I turned my body away from the lunging pit to draw my duty weapon.
As he bit into my pants it was all one motion.
I did a 180 semi-circle except when I was facing him I had drawn my weapon and tucked my arm tight to "hip" shoot to get him off me.

"pow,Pow" double tap just a clearing volley point blank into the ground next to him.
But then as I circled during shooting and backed up for distance that's when I let loose "pop,pop,pop,pop,pop."
At least six rounds hit the thick huge Pit "center mass chest" enough to spin him around completely.
I had no idea how many I had fired but, (without thinking about it" instinctively & as the pit wobbled away ~ I dropped the magazine and slapped in a fresh one.
I walked toward him slowly & then he turned and came again another "pop,pop,pop"..and that was it.
He was done.
Overall - I shot like ten or eleven rounds but you don't think about counting rounds.
You just shoot until the threat stops and that's what I did.
Had the pit stopped after my initial hip clearing shot I may not have needed that "tactical reload"
I know it all sounds silly over a Pit Bull but, it's hard to explain how nasty these trained fighting dogs are.
They are trained to maim and kill by these drug dealer thugs.
Later my Sgt. (who was in the area) swore to God that it sounded like machine gun fire, and he called it in as such when he heard it.
In reality, it was really was was a stressed out Former Marine responding to a threat like a Marine rather than as a Police Officer!!

BOTTOM-LINE:
During real combat it isn't like Hollywood, you don't typically shoot until your magazine is empty & then reload unless you absolutely have to do so. You try and keep a full magazine in your gun and keep the one's already used separate from the full magazines.
Coincidently I only actually hit the Pit Bull about five times that day.
That's how thick and determined he was and we had just switched over to the 40SW Golden Saber rounds in like 165grain.

[okioco]

Hey, everybody. Stupid question time. I've just spent a lazy, and quite pleasant, Sunday morning reading here at DC.com and in various other firearms forums and for the second time in as many hours I've read a mention of the "Admin Reload." Google was of little help, so I've decided to come here, lay bare my ignorance, and ask: What the devil is an Admin Reload? How is it different from a "tactical reload" or a "speed reload" (or is it)?
Thanks in advance for the education.
Later.

Normally an administrative reload is when the magazine is removed and replaced with a full mag while the gun is still in the holster. Usualy this is something that is done on the range bt not necessarily.

[Secret Spuk]

An administrative re-load...lol I have not heard that term in a long time. I think most posters got it the same as my understanding. An administrative reload is one done as a matter of course in any location. For example If I were in the stationhouse where we had "Administrative loading and unlosding stations" (A bullet trap) where we could for any reason load or unload a firearm. Any firearm. If we arrested someone with a firearm we could do an administrative unload at the station.

My experience is that an administrative re-load would take place after a day of training, and we loaded our guns with fresh street ammo. Or an administrative load might take place if one purchased a new firearm, and wanted to losd it for the street.

Basically IME an administrative re-load is a not stressed combat reload.

[OPFOR]

Holy Dead Thread Revival, Batman!

[Secret Spuk]

I was taught that swapping out used mags , or shucking a partially fired revolver cylinder is a kind of a combat reload called a top-off reload. Done at the first advantage to keep the firearm at it's maximum load out in case the fight isnt quite over yet. And the officer/ Armed civilian has the confidence and tactical advantage of a fully loaded firearm.

[Naufragia]

Holy Dead Thread Revival, Batman!

LOL. I'd forgotten I'd even asked the question.

[uberrogue]

I was taught that was a simply a mag change when you forget how many you fired. For example your in a stressful situation and you think your running out of ammo and you drop the mag and put in a new one. Could also be after a stressful situation... after a firefight and before you continue on. First and last time i heard of the term was small unit training in the military. The video they used was a bg shooting/snip from a window.... platoon unloads on the target.. target no longer a threat... admin reload and continue on patrol.

[Secret Spuk]

I was taught that was a simply a mag change when you forget how many you fired. For example your in a stressful situation and you think your running out of ammo and you drop the mag and put in a new one. Could also be after a stressful situation... after a firefight and before you continue on. First and last time i heard of the term was small unit training in the military. The video they used was a bg shooting/snip from a window.... platoon unloads on the target.. target no longer a threat... admin reload and continue on patrol.

Continue on patrol?

[Exacto]

Manage ammo.

[Sproles]

That was MY understanding of an admin reload...

There's a great video on YouTube I only saw once and couldn't find again, showing some drill procedures in Mexico the police were doing. And this very expert officer rises up from behind cover, shoots twice at a target, gets back behind cover.

Here's the "administrative reload": He now flips open the cylinder of his revolver, flicks out the two spent shell casings, loads two fresh cartridges and closes the cylinder. Now he's "topped off." That's how you do it with a revolver.

With a semi-auto, you drop the magazine that is "not full," and replace with one that is.

[JMB]

Oh brother! This is quite a confusing read for me. I guess my big question is "why?"...

Admin Load, as in loading the weapon in order to carry it or go to work or to prepare it for use. I view this simply as "Loading"

On the range...removing the magazine while the gun is holstered in order to top off the mag...why not just do it before placing the gun in the holster...students get more practice on their "Tactical Reload"...or write the COF based on the number of rounds in the magazine and execute a "Reload".

In a nut shell you have:

Load
Reload
Tactical Reload
Unload

I'm sure there must be a perceived reason to add all this extra stuff but I just don't see what that could be?