With a title like that, it almost seems like this article would be designed as clickbait, right?
Well, it isn’t. There is a right way to load your Glock 19, and there are a whole lot of wrong ways.
This short post will break down the basics of doing it right so you can shoot faster and experience less downtime between reloads.
It’s All About How You Grip the Magazine
Forget how you carry a mag in your concealed carry jacket, or on your belt during a competition. Those things matter and will influence reload speeds, but this post is all about the procedure of loading the Glock 19 fast (and right).
The first thing you need to be conscious of is how you grab the magazine, because if you don’t do this right, the whole remainder of the sequence will be impossible to follow properly.
You want to hold the magazine so that the baseplate of the mag is flat against your palm. More importantly is that it’s oriented properly. The front of the baseplate should be pointing towards your index finger.
Next you want to make sure that you lay your index finger along the front of the magazine. This will serve as a guide for the magazine as you get it close to the magwell.
Having your index finger along the front of the mag tube also ensures that you’ll have greater control over where the top of the magazine is pointing or angled, making it harder to “miss” the mag chute (which can happen).
Before you attempt to load the mag, you need to make sure that both arms are close to your body. Having your arms close instead of stretched out in front of you will help prevent mistakes, and give you better leverage and control over both the G19 and the mag.
If you’re right handed, bring your right elbow in, close to your waist, and angle the mag chute of the G19 down and to the left side of your body.
Bring your left elbow in and raise the magazine, pointing your index finger towards the mag chute. As you get closer to the mag chute, guide the nose of the magazine in, then withdraw your index finger from its position alongside the front of the mag tube.
At this point, once the nose of the magazine has been “started” in the mag chute, you can open all five fingers so that only your palm is now in contact with the base plate of the magazine.
This will keep your fingers out of the way as you drive the magazine home, which you will now do with a single, forceful “rap” up into the base plate of the mag which should secure your catch.
Making sure your fingers are out of the way is important here as they can get jammed between the mag and the mag chute, or up against the bottom of the trigger guard, as you attempt to seat the mag.
Once the mag is seated, release the slide lock, and get back to shooting.
Consider Installing a Glock Magwell
That’s the basic procedure for loading a Glock 19 quickly and properly, but if you want to make things a little bit easier on yourself, you can also consider installing a Glock 19 magwell.
A Glock 19 magwell is basically a flared funnel or ring that installs at the base of the mag chute, resulting in a slightly wider opening that helps to guide the magazine home.
Installing a Glock magwell might make it a bit easier for you to instinctively reload the gun without having to look down at it, which is a plus. It can also potentially shave a little time off your reload speeds.
No part or upgrade can substitute for training and range time, but this is one part that offers a lot of return for a relatively low price, there are some that you can install reasonably easily at home.
For instance, our Glock 19 magwells are machined from a solid billet of 7075 aluminum and offer an OEM like fit on the G19, without requiring any modifications to the gun.
They also secure with a single set screw, making installation (or removal) a cakewalk. Considering the reasonable price, there’s no other better upgrade you can make to improve your reload cadence and speed. (If you have a handgun made with a Polymer80 frame, we have magwells compatible with them too.)
Few other upgrades will have such a potential impact on your reload speeds. If you do upgrade with a magwell, the next best thing you can do is spend some quality time training.
The only thing left for you to do is drill. Get to the range and make it happen.
