The Iraqi Reload

TL;DR

Five unconventional firearm reloading techniques — from the AK-47 Iraqi Reload to the John Wick-inspired Wick Flick — explained with origins and tactical tradeoffs.

Key Points

• 1.The Iraqi Reload exploits the AK-47's robust design to speed up its awkward magazine change. The technique, likely coined by coalition soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom, uses the new magazine to hammer out the old one while the bolt is held back with the firing hand.
• 2.The HK Slap is an officially documented MP5 loading method. HK's own MP5 manual recommends slapping the bolt if it catches on the recessed notch after inserting a new magazine, a technique popularized further by its appearance in film.
• 3.Tactical, emergency, and retention reloads represent three distinct urgency levels for changing magazines. Emergency reloads drop the mag without stowing it; tactical reloads swap to a full mag during a lull while retaining the partial one; retention reloads are slower but tidier.
• 4.Twin and quad loading were invented by three-gun competitors to overcome the shotgun's one-shell-at-a-time limitation. By gripping two or four shells simultaneously and using the 'violin position,' shooters can load a pump-action tube magazine significantly faster.
• 5.The Wick Flick is a wrist-flick magazine ejection technique popularized by the 2014 film John Wick. Keanu Reeves trained in three-gun competition shooting for the role, and his on-screen wrist-flick reload turned a niche competitive trick into a widely imitated move despite its sight-alignment drawback.