Intermediate
Pistol
1-Reload-1
Source: Common competition standard
4s
Par Time
7 yd
Distance
2
Rounds
10
Reps
20
Total Rounds
The 1-Reload-1 drill is the purest test of your emergency reload. Draw from the holster, fire one round, perform a slide-lock reload, and fire one more round — all against the clock.
Load your magazine with a single round so the slide locks back after the first shot. Your spare magazine should be fully loaded and positioned in your usual carry location. At the buzzer, draw and fire, reload, and fire again. The par time of 3.5 seconds is a solid goal for most shooters.
This drill exposes every inefficiency in your reload — fumbled magazine retrieval, slow slide release, losing your sight picture during the exchange. It’s a high-value, low-round-count drill that you can run dozens of times in a single session. Track your times and you’ll see improvement fast.
Range Setup
Setup
Single target at 7 yards. Load one round in the magazine (slide locks back after first shot). Spare magazine in your belt pouch or pocket.
Scoring
Both hits must be in the A-zone. Total time from buzzer to second shot. A miss = failed rep.
Tips
Keep the gun up at eye level during the reload. Don't look down at the magwell — let your support hand find it by feel.
Progression
Work toward sub-3.0s. Focus on magazine indexing — the spare mag should be in your hand before the empty one hits the ground.
FAQ
What is the 1-Reload-1 drill?
One shot, reload, one shot — the cleanest way to isolate and benchmark your reload speed under a timer.
How do I use the 1-Reload-1 drill?
Fire one shot, perform a reload, then fire one more. Track the total time over many reps to measure and improve your reloads.
What distance is 1-Reload-1 shot at?
Commonly 7 yards on a single target. The focus is the reload, not the distance.
What counts as a fast reload?
It varies by gear and division, but shaving tenths off your draw-to-second-hit time consistently is the goal — compare your own runs over time.