Tactical Reloading

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**Tactical Reloading** is a gameplay mechanic that allow the player to reload more quickly and manage their magazines with better fluidity. This is especially useful in game modes with limited ammo, where saving empty magazines is important.

## Tactical Retention Reloading (aka Magazine Palming)

Tactical Retention Reloading allows the player to hold two magazines at once; this allows the player to reload their weapon without having to empty the weapon, place the empty magazine in their quickbelt, grab a full magazine, and put it into the weapon. Instead, they can reload in one movement. Magazine Palming can be enabled or disabled in the Options Panel.

1. Hold the weapon in one hand, and the full magazine in the other.
2. Bring the magazine in your hand near the magazine currently in the weapon.
3. With the hand holding the magazine, press down on the touchpad (Classic Controls) or A / X Button (Streamlined Controls).
4. You now hold both magazines in your hand. Insert the full magazine into the magwell.

The two magazines do not have to be identical, or even have the same capacity. They do however need to be compatible with the same weapon (i.e. a 30 round STANAG & a 100 round STANAG).

Tactical Retention can also be used to simply grab two magazines at a time; you can dump the extra magazine into your quickbelt by pressing down or the A/X Button.

* **Note** - there exists a commonly used mod with similar functionality called "*BetterHands*," but is mechanically different in how it operates. Please consult the mod page if you get confused by the two different systems.

## AK Style Tactical Reload

AK style weapons have their own version of tactical reloading (though retention reloading is still possible with them). An AK tactical reload relies on the physical mag release button, located between the magwell and the trigger guard.

1. Hold the rifle in one hand, and a magazine in the other.
2. Use the magazine in your hand to strike the mag release, which will release the empty magazine in the rifle.
3. Your hand should be moving forward with enough force to knock the empty magazine away.
4. Insert the full magazine into the magwell.

## Chamber Loading

Tube-fed shotguns can carry one extra shell in the chamber in addition to however many shells fit into the magazine tube. Chamber-loading is a way to quickly add that extra shell, as well as ensure that the shotgun is ready to fire if the player needs to shoot while in the middle of reloading.

1. For pump-action shotguns, pull back the fore. For semi-auto shotguns, pull back the bolt.
2. Insert a shell into the chamber.
3. Insert the remaining shells into the loading gate. You may need to push the fore forward on certain shotguns since the fore may cover the loading gate when pulled back.

## Ghost Loading

Related to Chamber-loading, Ghost-loading is a way to add yet another shell into certain shotguns (both for tube-fed and mag-fed versions). The exact process varies between different shotguns, but it allows the player to squeeze a shell in between the magazine and the chamber, by partially working the action and then chamber-loading a shell. This forces the shell that was being fed from the magazine to go into the loading ramp, resulting in a capacity of +1 in the chamber, +1 ghost-loaded shell, and the magazine capacity of the shotgun. It is a technique used in real firearms, but in-game it is the result of a mechanical quirk rather than intentional design.

1. When using a tube-fed shotgun, insert one shell into the tube.
2. For pump-action shotguns, pull back the fore. For semi-auto shotguns, you will need to manually hold the bolt back.
3. Insert a shell into the chamber.

Ghost-loading is useful for shotguns with low magazine capacity, such as the Super Shorty or KS-23.

* **Note** - While ghost-loading is possible with both semi-auto and pump-action shotguns, it is easier to do with pump-actions as the player must manually operate the action. Semi-auto shotguns will not engage their bolt lock if a shell is loaded into the magazine beforehand, so ghost-loading with these will require the player to hold the bolt back whilst loading the shell into the chamber, thusly it is recommended to have a semi-auto shotgun resting on a surface or in a quickbelt slot.

## See Also

* Ammo Panel
* Spawn-Locking