Hollywood gets a lot wrong in regards to guns. So much so that we give them a ton of credit when they get it right. Today we are looking at tactical reloads in movies and TV shows. I started looking for good examples of reloads, but then I got deep into the subject and found some very bizarre examples of reloads and some examples of the lack of reloading that are hilarious.
I’m betting most people expect to see John Wick on this list regarding reloads. Yep, lots of great reloads, but I’m making an exception and leaving John Wick off because I could complete the entire best reloads portions with the three John Wick films. So let’s take a peek at the Hollywood Reload and the good, the bad, and the bizarre.
The Best Hollywood Reloads
Tactical Reload from Heat
The bank robbery escape firefight in Heat is legendary. It’s huge, with loud and brutal gunfire, and full of good tactics that might be dated today. However, Michael Mann always does firearms and tactics well, including accurate magazine sizes and appropriate reloads. In Heat, we see one of the best reloads come from Val Kilmer.
Amid a gunfight with the police, ole Val runs dry with his Colt 733. Not only does he reload quickly and efficiently, but he does so smartly. First, he takes cover behind a vehicle, and on the way to his knee, he manually strips the magazine from the gun. Then, he grabs a spare, jams it in, hits the bolt release, and keeps on rocking and rolling.
According to internet rumors, this tactical reload was shown at Army/Marine Corps boot camp, but I never saw it at boot camp. Even so, it’s an impressive reload, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s used as an example of a speed reload.
Tactical Reload from Wind River
I took way too long to watch Wind River. But, holy crap, is it a great movie and a solid modern western. The film stars Elizabeth Olsen as a rookie FBI Agent paired with a professional tracker investigating the death of a Native American woman. It’s not an action flick, but the action scenes are well done. The movie is very not Hollywood. It’s not all dolled up and clean, and that reflects in several scenes. One of these scenes is a tactical reload committed by Olsen.
Hot damn, being maced and in a gunfight would suck
She’s just been maced, and she charges headfirst, by herself, into a run-down trailer with multiple potential threats. Her vision is crap, and the film shows it, yet she charges forward, Glock at the ready. She uses cover, moves carefully, and even keeps her distance from cover. When someone takes a shot at her, she empties her magazine into the guy.
Olsen does a great job with her tactical reload
On the move, she reloads. It’s not super fast or sexy like a Wick film, but it’s pretty realistic. She’s a rookie agent, and most FBI agents aren’t gunfighters. She just got maced and shot at, and adrenaline is jacked. Her reload isn’t a time setting best, but it’s competent and realistic for the scene.
Tactical Reload from Wonder Woman
Yep Wonder Woman, the 2017 film, has a little gunplay. Our titular character doesn’t sling guns and prefers a sword and shield. However, her compatriots are soldiers, and her love interest, pilot, commando guy Steve Trevor carries the legendary Winchester 1897 Trench Gun. A weapon made famous and downright legendary by its use in the trenches of World War 1.
Running a shotgun dry would suck, but knowing how to reload makes things easier
Shotguns require constant reloading, and admittedly the movie doesn’t show much reloading, but it also doesn’t show the trench gun dropping two dozen rounds without reloading. In a scene, Trevor runs his gun dry, and the enemy is fast approaching. With an empty shotgun in hand, what does he do?
Trench guns are too cool
He slams a 12 gauge round into the port, runs the action forward, and deals with the situation. This is maybe the second port reload I’ve ever seen in a film, with John Wick 2 having a notable port reload.
The Bizarre
Terminator 2 – The T-1000 Multitasks
I don’t know anything about piloting a helicopter, but I know a thing or two about reloading a gun. The T-1000 knows how to fly a chopper and reload and do so simultaneously. In the scene, he chases Sarah Connor and company in the helicopter, and he fires an MP5K through the windshield.
Multitasking is a lot easier when you can grow extra arms
When the gun runs dry, he reloads. It takes two hands to fly a chopper and two hands to reload. So what does he do? He grows extra arms to both fly the chopper and handles the gun. The T-1000 has hands down the coolest of the movie reloads.
Tomb Raider – Akimbo Done Right
Wielding two guns simultaneously is a prevalent movie trope and part of the Tomb Raider Legacy. Laura Croft has always been a two-gun gal, and the films reflect that with the HK USP Match pistols. However, the film also solves a problem long plagued by dual wielders…how do you reload?
Tomb Raider figured out how to reload akimbo guns
You need to drop one gun, reload the other, then rinse and repeat. Laura has two magazines installed on each side of the belt, facing forward, allowing her to slam the guns downward onto the belt to reload. It’s an efficient solution to a real problem.
Mad Max Needs a Friend
Mad Max Fury Road is one of my all-time favorite action flicks. In an early part of the film, Mad Max tangles with Furiousa. They get into a nasty, all-out brawl, and it’s one of the best. It involves Max chained to a War Boy as he brawls it out. Then, Furiousa frees a Glock 17, and they tangle over it.
Everyone needs a friend sometimes
The magazine gets ejected, and the round in the chamber gets fired into the air. They fight, the War boy recovers the mag, and Max gets the gun. They dive together, and the War Boy holds the magazine as Max slams the weapon on it. Finally, he racks the weapon by slamming the sights against his belt or boot and fires a warning shot. This ends the fight, and they all become friends.
The Bad (The Lack of Reloads)
The Walking Dead Infinite Ammo Hack
In season 2 of the Walking Dead, Hershel carries a magical pump shotgun. As the zombies approach, he calmly stands his ground and fires what feels like 50 rounds of 12 gauge. Even when he’s not on the screen, we can hear the gun firing. He doesn’t even look stressed, and recoil isn’t an issue as he gently pumps the action and pulls the trigger. Reloads? Herschel needs no reloads.
Hershel’s magical shotgun doesn’t need to reload
Commando
Is Commando the ultimate 80’s action flick? It sure feels that way. Like all great 80’s action flicks, our hero is shirtless, muscle-bound, and firing an M60 from the hip. He doesn’t need to reload in this scene because his ammo belt continually grows between shots. It’s an impressive feature, and Arnold makes it work.
Arnold’s belt of ammo is like his biceps… constantly growing
21 Bridges
21 Bridges is the other Russo Brothers movie with Chadwick Boseman where no one is a superhero. In the film, two thugs rob a cocaine stash, shoot some cops, and everything goes to hell. Those two bad guys with SMGs seemingly firing hundreds of rounds without reloading. It’ gets absurd for a movie that takes itself so seriously. The Scorpion and Micro Uzi Pro are cool.
No reloads, but hundreds of rounds fired in full auto
Tactical Reload It
Hollywood might not get it right often, but it’s worth mentioning when they do. When they don’t get it right, I can at least appreciate the creativity they use. When they get it wrong, it’s a great way to get dragged out of the movie. These are just a few of my favorites. What are yours? Share below.
About The Author:
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor. is the world’s Okayest firearm instructor, and a simplicisist when it comes to talking about himself in the 3rd person. Hit him up on Instagram, @travis.l.pike, with story ideas.
