I first saw an Iraqi reload during a foreign weapons familiarization class at the School of Infantry. An instructor at the class showed us the “Iraqi reload,” as he called it. He did it in such a joking manner that I didn’t think it was a serious method of reloading an AK. All these years later, I saw an Instagram reel demonstrating the technique, and after a quick internet search, I realized it was a real thing.
Forgive me; I never deployed to Iraq, and the Afghan National Army had M16A2s. The Iraqi reload looks, uhm, neat, I guess. While it certainly looks interesting, it seems to have some issues outside of the perfect situation.
What’s the Iraqi Reload?
The AK platform resembles a WWII-era submachine gun more than a modern assault rifle. It has some quirks, to be sure. One of those quirks is the lack of a last-round bolt hold open. After you fire the last round, the bolt slams back forward. Combine that with a right-side charging handle, and it makes reloading a bit slow compared to an AR-15 series rifle.
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I have no idea who developed the Iraqi reload, but it seemed to be an attempt to work around the awkward ergonomics and downfalls of the AK platform. Here’s how it goes:
The AK runs dry. The user reaches their firing hand forward, grabs the charging handle, and pulls it to the rear, holding it there. This pressure has to be tight because, as the charging handle moves to the rear, the support hand retrieves the next magazine. The charging-handle hand is keeping the rifle locked into the shoulder.
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The support hand retrieves the spare magazine and then uses that magazine to hit the magazine release of the AK, freeing the spent magazine. Of course, you can free the magazine with your hand and then grab the spare if you so choose. The support hand then loads the magazine into the rifle and resumes a support-hand grip.
The user releases the charging handle and resumes a firing position. That’s the Iraqi reload. It’s a bit of a dance and feels somewhat awkward. Beyond being awkward, I think there is a reason this method didn’t escape Iraq into the greater AK community.
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The most common reason why this method was used was a variety of mismatched magazines. Supposedly, having the bolt open would help ensure the magazine was seated correctly and the round chambered. I have no experience with Iraqi AKs or magazines, but in putting mags of varying qualities into a WASR, I’ve never had that issue.
What’s Wrong With the Iraqi Reload?
The biggest reason not to use the Iraqi reload is that we already have an effective and efficient method of reloading the AK platform: remove the spent mag, insert a new magazine, reach under the gun with the left hand, and rack the charging handle.
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You can also just do the less “uber-tactical” version of racking the gun with your right hand. I promise you won’t die from releasing the firing-hand grip for a second.
Using the magazine to eject the other magazine can be done, but it might not always work right, and does require a fair bit of practice to do well.
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What’s specifically wrong with the Iraqi reload? Trying to hold the gun up just by the charging handle is silly. It’s a tiny thing, and I feel like you are really hoping nothing slips. If it does slip, what happens? You drop the rifle? That’s certainly going to slow your reload down.
On a square range, it might work, but in a firefight, I don’t want “hope” as much as I want solid technique.
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In a combat situation, you aren’t going to reload standing out in the open. Trying to use this method on the move or even behind low cover seems difficult unless you rest the gun on the cover, which would give you even more exposure. It’s awkward in the prone position as well.
Out of Iraq
I realized I had seen the Iraqi reload before. Modern Warfare 2 uses it for an AKS-74U reload. That’s the only other place. Maybe it’s worth going to Kalash Bash and pressure testing it? Probably not, but it would be fun to do.
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