Chapter 1
Reloading in Build 42
Aiming decides whether you hit. Reloading decides whether you are still shooting when the third zombie arrives.
Reloading is the firearms skill for speed. Higher levels make you faster at removing and inserting magazines, loading rounds into magazines, unloading them, and loading guns that take rounds directly.
Speed
Every reload action gets shorter.
Safe training
The only firearms skill you can train with no zombies and no noise.
The level 5 wall
XP drops to about 37% after level 5. Same as Aiming.
The loader's loop
- LootAmmo boxes and magazines.
- LoadRounds into magazines.
- UnloadAnd load again. XP each time.
- StageFull magazines in the belt.
- FightSwap, not load, under pressure.
Why it matters
In a bad fight the gun goes empty at the worst moment. Reloading is the skill that makes that moment short.
Chapter 2
Build your loader
Firearm jobs give the levels. A few traits change the rate.
Police Officer (job)
Aiming and Reloading. The gun job.
Veteran (job)
Aiming and Reloading, and Desensitized so panic never hurts your aim.
Security Guard (job)
Lighter firearms start, plus Night Owl.
Fast Learner (trait)
130% XP.
Reluctant Fighter (trait)
75% Reloading XP. New in Build 42. Avoid for a gun build.
Slow Learner
70%.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Chapter 3
What Reloading does
| Action | Faster with Reloading |
|---|---|
| Removing a magazine from a gun | Yes |
| Inserting a magazine | Yes |
| Loading rounds into a magazine | Yes |
| Unloading rounds from a magazine | Yes |
| Loading a revolver cylinder | Yes |
| Loading a break-action shotgun | Yes |
| Loading an internal-magazine rifle or pump shotgun | Yes |
| Racking or chambering | Players report yes on the current version, but the official wiki page is older. Flagged. |
Watch out: Reloading does not fix jams
Jam chance and gun reliability belong to Aiming and the gun's condition. See the Firearms guide.
Chapter 4
Magazines versus direct loading
2 kinds of guns. 2 kinds of reload.
Magazine guns
Most pistols, the M1A, the MSR788 and similar. You load rounds into a detachable magazine, then insert the magazine. In a fight, a full spare magazine is an instant reload.
Direct-load guns
Revolvers, pump and break-action shotguns, some rifles. Rounds go straight in, one at a time. No magazine to swap. Slower under pressure, but nothing to lose.
Secret: spare magazines are the real reload speed
Reloading skill shortens a magazine swap. A spare magazine makes it a swap instead of a 6-round load. Carry 3 or 4 full ones.
Chapter 5
The kitchen-table grind
The official wiki says it plainly: unload and reload, over and over, safely.
Load a magazine
Right-click a magazine with matching ammo in your inventory. Load. Each round inserted gives XP.
Unload it
Right-click the full magazine. Unload. The rounds come back. No XP for unloading, but now you can load again.
Insert and remove from the gun
Insert the magazine into the gun. XP. Remove it. Repeat.
Secret: direct-load guns work too
Loading rounds straight into a revolver or shotgun also gives XP. Load, unload, load.
Watch out: it is boring
Queue up a lot of load actions and let it run while you plan. Do it at night when you would be waiting anyway.
Chapter 6
Books: weaker than most
Reloading has 5 books, but they are deliberately weaker than crafting books.
| Book | Levels | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Reloading I: Basic Reloading | 0 to 2 | 1.5× |
| Reloading II | 3 to 4 | 2.5× |
| Reloading III: Jungle Style Reload | 5 to 6 | 4× |
| Reloading IV: Strippers, Speedloaders, and Bolt Action | 7 to 8 | 6× |
| Reloading V: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Reloading Techniques | 9 to 10 | 8× |
Compare that to crafting books at 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16. Still worth reading. Just do not expect a miracle.
Secret: the Outdoors and Blue Collar shelves
Build 42 bookstores use themed shelves. Aiming and Reloading books turn up on the hunting and outdoors aisles, not the romance section.
Chapter 7
The level 5 wall
After level 5, Reloading XP drops to about 37%. Same rule as Aiming.
- Levels 0 to 5 come fast with the grind and a book.
- Levels 5 to 10 take almost 3 times the effort per XP.
- Most players stop around 5 or 6. That is enough for quick swaps.
Secret: read book III before you cross the wall
The 4× book at level 5 is what makes the slow half bearable.
Chapter 8
Reloading in a fight
The skill helps. Preparation helps more.
- Full magazines before you leave. Never load rounds in a fight if you can swap instead.
- Reload behind cover. Or after a shove. A reload is seconds of doing nothing.
- Count your shots. An empty click is a bad surprise.
- Keep a melee weapon out of the bag. When the gun is empty and the horde is close, do not reload. Swing.
- Panic slows everything. Beta blockers before the fight.
Chapter 9
Guns and their loading style
Know which kind you are holding before the fight starts.
| Gun | Loading style |
|---|---|
| Pistols like the B-F Pistol and M9 | Detachable magazine |
| Revolvers like the SN38 and Patrol Revolver | Cylinder, rounds direct |
| Double-barrel shotgun | Break action, 2 rounds direct |
| Pump shotguns | Internal tube, rounds direct |
| M1A and assault rifles | Detachable magazine |
| MSR700 and MSR788 | Internal magazine, rounds direct, or a detachable magazine depending on the model |
Watch out: Build 42 renamed guns
The D-E Pistol became the B-F Pistol, the M14 became the M1A, the M36 became the SN38, the M625 became the Patrol Revolver. Old guides use old names.
Chapter 10
Ammo: boxes, rounds, magazines
- Ammo comes in boxes. Open a box to get loose rounds.
- Rounds go into magazines or straight into direct-load guns.
- Magazines are loot: gun stores, police stations, some houses.
- Each gun family has its own magazine. A pistol magazine does not fit a rifle.
Secret: unload the guns you find
Every looted gun is a few rounds and a magazine. Unload it for the ammo and the XP.
Chapter 11
Reloading and Aiming together
2 skills, 1 shooter.
- Aiming is accuracy, range, crits, jams. Trained by shooting. Loud.
- Reloading is speed. Trained by loading. Silent.
- Train Reloading at home first. Then Aiming becomes safer because your reloads are fast.
- Both hit the 37% wall at level 5.
The Firearms guide covers Aiming, guns and noise in full.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
The easiest grind in the firearms tree, and the least fun.
Levels 0 to 2: one box, one evening
Read Reloading I. Sit in a safe room with a gun, its magazine and a box of rounds. Load, unload, insert, remove. Queue actions.
Levels 2 to 5: every night
Read II. Cycle every magazine you own before bed. Unload looted guns.
Levels 5 to 10: only if you love guns
Read III, IV and V. The wall makes it slow. Fights count too, so combine it with Aiming training.
Level by level: Reloading
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Read Reloading I. Load and unload one magazine 20 times | Loading rounds is XP |
| 1 to 2 | Insert and remove the magazine too | Inserting is XP |
| 2 to 3 | Cycle every magazine you own before bed | Queue the actions |
| 3 to 4 | Read Reloading II. Unload every looted gun | Free rounds and XP |
| 4 to 5 | Direct-load guns too: revolvers, shotguns | All loading counts |
| 5 to 6 | Read Reloading III before you cross 5 | XP drops to 37% after 5 |
| 6 to 7 | Nightly cycling, plus real fights | Fights count |
| 7 to 8 | Read Reloading IV. Same | Slow |
| 8 to 9 | Same | Slower |
| 9 to 10 | Read Reloading V. Only for gun mains | Most stop at 5 |
Ammo table checklist
Gear
Training
Before a fight
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the ammo table
Setup
- Take Police Officer or Veteran for a head start.
- Avoid Reluctant Fighter and Slow Learner.
- Read Reloading I before the first grind.
- Look on the Outdoors shelf for the books.
- Keep 3 or 4 magazines per gun.
Training
- Load, unload, insert, remove. At home.
- Queue the actions and let them run.
- Cycle magazines before bed.
- Unload every looted gun.
- Direct-load guns train it too.
- Read III before level 5.
- Stop at 5 or 6 unless you are a gun main.
Fighting
- Full magazines before you leave.
- Swap, do not load, in a fight.
- Reload behind cover.
- Count shots.
- Melee weapon ready for the empty click.
- Beta blockers for panic.
- Jams are Aiming, not Reloading.
- Know your gun's loading style.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Load option. | Wrong ammo or wrong magazine. | Match caliber and gun family. |
| Reloading is painfully slow. | Low level, or panic. | Grind at home. Beta blockers. |
| XP slowed to a crawl. | Past level 5. | The 37% wall. Read book III. |
| The gun jammed. | Aiming and condition. | See the Firearms guide. |
| I keep loading rounds mid-fight. | No spare magazines. | Stage full ones. |
| Books do little. | They are weaker on purpose. | 1.5× to 8×. Still read them. |
| Cannot find the books. | Wrong shelf. | Outdoors and Blue Collar aisles. |
| The magazine will not go in. | Wrong gun family. | Pistol magazines for pistols. |
| Old guide names a gun I cannot find. | Build 42 renames. | B-F Pistol, M1A, SN38, Patrol Revolver. |
| Unloading gives no XP. | Correct. | Loading and inserting give it. |
Chapter 14
Loader's test
7 questions. Get them all right and you can reload blind.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Loader's word list
- Magazine
- A detachable box of rounds that goes into a gun.
- Direct load
- Rounds inserted straight into the gun.
- Cylinder
- A revolver's rotating chamber.
- Break action
- A shotgun that opens at the hinge to load.
- Internal magazine
- A fixed magazine inside a rifle or shotgun.
- The 37% wall
- The XP cut after level 5 in Aiming and Reloading.
- Stage
- Preparing full magazines before a fight.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026 for game version 42.20.4. Order of trust: the official wiki, then well-sourced fan guides, then player reports.
- What the skill does, XP from loading rounds and inserting magazines, the 37% rule, trait XP rates, book multipliers. Confirmed on the official wiki, with its page stamped 42.18.
- Books being weaker on purpose and themed bookstore shelves. A fan guide for 42.19.
- Racking speed. Flagged. Player reports only.
- Gun renames and loading styles. From the Firearms guide research on 42.19 data.
- Job values. May change.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Reloading, Reloading I, IV and V skill books, Skill
- PZfans skill book spawn guide for 42.19
- Bamboo Gaming skills database
- Projectzomboid.wiki aiming and reloading guide