KF2 HZ12 Fast Reload: Bash Cancel Trick

The source is a video guide titled "how to reload HZ12 Multi-Action to 1 sec." The video itself cannot be reproduced here, but the comment thread under it spells out the technique clearly, and that is what this page records. The technique is a form of reload cancelling, a general mechanic of Killing Floor 2 that is explained in more detail in the Tamari handbook (see the links at the bottom).

The trick in two steps

1. Start a reload.
2. Press the melee bash (default key V) as soon as the ammo counter refills, then shoot.

The reload is considered finished as soon as the ammo counter updates. The rest of the animation only plays for show, and the bash cuts it off. The fast result applies to the HZ12 Multi-Action shotgun, whose reload is long, but it also works on other guns.

Better timing from the comments

• Hold fire, then bash. Because the bash has its own animation, simply bashing leaves you with a short delay before you can shoot. To bypass that, hold down the fire button during the reload and press the bash key as soon as the counter goes up. You can then shoot immediately. This is useful in combat, less so during trader time.
• Shoot immediately after bashing. A commenter says that if you fire right after pressing bash, you can cancel the bash animation too and bring the whole sequence down to under a second.
• Bash cancelling is not unique to the HZ12. Several readers point out this is common reload cancelling and works on nearly every gun, so you can use it elsewhere.