Reload animation-illusion

Hi,

Im having hard time understanding the concept of the reload animation.
I found out how to make a reload animation for the 1st person hands by taking out the magazine with one hand, moving the hand behind the camera and moving it back in front of the camera and placing back the magazine. This give the illusion of a new magazine being placed.

However, how can i do the same thing for a full character?
If i use the same concept, anybody can see the player actually using the same magazine again...

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks from advance.