Common AR Rifle Handling Errors
BY Herschel Smith
8 years ago
At our Urban Rifle (Carbine) Courses, most students bring ARs, as you might imagine, but we see dozens of other types/brands, some of which I was heretofore only marginally aware, so many are the companies, worldwide, making small arms today.
But my colleagues and I, Dave Spaulding, Tom Givens, Mas Ayoob, James Yeager, Frank Sharpe, Manny Kapelsohn, Jeff Chudwin, Clint Smith, Freddie Blish, et al continue to see repeated handling errors, which during a genuine encounter for which we train, will be fatal!
Some students pick it up right away. Others fumble repeatedly. Most “get it” eventually, training themselves to avoid common AR rifle handling errors!
We instruct students to grab the 30-round magazine (which most use) with the support-side hand as they would a pop-can and smartly insert it into the magazine well. Then, strike the bottom of the newly-inserted magazine. Then, grab it and tug downward, trying to pull it back out.
When the magazine stays in place, it’s good to go.
Conversely, when it comes right back out again, it was never locked in place correctly!
I’m not trying to cast doubt on experts and their recommendations for gun handling, but perhaps this has to do with poor quality guns and poor quality magazines. But I’ve put thousands upon thousands of rounds through ARs, and I’ve never once had a magazine fail to seat, and I don’t routinely strike the magazine on the bottom.
What about your experience with the AR?
On October 19, 2016 at 6:47 am, Wynn said:
One must remove one’s hand to tap the mag. ?? I insert the mag until it clicks and then tug to make sure it is in. After charging the weapon I remove the mag and visually inspect the rounds to make sure one went into the chamber, then reinsert and tug.
On October 19, 2016 at 1:20 pm, wynn said:
when I said click, I meant I feel it not hear it. that is why the tug, to make sure it is locked in. if it comes out, then re-insert and tug again. been there done that.
On October 19, 2016 at 1:53 pm, Herschel Smith said:
I tug for a split second too, but I’ve never reached down to slap or strike the bottom of my mag. I’ve also never had to use the forward assist. Not even once.
On October 19, 2016 at 11:11 am, Haywood Jablome said:
I’m not out to start a “magazine war”, so be advised that I have both polymer and metal magazines for my firearms and like them both. I have found that SOME people with SOME brands of firearms have, indeed, had problems with seating the metal magazines when loaded to their full 30 round capacity and loading into a gun with a round chambered. Many have chosen to only load to 28 or 29 and the problem seems to go away. I have not seen the same problem with PMAGS. They can have all 30 loaded with no problems. Again, this is circumstantial and I have not conducted any tests to prove this theory, but I have witnessed it on several occasions.
On October 19, 2016 at 1:48 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Like you I’m not out to do the “magazine war” thing, but I find that my aluminum mags are crap (partly because of the lack of no-tilt followers, and partly because they don’t slide as easily into or out of anything). Pmag or HexMag are much better.
On October 19, 2016 at 7:12 pm, Haywood Jablome said:
I got a bunch of military surplus mags for dirt cheap one time because my PMAGS dont work with my FS2000. They don’t get used much, but will keep them for a rainy day, if you know what I mean!
On October 20, 2016 at 8:37 am, Fred said:
Palmetto armory teflon coated mags! They slide in and out like butter, seat tight, no probs. (this is, before I sold all my guns, becuase the children)
On October 21, 2016 at 7:58 pm, Haywood Jablome said:
I’ll have to give those a try…if I ever decide to try shooting that is!
On October 19, 2016 at 12:34 pm, Doug said:
The US Army teaches the method mentioned by your Ammoland quote. The rationale is that in the heat of the moment muscle memory needs to pick up the slack for the havoc caused by adrenaline, constant noise, and unstable/quickly acquired shooting positions. Tapping the mag only takes a second and takes care of 90+% of seating errors. On a busy range, or in an imminent danger situation, you can’t hear the click and usually can’t feel it with the blood drumming in your ears, people yelling, other shooters, or incoming artillery. Best to have a mag change routine that is pretty effective at the expense of a second of time. This is especially true for new shooters.
On October 19, 2016 at 1:52 pm, Herschel Smith said:
That’s interesting. I wonder to what degree this came about by the lack of good mags (see comment above), and if Pmag or HexMag had been around the training might not have focused on this? Again, most training is in place to ameliorate some previous failure or set of failures, and I’ve not had failures to seat. Then again, I’ve never had a FTF or FTE either, and I’ve shot an awful lot of rounds. My affinity for fine machines has perhaps prevented me from learning drills that I should have known.
On October 19, 2016 at 3:05 pm, Doug said:
I think, yes, it may have be poor materials. The government uses the lowest bidder after all. (Well, except for the IRS and Obamacare, which use higher bidders that are known for their large, *failed* projects. But that is another article.) Also, mags are heavily used. Springs wear out – which would cause feed errors, and the slot in the mag that the catch “grabs” bend a bit. Yes, some of that bending is cause by people beating on it, but sometimes it’s old.
Though, I think the bigger issue that they are trying to address is the general sloppiness of the user; be it a recruit in Basic, or a new shooter going through their civilian course. I’ve seen soldiers in the unit, well after Basic Training, still have trouble with the concept that the magazine has to go ALL the way in the slot. It won’t just seat itself once you’ve managed to fit it into the hole. A training event where the soldier gets to work on their upper body strength in the front leaning rest position usually solves the problem. Repeat as necessary.
When you design the operations manual for these kinds of things you HAVE to make it as user-proof as possible. You, and most of the people reading your work, are way above average as it relates to real world skills. Done this way, you get the shooter to emplace their magazine, ensure it is seated, release the bolt, and then they can concentrate on BRAS in a way that people with lower physical skills and/or mental dexterity can all perform to task.
On October 19, 2016 at 3:16 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Candidate for comment of the day. The fedgov uses lowest bidder, except for Obamacare and other failed projects.
On October 20, 2016 at 9:08 am, Keith Perkins said:
The Marines do also. (Or did, it’s been over 30 years since active duty). We all know the Marine Corps equipment is hand-me-downs from all the other branches. Also, we didn’t have those fancy polymer mags back then either.
We were taught to hold the mag by the bottom, and slam it home, then give a smack to make sure.