AR Malfunctions, Misfire


The misfire is the easiest and fastest of all the malfunctions to clear with the AR series rifle. The acronym SPORTS is used to provide a good guide for this procedure. However, there are some unnecessary steps. Let's go through them and find where we can simplify things.

++++ONLY USE INERT TRAINING ROUNDS FOR THIS DRILL++++

Slap:
Slap up on the magazine to ensure that it is seated. Unless this is the first round fired after loading, or some form of magazine change, this is an unnecessary step. If the shooter has been firing, the cause of the misfire is a bad round or another type of malfunction.

If the shooter performed a tactical reload there is the possibility that the magazine didn't seat, especially if the magazine was over loaded. In this case it is doubtful that the magazine would seat without the bolt to locked to the rear, so slapping on the magazine would have done little good.

Pull:
Pull back on the charging handle. A perfect first step. If the charging handle functions normally the bad round will eject.

If the charging handle pops free with no normal resistance, this is your first indication of a
Double Feed.

If the charging handle won't even budge, this is your first indication of a
Bolt Over-ride malfunction.

Observe:
Observe that a round is ejected. The shooter should be looking for the round to eject as they are pulling back on the charging handle. If no round ejects, the shooter is experiencing a feed problem. Tug on the magazine to ensure that it is seated and locked.

Release:
Release the charging handle allowing the bolt to go forward and put the next round in battery.

Tap:
Tap the forward assist. This is an extra step, unless the shooter rides the charging handle forward.

The forward assist is a feature that the Army requested to be added to the original weapon as a means of manually locking the bolt forward.

Squeeze:
Squeeze the trigger, firing the next round.


The Simplified Procedure:

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Righties:
Step 1: Grab the charging handle with the left hand.

Step 2: Pull the charging handle to the rear and observe for an ejected round.

Step 3: Release the charging handle and assess the environment or re-engage the target.


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Lefties:
Step 1: Grab the charging handle with the left hand. Don't worry about not having your "firing" hand on the pistol grip; the rifle isn't working right now anyway.

Step 2: Pull the charging handle to the rear and observe for an ejected round.

Step 3: Release the charging handle and assess the environment or re-engage the target.

Drills & Skills


Training

We don't currently offer training but, we know some folks who do.

Don is a Retired Green Beret over at:

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Rodney and Brian are Law Enforcement Officers over at:
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