I added this to our “Guns for Beginners” category, but the truth is this isn’t just for beginners. I see sooo many experienced shooters suffer the consequences of getting this wrong. Guys whose lives depended on their rifle functioning don’t get this wrong, but I bet 95% of everyone else has never performed either of the two “checks” seen in the video above.
Give it a watch and let me know which camp you’re in!
that time you called the bolt assist plunger the ‘forward charging handle’.
😂
LOL yeah. Believe me, I know what a forward assist is haha. Talking on camera and all 🤦. I struggle not to be thinking two sentences ahead of what my mouth is saying.
Thank you. For showing the AR-15 owners what I was taught in Army basic, training over 40 years ago. On my issued M16A2.
So many have purchased these rifles. And they know nothing about them.
Absolutely. I’ve only received this specific training from certain military and SWAT guys and, in my experience, it’s something most shooters haven’t encountered before (even experienced ones). In my personal practice I very very rarely do the step of dropping the magazine to make sure the top round was stripped out, but pulling on the magazine after inserting it to make sure it’s fully latched has become muscle memory and I think it’s important.
Your rifle sounds really dry
Yes I always download by one
Yes I always pull to be sure it seated
No I don’t think I have ever checked which side the top round is on – not a bad idea
Federalist No. 14 Explained: Scale, Control, and the Second Amendment.
In Federalist No. 14, James Madison tackles the claim that a free republic can’t survive over a large territory—an argument still used today to justify centralized control and “emergency” power. In this episode, we break down Federalist 14 in detail, explain how federalism and representation were designed to prevent tyranny, and connect Madison’s logic to modern Second Amendment debates about power, enforcement, and the rights of the people.
ht* tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afqBmqYjyg4
BREAKING NEWS! VIRGINIA HOUSE PASSES DYSTOPIAN AR-15 BAN!
A Semi-Automatic rifle Ban has passed in the Virginia House outlawing the acquisition of “assault firearms” after July 1, 2026. Mark Smith, Four Boxes Diner, discusses.
ht* tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGelzwJ2CEA
[note: now they will justify killing you to confiscate, all because you exercise your constitutional right and resist this type of tyranny. These democrats, yes these Virginia democrats, have already said they wanted conservatives dead so now comes their excuse and that excuse will be unconstitutional laws like this. And it will also be easier for them to kill you with you disarmed.]
BREAKING NEWS! HUGE WIN FOR TRUMP OUT NOW!
President Trump has scored a huge win for his anti-DEI agenda in Federal Court! Mark Smith, Four Boxes Diner, discusses.
ht* tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40cbQ7ezcPw
The AR-15 rifles that will not seat a full magazine (30 rounds in mag, but can be higher or lower capacity magazines loaded to their max rated capacity) with bolt closed, reliably and consistently (inserts smoothly, slap to lock in place, stays in place with a tug on it to test), with all your magazines but all your magazines will seat fine if you download to 28 or 29 rounds then its not a magazine issue (unless you have those ‘too much tension’ magazines – explained below) – unless there is a visibly diagnosable issue that would block the magazine from seating properly those rifles are not actually in mil spec. There is suppose to be some bolt drag against the top round in the fully loaded (30 round) magazine from a closed bolt, it varies some as to how it feels but it should not be so much that you have to really put some struggle-strength into charging the rifle. Jerk that charging handle all the way to the rear till it stops and let it go and do not ride it forward, if the bolt does not slam shut on the round all the way do not adopt a habit of using the forward bolt assist as a corrective measure because you probably have a problem that needs to be corrected.
There are some magazines that are under too much tension when loaded with 30 rounds and this can cause an issue with magazines seating against a closed bolt. A magazine fully loaded with 30 rounds should have at a minimum 1/2 round casing diameter space movement downward when you push down on the rounds from the top with your finger, if it doesn’t then don’t use the magazine or download the magazine by a couple of rounds (but really you should replace them). (I think the P-mags and others have like 1 or 1.5 round diameter space, enough for one more round in some of them but don’t add one more round because it can cause the ‘too much tension’ issue). This ‘too much tension’ thing can also happen with greater or less than 30 round magazines.
correction fo9r: “There are some magazines that are under too much tension when loaded with 30 rounds and this can cause an issue with magazines seating against a closed bolt.”
should have been…
There are some magazines that are under too much tension when loaded with 30 rounds and this can cause an issue with magazines seating with a closed bolt.
Correction for: “There is suppose to be some bolt drag against the top round in the fully loaded (30 round) magazine from a closed bolt,…”
should have been…
There is suppose to be a slight bolt drag feeling at one point as the bolt passes over the top round in the magazine from a closed bolt, …
Honestly, that is just absurd. Do you also wear belt and suspenders? Do you check to make sure your underwear isn’t on backwards?
What kind of crappy rifles do you shoot that require all this folderol? Shove the magazine in and make sure it latched. Don’t pull it out again to look at anything.
I wonder how many people will watch this and think, “Wow, I’ve been shooting wrong all my life.” Good grief.
Good point about tugging on the mag. One of those things I “know” but probably don’t do most of the time!
For some reason your title bought back memories from 1980 ROTC Summer Camp, North Fort Lewis. We were on a Fire and Maneuver course with live ammo (and E3 “DI’s” whacking us wannabe 2LTs in the head with paddles if our muzzles started to drift off course!). One of us Cadets was one of the smartest people I have ever met, but his manual dexterity was measured in negative numbers. His Cadre got in trouble because he should have been washed out before the advanced course started, let alone let him get to Summer Camp. Anyway, he could not figure out the pointy end of the bullets in the mag were to be pointed towards the end of the rifle with the little hole in it. He had his helmet whacked quick (we warned the DI’s) and his ammo was passed to tother cadets. Not me, dang it! I figure he had earned his third million before I made 2LT(P).
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