Friend Learned About Weak Hands and AR's Today.

[twyacht]

A co-worker who is all around good guy bought a new S&W M+P15T (AR) LAST YEAR, and NEVER HAS SHOT IT.

Well, we have been ribbing, and frankly taunting him for months, and he agreed to bring it out today to an indoor range.
He had to buy frangible from the range, I offered some of mine but its a range rule,...
He's a pretty big guy, his hands were kinda shaky, used those Commenga Mags, Not my personal preference, but cool, I guess,..
Closed the slide on the mag, and it threw a brand new round about 7 feet across the floor down range... Sigh,....
Inserted mag, good tap, pulled charging handle back, and "guided" it forward. Took aim, clicked safety off,, and "CLICK". No bang. I hate that sound.... Pressed ever so gently the fwd. assist,...nothing....

Pulled charging handle back, yep, there is a round in there, asked me to press the mag release lever, while he held bolt open, shook out unfired round. I know, I could have had him lock the bolt open and do it himself but he's kinda all thumbs.

Okay,... Do over,..

I told him to pull the charging handle back, and release it, as in LET THE DAMN THING GO,....
HE DID IT AGAIN, and again it went click! ....
Felt like I was reading shampoo instructions...   I finally "requested" that I "give it a try",....
Tap, Rack (and rack it like you mean it), Ready,,, and she began to Sing,....

I've seen more than 1 person at the range, especially with semi auto pistols that "baby" them when cycling the action.

Pull the slide back, and "help it foward",......leads to problems...Like limp wristing....that's next week,....

[Hazcat]

I always find it humorous when people 'ease' the slide forward like they're afraid it might break.  I point out to them that when it goes 'bang' it will be coming forward into battery with a lot more power and that not only is it built to take it, in many cases it needs it.

[fightingquaker13]

Sigh.......what part of blow back military weapon did he not understand? Actually, I can't complain as I have yet to fire my new AR. I was waiting to sight in my buis (which I have not yet decided on) before sighting in the eotech, and then having to remove it and potentially screwing up the zero. I have decided today that this is bone stupid. I have a new rifle, an excellent optic and I'm unlikely to be deployed in combat. Screw it, if its good enough for the hunting rifle, its good enough for the AR. I'm off to the range. I will post a report later this week. Wish me luck.
FQ13 who will try not to shoot his eye out 

[Bidah]

Unfired new firearms that have been languishing for months??  What sort of blasphemer would do such a thing..

At least you got him out there finally TW.  Rack it like you mean it!!

-Bidah

[Big Frank]

Sigh.......what part of blow back gas-operated military weapon did he not understand? Actually, I can't complain as I have yet to fire my new AR. I was waiting to sight in my buis (which I have not yet decided on) before sighting in the eotech, and then having to remove it and potentially screwing up the zero. I have decided today that this is bone stupid. I have a new rifle, an excellent optic and I'm unlikely to be deployed in combat. Screw it, if its good enough for the hunting rifle, its good enough for the AR. I'm off to the range. I will post a report later this week. Wish me luck.
FQ13 who will try not to shoot his eye out  

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

Oops! Sorry! My bad. Still, it will be shot. At least I didn't mention the C word.
FQ13 who is a little unclear about blowback vs gas operated. I thought the recoil and compressed gasses cycled the bolt for the next round. What's the difference?

[tombogan03884]

Oops! Sorry! My bad. Still, it will be shot. At least I didn't mention the C word.
FQ13 who is a little unclear about blowback vs gas operated. I thought the recoil and compressed gasses cycled the bolt for the next round. What's the difference?

Having told you to get an Fing clue in a political thread I will try to give you one on a technical thread.
In "Blow back" operated guns, like most .22's, and many Sub machine guns the action is cycled  by the over pressure in the chamber on ignition of the powder.
In "Gas operated" guns like your AR, the AK, or M-1, the bolt remains closed until the bullet, which is sealing in the gasses behind it, reaches a vent hole called a "gas port" gas then bleeds through this port into another tube were it builds pressure to force the bolt back after the chamber pressure has fallen some what. In most types this is done by pushing back a piston that pushes the bolt, in your AR, the so called "Gas Impingement" method, the gas vents directly into the tube at the top of the bolt. This is why you will hear people say that an AR "shits where it eats", because of venting these dirty gasses back into the action.

[fightingquaker13]

Having told you to get an Fing clue in a political thread I will try to give you one on a technical thread.
In "Blow back" operated guns, like most .22's, and many Sub machine guns the action is cycled  by the over pressure in the chamber on ignition of the powder.
In "Gas operated" guns like your AR, the AK, or M-1, the bolt remains closed until the bullet, which is sealing in the gasses behind it, reaches a vent hole called a "gas port" gas then bleeds through this port into another tube were it builds pressure to force the bolt back after the chamber pressure has fallen some what. In most types this is done by pushing back a piston that pushes the bolt, in your AR, the so called "Gas Impingement" method, the gas vents directly into the tube at the top of the bolt. This is why you will hear people say that an AR "shits where it eats", because of venting these dirty gasses back into the action.

Thanks. (I think ) This is what confused me. Obviously the bolt will be blown back by gas pressue. But the WHY of the tube vs its lack in my .22s now makes sense. As much as I hate to dis the army for the marines, No One Told Me That! I didn't realize that there was a mechanical difference, just how it worked through the gas port. Your rifle works this way, deal with it.) Another lesson learned. (reason #1568 why you don't just tell someone how it works, you tell them why and what the alternatives are).
Semper Fi damnit
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

 Don't feel to bad, even the Marines don't teach the Machine gun completely any more, there are things like indirect fire that you can do with an MG from a tripod that aren't even taught nowadays.

[Walter45Auto]

I found out that releasing a pistol's slide via the slide lock can sometimes cause the gun to not go into battery when chambering a round that way (Learned this on my Ruger P90.). So I always pull the slide back and let it slingshot forward, no matter which pistol I'm using.