JC, I'm a little surprised by what I seem to be reading from two of your posts. Now, I have to admit that I haven't taken a look at MCRP 3-01A (though I have it and a mound of other stuff that I've either neglected or haven't gone back to it in a while - in some cases, a long while), but I thought that the IA's for stoppages that you described sounded, well, odd - the whole TAP-RACK-BANG thing. So I was a little surprised when you described what sounded like Commonwealth-type IA's as being something new to you guys. I may be confused here, and you can sort it out after me describing what we do.
First off, in Commonwealth Armies, we have the same 3 basic IA's for the Service Rifle:
1. a.) Weapon fires, weapon fires, weapon STOPS! - Cant weapon slightly to left, check bolt position - Bolt fully forward - Seat magazine properly (Push magazine in, then pull to check) - Re-cock weapon - Rounds downrange
b.) - 1. a.) Weapon still does not fire - Broken firing pin - Return to CQ (in a firefight?)
2. Weapon fires, weapon fires, weapon STOPS! - Cant weapon slightly to the left, check bolt position - Bolt partially forward - Misfeed - Safe - Unload - Lock bolt to rear ONCE (NEVER more than once - probably just wedge things tighter if you do) - Check inside receiver - If round still inside, remove (very hot!) - Unlock bolt and let go fully forward - Check lips of magazine and gently tap back of magazine in palm of hand to seat rounds - If magazine lips damaged, replace with new magazine - Insert magazine - Re-cock the weapon - Rounds downrange.
3. Weapon fires, weapon fires, weapon STOPS! - Cant weapon slightly to the left, check bolt position - Bolt fully to the rear - Empty magazine - Unload, new mag, check lips of magazine and gently tap back of magazine in palm of hand to seat rounds - Insert magazine - Re-cock the weapon - Rounds downrange.
Off the range and in the field, you might dispense with the palm-tapping. We NEVER slapped a magazine, either to seat the magazine in the weapon or to seat the rounds in the magazine - if you were caught doing so, unpleasant disciplinary/remedial measures were taken. I though that TAP-RACK-BANG was history (at least in the USMC) but maybe still used in the US Army. If I've read you right jcustis, and you're describing IA's for Stoppages, then I'm surprised; if you're describing something else, then I'm just plain confused.
As to speed reloading; yeah, often there's no choice but to drop the mag and throw in a fresh one - it's all about who's the quickest on the draw in this case. Sometimes, like you JC, I just kept the empty mag in my left hand and carried on without dropping it. But otherwise, if I'd had the time, I'd just drop the used mag inside my shirt or coat down the front of the neck or just stuff it wherever it in my belt so I could reload it later. Mind you, we also had plastic speed loaders that we just threw on top of the mag so we could feed those 10-round plastic strips macht schnell into the mags from the 30-round boxes in our bandoliers when we had time - or the mags just plain ran out.
As for tactical reload, we always changed mags that had been fired for mags that hadn't whenever there was a break - especially in CQB (obviously). Always carry a full mag - and always change to a full one when you get the chance.
We did hours and hours of dry-training in a classroom using aiming boxes, rifles, pieces of paper, a pencil, and that funny-looking piece of metal (I forget its name) with the tiny hole for an NCO or buddy to plot your aim on the paper tacked up on the bottom of the wall. This was how we learned breath control and the principles of marksmanship, laying on the cold floor and practicing our aim, weeks before we ever went out on the range for the first time. You didn't get to fire live rounds until you had passed weeks of dry-training - the NCOs made sure of that.
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