Some articles might start this out by getting into a shouting match (with themselves or a hypothetical audience) about whether or not it’s acceptable to call a malfunction a jam. Let’s not start on that foot.
Let’s be more practical. You’re going to experience a malfunction (that is, a jam) at the range at some point in your life if you shoot enough. You need to know how to clear it and re-ready the rifle.
Here are two great methods that will redress the majority of malfunctions. Break out the American Eagle .223 and get ready to practice.
Tap, Rack, Bang
The most basic drill for clearing an AR-15 or AR-style rifle that’s experienced a malfunction, be it a failure to fire or failure to extract, is the tap, rack, bang drill.
If your gun does not fire or fails to extract, the first step is to tap the base of the magazine. This will seat it in the magazine chute and help ensure it engages the catch. This in turn helps ensure the bolt carrier group will properly strip off the next round on top.
Rack the charging handle; this should clear whatever is in the chamber or obstructing the action; when you return the bolt carrier group to battery, it should also strip a new round off the mag and reload the chamber.
Some instructors would tell you to tilt the rifle over to the left so that the ejection port is facing skyward, before you release the charging handle to close the action. Doing so exposes the ejection port and enables the operator to visually and if necessary physically inspect the open action and chamber for a jam or debris.
If it checks out, release the charging handle to close the action. At this point, you might also tap the forward assist - making this more of a tap, rack, tap, bang protocol - to ensure that the bolt carrier group is fully forward and in battery.
The “bang” portion of the drill that closes out the procedure comes from firing the next round - which is evidence that you cleared the jam and restored the rifle to a ready-to-fire state.
One variation of this drill is known as the “SPORTS” technique. The name is an acronym for “slap, pull, observe, release, tap, squeeze,” and it is a more thorough form of the basic “tap, rack, bang” drill.
In the SPORTS technique, first, you slap the bottom of the magazine; the idea here is the same as tapping the bottom as in the tap, rack, bang drill.
Then, you pull the charging handle - racking, as you would in the tap, rack, bang drill - before observing the open action to see if there is anything that needs to be cleared before you release it.
Then, tap the forward assist and squeeze the trigger. As in the tap, rack, bang drill, if performed properly and there were no obstructions in the chamber or action, the rifle should fire as intended.
Of course, these two methods are really only effective at clearing basic malfunctions such as a failure to fire or failure to extract. In the case of a double feed or a round that is stuck in the chamber, something else might be needed.
On the latter note, mortaring a round can be effective at clearing the malfunction.
Mortaring a Round
Mortaring a round is a technique used to clear a casing that’s stuck in the chamber, for whatever reason.
If your charging handle sticks and you can’t open the action because there is a shell stuck in the action, mortaring a round can help clear it. Here’s how that goes.
First, ensure that your rifle is pointed in a safe direction and remains pointed in a safe direction throughout the entire process of mortaring. This is critical to safety. For most shooters, the best way to ensure this is to keep the muzzle pointed effectively straight up at the sky the entire time.
Grab the rifle by the lower receiver by the magwell with your support hand, and hook your dominant hand’s thumb over the charging handle. Be sure to have a strong grip on the rifle and make sure to keep it pointed in a safe direction - skyward.
Slam the butt of the rifle into the ground; the impetus will often force the bolt carrier group open and pull out the offending shell.
And there you have two relatively effective protocols for clearing malfunctions and jams from AR-style rifles.
Stock Up on American Eagle .223
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