What Im talking about is a double feed. Tap Rack Bang?   Or Chamber check? I had one instructor say do a chamber check first. Another instructor say tap rack bang first. How I was first taught was 1- Tap rack bang. does not fire. 2- Chamber check. notice a double feed. 3- Lock bolt to rear. 4- Strip mag. 5- rack three times. 6- Insert new mag. 7- Rack.
  If you chamber check first and notice a double feed you can go straight to locking the bolt to the rear. If you chamber check and see your bolt fully closed then you just wasted time there and will have to tap rack bang anyways to get the dead round out. Tap rack bang would take care of a stove pipe and failure to fire. Chamber check is only good for one malfunction, A double feed. Just curious what you guys think and do.

Ask yourself how often a failure is a double-feed.  Procede as you see fit.  I know how often a failure is a double-feed - and act accordingly.

Edit: I'll just stick with Seek cover.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Play the numbers. I'll have to look into what happens more often then train according to that.

...

My steps: After failure, observe chamber, identify failure (in this case double feed), lock bolt to the rear, drop mag, verify chamber is clear, insert mag, slap bolt forward.

If I dont observe an obvious double feed then yeah slap &rack

What do you teach your students Joe?

I deleted my post because when I responded I thought this was a pistol thread.

For rifles I start out with SPORTS.

I've actually never ever heard that phrase before. I need to get down to boulder city and take a course with you. I've been wanting to for a while.

SPORTS is an acronym used by the military for an immediate action drill for clearing a malfunctioning M16/M4.

Slap the magazine
Pull the charging handle back
Observe the ejection port and chamber
Release the charging handle
Tap the forward assist
Squeeze the trigger

I'd love to have you in one of my courses, UC.

Give me a call any time or PM me here for my number if you don't have it.

-Joe

They taught us SPORTS in basic training, along with the m9's "SSSS" sweep (the saftey), slap, slide, shoot.

The military has no shortage of acronyms.

What year were you in basic? I was at mcrd sd in 2003 and I don't remember sports at all. Tap rack bang is all I remember

SPORTS is awful. And slow. And old. No academy teaches it, Thunder Ranch and Gunsite do not teach it, nor does Jim Smith or Paul Howe. That's a clue.

I would also suggest "transition to secondary weapon inside of successful engagement distance" as a first step. If you're behind effective cover or concealed in an effective position, TRB is the best overall malfunction fix.

If, when you did your TRB, the charging handle would not move full travel - you know you have a bolt over base malfunction.

If you are at a place you can address your malfunction, I always take a quick moment to look at the action. If the bolt is open, generally it'll be a failure to extract. Then you can rip the mag out, lock the bolt back, finger the chamber, rack, reload.

If that does not fix the problem, generally something else is broken and most likely you will not be able to fix it in a fight.

I teach SPORTS as a basic component, not as an etched in stone procedure. That's why I posted that I "start out with SPORTS." It's just another tool in the box.

At the end of the day TRB winds up being the default procedure.

-Joe

Well if you know your rifle, and it's a double feed, which is a mushy trigger, you' d know it's not in battery and not a failure to fire, so a TRB wouldn't be the way to handle the malfunction. Having a double feed and exasperating it by re ramming the rounds Into the chamber isn't going to do you any good, it could make it worse.

Knowing what a mushy trigger and what an in battery trigger feels like is important.

Obviously transitioning to a pistol may be an option, but outside of 25 yards most folks can't hit shit with a handgun, and you need to move to cover quickly or die.

We were taught SPORTS in airforce security forces training as well as basic. I went thru basic in 2011

If transitioning to a secondary weapon isnt an option:


Hopefully you recognize, by the mushy trigger, that you have a double feed; if not:

1) Push/Pull the mag (on non-rock and lock mags)
2) Cycle the action
3) Press the shot

if that fails and you notice that the charging handled "bounced back" out

1) get to cover if possible
2) lock the bolt to the rear
3) rip the magazine out
4) sweep the chamber area with your fingers (from mag well)
5) cycyle action several times
6) insert new mag
7) cycle action
8) press the shot (if needed)

The first step in any failure to fire is to observe the chamber so that you can assess the issue. If you do not see brass, tap rack bang. If you see brass, lock the slide to the rear, eject the magazine, remove the obstruction, get the gun back up. Either way, you have to observe the chamber to see what is going on.

ETA- otherwise you run the risk of making the problem worse.

Nope.


What do you do during darkness or in reduced lighting?

Check chamber act accordingly.

I have these things called fingers... I can use them to check if the chamber is closed or not. I know when it gets dark....life gets infinitely harder...but it's really easy to adapt to it.

Just a humble opinion, but.....
A couple of things I have learned over the years,
At the high probability of being called a heretic and burned at the interstake, I will say that looking into the ejection port is a bad thing to do, and only removes an available opening for whatever is fucking up the works to leave the action. I have had the opportunity to watch hundreds of people ( who thought they knew how to efficiently clear a malf. ) put into a black shoot house, only to find out what they knew about clearing malfunctions quickly went to shit, and helped put marks of shame on them..........and if they had been a really bad place, would have put their head on a stick.
Depending on the malf. you will need to take the magazine out..............However, you are going to want to tuck that magazine that you take out of the rifle somewhere on you...... if it still has ammunition in it.  Pass one up? Oh Shit..
And Always wear gloves, 'cause your fingers will need them on prom night...When you reach into a very hot place. and .chances are it will be to dislodge something........big if your lucky..small if your not.
But the first step?
Check to see if the magazine is properly seated.
As to what comes next........ I would suggest some good hands on training, and hours of practice..like your life might one day depend on it.
Good Luck,
CT

chamber check is a stupid square range practice.... tell me how eel a chamber works in the dark or how well it works while moving...etc..

the gun is giving you all the info you need it goes bang the  cycles  mushy trigger on next attempt to fire  try an apply the safety  it and the mushy trigger are your info  to a double feed/failure to extract
rip the magazine from the gun yes rip the mag from the gun invert muzzle  rip back on charging handle  this should dislodge the rounds sending the bolt home i then reinsert and rack

Same here.  I went through in 96 and Tap, rack, bang was all we were taught as well.

This is the correct response...

if I'm not firing from cover, then I seek cover or make myself smaller if cover is not available.

then I identify the problem.  sometimes it's not a malfunction but I've run dry and must reload.  

if I'm in a close "stand up" fight I simply omit the seek cover step and identify the problem.

only after I have identified the problem may I correct it.

MOVE! tap, rack, bang

Move, sure, tap rack bang on a double feed really. You clearly have no idea how to clear a double feed, May god have mercy on your soul.

play nice, this isn't general discussion.

to explain on behalf of my esteemed colleague, there are some malfunctions that are only exacerbated with slap/tap and roll.

it's good for a short-stroking weapon our when the magazine isn't fully seated... but it's not the silver bullet solution that a lot have mistaken it for.

MOVE! drop mag, rack, rack, new mag, tap, rack, bang.

Do you lock the bolt to the rear and then go fishing up the mag well to clear the double feed?

Yes, otherwise you will not be able to release the tension on the rounds trying to be fed.

Was just curious.  Have seen individuals inadvertently send the bolt forward while sticking fingers up the mag well, particularly under stress, at night, etc.  Prefer the other option of maintain positive control of the charging handle (keep it to the rear) while the support hand fishes in an effort to eliminate getting a finger smashed by the bolt.  Did that once when I was younger... doesn't feel good.

Carbine Remediation Steps

Push
Pull
Rack
Roll

It is a good way to find out of you have a double feed without looking.

guys as I stated earlier, your trigger will give you all the info you probably need, that is if you care to take the time to train/learn and remember what happens to the trigger during a doublefeed.

I guess I'm in the minority. I teach to look because sometimes students and professionals don't realize they are out of ammo. Stress is funny. It might seem slower but the average is faster when you TRB on what should be a reload, double feed or bolt over ride. Of course being the trigger whisperer is good too!

Again a method that's trained to proficiency is better than nothing.

How well does that work at night?

Lol everyone asks that being a smart ass. You TRB once you turn the rifle and realize you can't see (should be automatic) the charging handle will diagnose your specific issue for you. Apply appropriate action then. It's easy.

if im engaged...move
if im behind cover...check mag

I've always been taught that there are only 3 types of malfunctions:

Type 1 - out of ammo
Type 2  - in battery
Type 3 - out of battery

In this case, assuming I didn't need to transition to a secondary weapon, it would be apparent after observation that this is an out of battery Type 3 malfunction.  The correct procedure for clearing it is as follows;

1) remove mag.
2) rack the charging handle 3 times forcefully
3) observe to see if the malfunction is cleared, if so
4) perform the proper reloading procedure which is insert mag, tap, rack, press forward assist, re-engage.

This technique applies to both rifle and handgun. Of coarse on the handgun there is no forward assist so the slide is tapped instead.

If it's out of battery, such as a double feed or bolt over-ride, and you simply rack the charging handle without clearing anything out, you risk hammering the obstructions harder into the chamber area. Not good. If it's out of battery, something is blocking it. Maybe it's so dirty that the bolt isn't fully closing. Maybe it's a double feed, stovepipe or a failure to extract (with the spent case still chambered and it's trying to feed another round. If it's a double feed, lock the bolt to the rear, remove mag, clear the obstruction, then rack it a few times. Reload and gtg. A bolt over-ride is a different animal altogether and may require a different clearance.

Immediate Action/Remedial Action

Assess & Fix

Two different routes to the same place.

Here's some of the talk we have been batting around concerning malfunctions and what route to take to achieve happiness.

Where am I in the time/space continuum?

1. Did I just jump out of the SWAT truck after loading a clean and lubed carbine and doing a thorough PCI to include a press check?

OR

2. Am I in the middle of a rolling 3 hour gunfight that started during a long dusty vehicle movement in Somewheristan after a couple of days of no cleaning opportunities due to faulty supply shipments and OPTEMPO?

Immediate Action can geek up a double feed even worse, but not so bad that your standard double feed fix won't.

Assess & Fix is functional if you can see what you got. Does the sun ever go away where you are? Of course, you can assess by feel when you apply immediate action (SEAT, RACK, READY)...if you are feeling for it.

FWIW, I went to basic in '88 (U.S. Army) and we were taught SPORTS.

They still teach it, and it's still wrong.

1. Transition to sidearm and continue to engage if your within your limits of a pistol fight.
2. If not seek cover.
3. With pistol still in hand look at you malfunction.
If its a double feed and you have time, distance and cover from your threat do this.
4. Lock bolt to rear.(Lock)
5. Remove magazine out (Rip)
6. Rack charging handle three times (Work).
7. Insert new magazine (Tap)
8. Rack charging handle (Rack)
9. Reassess your threat (Ready)

This is what we do.

CAB

Surrender!

Just kidding !

That would be the last thing, the first thing is........C.F.T.O.

Transition to sidearm and blow threats head off. Then make rifle ready.

SPORTS as a malfunction clearance technique needs to be killed and buried.  It is not a sound or logical approach to clearing malfs, and the Army was and is retarded for teaching it.

Depending on the group of people you are working with and the scenario:

* Take a knee and or seek cover.  If in a Fire Team flow, taking a knee will communicate that you have something going on with your weapon, and someone else will fill your sector of fire, point of domination, or press of the attack.  Transitioning to a sidearm is more of a defensive, time critical task if you are in a room with only one other friend, or God forbid, alone.  If your element has the advantage in pressing the skirmish line of violence, get your most casualty producing weapon back in the fight after getting out of the way.

Since I have lived with these guns for decades now, I have a more attenuated feel for what is going on with a particular type of malf, so I personally have several different things that I might do.

Worst case is the dark, and whether we are wearing NODs or going with NODs up will affect what I personally do.  I'm not a big fan of having a rote memory series of techniques for more experienced shooters.  For introductory purposes, we can go Tap Rack CH and asses BCG into battery.  If you have repositioned yourself in the flow and are now in the rear of a Fire Team, you aren't going to just start blasting to confirm your weapon is up.  This is why Tap Rack Bang should not be an automatic default.  Only specific fine and gross motor skills should be automatic, not making decisions without thinking.  I'm not a fan of, "Just revert to your training."  I am a fan of staying in the moment, and pulling certain aspects of your training out of the box when they are warranted.

This is an opportunity to mitigate a training scar.  A lot of folks are in the mentality that they are on a square range with nothing but IPSC targets or steel to their front, versus the reality of flowing through a building, a trench/ditch, or in your secondary panic room at home with friendlies still moving to you.  You can't simply Tap Tack Bang in most close quarters scenarios.

So let's look at the more likely scenario I just addressed, and let's complicate it some more by asking, "What techniques would you teach your spouse or older kids if dealing with a multiple intruder home invasion after grabbing the bedside blaster, and then running into a malf with no tactical sidearm rig, since they don't walk around the house with Safariland drop leg holsters."

If they had a malf, it could be from the initial attempt to charge an empty chambered weapon, or worse, right in the middle of putting rounds on target in a justifiable use of deadly force within a confined bedroom distance.  I would first consider a rapid Tap Rack Bang if I had a simple FTFire malf in that instance.

If it was a malf that required removing the magazine, the carbine just went from a firearm to a blunt force weapon, and someone is going to get power-stroked to the face, then repeatedly severed with an edged weapon from one of my pockets in the tangle.

The good news is that when faced with the muzzle blast of a carbine indoors, people withdraw at the speed of adrenalin if they have not been blasted.  Use of a suppressor might reduce this psychological deterrent to a degree, but taking rounds to the chest and face has a deterrent effect of its own.

The short story is that I can show you very specific examples of why I would and wouldn't Tap Rack Bang in a military/LE setting, as well as in the home.  I can do the same thing for Rip Rack Reload Bang, or any other malfunction clearance.  In my book, it's a good idea to look at the possible scenarios, then look at what tools are on my belt, then train with those tools until they are familiar to me in the rain, the dark, with one arm or hand gone, with one eye gone, blood on my hands, pinned down under an obstacle, etc.

Only because nobody mentioned it...3 Kittens

1. transition if possible
2. TRB if posible
3. Cover, find it
4. 3 Little Kittens, works everytime except mechanical fails / stuck cases
5. If the kittens don't fix it, use that cleaning rod on your gun. (case seperations, step 6)
6. If the rod don't work, use the chamber brush/BCR
7. If it's a bolt/FP issue, replace.

After #3/#4 if time is not available (likely not)... find an exit plan and execute it.