Movie question

[epic4444]

okay this has probably came up a million times and i probably sound dumb for asking but why is it that in most war movies they tap there m-16 magazine on there helmet before loading it...thanks for putting up with my ignorance

[shooter_john]

It is a way to 'knock' all of the rounds to back of the magazine, encouraging better feeding. The top round especially can creep out over the top if it is knocked around or if you carry mags in a jungle clip, it is almost sure to creep over as a result of the recoil from the mag your shooting out of... I hope that explained it!

[predator86]

in other movies ( that i cant remember) i have seen guys smack mp5 mags on the side of the gun.....but thats when i catch them reloading, you know those 1000 rd mp5 mags man.......

[Father Time]

Tapping the mags was also a way to knock pieces of dirt or mud out of the mag

[ISC]

Alot of soldiers tap ourr mags on our helmets before inserting them in the rifle. We always have to wear helmets at the range and when I was in a line unit we always had to wear them in the field too. It was such an ingrained habit that I've done it at the civilian range before. OUCH.

As mentioned previously, the biggest reason is to keep the head of the cartridge all the way against the back of the mag. The cartridges will also misalign in the mag while they're being carried in pouches.

[New_Pollution1086]

Ive got a movie question. why when loading a m16 do they slap the side of the gun instead of pulling the bolt back.

T

[warrior poet]

They're tapping the forward assist- a little plunger on the right side of the receiver. It was a claw with engages teeth on the bolt carrier and "helps" the weapon fully chamber a round. It was added to the M16 (along with a few other things) to make the M16A1. The forward assist was added after some initial run M16s did not full seat into battery.

OR

Most likely, they're smacking the bolt release to chamber a round. It's a faster way to get the weapon into action rather than reaching for the changing handle. That's on the left side. Which side are they slapping will answer what they're doing. Hope that helps.

[shooter_john]

I think new pollution may be referring to slapping the bolt release... That is more of an issue of gross motor skill (slapping a large area and hitting the bolt release) versus a fine motor skill (catching the bolt handle and manipulating it). Is one way better than the other... that would be according to who you're talking to, and that is a whole 'nother can o worms!

Loos like warrior poet edited and clarified while I was answering!

[ELMOUSMC]

For all the reasons mentioned above .We did it in Viet nam because the then new M16s were very dirt sensitive and were subject to jamming at very unfortunate times.In desert storm it was dust and sand and with most Grunts it became routine.ELMO

[rem870hunter]

i think in "we were soldiers" they banged the m16 mag on their helmets. i seem to recall col. moore (mel gibson) slapping the left side of the receiver to let the bolt go forward after loading another mag. in "saving private ryan" some of the guys bang the m1 clips and the bar mags on their helmet. i don't recall if tom hanks (capt. miller) banged an m1a1 thompson mag on his helmet. im sure tom sizemore (sgt. horvath) did bang an m1 carbine mag on his helmet. i've banged m1 clips on the table or shooting mat at the range because i've had some of the rounds shift forward in the past and not load right into the receiver. don't remember doing this with an m16 mag.

[Scorch]

I think we did it to try to knock some sense into our heads so the next time we saw a career planner we would walk away and avoid winding up in this same situation all over again. Didn't work for me back then, but that's another story.

No, just kidding, they do it to seat the rounds against the back of the magazine, like others have said.

[Musketeer]

i think in "we were soldiers" they banged the m16 mag on their helmets.

Slightly off topic but still related... I have a good friend who was a door gunner at the battle depicted in the movie, even had one bird shot out from under him on the battlefield, flew back to the base on another and returned on the door gun of a third for the duration of the fight. His opinion is that it was the finest depiction he had ever seen of what it was really like. Even the little details he said were pretty damn accurate.

[davlandrum]

It is a hard habit to break. I still do it with any magazine fed pistol or rifle...of course I bang it on my hand now since I don't wear a K-pot anymore...

[RevolverLover]

It is a hard habit to break. I still do it with any magazine fed pistol or rifle...of course I bang it on my hand now since I don't wear a K-pot anymore...


Yes, its a very hard habit to break. I always smile when I actually catch myself doing it sometimes still.

[44 AMP]

Rapping the mag against the helmet or other hard surface to ensure the rounds are fully rearward in the mag is an old trick, and a common one. Remember though, it only works if you hold the mag correctly when you do it. Rap the front of the mag and you can defeat the purpose.

As to using the bolt release to load the rifle after inserting a new loaded mag;

Yes, certainly. It is the fastest way, provided the bolt is already locked open. Insert mag, hit bolt release, hit forward assist, then rock & roll.

Using the charging handle involves adding a seperate motion (pulling back the charging handle, and it needs to be pulled back ALL the way, otherwise the bolt release will not disengage) and also creates the possibility that the shooter may "ride" the handle instead of letting it fly forward freely, which can result in a failure to fully load. All in all it is simpler and faster to just hit the bolt release. On the other hand, anyone who had ever messed with the M16A1 enough has also learned that a sharp rap on the butt will jar the bolt release enough to let the bolt shut.:D