What's the proper way of loading a magazine into an AR-15?

T

Tool

New member
I have a CMMG upper 9mm coupled with a mil-spec AR-15 lower. I noticed that before I pull the charging handle and set the bolt stop/catch, the magazine will not catch. Is it a necessary step to first pull the charging handle and set the bolt stop/catch?

I was able to shoot it for the first time. Unfortunately, I already had a malfunction. I think the reason was because the magazine was not seated properly. I used Magpul PMAG magazines. Is there a trick to ensure a better seating?
 
You should hear the mag "click" into position.

You can slap the bottom of the mag, to be sure it seats. Don't ride the bolt forward with the charging handle. Let the charging handle go, it will ride forward with the bolt, stripping off a round from the top of the mag.

Same thing when you release the bolt catch, let the bolt ride forward on its own. If you try to ride/delay the bolt, you'll probably get a malfunction.

Here's the militaries S-P-O-R-T-S drill when clearing a malfunction.

https://www.armystudyguide.com/cont..._common_tasks/correct-malfunctions-of-a.shtml
 
A bolt in battery presses down on the rounds in the mag. Depending on the mag, a full loaded mag may not have room for that, in which case the mag can't be seated securely.

Yes, pulling back the bolt can avoid that. You also get to look cool to slap the bolt catch to release the bolt.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
tangolima said:
A bolt in battery presses down on the rounds in the mag. Depending on the mag, a full loaded mag may not have room for that, in which case the mag can't be seated securely.

Yes, pulling back the bolt can avoid that. You also get to look cool to slap the bolt catch to release the bolt.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Many thanks for the explanation.

This is the time I wish I had three hands. It also makes me appreciate my Griffin lowers. They have ambidextrous bolt catch, making it so much easier to set the bolt catch.
 
50 shooter said:
You should hear the mag "click" into position.

You can slap the bottom of the mag, to be sure it seats. Don't ride the bolt forward with the charging handle. Let the charging handle go, it will ride forward with the bolt, stripping off a round from the top of the mag.

Same thing when you release the bolt catch, let the bolt ride forward on its own. If you try to ride/delay the bolt, you'll probably get a malfunction.

Here's the militaries S-P-O-R-T-S drill when clearing a malfunction.

https://www.armystudyguide.com/cont..._common_tasks/correct-malfunctions-of-a.shtml
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing. The SPORTS drill is very helpful.
 
I developed a habit of smacking the magazine in, but about a year ago, maybe, I drove a magazine past the catch and into the upper in front of the bolt, the bolt was held open of course. I didn’t ever think of that as a possibility. I’ve handled M16/M4/AR15 since the 80s
Anyway, I don’t smack them as hard now.

Also I don’t subscribe to the practice of riding the bolt forward with the charging handle. Let it go like a slingshot.
 
The proper way to load any semi auto (or anything else) is with the action open.

There are designs which require the action to be open, and there are designs which do not require it, but operate better when loaded that way.
 
Tool said:
Many thanks for the explanation.

This is the time I wish I had three hands. It also makes me appreciate my Griffin lowers. They have ambidextrous bolt catch, making it so much easier to set the bolt catch.
Click to expand...
Wrap left hand around front of mag well to hold up the rifle, while press down the bolt catch with left thumb. Pull back the charging handle with right hand to lock it back.

The sport drill only works with mag that still have enough slack when fully loaded. If necessary, push one round out of the mag before seating the mag.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
IMHO, the mag should seat and lock into place even with the bolt closed.

This is one of the reason I steer far clear of 9mm ar's. Every one I have ever dealt with did not run right.

If you gonna get a gun that takes Glock patter mags, buy Glock mags. Tried the P-mags, not a fan and glock mags are cheap enough.

If the mag is empty can you seat it with the bolt closed? if so try a loaded mag with 1 round taken out. that will tell you if its a spring pressure issue, or you are having tolerance problems. Glock mags generally have some extra room, full loaded you can almost depress the top round enough to fit another round in.
 
IMHO, the mag should seat and lock into place even with the bolt closed.
Click to expand...

Most guns will do this, though there can be resistance with a fully loaded magazine.

There are guns that will not allow a magazine to be inserted or removed unless the bolt is locked back. Not many, but I know of one, The Tommygun with a drum magazine.

During the Vietnam era, we were instructed not to load our M16 mags to full capacity, for "reliability". 18 in the 20rndr and 28 in the 30 rnd (when we got them).

At the time, I figured it was for feeding reliability (which I never noticed to be an issue) but looking back on it now, it may be the reliability they may have meant was reliable seating of the mag in the gun.

I have a CMMG upper 9mm coupled with a mil-spec AR-15 lower.
Click to expand...

This could be an issue, despite ARs being considered "plug and play" when different makers products are mixed together, things sometimes don't line up and work as well as they should.
 
(The proper way to load any semi auto (or anything else) is with the action open.

There are designs which require the action to be open, and there are designs which do not require it, but operate better when loaded that way. )

i have two tube mag guns that the mag is unaccessable if the pump slide is back.
 
i have two tube mag guns that the mag is completely accessible if the pump slide is back.

Back to the AR, the straight up and in until it clicks system does not provide the greatest amount of leverage possible to compress the magazine spring and rounds needed to allow the magazine to easily lock in when loading a full magazine with the bolt closed.

The "rock and lock" system used on the M14 is more positive in that regard. '

Downside? Release the mag in an AR and it falls free. Release the mag in an M14, you have to pull it out. No free lunch.

Running a 9mm in an AR 15 is a serious modification of the intended design. When a gun is built entirely by a single manufacturer, I expect it to run right. When it is built from parts made by mulitple manufacturers, its a crap shoot.

Sometimes, you win, sometimes, you crap out.
 
I haven't had any difficulty seating magazines in my AR, be they D&H, GI Aluminum, MagPul, Hexmag, CZ Mag, or Lancer, open or closed bolt, full mag or not. That also goes for the BREN 2. Sounds like a failure in design with the 9mm AR.
 
The instructions in section II include releasing the bolt and loading the chamber, from the bolt OPEN position.

The instructions are quite clear and detailed on how to remove the loaded magazine from its pouch, and insert it into the rifle, both right handed and left handed, close the bolt chambering a round. There are no instructions in that section instructing how to insert a magazine with the bolt closed.

Therefore, I'd say we are left to conclude that the army considers the correct way to insert the magazine is with the bolt open.

This does not mean no other method will work, only that bolt open is the way the Army instructs you to do it.
 
Just for fun, the Colt AR-15 loading procedure is to insert the mag with the bolt foward and the bullet points to the front.

https://www.colt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ar-15_semiautomatic_rifle__carbine.pdf

In fact, to make it even more interesting, they explicitly state that they consider it unsafe to have a loaded magazine in place with the bolt latched open. They say to allow the bolt to go forward, put the gun on safe and then insert the loaded magazine.
 
In fact, to make it even more interesting, they explicitly state that they consider it unsafe to have a loaded magazine in place with the bolt latched open. They say to allow the bolt to go forward, put the gun on safe and then insert the loaded magazine.
Click to expand...

Of course, Attorney's and liability are at play in Corporate America. What if someone got their finger caught....Colt could lose millions.
 
I have a CMMG upper 9mm coupled with a mil-spec AR-15 lower
Click to expand...
I've been scratching my head about this. Does this mean that your mil-spec AR-15 lower has a 9mm magazine block in it, no block, or other?

Feeding 9mm from a standard .223 magazine isn't going to work well, if it works at all.
 
If you get a little too enthusiastic hammering home a magazine with the bolt locked back, you can pop a round off the top which makes for a jam when you hit the bolt release. This won't happen when you insert a magazine on a closed bolt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top