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

[44 AMP]

My personal experience with the M16A1 and various AR-15s is that with the bolt locked back, and NO magazine in the gun, a moderately light "thump" on the buttstock can cause the bolt to be jarred loose and shut.

This does not happen when there is an EMPTY magazine in the rifle, as the constant pressure of the magazine follower prevents it.

However, it CAN happen with the bolt locked open and a loaded magazine inserted. This would be considered a dangerous thing, because it can happen randomly, without the intent or action by the user.

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.

Nor can you "hammer home" a mag too far (overriding and going past the mag catch) with the bolt closed.

Other than as a dramatic turn of phrase to describe rapid insertion, I think "hammering home" is an affectation, rarely, if ever actually needed, and potentially a source of damage to the rifle, or magazines.

 

[totaldla]

Other than as a dramatic turn of phrase to describe rapid insertion, I think "hammering home" is an affectation, rarely, if ever actually needed, and potentially a source of damage to the rifle, or magazines.

If you bang the bottom of the magazine hard enough, you will cause the first round to pop out of the magazine. Do that on an open bolt and you have a jam when you hit the bolt release.

 

[davidsog]

My personal experience of loading it exactly how the Army taught me worked very well.

https://adminpubs.tradoc.army.mil/pamphlets/TP672-9.pdf

 

[Erno86]

If you bang the bottom of the magazine hard enough, you will cause the first round to pop out of the magazine. Do that on an open bolt and you have a jam when you hit the bolt release.

That's one way to cause a double-feed jam or a Type 3 Malfunction.

 

[44 AMP]

Do note the term in the linked instruction pamphlet...

"Tap upwards.."

It DOES NOT say "hammer", or "slam", or "bash", or anything implying significant force.

"If a little is good, more must be better" is not always true, and there are many situations where "a little" more is too much, and causes the problem instead of preventing it.

 

[rickyrick]

Yeah, an overdriven magazine is not that fun I discovered.
I don’t feel that I was hammering that hard until that incident, but based on the outcome, I was. Haha
A tap when you are a timid 17 and under the caring tutelage of a drill sergeant is a lot less force that a middle aged person who’s worked with their hands and arms for a lifetime. Anyway, it happened and I’m not embarrassed to let people know about my mistake.

The AR loading procedure is simple and more forgiving than some other magazine fed options. Even though I prefer a Mini14, I do not like it’s rock-in style mags.