Putting AR on safe when doing mag changes

Eddie Gunks

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Depends on what i am doing.

Fast and loose no. (I am only talking about running 3 gun matches. I am not a soldier so i can not talk about that aspect.

Worried about a match DQ, moving, slinging, or changing weapons , yes.
 
gun_slinger_boy

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With stuff like this I always ask. What are ground troops doing? They have by far way more experience with non "flat range world" and way more rounds down range then you could ever hope to fire. In the middle of fire fights are ground troops engaging safties while doing mag changes? I highly doubt it. Now out of the billions and billions of rounds fired per year how much friendly fire is there?
 
Gonzobird

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I don't. If i am doing mag changes it is at a competition of some sort and I am going fast. I use the safety if i am walking with the rifle while hunting. If I am in a competition staging the rifle the rules will usually want the safety on with no round in the chamber.

If I am at the range usually after I finish the mag I take a few minutes to see what the target looks like so the mag is out and the bolt is lock open.

If I am hunting then I do use the safety 100% but that should go without saying.

Interesting fact about AR firing pins. They almost rest on the primer. Next time you are at the range rack a round then unload it and look at the primer. You will see a little mark from the firing pin. A cop buddy told me about this and is a reason they are trained not to use the forward assist. ARs are not perfect but they are perfect most of the time.
 
Doc8404

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gun_slinger_boy said:
With stuff like this I always ask. What are ground troops doing? They have by far way more experience with non "flat range world" and way more rounds down range then you could ever hope to fire. In the middle of fire fights are ground troops engaging safties while doing mag changes? I highly doubt it. Now out of the billions and billions of rounds fired per year how much friendly fire is there?
Click to expand...
That’s what surprised me about this video.
 
gun_slinger_boy

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Doc8404 said:
That’s what surprised me about this video.
Click to expand...
I see this trend with all kinds of channels and gun videos. You can only talk so much about a particular gun. The AR being one that has been talked to death! If there is nothing left to say you have to invent something to be new and exciting. I have NEVER heard of anyone doing this. Or at least making a big deal of it. But channels gotta have content.
 
Podmonkey

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My rule of thumb has always been if it's coming off my shoulder I put it on safe, if not I don't bother.
The video makes a good point though.
 
Blimey

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Gonzobird said:
I don't. If i am doing mag changes it is at a competition of some sort and I am going fast. I use the safety if i am walking with the rifle while hunting. If I am in a competition staging the rifle the rules will usually want the safety on with no round in the chamber.

If I am at the range usually after I finish the mag I take a few minutes to see what the target looks like so the mag is out and the bolt is lock open.

If I am hunting then I do use the safety 100% but that should go without saying.

Interesting fact about AR firing pins. They almost rest on the primer. Next time you are at the range rack a round then unload it and look at the primer. You will see a little mark from the firing pin. A cop buddy told me about this and is a reason they are trained not to use the forward assist. ARs are not perfect but they are perfect most of the time.
Click to expand...
The floating pin is a bit off-putting leaving that mark. I googled for some slam fire experience by people recently and they are very rare with the AR, despite the fact that as you point out they can sometimes slightly dent the primer putting into battery.

I imagine the forward assist, however, would not make an accidental discharge anymore likely.

As for safety it's very hard with a Thordsen stock to put safe back on with shooting hand.
 
Curmudgeon

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Nope. If I'm shooting and the gun runs dry, I just swap mags and send the bolt into battery. Safety comes off when I start shooting and on when I think I'm done.
 
Podmonkey

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Blimey said:
The floating pin is a bit off-putting leaving that mark. I googled for some slam fire experience by people recently and they are very rare with the AR, despite the fact that as you point out they can sometimes slightly dent the primer putting into battery.
Click to expand...
It can happen if then rifle is dropped on the muzzle or even the buttstock. I have seen the latter happen. The rifle in question was an issue M16A2 that was dropped onto a concrete pad.
Fortunately it was only a blank that was loaded. Scared the hell out of everybody though.
 
TheMoneyPit

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I don’t but I am not swinging the rifle around Iike he said. Can’t say what I’d do in a war but my assumption is most soldiers actively engaged in a fight do not put rifes on safe during mag changes. But normally in war you trust the person next to you with your life and they are like family. Plus soldiers are trained to preform in high stress environments.
 
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