[greyhound]

I have heard a couple different interpretations of what the "Tap, Rack, & Bang" drill is, as regarding clearing malfunctions. One guy said it only works on stovepipe jams.

Any thoughts on the overall theory by those more experienced than myself?

[Obiwan]

Tap rack bang...or tap rack assess ..is an immediate reaction to the gun not going boom.

It will address;

1. Mag not seated

2. dud round in chamber

3. Previous round not all the way into battery

4. Other malfunctions/gremlins too numerous to mention

If the weapon still won't fire you go to the more vigorous method of;

Locking the slide back/stripping the mag/working the slide/praying

[Chris Rhines]

Self-loading firearms have four different malfunction conditions:

Type 1: Failure to feed. The cartridge fails to make it into the chamber. Usually (but not always,) the slide will be down on an empty chamber. Most common cause is the magazine being damaged or not seated fully. So to clear, you TAP the magazine into the gun*, RACK the slide, and BANG goes the gun. Actually, you might want to re-assess the situation and re-acquire the target before the BANG, but YMMV.**

Type 2: Failure to fire. Click instead of a bang. Either you've got an empty chamber, a dud round, or a serious gun problem that won't be cleared in the field. To clear, TAP-RACK-BANG.

Type 3: Failure to extract. The real McCoy of malfunctions, sometimes refered to as a "Type !*#@ malfunction." There will be a spent case lodged in the chamber, with another round being fed into the chamber from the magazine. The slide will be partly open.

The proper way to clear a Type 3 malfunction is to draw your backup gun and get back in the fight. If you don't have a backup gun, you can lock the slide back, pull the magazine out, and rack the slide HARD, three times. That should get the stuck case out of there. Then reload, rack the slide, and shoot. Needless to say, if you try to clear a Type 3 malfunction while standing in the open during a gunfight, you'll probably become a bullet repository. When I practice Type 3 drills, I always drop to a crouch (at least.)

Type 4: Failure to eject. A classic stovepipe malf, I personally haven't seen very many of these. A TAP-RACK-BANG usually does the trick.

This is probably more than you wanted to know (sorry.) But I was in a writey mood. :)

- Chris

* - You don't need to TAP too hard. I recently gave myself a spectacular bruise practicing malfunction drills. Just make sure the magazine is seated.

** - You also don't want to BANG some doof who threw down his gun and surrendered while you were clearing. It has happened.

[Skunkabilly]

They covered it pretty well, only thing I really want to add is that lots of folks tilt their guns to the right so gravity will help the round eject from the chamber...

[El Tejon]

grey, the overall theory to have one IAD to address multiple malfunctions. TRB being the first step, unloading and reloading the weapon is the second step (double feeds).

[greyhound]

Thanks, guys. I kinda thought the Gunshop Commando who insisted that "TR&B only works on stovepipe jams" was full of baloney.

Even in my limited experience I can tell that Type 3 Failure to Extract is the scary one.....

[El Tejon]

grey, don't forget that gun shoppes attract people who like guns but have no clue as to what they are talking about. This is America and everybody has a right to "tell it like it is" right or wrong.:scrutiny:

Best way to deal with GSCs is to rub your chin and shake your head, "wow, hadn't thought of that." Pay for your ammo and leave.

Most GSCs are not bad guys, just overzealous and undereducated.:)

[Blackhawk]

This is probably more than you wanted to know (sorry.) But I was in a writey mood.Maybe so, but well said, Chris! :D

[Chugach]

My compliments. Best discussion of Tap, Rack, Bang I've ever seen.

Works with rifles too (mostly).

I had a Failure To Extract recently when I was shooting in a rifle competition. Tap and rack didn't work. No luck in drawing my backup rifle :p (it was miles away). Magazine follower jammed, and rounds literally trickled out of the mag when I yanked it loose.

Chris is right. Failures to extract are butt-ugly.

I should have dropped the rifle and drawn my pistol, but it wasn't allowed by the course of fire, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have hit anything at two hundred yards anyway. Good lesson, though humbling.

[Trebor]

I had a failure to extract with my CZ-75 during my first IDPA match last Saturday. I ducked behind cover and had it cleared before I fully realized what was wrong. The slide was partially locked back and I thought I'd just run dry. I noticed the jammed case while I was reloading and the case came out when I pulled the slide all the back and tilted the gun slightly. A racked again to chamber another round and was good to go.

BTW, this was my first failure EVER with this particular CZ. It's an older "Pre-B" model made in 1985. I was using Winchester White Box 9mm which is known for causing malfunctions, but I've had a couple thousand rounds of that ammo through this gun previously without any problems. My newer CZ-75B will usually choke on this stuff (failure to extract again) about once every hundred rounds or so.

[Mute]

Along with all the info above, if I have a malfunction and the slide is closed, automatically, I'm going to TRB. If it looks like a double feed, I know the proper way to clear the malf and get back into action, but if the threat is close - and most likely it will be - I'd be more inclined, instead, to close the distance, whack the adversary upside the head with the gun (or thrust muzzle in his face) and deploy my knife or even go hand to hand to solve the problem.

For a stovepipe, at least in a 1911, I just hook the trapped case with my weak hand pinky and yank back to clear it. The gun should be back in action.

[Chipperman]

You may have a failure to feed on top of the stovepipe, so it's not a bad idea to strip the empty case out while you are racking. Better to lose one live round than waste another 0.5-1 second pulling the trigger on an empty chamber.

[geekWithA.45]

My instructor wasn't down with doing TRB mindlessly.

(approximate speech from memory)

"
On the street, you won't have many rounds with you, and each one is precious. Mindless TRB flings too many perfectly good rounds onto the sidewalk. You've got to know your gun intimately, and be smarter than it. You should be able to have an idea of what's wrong just from feel and a quick glance. If its out of battery, tap might be enough to shake it into battery, or use your thumbs. If it's in battery, use the trigger again before you TRB. If it's a stovepipe, swipe it away with your hand and fling it over your shoulder behind you, the next round chambers 99.9% of the time. If you've got a genuine double feed, you've gotta take cover, lock back the slide, and rip the mag out, because TRB won't fix that.

If it's none of the above, or you don't IMMEDIATELY recognize the problem, THEN tap rack and bang!

"

[El Tejon]

geek, apparently your instructor can see in the dark???:confused: I must be the only guy in the gun culture who does foresee myself getting in a fight at high noon. Yikes!

I've read about "excellent night vision", but that's approaching Ultra Vision!!!:eek:

[4v50 Gary]

It's ready guys, not bang. By the time you've rack, the "threat" may have ceased.

[geekWithA.45]

El Tejon:

No, neither he nor I can see in the dark.

His point is that TRB is available as a FALLBACK, rather than as a primary technique.

For example, the stovepipe swipe is actually FASTER than a TRB cycle, and if you plainly recognize that you have a stovepipe, you _should_ swipe it. If you don't recognize what's what for any reason (like darkness), you TRB.

It's not like he's saying you should stare contemplatively at your sidarm in the middle of a gunfight, ya know.....

[Quartus]

I should have dropped the rifle and drawn my pistol, but it wasn't allowed by the course of fire, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have hit anything at two hundred yards anyway.


At 200 yards I think I'd be tempted to find cover and fix the problem. (REal life, of course, not in a match.)

Going to a sidearm at that distance is probably more feel good than do good. 'Course, circumstances may make that a poor choice.


Chris, nice post.

[El Tejon]

Gary, yeah, but saying "Tap, Rack, maybe [it depends] Bang" is just too Tejonish for most, and, most of all, lacks tacticality.:D

geek, hmmm, I don't know. It seems to me that contemplation is exactly what is being programmed.:confused:

Don't know. I'll have to meditate upon it, or, better yet, go shooting.:D

[KarlG]

geek, My instructor was very uP on the TRB method. The logic presented(which makes sense to me) is that under stress your cognative abilities are impaired. One drill that will deal with most likely failures is going to be the easiest to remember and do. If you practice enough, you may not even need to "think" about it. In order to do what your instructor suggested, you have to back up in your OODA loop and re-observe to overcome the failure. Backing up in the OODA loop gives the bad guy a tactical advantage.

Chris, thank you for the good explaination.

[El Tejon]

Karl, that's my concern as well. I'll have to meditate on this one.

Any of the gungongs out there have comment?:confused:

[Chugach]

Going to a sidearm at that distance is probably more feel good than do good. 'Course, circumstances may make that a poor choice.

My first self-purchased handgun was a S&W M&P .38 Special. My friend bet me I couldn't hit a 55 gallon barrel at 100 yards. Hit it with all six shots. I was more surprised at his disbelief than at my shooting skill...a barrel is a pretty big target. A handgun wouldn't be my FIRST choice at 200 yards, but it sure beats havin' nothin'! :D

Next time I'm at the range, I'll give it a try. I've (informally) shot silhouettes at 100 yards, but that's with longer barrelled handguns. 200 yards with my carry gun should be entertaining...

Gotta practice those failures ot extract too.

[Shawn Dodson]

If my weapon doesn't fire when I press the trigger I immediately perform tap, roll and rack. I don't look at the gun or attempt to diagnose the problem. I just do it.

Tap, roll & rack can be performed in less than a second and clears the most likely failures: Type I, Failure to Fire (which is most likely to be encountered after the first shot is fired because the magazine is unseated, an empty chamber or a defective cartridge), and Type II, Failure to Eject (stovepipe).

If the stoppage persists after performing tap, roll & rack, I immediately perform a Combat Reload, because the next most likely cause is that I've shot my gun dry.

If I cannot install the fresh magazine while attempting to Combat Reload, I immediately perform the actions to clear a Type III, Failure to Eject stoppage.

I train so I can perform these immediate actions both in the dark and while on the move. There's no thought required. If the immediate action I just performed failed to clear the stoppage I merely progress to the next immediate action. It minimizes the mental effort required because the only decision I have to make is "the weapon didn't fire."

It also frees my conscious mind to work the tactical problem I'm facing.

In addition I take proactive steps to minimize stoppages. For example, I perform a battle readiness check to ensure there's a round in the chamber when I jock up. Also, sitting can cause the magazine release pushbutton to be inadvertantly actuated, therefore whenever I stand up from sitting I ensure my magazine is fully seated. These actions help to eliminate the most common causes of a failure to fire.

I also test my magazines to ensure that, when empty, they drop free from my weapons. Those that don't drop free become training hardware.

A failure to feed stoppage is reduced by vigorously testing my battle ammunition to ensure it feeds reliably.

I've adopted this no-nonsense approach from Jeff Gonzales, http://www.tridentconcepts.com .

[Frohickey]

TRB is one of those things that you should just do automatically.

It kinda makes the double action vs single action argument moot, since when are you going to need the repeat strike capability. I'd much rather get that failing cartridge out of there as fast as I can.

Kinda sad really, since I really like the ergonomics of Sigs, which are double action.
I can't say the same thing about 1911s. Having to keep your thumb over the manual safety is not that comfortable for me.

[jrhines]

When Chris & I shoot together, we reload mags for each other. I can always count on him putting a dummy round or two in the mags he hands me. Keeps the TRB during Bill drlls up to snuff. The Zen mindset you get from this is fully expecting the gun to fire, yet fully expecting it not to. I find this adds a particular edge to defensive shooting practice that is missing from the usual mix. Now, of course, from time to time I slip a dummy into his mags, keeps him on his toes.

[Frohickey]

Just don't put in one backwards. Thats enough to really jam things up since now the extractor has nothing to work on. :D

[EricO]

S. Dodson: While reading your malfunction clearance drill I realized that I need clarification on something there. Also, is this the way that J. Gonzales teaches it? My specific question is why you go to a combat reload directly after the TRB fails? I'm trying to follow the rationale, but follow me through this - The TRB fails, then you wrote, "If the stoppage persists after performing tap, roll & rack, I immediately perform a Combat Reload, because the next most likely cause is that I've shot my gun dry." Now this I don't quite understand. I assume that this would be if your slide stop was not functioning, otherwise your slide would be locked back. It could also be a different reason for the type 1 problem, or a 2 or 3. If you perform a reload, you now have your spare mag in your hand approaching the magwell and it adds another problem. You wrote, "If I cannot install the fresh magazine while attempting to Combat Reload, I immediately perform the actions to clear a Type III, Failure to Eject stoppage." At this point you have the spare mag in your hand and in my point of view it will get in the way. Why not simply do the TRB/a , which should clr. the majority of malfs (type 1 & 2), and if these don't work, then go immediately to the type 3 clearance and cover (assuming no backup weapon or closing with your adversary is a better option). Your support hand won't have a mag in it, which would complicate the type 3 method - locking back the slide to remove pressure and more easily remove the mag, racking several times to clear chamber, etc., and then load and rack. This would be completed easier if the hand wasn't holding a mag in it at the time which would need to be juggled. Usually, when I do my initial tap & rack(with the outboard roll) I can tell if the round is extracted and the slide goes back into battery (even without sight of it, but by feel). If so, I'm in the game. If it doesn't, then it wasn't a type 1 or 2, but a 3, and the slide won't travel back and the trigger press won't bring a hammer fall (at least with a 1911, others you'll have to fill me in). At this point I need my support hand to help with the type 3 clearance drill, I don't immediately fill it with a mag.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but I don't believe I've heard of anyone teaching what you've written. I like to stay on top of these things so pls. let me know the rationale behind this.
EricO

[Shawn Dodson]

My philosophy is to choose non-diagnostic techniques that increase my certainty of success. Hence the reason why I choose to perform a Combat Reload after tap, roll & rack is because I expect to be out of my comfort zone and to be unable to sense and distinguish the difference between the slide being locked back when I've shot the magazine dry or the slide is out of battery due to a Type III stoppage.

I believe I'm more likely to shoot my gun dry than to encounter a Type III stoppage. By automatically performing a Combat Reload after tap, roll & rack, I'm more likely to experience less downtime than if I automatically clear a Type III stoppage.

If, while performing the Combat Reload, I detect that my depleted magazine didn't jettison, either by vision or by feel (e.g., when I try to insert the fresh magazine into the magazine well occupied by a "depleted" magazine), I automatically transfer the fresh magazine from my support hand to my firing hand, stowing it between my little finger and ring finger (which is also where I normally stow my magazine when I'm unloading the pistol). This empties my support hand to operate the slide. There is little wasted motion as I immediately progress from Combat Reload to clearing the Type III stoppage.

There also is no indecision with what I should do with the fresh magazine when the magazine seated in the pistol fails to jettison after I press the magazine release.

If you decide to try this technique you'll find that you'll be able to quickly clear a Type III stoppage with little practice (and mental effort).

[EricO]

Shawn wrote, "My philosophy is to choose non-diagnostic techniques that increase my certainty of success."

- That is my philosophy also, and also the philosophy of the trainers I've taken instruction from, yet I've yet to come across what you've shown here. Not that it's extreme or possibly even groundbreaking, just not what I've seen (yet). However, as techniques sometimes change or are "tweaked" one cannot keep their head in the sand.

<<because I expect to be out of my comfort zone and to be unable to sense and distinguish the difference between the slide being locked back when I've shot the magazine dry or the slide is out of battery due to a Type III stoppage.>>

Understood, completely.

<<I automatically transfer the fresh magazine from my support hand to my firing hand, stowing it between my little finger and ring finger (which is also where I normally stow my magazine when I'm unloading the pistol).>>

I do the same when unloading. I see the rationale now behind this alternative technique. It definitely has its merits. I appreciate you sharing it with us. I may practice it and perhaps stick with it also.

It seems that it would be easier to handle with a single stack because of the relative thinness of the magazine compared to a double stack.

<<If you decide to try this technique you'll find that you'll be able to quickly clear a Type III stoppage with little practice (and mental effort).>>

The technique doesn't really change how I clr. the type 3 malf, just how it is approached at the beginning of the drill and also deals with the possibility of the handgun being shot dry at the same time. With the spare mag already stowed between the little finger and ring finger instead of having to retrieve it from the pouch after clearing the chamber. Agreed? Heck Shawn, the more I think about this I believe the more I agree with it (when I'm not momentarily confused, that is!). Thanks again.
EricO

[OF]

Between Shawn and Chris's posts I'd have to say this thread had got it goin' on!

Two thumbs up baby.

- Gabe

[Shawn Dodson]

The credit belongs to Jeff Gonzales, as he's the one who taught me. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of his classes you should do everything in your power to be there. He's the real deal.

[DMK]

What is the "roll" in tap, roll & rack?

[greyhound]

What is the "roll" in tap, roll & rack?

I believe its turning the weapon kinda sideways (side that the casing comes out of pointed downward) so its easier to get the dud round/ un-ejected casing, etc. out of the action.

I will defer to my more experience colleagues for confirmation, however!:D

[Shawn Dodson]

Roll the gun to point the ejection port at the ground. This produces centrifugal force, which, combined with gravity, helps to clear a fouled action.

Roll & rack are performed simultaneously. You rack as you roll.

Racking should be energetic and forceful -- as if you're trying to pull the slide off the frame.