Question that will probably make me look dumb...

pulling down on the magazine is a quick wayto cause a failure to feed.

It's also a matter of preference. I have a MAgpul fore grip handle for my DPMS M4 which I find more comfortable in holding versus holding the magwell.

No reason you can't as long as you hold it correctly like Scott refers to.

The 3-gun guys will tell you that having the support hand further forward makes for faster gun handling though. It's a matter of leverage. The closer you hold to the muzzle, the better leverage you have to quickly move the muzzle from target to target.

AK doesn't care if you hold by the mag. Neither does G3 or it's copies. I think most "rock-n-lock" style mags don't mind being used as a hand-stop or even an ersatz VFG. Only the straight-in mags seem to have an issue. I was taught to use the mag as a hand-stop (i.e holding the handguard with my pinky and ring finger around the mag or magwell) when using a square CQB stance for better control when tucked-in, but a hand-forward grip and diagonal "rifleman's" stance for precision offhand shooting.

As a matter of personal opinion, i don't like a lot of extra stuff hanging off my rifle. My MBR's getting a little too close to "tacti-cool" for my taste as it is...

Russians do push ups on the mags

Could be a bad place for your hand in the event of an out of battery discharge.

By Robert:
...hold the mag well and not the mag.

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.yup.

It's not a stupid question, because there are different ways to do it, and a lot of people who think they are right and everyone else is wrong.

In the last 15 years or so, they army has completely changed their rifle game. It changed from long-range field work to short range urban work with good body armor. To present a frontal picture to the bad guy, we now work the rifle more forward than sideways. This means you have to hold it differently. Use what works. Mag well, AFG, or vertical grip, mounted where they are the most comfortable.

I use the mag in my AK as a grip and also monopod quite frequently and it feeds every time. My AK doesn't have a rail for a foregrip, though.

memphisjim said:

Russians do push ups on the mags

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Ya, but how many failures to feed to the Russians get, whilest firing full auto and doing pushups on their magazines.

Ya, but how many failures to feed to the Russians get, whilest firing full auto and doing pushups on their magazines.

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I'm trying to picture someone doing this... it seems INCREDIBLY difficult.

But yeah, my AK magazines can handle pushups.

Grabbing the mag seems popular with Sten guns in the movies. In real life, it will also induce FTF. But it looks cool doing it.

Grabbing the mag seems popular with Sten guns in the movies. In real life, it will also induce FTF. But it looks cool doing it.

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Same with the MP38 and MP40. German troops were actually told to hold the magwell to stop the problem.

TurtlePhish said:

Same with the MP38 and MP40. German troops were actually told to hold the magwell to stop the problem.

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Some troops had the same problem with the M3 Grease Gun. If it looks like a convient handle, some folks will just have to grab onto it.