Clearance drills?!?

[rockstar.esq]

Let me start by saying that I'm not looking for a thread listing snide comments like "Buy a ________" If you have some wonder gun that hasn't failed you despite decades of use/abuse and non-cleaning, good for you, I'm not looking to hear about it.

With all of that said, I practice dryfiring with snap caps and clearing the following,
Failure to extract/feed,
Stovepipe,
Failure to extract and failure to feed.
Reload.

I'm sure there have been similar threads in the past, however I thought it might help to suggest a few drills that work really well.

Tap (the magazine to fully seat it) Rack (the slide to ensure it goes into battery) Bang (pull the trigger when target and beyond is clear) is the simplest and fixes most problems relating to a failure to extract or feed.

I find the faliure to feed and extract to be among the most difficult manuever to do under duress. After an initial try at tap rack bang, or more likely (no bang) I watched a Thunder Ranch instructional video where Clint Smith extracted the magazine with his left hand, then grasped it between the first and second fingers as he then racked the slide two times to clear the jam then he reinserted the magazine racked the slide yet again and fired the shot.

My magazine has a small hard to grasp floorplate that makes this technique very difficult. I have found that grasping the gun with the firing hand and indexing the firing hand's fingers to the top of the slide allows the shooter to pull the slide slightly rearward which allows the mag to eject normally. The rest of the drill is performed identically to above.

In order to practice these drills, againg snap caps prove invaluable. For the failure to feed and extract jam, lock open the slide, verify that the gun is empty. Load the mag with two or more snap caps. Drop one snap cap into the chamber through the ejection port. Reinsert the mag then drop the slide. At this point you should have one round remaining in the chamber with a second coming off the mag into the rear of the chambered cap.
I'd love any feed back from more experienced shooters.

Practice well, perform well, stay alive.l

 

[Therapydude]

Rockstar, sounds like you are covering all the bases when it comes to malfunctions. From what I learned at Thunder Ranch, I practice three drills every week at the range.

Drill #1 I place a loaded mag into the weapon, rack the slide. I then release the mag so it is not fully seated (hanging down about 1/8"). The chambered round fires, followed by a "click." Requires me to tap the mag (to seat it), rack the slide to chamber a round, and then bang (if indicated by the situation). I was taught not to automatically "bang" because the situation may not warrant it.

Drill #2 I place a loaded mag into the weapon, rack the slide, and then carefully retract the slide far enough to place an empty piece of brass in the ejection port (simulation of a stove pipe malfunction). Again, this malfunction is cleared with tap, rack, bang (if indicated by the situation).

Drill #3 I lock the slide open with the use of the slide release and place a fired piece of brass (from my handgun) into the chamber. I then seat a loaded mag into the gun and release the slide slowly (simulates a double-feed). To clear this malfunction, I attempt Tap, Rack, Bang (since in a real situation, a person isn't going to know what type of malfunction it is immediately). When that doesn't work, I depress the mag release and rip the mag from the gun with my weak hand. Personally, I shoot a Glock and there is a space in the frame behind the mag (where some people put one of those plugs). My thumb fits into that space and makes removing the mag much easier. I then place the mag behind the little finger of my strong hand (I'm now holding the weapon in my strong hand and the mag is being held in the same hand under my little finger). I come over the top of the slide with my weak hand and run the slide a couple times to clear the malfunction. I reinsert the mag with my weak hand, come over the slide again with my weak hand to run the slide and fire (if indicated by the situation).

I usually run each drill two or three times (they actually go pretty fast). Hope this helps.

 

[pax]

Good posts.

Only thing I'd add is that instead of "Tap, Rack, Bang," it might be good to think of it as "Tap, Rack, CHECK, Bang." After tapping & racking, you want to check to see if the target still needs shooting before pulling the trigger again. It'd be bad to shoot a guy who'd surrendered while you were clearing your jam!

pax

 

[rockstar.esq]

Well put, verify your target and what's behind it before clearing the trigger guard. Therapy dude, have you ever tried the method of releaving pressure on the mag as I described? The reason I ask is that I learned that particular technique watching a Glock armorer field strip a G20 one day. I found that the previously puny takedown latches on either side of the slide suddenly seemed adequate! The only other thing I'd add to this is that I have found that most clearance drills work better when the slide is drawn rearward and "slingshot" forward. I prefer this technique to using the slide release as no matter what semiauto I pick up, retracting the slide with a fresh mag will result in a pistol going into battery. Additionally it'd be good to mention that most failures to function with semiautos come from improper form (i.e. not locking the wrist). Practicing with snap caps allows the shooter to get accustomed to the trigger and controls of their guns however, don't assume that this will truly imprint the much needed form to prevent malfunctions. I try to use a weaver whenever possible as I can feel the pressure / counterpressure between my two hands. My final thought is that when I practice with my carry gun, I tend to notice more about it. In particular, I notice how clean it is, if any springs are getting weak etc. To my way of thinking, these are all important observations.

 

[Blackhawk 6]

Good info. Malfunction clearance is one of the seldom needed therefore often neglected skills.

Therapy,
When performing remedial action (your Drill#3) I reload with a fresh magazine for the following reasons:

A. The magazine may be a contributing factor to the malfunction. You are already way behind the power curve having performed immediate action (Tap, rack, bang) and then remedial action. The last thing you want is to fire one shot and begin the process all over again.

B. Occasionally, the top round in the magazine will get pulled forward or stand-up vertically in the magazine. This causes problems re-inserting the magazine.

C. There may only be one round remaining in the magazine. As previously stated, you are way behind the power curve. Second on the list of "Things I Would Rather Not Have To Do After Clearing A Malfunction" would be reload. As there is no magazine in the magazine well, you might as well put a full one in there, assuming you have one.

D. It is easier to manipulate the firearm with you entire hand rather than compromise your grip slightly by devoting a couple of fingers to the rentention of a questionable magazine.

Food for thought...

 

[Therapydude]

I failed to mention one step for my drill #3. After removing the mag and clearing the action, I index the top round in the mag (you can either flip it out or, as I prefer, to push it back into place) prior to inserting it into the gun.

Rockstar, I've never tried your technique for mag removal. With practice, I've found that I can rip the mag out fairly quickly without involving the slide.

Blackhawk, I understand your point of view with regard to replacing the ejected mag with a fresh one. My described drills are simply how I was taught at Thunder Ranch. I think the reasoning for using the same mag is that you may be in a situation where you don't have a spare mag handy (i.e. it's the middle of the night and, aside from your handgun, you have nothing on but your underwear). Not to mention, you may be in a situation where you end up using a handgun that is not yours (as in picked up during a scuffle, etc) for which you have no extra mags.

Great thread guys!

 

[Jammer Six]

Note that under pressure, the drills change.

At our plate league, in the heat of competition, I usually substitute the following drill:

• Malfunction
• Wha?...
• Gaze in wonder at weapon, wonder why it went "click" instead of "bang".
• Recognize that a malfunction, and honest-to-god jam has occurred.
• Drop magazine out of weapon.
• Rack slide several times.
• Wonder what to do next.
• Recognize that the match has ended.
• Move on to looser's bracket.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Get yourself some dummy rounds and practice - I mean practice extensively - the immediate action drill for misfire: tap, roll & rack.

This will eliminate the WTFO pause when the gun doesn't go bang after you've pressed the trigger. Train until tap, roll & rack is an ingrained response to any misfire.

1) Misfire.

2) "Tap" the magazine base plate with the heel of your support hand.

3) "Roll" the pistol 90-degrees so the ejection port points at the ground.

4) "Rack" the slide energetically, using an overhand grasp on the slide with support hand and pushing forward with the firing hand.

You're doing it correctly when the dummy round consistently lands at your feet (you're rolling the gun fully 90-degrees to allow gravity and centrifugal force to assist ejection).

After you complete "rack" then you assess the situation to determine if you must continue shooting.

Additionally, if you have a slide mounted manual safety lever (e.g., Beretta, Smith & Wesson), then immediately after "rack" you verify the safety lever is disengaged.

Train extensively and you'll immediately perform tap, roll & rack in less than a second when you realize the front sight hasn't lifted off the target when you pressed the trigger.

 

[rockstar.esq]

Shawn
I'm not sure I get #3
3) "Roll" the pistol 90-degrees so the ejection port points at the ground.

For a right handed shooter this would mean that both arms are twisted heartily clockwise. I'm not seeing how the added physical exertion benefits here. You mentioned centrifugal force as contributing to ejection. Doesn't seem like that is really needed if the "rack" part is done with enough gusto. Additionally, keeping the muzzle pointed towards the target throughout the entire operation would maintain safety for the shooter. Maybe I don't understand what you meant.

Blackhawk, I agree with Therapydude since I too don't carry a spare mag. I figure if I can't solve my problems with 15 rounds of 9mm. I'm in deeper than another 15 would fix. Your point is well taken all the same.

On the aforementioned Thuder Ranch video, Clint used a tap rack bang drill while employing a Streamlight flashlight. I have the light and it has a rubber ring attached to it that gets slipped around the support hands index finger. You can flip the light over to the back of the support hand to free it up for clearance drills then flip it back to provide light, target id, etc. I am currently looking for a way to carry the light in a somewhat understated manner.

 

[Therapydude]

Rockstar, if at all possible, I would definitely carry at least one spare mag. I understand your point about having sufficient firepower with 15 rounds of 9mm. However, aside from the benefit of extra rounds, carrying at least one extra mag provides a little insurance in the event of a magazine malfunction/damage/etc (since that is the weakest link in the system). Just my $.02

 

[Jammer Six]

I was taught to use the light in my off hand, and put it up under my strong side armpit to manipulate the weapon or magazines.

 

[1911 guy]

Roll?

Rolls are for the dinner table. There's a big gaping hole in you auto called a magazine well that will allow a round or casing to fall out much easier than twisting around fooling with your pistol. The tap, rack, bang has been proven to be an effective clearance drill for a long time now. keep the handgun upright. you might live longer.

 

[Jammer Six]

Well, except that during a tap-rack-bang sequence, the magazine well is full of magazine...

 

[Shawn Dodson]

For a right handed shooter this would mean that both arms are twisted heartily clockwise. I'm not seeing how the added physical exertion benefits here. You mentioned centrifugal force as contributing to ejection. Doesn't seem like that is really needed if the "rack" part is done with enough gusto. Additionally, keeping the muzzle pointed towards the target throughout the entire operation would maintain safety for the shooter. Maybe I don't understand what you meant.

Just roll your wrist to the right. The support hand moves to the slide simultaneously. The muzzle remains pointed at the threat. Works for both right and left handed shooters (thumb points toward you).

I perform this immediate action ANY TIME the sight fails to lift off target when I press the trigger. The problem could be caused by a faulty cartridge, an unseated magazine (one shot wonder), or a failure to eject. Hence a single technique is used to clear three different types of stoppages. If it's a failure to eject (spent case trapped in eject port), rolling the pistol allows both gravity and centrifugal force to assist the spent case out of the action. (Indeed the spent case may not come into contact with the ejector when the slide is racked.)

I roll the pistol every time I work the slide. I strive for commonality of technique to reduce mental load under stress. This way I don't have to consciously think about what I'm going to do. I roll the pistol when I load, unload, perform battle-readiness check and clear stoppages, always using the same technique.

If tap, roll & rack fails to get my gun running then I move/seek cover (if the situation doesn't allow me to immediately apply an alternative force option) and perform a combat reload.

If I can't insert my spare magazine after I've worked the magazine release to jettison the "depleted" magazine, then I just store the spare magazine between the ring & pinkie fingers of my firing hand, lock the slide open, forcibly remove the depleted magazine, rack the slide 3 times, and then complete the combat reload. All of this is automatic. It's a non-diagostic, progressive technique. I don't examine the gun to see what's wrong. (Indeed, I can clear stoppages in total darkness.) I just perform a technique. If it fails to get the gun running I simply progress to the next technique.

Rolls are for the dinner table. There's a big gaping hole in you auto called a magazine well that will allow a round or casing to fall out much easier than twisting around fooling with your pistol. The tap, rack, bang has been proven to be an effective clearance drill for a long time now.

Okay, smarty pants. Perhaps you can explain to us which pistol has a "big gaping hole...magazine well" when the magazine is installed. I'm unaware of one.

I don't use the "tap, rack, bang" method to clear stoppages. The "bang" part is not used to clear the stoppage. "Bang" only happens AFTER the stoppage has been cleared and AFTER the shooter re-assesses the situation to determine if a threat still exists and deadly force is required to stop it.