Squeeze and rack? IA question.

**Volya** · Posted On: 8/20/2011 11:48am

Hello all.

Just had a question i hope somebody could help me with. Please excuse my firearms ignorance.

I recently did a Security firearms course and they went through a couple of immediate action drills for semi-auto handguns with us.

No doubt everybody is familiar with the "Tap and Rack" method, as the tap to the magazine helps with seating or feed problems, but i was talking to a mate of mine who is an Army Rifleman and he told me they changed thier IA for handguns to a "Squeeze and Rack".

Just wanted to get some opinions on it as i'm confused as to how doing such a gentle action would be beneficial to any clearing of the firearm.

Cheers.

**money** · Posted On: 8/20/2011 12:12pm

Squeeze what, exactly?

**Volya** · Posted On: 8/20/2011 2:00pm

Squeezing the mag up instead of tapping it up.

**Robstafarian** · Posted On: 8/21/2011 4:27am

It is my understanding that the impulse of the “tap” on the magazine floorplate has the added benefit of knocking loose whatever might be stuck, something I can't imagine resulting from a squeeze.

Then again, an M4 might be quite different in the relevant areas as compared to an M1911A1.

**Volya** · Posted On: 8/21/2011 5:19am

Well i thought that too, so i don't understand why being precious with the magazine would be in anyway beneficial :S

**DaTedBear** · Posted On: 8/22/2011 11:31am

The more recent school of thought than when I first learned the slap/tap routine is that squeezing, or grabbing the magazine and pushing upward, is preferred over the harder slap as it does not bend the feeding lips of the magazine. The bent feeding lips of the mazine have led to misfires, misfeeds and so on. Of course, these are also the same folks that do not favor banding or clipping magazines together to assist in reloading as they believe this weakens springs and clips. My position is if you are regualrly reloading magazines, do not store fully loaded for long periods of time and regularly maintain your weapon, the weapon will fire as expected when needed.

**searcher66071** · Posted On: 8/22/2011 12:08pm

Tap and rack is what I teach. Why? Because when the adrenalin is pumping, you don't quite have the dexterity to "squeeze" much of anything. It is hard enough to focus to the point of keeping a nice trigger squeeze, let alone trying to squeeze a magazine.

**daishi** · Posted On: 8/22/2011 1:43pm

I'm still not even sure what the hell 'squeezing' the magazine actually means.

We always did our due dilligence and unlaoded most of our magazines between patrols, cleaned the ammo and spring, and reloaded before PCC/PCI. all to help save the shitty springsd in our shitty magazines (though lots of us, myself included, used pmags).

I think a quality magazine would reduce the chances of it being damaged during insertion. Also, I've found training helps people be level headed so they don't freak out and muscle everything they do during drills. During actual firefights people tend to be a little more serene, acting relatively smoothly....this i also attribute to practice, and a healthy dose of complacency.

I would think pistol mags are a little more robust as well.... The biggest issue is to have a clear "work space" (as the firearms instructors like to call it) so you can smoothly conduct magazine changes/immediate and remedial action....

'tapping' is a harsh action meant to ensure everything is seating properly...its supposed to be 'jarring.' I just don't think squeezing would be a sufficient replacement action...but then again, i'm not a small arms weapons instructor/handling expert.