Pasters in Pocket

[CutterH]

Last weekend at the LaRue multigun I had a "learning experience" that I thought I would share for all the other new guys.

I was on my last stage of the match, stage 6. The stage started fairly smoothly with a 2 shotgun strings. I transitioned to rifle, racked the bolt and acquired the target. When I pulled the trigger nothing happened. Out of instinct I slam on the forward assist, pull the trigger again - still nothing. Dry fire malfunction drills kick in and I drop the mag, insert the spare, rack the bolt again, and get a double feed. Clear that and try again with my first mag off the ground. Still won't go into battery. At this point the RO tells me that it's a critical malfunction and to transition to pistol for the rest of the stage. I set my rifle down, draw the pistol. I guess I forgot to load it. Guns aren't any help without any ammo. That was the end of that run.

At the line I was able to clear the rifle and saw something down in the locking lugs. It was the backing for paster squares stopping the bolt from going into battery. I must have just put that in my pocket, instead of throwing it in the trash, and it got lodged in the magazine and fed into the gun.

Lessons learned:

1 - Trashcans are for trash, and pockets are for mags. No exceptions.

2 - In a match that requires you to transition to a backup weapon for malfunctions, make sure you carry ammo for it.

Needless to say, I know these things now.

[Pat Miles]

Several years ago at a local match I watched a friend have a sticky malfunction.While doing a reload he drew the fresh mag out of the pouch. In doing so he brushed his hand across a piece of patching tape he had stretched across his shirt. The tape stuck to his hand and then stuck to the new mag . Mag and tape were inserted into the gun at which point the mag would not fully seat. He found the cause and ripped the mag out to reload another but the tape stayed inside the grip. End of run for him. Murphy struck again!

How many of you folks know that Murphy is a woman?

CYa,

Pat

[joecichlid]

YOUCH!! Live and learn right?

Joe W.

[Del]

"YOUCH!! Live and learn right?"

my thoughts too

[CutterH]

Yep, but that's why we go to these matches: to get better (and have a good time in the process).