Stupid Newbie Question, floating a shell

[occomsrazor]

Okay, Ive been gleaning info from this forum for a few months. Finally got the M4 after a 7 month wait.

 

Put the magazine extension on...

 

Installed the collapsible stock (**** stupid nut that I was working on very hard to remove until I read a timely post)...

 

So now I have a 7+1.

 

But, how do I get the 7+1+1

[Duggan]

Load up your mag tube. Empty shell carrier, empty chamber.

 

Rack it back, and allow it to come forward enough that the shell carrier pops up. Move the bolt forward a few more milimeters, so that it is beyond the shell carrier pop up point.

 

Now push the shell carrier down with your finger, while holding the bolt in that position. If you work it right, you can fit a shell, rimmed end first, through the side of the reciever and onto the shell carrier.

 

Keep the bolt in place to prevent it from popping out.

 

Once its in, the bolt above it keeps it from coming up. You should still have a few inches left before the bolt closes. Fit a shell into the chamber, and close the bolt.

 

You've now floated a shell.

 

Now, for some reason I haven't really looked into yet, it won't load the floated shell like, 1 out of 20 times I'd say. When this happens, after the first shot, the bolt flies back into lockback, and does not come back forward to chamber the floated round. When this happens, you have to just hit the bolt release button, and blast away.

 

I don't know if this is just me, or the light 9 shot target ammo I've been using, or the position I put my shell in, but it happens once in awhile.

 

For this reason, if your life is on the line, I wouldn't reccomend floating a shell.

 

Oh, and I always keep my hand near the bolt release button when floating shells, so I can recover quickly if it does fail to chamber the round I floated.

 

But most times it works flawlessly.

 

Maybe someone else will know why this happens, but I'm not sure.

 

[ 04-13-2006, 01:42 PM: Message edited by: Duggan ]

[jakjakman]

Duggan, I found that when you float the shell if you push the shell all the way back on the carrier it seems to load more reliably. Well, at least with mine anyway.

[occomsrazor]

Thanks to both of you for the info!

 

I'll try it the next time I'm at the range.

[James00]

I tried it, the M4 jammed, don't like it. But its cool that one can do it.

[d]

Try this: full mag (7), empty chamber, empty carrier.

1) SAFTEY ON!

2) pull the bolt all the way back to "charge" (my other term was censored) the hammer, load a shell in the chamber and ease the bolt back to engage the shell.

3) pull the bolt back slowly and carefull until the end of the shell has ALMOST cleared the chamber, then with your left hand thumb push the shell onto the carrier.

4) do not pull the bolt back so far as to engage the carrier loading cycle.

5) with the bolt still held percariously open, insert another shell into the chamber and follow the bolt home.

6) hold the weapon vertical with the barrel pointed at the sky and press the bolt release button (this will make sure the floating shell on the carrier is fully seated rearward)

 

The key to all of this is makeing sure the bolt does not go far enough back to engage the carrier, if it does (even if the carrier is pushed back down) the bolt will try to pick up the shell and slow down the action (I do not know a better way of 'esplaing it but I have looked at this very carefully and I took my method from the U.S. Marine Corps. technical manual TM 10698A-10/1. Exerpt follows:

 

 

If you google 'TM 10698A-10/1' you should be able to download and print a copy from somewhere. It is a good thing to have

 

[ 04-16-2006, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: deasmuth ]

[Ligament]

Is the general consensus that carrier loading or ghost loading is indeed unrealiable, or has this been worked out over the years? Want to use this technique for home defense ONLY if it is reliable as regular loading.

[Duggan]

Is the general consensus that carrier loading or ghost loading is indeed unrealiable, or has this been worked out over the years? Want to use this technique for home defense ONLY if it is reliable as regular loading.

 

Try it out.

 

It is reliable, I was just doing it wrong back when I wrote this.

 

So long as you don't bring the bolt back too far, you can ghost load with the same reliability as anything else ... in my testing, at least.

 

I don't do it often anymore, but whenever I do it has been flawless.