Chapter 3.
OPERATION AND FUNCTIONING
12. Loading the Rifle
(a.) Single round. To load a single round, pull theoperating rod all the way to the rear. While holding the muzzlebelow the horizontal, place a round in the chamber an seat itwith the thumb. With a knife edge of the right hand against theoperating rod handle, force the operating rod slightly to therear. Push down on the follower assembly with the right thumb andallow the bolt to ride forward. Remove the thumb from thefollower assembly and release the operating rod handle, allowingthe operating rod to go all the way forward.
(b.) Full clip. To load a full clip, hold the rifle atthe balance with the left hand and pull the operating rod handleall the way to the rear. Place the butt of the rifle against thethigh or on the ground. With the right hand, place a full clip ontop of the follower assembly. Place the thumb on the center ofthe top round in the clip and press the clip straight down intothe receiver until it catches. Swing the right hand up and to theright to clear the bolt in its forward movement. Note that theoperating rod is not held to the rear during loading since thereis no danger of it going forward as long as pressure ismaintained on the top round in the clip. It may be necessary tostrike forward on the operating rod handle with the heel of theright hand to fully close and lock the bolt.
(c.) Partially filled clip. To load a partially filledclip, hold the rifle in the same manner prescribed for a fullclip. With the operating rod all the way to the rear, place anempty clip into the receiver. Place the first round into the clipand on the follower, to the left of the follower slide. Press thesecond round into the clip, exerting a downward, turning motionuntil the round snaps into place. Load the remaining rounds inthe same manner. With the knife edge of the the right handagainst the operating rod handle force the operating rod slightlyto the rear. Push down on the top round with the right thumb,allowing the bolt to start the top round forward. Remove theright hand and allow the operating rod to go forward.
13. Unloading the Rifle
(a.) To unload a round from the chamber, support therifle butt on the thigh or on the ground; with the right handgrasp the operating rod handle and pull the operating rod slowlyto the rear. At the same time, place the left hand, palm down,over the receiver to catch the round as it is ejected. This keepsthe round from falling into the dirt or away from your position.
(b.) To unload a filled or partially filled clip,unload the round that is in the chamber as described in (a.)above. When the operating rod reaches its rearmost position,hold it there. Place the palm of the left hand over the receiverand depress the clip latch with the left thumb, allowing the clipto be ejected up into the hand, Do not relax the rearwardpressure on the operating rod handle until after the clip hasbeen removed.
14. Loading Rounds into a Clip
(a.) Insert eight rounds into the clip, holding theclip, open end upward, and the rounds in palm of your left hand.Start placing the rounds in from the lower left of the clip andmake sure that each round is against the rear wall so that theinner rib of the clip engages the extracting groove of eachround. The top round will then be on the right, making the clipeasier for a right handed firer to load in the rifle. For thesame reason, clips are loaded this way at arsenals.
(b.) Each time rounds are loaded into a clip, the clipshould be checked for long rounds. If one rounds extends beyondthe others, it will be hard to load the clip into the rifle. Thelong round should be seated by removing the top round, pushingthe long round into place and then replacing the top round.Tapping the bullet against a solid surface to seat the long roundmay result in the bullet being pushed back into its cartridgecase. This may damage the bullet or break the bullet seal whichcould result in changes in the ballistic performance of theround.
15. Functioning of the Rifle
(a.) The trigger must be pulled to fire each round.When the last round is fired, the empty clip is automaticallyejected and the bolt remains to the rear.
(b.) Each time a round is loaded and fired, many partsinside the rifle work in a given order. This is known as the cycleof operation. This cycle is similar in all small arms. Aknowledge of what happens inside the rifle during this cycle ofoperation will help the soldier understand the cause of andremedy for various stoppages.
(c.) The cycle of operations is broken down into eightsteps. These steps are listed below, together with a briefdescription of what actually occurs inside the rifle during eachstep. Assume that a full or partially filled clip has been loadedinto the rifle and that the first round has been fired and thebolt is in its rearmost position (fig.24).
Cycle of Operation
(1.) Feeding. Feeding takes place when a round is movedinto the path of the bolt. This is done by the follower assemblyexerting an upward pressure on the bottom round in the clip. Thefollower assembly is continuously forced up by the pressure ofthe operating rod spring through the follower rod and thefollower arm (fig. 24).
(2.) Chambering. Chambering occurs when a round ismoved into the chamber. This takes place as the bolt goes forwardunder pressure of the expanding operating rod spring, picking upthe top round in the clip and driving it forward into the chamber(fig. 25). Chambering iscomplete when the extractor snaps into the extracting groove onthe cartridge case and the ejector is forced into the face of thebolt.
(3.) Locking. Locking is complete when the bolt isfully closed. This prevents the loss of gas pressure until thebullet has left the muzzle. The bolt is locked by the rearcamming surface in the recess in the hump of the operating rod,forcing the operating lug of the bolt down. This engages thelocking lugs on the bolt with their recesses in the receiver (fig. 26).
(4.) Firing. Firing occurs when the firing pin strikesthe primer. As the trigger is pulled the trigger lugs aredisengaged from the hammer hooks and the hammer is released. Thehammer moves forward under the pressure of the hammer spring andstrikes the tang of the firing pin, driving the firing pinagainst the primer and firing the round (fig.27).
(5.) Unlocking. Unlocking occurs after the firing ofthe round. As the bullet is forced through the barrel by theexpanding gas, a small portion of the gas escapes through the gasport into the gas cylinder, forcing the operating rod to the rear(fig. 28). The cammingsurface inside the recess in the hump of the operating rod forcesthe operating lug of the bolt upward, disengaging the lockinglugs from their recesses in the receiver. The bolt is thusunlocked and ready to be moved to the rear (fig.29).
(6.) Extracting. Extracting is pulling the emptycartridge case from the chamber. The extractor, which is engagedwith the extracting groove on the cartridge case, withdraws theempty case as the bolt moves to the rear (fig.30).
(7.) Ejecting. Ejecting is throwing the empty case fromthe rifle. As the bolt moves to the rear, withdrawing the casefrom the chamber, the round is held in place by the chamberwalls. When the mouth of the empty case clears the chamber, it isejected up and to the right by the expanding ejector spring andejector.
(8.) Cocking. Cocking occurs when the hammer is forcedinto the proper position for firing the next round. This happensas the bolt continues to the rear. The rear end of the boltforces the hammer back and rides over it. The hammer is caught bythe sear if the trigger is still held to the rear, but it iscaught by the trigger lugs if trigger pressure has been released (fig. 31).
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- INTRODUCTION
