Malfunctions & Safe Handling

⚠️ Before We Start: Safety First

• Muzzle discipline and finger straight through every diagnose/clear step.
• Work downrange with a safe backstop; holster/admin work is done slowly and deliberately.

🔍 Read the Symptoms (What You See/Feel)

• Click / no bang: likely failure to fire (Type 1).
• Short-stroke / dead trigger / mushy reset: out of battery or empty.
• Case/paperclip sticking out ejection port: stovepipe (Type 2).
• Slide stuck partially open, won’t move: double feed (Type 3).
• Oddly soft recoil / quiet report: possible squib — stop immediately.

① Type 1 – Failure to Fire (Tap–Rack–Assess)

1. Tap – Strike the magazine base to ensure full seating.
2. Rack – Run the slide aggressively to eject/seat a round.
3. Assess – Sights back on; decide if a shot is still justified.

② Type 2 – Stovepipe / Failure to Eject (Rack, Then Assess)

• Keep the gun vertical; rack hard to clear the case and chamber a new round.
• Don’t pinch at the port — just run the slide like you mean it.

③ Type 3 – Double Feed (Lock–Rip–Rack–Rack–Rack–Reload)

1. Lock the slide to the rear.
2. Rip the magazine out (strip it forcefully).
3. Rack the slide several times to clear the chamber.
4. Reload with a known-good mag, rack, and assess.

🚫 Squib Load (STOP)

• Symptoms: soft/odd report, weak recoil, failure to cycle, point of impact very low/odd.
• Action: Stop immediately. Unload. Check bore from chamber end with light/rod. Do not fire another round.

👐 Administrative Handling (Safe by Default)

• Load: Point in safe direction → insert mag → rack slide → press check (verify chambered) → confirm mag seated.
• Unload / Clear: Remove magazine first → lock slide to rear → visual + physical chamber & magwell check → show clear.
• Press check: Slightly retract slide to see brass; keep finger straight, muzzle safe; reseat the slide positively.
• Chamber flag for classroom or transport; trigger covered at all times.

🛡️ Holstering Discipline

• Slow is smooth: Look the gun into the holster; clear cover garments with the support hand.
• Finger straight and muzzle clear of body parts; don’t “fish” for the holster.
• If anything feels wrong (garment or cord in mouth of holster): stop, fix, then holster.

🧰 Table & Case Work (Classroom / Bench)

• Guns lie on the bench with muzzle downrange, ejection port up, action locked open.
• No handling during a cold range call; wait for the instructor.
• Transport: gun cased, trigger covered, chamber empty unless lawful carry condition applies.

🧼 Prevention: Keep It Running

🏋️ Simple Clearance Drills (Dry → Live)

• Tap–Rack cadence on a timer (dry first). Build clean mechanics before speed.
• Stovepipe drill with a dummy casing — induce, clear, reassess sights.
• Double-feed drill with two dummy rounds — lock, rip, rack-rack-rack, reload, assess.

✅ Quick Self-Check

• Can you perform Tap–Rack–Assess without looking at your hands?
• What are the steps — exactly — for a double feed?
• Describe your unload/clear sequence word-for-word.