(Full metal jacket)Tapping a rifle magazine on a helmet?

Question

So I was watching "full metal jacket" and got to the part where Joker taps his rifle magazine on his helmet. I asked my know-it-all friend and he says they do that to check if there's rounds left in the magazine.This doesn't sound right to me. Anyone?....

Answer 1

Soldiers tap their magazines to make sure the rounds are seated right. If a round is forward a little the weapon could misfeed and cause it to jam. If the round is seated as it is suppose to be in the magazine, then when the bolt of the weapon goes forward then the round will be stripped from the magazine and chambered into the weapon properly. Soldiers still do it today as they did in the time of the movie.

Answer 2

Magazines are spring loaded and and filled with bullets long in advance of firing them. You tap the clip to activate the spring in case it has been sprung too long. that way when you stick the clip in the rifle the first round does not get jammed in the chamber and blow up in your face or leave you standing there with a gun that won't shoot. That is the problem with preloaded clips the longer the bullets stay in them the more lightly you are to have a problem.

Answer 3

Well I am retired Navy and have been around a lot of Marines. Marines have a lot of nuances that are based more on tradition than fact. The magazine has a spring inside so there is no need to tap anything to see if anything is left. You can just look.

Having said all that and knowing Marines as I know them my guess is it is just a way of relieving stress. Sorta like slapping yourself in he face or whatever to get release from overwhelming pressure.

But who knows that was a long time ago

Answer 4

I've never been in the military but I've always assumed that tapping the magazine helped prevent jamming.

Answer 5

I think the answer above is basically right but it's to be sure the rounds are loose enough not to jam.

Answer 6

I thought it was to settle the rounds inside of the mag. To prevent jamming.