Using the Magazine as a Monopod----Is It Harmful???

**TomMcC** · 02-27-19, 19:13

Got to wonder about the folks that said its harmful. I thought this was a well established fact that it was ok. And the don't cares...you might care ...someday.

**Dr. Bullseye** · 02-27-19, 19:31

Originally Posted by joe.a

If you need to drop down and make a shot real quick, it's fine. If you're zeroing or shooting for groups, I'd use other methods.

That is exactly what I am doing, zeroing. I have a bad back and prone is the hardest position for me but it is the best to zero.

**Pappabear** · 02-27-19, 19:31

You gotta think some goofball forward "loaded" the mag with all 200 pounds and caused a failure-"unsafe". I have done so many a times with no issue. Its like dropping a Sig from over your head in perfect angulation then making it fire "unsafe". Not to start a resurgence of the 320 debacle, please no.

Use the mag and rock on.

PB

**1168** · 02-27-19, 20:36

Originally Posted by MSW

Doesn’t the military teach it?

I certainly do. On the Army rifle qual, part of the course of fire requires the firer to engage targets from the prone unsupported. The definition of “unsupported” in the manual allows for monopoding.

Also, its harmless.

Edit: I have seen ancient, worn out M16’s with highly suspect and equally ancient magazines have stoppages, that this practice may or may not have contributed to. That said, even with a below average hand-me down beater rifle, using mass loaded, doesn’t even belong to the firer magazine, its not a problem.

**noonesshowmonkey** · 02-27-19, 20:58

An acquaintance was telling me that the institutional resistance to monopoding comes from the use of the M-14, which, due to the magazine and magazine lockup design, would jam if the magazine was allowed to rest on the ground. That training continued forward--good habits adapted to the wrong gear often do in big organizations--into the era of the M16 series of weapons.

In my agency, I got yelled at for having my rifle magazine resting on the deck during qualification. The lead instructor is a salty old marine, and he claimed that the weapon would jam that way.

**Tigereye** · 02-27-19, 21:18

Never had a problem.

**26 Inf** · 02-27-19, 21:39

Originally Posted by Dr. Bullseye

That is exactly what I am doing, zeroing. I have a bad back and prone is the hardest position for me but it is the best to zero.

Get a 10 or 20 round magazine, use bags, you'll get a better zero.

As several have skirted around, the AR's mag-well is long/deep enough that if the mag-well and magazine are in spec, except in rare cases of tolerence stacking you shouldn't have a problem.

In any event you won't hurt anything, except maybe ding up a mag if you range surface is hard.

**Wake27** · 02-28-19, 04:01

Originally Posted by MSW

Doesn’t the military teach it? Not that the military never does anything wrong—just I wouldn’t expect they would teach something that could get someone killed due to a malfunction. This dude even did an article:

https://www.recoilweb.com/the-rifle-...pod-53211.html

Sorry—I don’t know how to hotlink:

Kyle Lamb said it’s ok:

http://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial...-ground/248036

Lastly, a link from M4Cabine.net archives:

https://www.m4carbine.net/archive/in...p/t-52827.html

Depends on who. The only guys who I’ve heard teach it have been around for a loooong time, and usually some of their other methods have too. Like downloading mags to 28 rounds.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk