Courses / Manual rifle / Lesson 3
Loading and unloading
Doing it safely, every time. Lesson 3 of 8 · about 7 minutes to watch.
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Step through the slides. The trainer's words are under each one.
Loading and unloading
Manual rifle, lesson 3 of 8: doing it safely, every time
Most rifle accidents happen while loading or unloading, not while shooting. In this lesson Marike learns the unloading sequence Anel will ask for at the assessment, and why the order matters.
Load only when you are about to shoot
- On the range: only on the firing line, when told to
- Hunting: only when you are ready to stalk or shoot
- Unload the moment you stop
The safest rifle is an unloaded one, so you load as late as possible and unload as early as possible. On the range you load only on the firing line, when the range officer says so. Hunting, you load when you start the stalk or take your position, not when you leave the house. And you unload the moment you stop: before a fence, before a vehicle, before you walk back to camp.
The unloading sequence
- 11. Safe directionMuzzle safe, finger off the trigger
- 22. Ammunition outRemove the magazine, or empty an internal magazine as your manual shows
- 33. Open and clearDraw the bolt back to eject the round in the chamber
- 44. Look and feelChamber and magazine both empty; leave the bolt open
Here is the unloading sequence, and the order matters. Step one: point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger. Step two: deal with the ammunition supply. A detachable magazine comes out first. An internal magazine is emptied the way your rifle's manual shows, often by opening a hinged floorplate or by working the rounds out with the bolt. Step three: draw the bolt back to eject the round in the chamber. Step four: look into the chamber and magazine and feel with your finger that both are empty, and leave the bolt open. If you open the bolt and close it again with rounds still in the magazine, you have just loaded the chamber.
Why the ammunition comes out first
- Closing the bolt over a loaded magazine chambers a round
- Clear the chamber last, then check it
- Never trust that a rifle is empty: check it
Why remove the ammunition supply before clearing the chamber? Because if rounds remain in the magazine, every close of the bolt loads one. People have cleared a chamber, closed the bolt, and pulled the trigger on a rifle they were sure was empty. Ammunition out first, chamber cleared, then a visual and physical check. That is what the assessor wants to see.
The loading sequence
- 1Check the ammunitionHeadstamp matches the barrel stamp
- 2Muzzle safeOn the firing line, finger off the trigger
- 3Load the magazineThe number of rounds you need
- 4Close the boltOnly when you are ready to shoot
Loading is the reverse, with one extra check at the start. Check that each cartridge's headstamp matches the calibre stamped on the barrel. With the muzzle in a safe direction and your finger off the trigger, load the magazine with only as many rounds as you need. Close the bolt to chamber a round only when you are ready to shoot. Marike learns to load three rounds, not five, for her first group.
Lever actions and single shots
| Step | Lever action | Single shot |
|---|---|---|
| To open | Swing the lever down | Open the action (often a break or falling block) |
| Where rounds sit | Often a tube under the barrel, sometimes a box | Only the chamber |
| To unload | Empty the magazine as the manual shows, then cycle and check the chamber | Open the action and remove the round |
| Shown clear | Lever open, chamber and magazine checked | Action open, chamber checked |
If you use a lever action or a single shot, the idea is the same: ammunition supply first, chamber clear, look and feel. A lever action's tube magazine is emptied the way its manual shows before you cycle the action and check the chamber. A single shot is the simplest: open the action and the round comes out. Whatever the action, showing it clear means the action open and the chamber visibly empty.
Showing a rifle clear to someone else
- Magazine out (if it detaches), bolt open
- Tilt it so they can see into the chamber
- Let them check it themselves before you hand it over
At the range, at the gun shop and at the assessment, you will often have to show a rifle clear. Remove a detachable magazine, open the bolt, and tilt the rifle so the other person can see into the empty chamber and magazine well. Then let them check it themselves. Marike shows her rifle clear to Anel at the start of every session.
Your turn
Before lesson 4
- Do the exercise: Which step is it?
- Answer four quick questions on this lesson
- Practise the unloading sequence with an empty rifle, supervised
Before you move on, do the exercise, Which step is it?, and answer the four questions on screen. Then, in your own time: practise the unloading sequence with an empty rifle, supervised. Next lesson: carrying, transporting and storing your rifle.
Do: Which step is it?
Put Marike's unloading actions in order. Which step of the sequence is each one?
Check
Four quick questions. The reason shows as soon as you answer.
Apply
Where this shows up in your own life.
Practise the unloading sequence with an empty rifle, under supervision
Ridgeview Firearms Academy and its people are fictional. This is study material written from the Firearms Control Act and the SAQA unit standards. It isn't an accredited course or legal advice; your accredited training provider runs the official tests.