Rack em with your right hand

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Jessegreenwood

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Hey, maybe this is a dumb question, or maybe it is obvious to people with more experiance than me.
But I keep seeing Videos of people racking ‘ak type’ rifles with there left. More often than not it looks really bad, but when I comment, people tell me “that’s how the Russians are taught to do it” and “that is how oporators that use all do it” but I know that can’t be right. You rack a rifle with your right had, right?
Like that goes for any with the bolt handle on the right, be it sks, or 10/22, and I even know ar or c7, that are ambidextrous are still racked with the right hand, cus that is where the forward assist is.

Am I missing something? I am not the most experianced or knowledgeable about firearms, but I do recognize the intent in the design, and feel the “American reacharound” can’t be the right way to do it.

Thank you for your knowledge
 
Unless you're doing competition and practicing on a clock to find which is faster for you then there isn't really a right way. Some guys use their right as its faster for them some reach around with their left cuz its faster for them that way, that's all there is to it.
 
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You don’t take your dominant hand off the grip unless you’re transitioning to side arm. AK/VZ/etc, may mean rotating the rifle on its axis so the left hand can come over. Forward assist on an AR is (near) pointless.
 
Most do it to keep there dominant hand on the grip. Also preserves the rifles orientation. Most if not all modern semi autos have a charging handles on the left in the “right” spot. I think it’s an antiquated design found most often on rifles designed durn the transition from bolt action rifles. Having to break your firing grip is a sign of poorly thought out manual of arms.
 
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Jessegreenwood said:
You rack a rifle with your right had, right?
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On a modern semi-auto, not if I can help it. I try to keep my hand on the pistol grip, because that affords the best control, and avoids awkward grip transitions moving the gun from right to left hands, and back again.

The advantage of this has been recognized for a long time by some. Look at how many guns have the cocking handle, magazine release, or hold open release on the left side. Some have managed to put them all over there, for example, on a German MP40 SMG the mag release and bolt handle are set up to be worked with the left hand. Ditto the FN FAL.

I haven't had much occasion to try the weird-looking underhand AK charging method, but when I handle a VZ58 type rifle I do the mag change with the left then roll the rifle onto its side to operate the charging handle with my left.
 
If you insert the mag with your left hand and rack with your right, you have to switch the hand holding up the rifle, which is inefficient. For a couple of years the only rifle I got to fire was the FAL, it just seemed insane to have the charging handle on the left. On the Commie rifles the bolt carrier is the charging handle to reduce the parts count.
 
Jessegreenwood said:
Hey, maybe this is a dumb question, or maybe it is obvious to people with more experiance than me.
But I keep seeing Videos of people racking ‘ak type’ rifles with there left. More often than not it looks really bad, but when I comment, people tell me “that’s how the Russians are taught to do it” and “that is how oporators that use all do it” but I know that can’t be right. You rack a rifle with your right had, right?
Like that goes for any with the bolt handle on the right, be it sks, or 10/22, and I even know ar or c7, that are ambidextrous are still racked with the right hand, cus that is where the forward assist is.

Am I missing something? I am not the most experianced or knowledgeable about firearms, but I do recognize the intent in the design, and feel the “American reacharound” can’t be the right way to do it.

Thank you for your knowledge
Click to expand...

There really is no right or wrong way here....the most efficient way would be to hit that handle from underneeth once inserting a freah mag.
However, I do not like this method, as you are pulling the bolt back at an ackward angle and it is hard to sling-shoot it with any kind of authority.

I like to rotate the rifle on it's axis and go from the top, as I can really pull it back hard...this is kind of important, because these types of rifles could jam, if the bolt is only tripped forward without that additional fraction of an inch, which you get by "sling-shoting" it (forcing it all the way to the back, thus maximizing the bolt's inertia going forward).

Racking with the right hand requires breaking the grip, but with enough practice, you can do it almost just as fast as the other methods, including having your right hand back on that grip in no time.

You should do it which ever way comes most natural for you and practice it often.
 
I have a '51 Tula in a Tapco stock with 20/5 mags and the 'under-rack' would be very awkward. I do the rotate thing with the inertia-rack. Holding the pistol grip give excellent control of the rifle - which in Tapco weighs over a pound more than the OEM stock. I handled my earlier '51 Tula in wood the same way - just seemed natural. I wasn't trained in Russia :rolleyes: , but it gives a 'balanced feel' to arms-handling.
 
I have no experience or training with the arms mentioned above - but is basically why I find a thumbhole stock about my last choice for a bolt action hunting stock - is not so "easy" to reacquire that grip / find that trigger after cycling that bolt with strong hand. About all that we actually "practised" was to be able to cycle Winchester Model 70 from our shoulder - rifle stays up on shoulder - flick the bolt and fire again, if target or game still visible to aim at. As per a mentor from the day - about all wrong to lower the muzzle to operate a bolt action - yet I see that done almost all the time...

Was a series of pictures - by Ludwig Olson, I think - cycling a Swede 6.5x55 - I think he had ring finger on trigger and it never left there or maybe never left the trigger guard loop - extend index and middle finger - that lifts bolt handle and flicked back - I think that shooting hand thumb pushed the bolt forward and down - no doubt what you practise and get used to, I suspect.

But, I find thumb hole stock to be a VERY "comfy" arrangement for shooting from a bench with sand bag supports - we tended to NOT have any time pressure for that.
 
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Pretty much everything you're going to be doing with the rifle (Mag changes, sight adjustments, racking the bolt, etc) should be done with your dominant hand remaining on the grip, holding the gun. If you have your support hand reasonably far forward and you let go with your dominant hand, the balance on the gun will be WAY off and you could potentially lose control of the rifle. Not ideal.
 
On AK / SVD and the likes, both the charging handle and the safety/selector are on the right side.
Keep the rifle pointed with the support hand (left) and manipulate the controls with the right hand.
Thumb operates the selector and 1-2 fingers grab the charging handle/bolt carrier, all can be done in one move.

The "reach over" technique has its place, although it is akin scratching the right ear with the left hand. That much roll = you are out of position and must reacquire stance, sight picture, etc.
 
Butcherbill said:
I rack all semi autos with my right hand, as well as port load shotguns but I’m a south paw and it’s more natural that way.
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easier for us isnt it ... no question to ask ... i do like the safety on the right side on some t81 fro the same reason ...

i may add training with jna was done with right hand for the sks the ak47 and copy dragunov in 8x57 so there is something in the drilling the reds were doing that we do not know for sure.
 
The Germans switched the charging handle from right on their G41 to left on the G43.
Also the Mp38/Mp40 had the charging handles on the left as well as the Mp44 AKA STG 44, the original Sturmgewehr.

I think Mr Saive was inspired by these features when he designed the FAL,
Its predecessor, the FN49 had the charging handle on the right, but it was already designed before the war.
 
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For front heavy LONG guns like the SVD i would probably opt to charge with my right simply because i dont have the wrist strength in the non pleasure hand to support such a rifle haha
 
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When you reload your left hand is already very close to the charging handle, so you can just do the old reach around and rack it really quick. If not you have to get a grip on your rifle with your left, then let go with the right, rack it, then get back on the grip. Right handed racking takes more time and is more movement. I will say that when in a prone position right handed charging makes a lot more sense.
 
This thread is interesting.
I've never really had a problem holding the rifle on point with my shoulder and left hand while manipulating the charging handle on the sks or the m14/m305 platforms or bolt guns.
Magazine manipulation is not so easy and freeing the left hand for this suits me better.....
There was a guy on this site some years ago that cut the charging handle off and SKS and relocated it to the other side of the carrier and welded it in place. Then a slight mod to the rear dust cover to allow for full bolt travel. Was a slick and professional looking mod.

makes me wanna try that mod myself and I just so happen to be in the midst of modding an SKS right now with a one off pistol grip stock so why not eh ?
 
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