In the event of a misfire, what is the correct action to use?

• A. Tap and Rack
• B. Reload and Fire
• C. Wait and Inspect
• D. Shake and Fire

Answer: (A)

The action being tested is how to clear a misfire quickly and safely by cycling the firearm. When a misfire occurs, the primer didn’t ignite and the round didn’t chamber and fire. To fix this, you first tap the magazine to make sure it’s fully seated and the next round is ready. Then you rack the slide to eject the potential dud and chamber a fresh round. This step clears the malfunction and prepares the firearm to fire again if the issue was a bad round or a slight feeding hesitation. After tapping and racking, you reassess and proceed only if the firearm is functioning properly.

The other options aren’t appropriate because they don’t reliably clear the hang-up. Waiting and inspecting wastes valuable time and can be unsafe in many scenarios. Reloading and firing without clearing the misfire risks repeating the same problem. Shaking and firing isn’t a recognized or safe method for clearing a misfire.