How to Bump Fire an AR-15 Without a Bumpfire Stock
I like bumpfiring guns, but in all actuality, it is the firearm equivalent of my mountain dew dumpling post. It’s not healthy, useful, or frugal, but employed with moderation it is FUN….
I bump fire my AR-15 about once a decade. I enjoy it, truthfully, I enjoy talking with all the folks that have never seen bump firing. However, it is hard to justify the ammo expended just to make a lot of noise.
For those who haven’t done it, bumpfiring is a method of holding your firearm so that it fires in a way that approximates fully automatic fire.
Legality of Bump Fire
By law (and that’s important in this situation) the difference in fully and semi-automatic fire is that in a fully automatic firearm a SINGLE manipulation of the trigger fires more than one round. A bump fired gun will fire very rapidly, and will seem like it is fully automatic, but trigger will be triggered separately for each round fired.
Generally with most rifles you hold your trigger finger stationary inside the trigger well, and with your support hand push the rifle forward until the trigger is depressed enough by your stationary trigger finger to fire. The recoil of the gun will move the gun away from your trigger finger as the trigger resets. If you are still pulling forward with your support hand, at the end of the recoil pulse the gun will be pulled back to your trigger finger – firing the gun again.
Belt Loop Bumpfire Method
With my AR, I generally loop my trigger finger into a belt loop to ensure it stays stationary. This means I am firing from the hip. This coupled with the very loose manner the gun is held the rapid fire accuracy is TERRIBLE.
Now, don’t think that I am being negative; I think bumpfiring is a neat trick.
I just want to be clear that I really cannot think of any realistic defensive situation that an individual will be served well by using this technique.
If I have to be engaged on a two way range. I would wish that my aggressor was bumpfiring wildly over my head. Then I can have the time t0 breathe, sight, and squeeze off controlled rounds to positively end the fight. There is something to be said about the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship in a defensive situation.
However, every once in a while, on a range with a good backstop – this is a great stress reliever, just don’t think your “training”…
