I feel dumb for asking this. I am a relatively new AR-15 owner and was told not to pull the charging handle back every time I want to chamber a round, but to hit the bolt catch instead after attaching the magazine. What I was doing before I was corrected was attach the magazine, pull back the charging handle, and turn the safety off. I basically wasn't hitting the bolt catch at any point. I'm more confused than ever because I've seen different opinions on this.
Don't feel dumb. All of us had to start someplace. There is more than one way to operate your AR, some are more efficient than others.
This is what Larry Vickers teaches. It's the most efficient way I've found to reload an AR with the bolt locked back. Larry shows how to do it left handed and right handed.
A video comparing using the thumb to hit the mag release with using the heel of the hand
They found using the thumb to be faster but suggest the shooter be familiar with both methods.
Clint Smith's take. Warning! Clint is salty and his language isn't safe for work-
This guy uses the charging handle. It's easy to see just how much more movement is needed compared to using the mag release. Another reason I'm not a fan is that I've hand my hand slip off the charging handle during timed drills and pop me in the face.
(For clarity- An
emergency reload is a reload forced by an empty weapon. A
tactical reload is a reload the shooter chooses to perform, usually to replace a partial mag with a full one.)
If the bolt is closed and I'm loading it for the first time, I lock the bolt back so I can verify the chamber. If I load the AR with the bolt closed, it's because I'm replacing a partial mag with a full one. That is, I'm performing a tactical reload-
When inserting the magazine, use the push/pull method to ensure the mag is seated. Smacking the bottom during an open bolt reload can cause over insertion of the magazine and rounds to pop out of the feed lips. Smacking the mag is unnecessarily hard on the mags.