[Jim K]

Sorry, guys, that business about the "ping" of the M1 clip is nonsense, apparently concocted by some armchair general. The idea that a clip noise could be heard over the sound of battle, that the enemy soldier would then charge the American whose rifle is empty, etc. is ridiculous! Are they alone on a silent battlefield?

FWIW, even I (1950's draftee) can reload an M1 long before an enemy soldier could take his first steps, and those WWII vets were really fast. I watched one load a fresh clip almost before the empty one hit the ground.

So, please don't spread that silly old story any further.

And on an SKS, you don't wait until the ten rounds are fired for the "ping". Just strip the rounds into the magazine and the slingshot the bolt carrier handle and you will hear a very satisfactory ping. (No, you don't pull the clip out after stripping the rounds, any more than you do with a Mauser or an M1903 Springfield; the bolt moving forward kicks the clip out and away.)

Jim