Which sequence correctly unloads and shows a rifle clear?

• A. Lock the safety, close the bolt, wipe the chamber, then reinsert the magazine.
• B. Look down the barrel and squeeze the trigger to confirm it's empty.
• C. Remove the magazine, cycle the action to eject any chambered round, visually inspect the chamber, and lock the action open or engage the safety.
• D. Unload by pointing at the ground and firing once to ensure clear.

Answer: (C)

Removing the magazine, cycling the action to eject anything in the chamber, visually inspecting the chamber, and then securing the action open or engaging the safety is the proper way to unload and show a rifle clear. This sequence first stops any rounds from feeding by removing the magazine. Then you physically eject any cartridge that might be in the chamber by cycling the action, which confirms there isn’t a chambered round pending. Visually inspecting the chamber verifies there’s no ammunition lurking there, and finally locking the action open or engaging the safety provides a clear, demonstrable safe status so others know the firearm won’t load accidentally.

Other options aren’t correct because they either skip a step that guarantees there’s no round in the chamber, rely on a dangerous or unreliable check, or involve firing to test for clear, which is unsafe and not a proper unload procedure.