Simply discarding them could mean not having the capacity to carry as many rounds later. Most soldiers carry a “dump pouch”. The dump puch is to hold your empty magazines.
Do soldiers actually just drop magazines in combat, or do they put it back in their respective pouch? In the US Army, magazines are categorized as expendable items, even in peacetime. However, they still cost money, so it is requested that they be returned if possible.
When they figure they have 2 or 3 rounds left, they take any down times to reload and/or top up magazines. Used magazines generally go into a dump pouch so soldiers don't mistakenly grab them with the mindset that they're fresh mags. Yes. It's called a Tactical Reload.
Initially, Redistribute if possible (get ammo from other soldiers in the same unit, working their way up to large units (team, squad, platoon, company.) Call for resupply — it is part of the duty of the officers and NCO's to anticipate and have additional ammo available.
Different armies – different rules
The US military carries 7 magazines (30 rounds per mag) for their M4 as the standard. The Austrian military tends to carry 5 magazines for their Steyr Aug and the German military also carries 5 mags for their Heckler and Koch G36.
The 338 sniper rifle is the vital firearm for any sniper and is the primary weapon system for long-range shooting. The troops use an 8.59mm calibre rifle which has a magazine of five rounds and can accurately hit targets from 900 metres away and "harass" up to 1,500 metres.
A member of the armed forces (or other person under the authority of the armed forces in a theater of operations) may not (except in accordance with such regulations) take from a theater of operations as a souvenir an object formerly in the possession of the enemy.
For this reason, most law enforcement and military units have moved to carrying either double action/single action (DA/SA) or striker fired semi-automatic pistols and they are carried with one in the chamber.
With the exception of the Chaplain and conscientious objectors, Army personnel are issued a weapon and/or sidearm depending on their duty assignment/mission role when they arrive at their unit of assignment.
Generally, Loaded Magazines Are Fine
This is the consensus among notable gun experts who've voiced opinions on this topic.
Do male and female soldiers carry their equipment differently? Helmet, uniform, boots, armor, weapon, ammo, food, canteens, compass, first aid kit—everything a soldier wears and carries (their “load”) can add up to more than 68 pounds. In a combat mission, that weight can skyrocket to as much as 120 pounds.
They return them to their magazine pouch. Magazines do not grow on trees. Simply discarding them could mean not having the capacity to carry as many rounds later. Most soldiers carry a “dump pouch”.
Some ammunition manufacturers recommend rotating service-related ammunition as little as every six months. By following that guide line, magazines would remain fully loaded a maximum of six months before being unloaded and reloaded.
A basic load is 210 rounds (7 X30 round mags). We also always carried a pistol with a few mags. This is normal. However, Depending on the duration of the mission, and the anticipated amount of enemy resistance, we usually carried more in our rucks or small packs.
Sleep During Deployment
View Source , with short sleep more common among those who experienced combat. Naps were rare, and reported by only 16% of soldiers. A reported 86% of Army service members deployed to Afghanistan slept fewer than seven hours per night, and half slept fewer than five.
They're not all aiming for a headshot.
Heads are small, and they move around a LOT. They aren't a reliable target. Instead, snipers usually aim for something they'll have a better chance of hitting.
The chamber is that part of a firearm into which the cartridge is loaded. The chamber is also the place the cartridge is fired from. In a breech-loading weapon the chamber is directly behind and in line with the barrel.
On the other side of the spectrum, engaging in attacks while wearing the uniform of the enemy is flatly prohibited, as affirmed in the treaty law and numerous military manuals (see here, here and here, for example), and is a war crime under the Rome Statute.
The property becomes a war trophy, and capable of legal retention by an individual Soldier as a souvenir, only as authorized by higher authority. Pillage, that is, the unauthorized taking of private or personal property for personal gain or use, is expressly prohibited *1. War Trophy Policy.
The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 explicitly prohibits the looting of civilian property during wartime. Theoretically, to prevent such looting, unclaimed property is moved to the custody of the Custodian of Enemy Property, to be handled until returned to its owners.
For shooting at night, the snipers carry two scopes. The Stick Sniper Shooting Sight is a thermal sight which can be fitted onto the end of a weapon system. It is used to assist the sniper to identify and engage targets at a distance of 600 metres all while under the cover of darkness.
The standard magazine capacity is 30 rounds. There are also 10, 20, and 40-round box magazines, as well as 75-round drum magazines. The AK-47's standard 30-round magazines have a pronounced curve that allows them to smoothly feed ammunition into the chamber.
All weapons issued to US Military personnel are required, under strict penalties, to be returned when leaving the unit that issued them.