FAQ

Douglas A-1 Skyraider

When the VC soldier runs into the hollowed out tree, he checks the magazine in his AK-47, which was empty. He is pondering what he should do, when he fastens his bayonet on his rifle. His objective was likely to take out the Commanding Officer. But considering he had no ammo left, he ran the risk of dying trying to bayonet the Colonel or live and not complete his objective.

This is done to make sure the rounds are properly seated in the magazine (so that the back end of the casing with the primer is flush against the back end of the mag). This reduces the risk of the weapon jamming. You can see Private Reiben do it in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan (1998) with a magazine for his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) and Cowboy do it in Full Metal Jacket (1987). It's a procedure taught to soldiers from their first day in Basic Training, with any rifle.