Dry Firing
- Thread starter Tactical
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stans
Member
If you are really worried about potential damage to a center fire handgun, go buy some Snap Caps. These are plastic cartridges with a spring loaded brass rod in place of the primer. I have not bothered buying any because most centerfire handguns are safe to dry fire with an empty chamber. 22's, on the otherhand, are not, but there are a few such as the Ruger Mark II series that are safe to dry fire.
10-Ring
Member
A couple years ago I learned that dry fire practice is easy, cheap & necessary to develop proper technique. All you really need is your handgun & a snap cap...$4 is cheap insurance against any potential problem 
45R
Member
Pretty much what the man said $4 is cheap insurance
It's true that most quality modern guns will not be harmed by dryfiring.
IF by "dryfiring" you mean occasionally snapping the action, or even several dryfires a day.
Some people take this to mean that no amount of dryfiring can possibly harm a firearm and will dryfire hundreds of times a week. That's when you start to see cracked breechfaces, etc.
Normally most of the firing pin energy is absorbed by the force required to dimple the primer metal. When you dryfire, some part of the gun has to bring that firing pin to an abrupt stop. Eventually, no matter how sturdy it is, something's going to give after an extended hammering. If you plan to dryfire a LOT then you would be well-advised to use snap-caps or something similar. It's a lot cheaper than a cracked breechface or a broken firing pin.
IF by "dryfiring" you mean occasionally snapping the action, or even several dryfires a day.
Some people take this to mean that no amount of dryfiring can possibly harm a firearm and will dryfire hundreds of times a week. That's when you start to see cracked breechfaces, etc.
Normally most of the firing pin energy is absorbed by the force required to dimple the primer metal. When you dryfire, some part of the gun has to bring that firing pin to an abrupt stop. Eventually, no matter how sturdy it is, something's going to give after an extended hammering. If you plan to dryfire a LOT then you would be well-advised to use snap-caps or something similar. It's a lot cheaper than a cracked breechface or a broken firing pin.
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
If you're too cheap to buy dummy center fire rounds, remove the primers from fired rounds and replace them with small bits of medium-firm pencil eraser. I've known people who use fired rim fire rounds. I just buy the plastic kind and replace them once a year or so.
twoblink
Member
watch out for rimfires. You can damage the gun if you dry fire without a snap cap..
Most centerfires are ok without a snap cap, but like said, cheap insurance..
Glocks are ok to dry fire, as well as ruger revolvers to the best of my knowledge..
Most centerfires are ok without a snap cap, but like said, cheap insurance..
Glocks are ok to dry fire, as well as ruger revolvers to the best of my knowledge..
Kentucky Rifle
Member In Memoriam
My S&W model 642 is my first "Centennial" model...
I bought it and immediately installed "Crimson Trace" laser grips on it. I THEN found out that I had "A LOT" of trouble keeping the red dot on target.
I bought some "A-Zoom" snap caps and began dry-fire practice at home. About two to three hundred "snaps" later, I was able to hold the red dot on the cockpit of a model F4U Corsair that's across the room. The trigger is much better too. I've learned a lot about the value of dry-firing. I now believe (at least for me), dry-firing was a mandatory thing. Oh, and in regards to snap-caps---"A-Zooms" are the only way to go. I think mine will last forever.
JMO,
Will
I bought it and immediately installed "Crimson Trace" laser grips on it. I THEN found out that I had "A LOT" of trouble keeping the red dot on target.
I bought some "A-Zoom" snap caps and began dry-fire practice at home. About two to three hundred "snaps" later, I was able to hold the red dot on the cockpit of a model F4U Corsair that's across the room. The trigger is much better too. I've learned a lot about the value of dry-firing. I now believe (at least for me), dry-firing was a mandatory thing. Oh, and in regards to snap-caps---"A-Zooms" are the only way to go. I think mine will last forever.
JMO,
Will
Sunray
Member
"...something's going to give after an extended hammering...." Dry firing will not harm a center fire. The blow given to a firing pin is the same whether the firearm is loaded or not. The energy it applies to a primer is the same every time too. The pin itself doesn't have enough mass to damage anything merely by being stopped. There is much more energy flying around when a pistol is fired than there ever will be when it's dry fired.
BHPshooter
Member
Holy crap! My BHP chews 'em up and spits 'em out. The last good A-Zoom I have has gone for about 60 firings now, and has a pretty good hole in the middle of that rubber pad. Must be that 32# mainspring. 
But hey, I guess I won't ever have to worry about hard primers. 
I've got to figure out how to make my own snap-caps.
Cheers,
Wes
clubsoda22
member
all i know is the orange plastic ones are crap. After about 10 dry firings i don't see how it does anything as there is an obvious hole where the firing pin strikes it. Also, the extractor on my taurus ripped the rims right off.
Kentucky Rifle
Member In Memoriam
Wes...
Now THAT is odd. I haven't used A-Zooms in anything but revolvers, but only 60 "snaps" and yours get worn out? ~I just went and looked at some .38 Special A-Zooms and the package doesn't say anything about how many times they're supposed to last, but I'm pretty sure I read an advertisement in a gun rag that promised 100's if not 1000's of times. I'd send them an e-mail and see if they send some free ones. Couldn't hurt.
If you send them the e-mail, let me know what they say.
Will
Now THAT is odd. I haven't used A-Zooms in anything but revolvers, but only 60 "snaps" and yours get worn out? ~I just went and looked at some .38 Special A-Zooms and the package doesn't say anything about how many times they're supposed to last, but I'm pretty sure I read an advertisement in a gun rag that promised 100's if not 1000's of times. I'd send them an e-mail and see if they send some free ones. Couldn't hurt.
If you send them the e-mail, let me know what they say.
Will
Sean Smith
Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2002
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- 4,925
Snap Caps are a waste of time for most handgun designs as far as "protecting" them is concerned. Most guns can't be harmed by dry firing... with a couple exceptions. Snap Caps can be handy for training & demonstration, though, e.g. "follow the fake cartridge."
The blow GIVEN to the firing pin is the same, what's different is the way it stops.
Some guns are more tolerant than others, but there are no corners of the universe where metal fatigue is not an issue.
The first time you see a pic of a gun with a cracked breechface from excessive dry-firing, you'll begin to see the light.
Some guns are more tolerant than others, but there are no corners of the universe where metal fatigue is not an issue.
The first time you see a pic of a gun with a cracked breechface from excessive dry-firing, you'll begin to see the light.
BHPshooter
Member
Regardless of whether or not a gun is supposed to handle it, a few lousy bucks is cheap insurance. Well worth it, IMO.
Will,
Yeah, maybe I will send them an email. Like I said, maybe it's just because Browning's are sprung heavy, but I'd kinda like to hear what they have to say about it.
Wes
Will,
Yeah, maybe I will send them an email. Like I said, maybe it's just because Browning's are sprung heavy, but I'd kinda like to hear what they have to say about it.
Wes
dav
Member
smooth shell
I bought some A-Zoom snap-caps for my 1911. They don't work.
They feel like they were machined by a lathe... ridges on the case. They won't feed when I drop the slide, whether I use the slide stop or sling release.
They absolutely refuse to go under the extractor, too. I've tried to slowly feed them in manually. No go, simply will not fit under extractor.
Is this me, my expectations, or the snap-caps?
So far I think they are much worse for the health of my gun than any amount of dry-firing could possibly be.
I bought some A-Zoom snap-caps for my 1911. They don't work.
They feel like they were machined by a lathe... ridges on the case. They won't feed when I drop the slide, whether I use the slide stop or sling release.
They absolutely refuse to go under the extractor, too. I've tried to slowly feed them in manually. No go, simply will not fit under extractor.
Is this me, my expectations, or the snap-caps?
So far I think they are much worse for the health of my gun than any amount of dry-firing could possibly be.
Harold Mayo
Member
Dry-fire for 10-15 minutes minimum every day and I've never seen a problem in my carry guns.
Had ONE problem when I tried out my first Kahr K9, though. I fired one magazine through it and then dry-fired a little and ended up breaking the firing pin. The Kahr service guy told me that he hadn't ever heard of one of their firing pins breaking. They sent a new one to me and it never had another problem. Probably just a bad part.
Anyway, you can't develop good skill without a lot of dry practice. Live fire practice to a large degree will develop a flinch. Better to practice dry a lot and shoot live a little to confirm what you're doing. Snap caps aren't a bad idea but aren't a necessity.
Had ONE problem when I tried out my first Kahr K9, though. I fired one magazine through it and then dry-fired a little and ended up breaking the firing pin. The Kahr service guy told me that he hadn't ever heard of one of their firing pins breaking. They sent a new one to me and it never had another problem. Probably just a bad part.
Anyway, you can't develop good skill without a lot of dry practice. Live fire practice to a large degree will develop a flinch. Better to practice dry a lot and shoot live a little to confirm what you're doing. Snap caps aren't a bad idea but aren't a necessity.
Edward429451
member
So how do you guys with 1911's dryfire? I went through some 45 snapcaps in one day once, they got all beat up. Didn't want to feed extract. I tossed them and dryfire my 1911 empty now. The thing is though that I do not thumb the hammer back, heard that it will destroy the trigger job / innards by dragging the hammer across the sear instead of the slide coming back and pushing down on the disconnector, disengaging the sear so the hammer can reset without drag.
I've replaced the series 80 FP lock a few times when it starts to look peened too much, but no other problems.
I've replaced the series 80 FP lock a few times when it starts to look peened too much, but no other problems.
pinheadbob2002
Member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2003
- Messages
- 5
I dry fire all my 1911s. Never had a problem.
scalinghammer
Member
How does dry firing with or without a snap cap do anything to the breach face of a 1911 type gun? Many of the name gun smiths that I have spoken with don't seem to think that dry firing without a snap cap will hurt the guns that they make.
Ed Henry
Ed Henry
BluesBear
member
dav,
I use the red or blue Pachmayr snap-caps. The front ¾ are a hard plastic with a brass bass with springloaded "primer".
In both of the Colts I currently own as well as the last 7 or 8 I have had they work great. I have found that any magazine that doesn't work with them will bobble real ammo too.
They're also great for malfunction drills whem mixed in with live ammo.
The way I see it the firing pin in a 1911 style pistol is designed to hit a primer. The primer offers some "cushioning". When dry firing the firing pin protrudes farther until the shoulder of the FP slams against the end of the FP channel. I know people who dry fire hundreds of thousands of time with no ill effects but I figure the snap caps can't hurt.
In 35 years the only firing pin I have ever broken was in 1981 on a Colt 2nd Generation SAA 3" .44. It was brand new and I had dry fired it less than 20 times.
I use the red or blue Pachmayr snap-caps. The front ¾ are a hard plastic with a brass bass with springloaded "primer".
In both of the Colts I currently own as well as the last 7 or 8 I have had they work great. I have found that any magazine that doesn't work with them will bobble real ammo too.
They're also great for malfunction drills whem mixed in with live ammo.
The way I see it the firing pin in a 1911 style pistol is designed to hit a primer. The primer offers some "cushioning". When dry firing the firing pin protrudes farther until the shoulder of the FP slams against the end of the FP channel. I know people who dry fire hundreds of thousands of time with no ill effects but I figure the snap caps can't hurt.
In 35 years the only firing pin I have ever broken was in 1981 on a Colt 2nd Generation SAA 3" .44. It was brand new and I had dry fired it less than 20 times.
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