Shot cases as snap caps?
- Thread starter MR73
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Greg L
Member
Stick a pencil eraser into the primer hole to give the pin something to bounce off of. Also you will want to crimp a bullet into the cartridge (empty casings can gouge/scratch the chamber). Find someone who reloads if you can't do it yourself. I would probably also spraypaint them some sort of color so that you don't mix them up with live ammo (although that would help with your ftf drills 
).
Thinking about it while typing, you could fill the cartridge with caulk to both give the firing pin something to hit & also to simulate the weight of a loaded cartridge.
).Thinking about it while typing, you could fill the cartridge with caulk to both give the firing pin something to hit & also to simulate the weight of a loaded cartridge.
Futuristic
Member
3 things here:
1. You don't really NEED a snap cap to dry-fire an AR. They are designed to be dry-fired quite a bit. If you read the -10 (you do have a copy of the -10 Military manual don't you?) you will see that the standard function checks that are done every day (repeatedly sometimes) involve dry firing the gun several times.
2. Real snap caps work better. A fired cartridge with a spent primer might provide some cushioning for a couple more firing pin impacts but after that it is not going to help. The eraser and caulk things are overkill, just buy the snap caps. If you need one for an oddball caliber then you can start cutting up erasers.
3. If you want practice rounds to simulate malfunctions, talk to a local reloader. As long as they have the dies for your caliber they can run them up in no time. I have made dozens and dozens. I just leave out the primer and load a bullet into a case. I do advise marking them so you don't get them mixed up with live ammo. Just load them randomly into your magazines and don't count where in the mag they are and you will get good IAD practice.
Futuristic
1. You don't really NEED a snap cap to dry-fire an AR. They are designed to be dry-fired quite a bit. If you read the -10 (you do have a copy of the -10 Military manual don't you?) you will see that the standard function checks that are done every day (repeatedly sometimes) involve dry firing the gun several times.
2. Real snap caps work better. A fired cartridge with a spent primer might provide some cushioning for a couple more firing pin impacts but after that it is not going to help. The eraser and caulk things are overkill, just buy the snap caps. If you need one for an oddball caliber then you can start cutting up erasers.
3. If you want practice rounds to simulate malfunctions, talk to a local reloader. As long as they have the dies for your caliber they can run them up in no time. I have made dozens and dozens. I just leave out the primer and load a bullet into a case. I do advise marking them so you don't get them mixed up with live ammo. Just load them randomly into your magazines and don't count where in the mag they are and you will get good IAD practice.
Futuristic
I have used a previously fired .22Rimfire case as a 'snap cap' to test firing pin strike...just eject and rotate it after every snap.
Before commercial 'snap caps' were popular, I used to deprime a fired case and fill the primer pocket with Silicone Caulk or RTV compound. A $3 tube of RTV made a LARGE amount of snappers.
As Futuristic mentioned, if you make up or have made up the full dummy rounds, BE SURE to mark them. It would be an exceedingly bad thing to hear 'click' when you REALLY need to hear "BANG!"
Before commercial 'snap caps' were popular, I used to deprime a fired case and fill the primer pocket with Silicone Caulk or RTV compound. A $3 tube of RTV made a LARGE amount of snappers.
As Futuristic mentioned, if you make up or have made up the full dummy rounds, BE SURE to mark them. It would be an exceedingly bad thing to hear 'click' when you REALLY need to hear "BANG!"
I've used a spent blanks as a snap cap that will fit a 5.56 AK that STUCK in a 5.56 AR... it was kind of a booger to remove.
Buy real snap caps.
Buy real snap caps.
Car Knocker
Member
Greg L,
Edumicate me on this. How/why does an empty case damage a chamber.
If anyone else can answer this, please jump in!
Edumicate me on this. How/why does an empty case damage a chamber.
If anyone else can answer this, please jump in!
...because as the round is being chambered (assuming you aren't using a revolver, here), instead of a nice tapered ramp on the front of the round to slide it into place, you have the equivalent of a sheet-brass shovel, which could scratch its way into place, or just catch somewhere it isn't supposed to.
Just because a car key was made to go in a car, doesn't mean I want someone keying my side panels, ya know?
Just because a car key was made to go in a car, doesn't mean I want someone keying my side panels, ya know?
MachIVshooter
Member
The opposite could be just as bad.
I personally do not use snap caps. I dryfire all centerfire guns, and use spent cases for rimfire (as others said, be sure to rotate away from the indent each time). I have found no need to drop hammer on a shotgun.
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