PSA: Stop yer dryfirin, specially dem rimfires!

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bigalexe

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There are a few subjects when it comes to guns that always seem to need just a little bit more reinforcing. One of these subjects which recently bit me is that you shouldn't be dry firing a rimfire weapon. Here is photo proof of what happened to my S&W 22A after being dry fired less times than I have fingers to count! You are looking at the visible dent near the 'top' of the breech face.

mr3f9k.jpg

So what happened? It got dry fired a few times and that dent shoved some metal down into the chamber area creating a burr. When a casing went into the chamber it got smashed on the way in. This meant the casings were failing to eject because they were dragging against the walls of the chamber.
 
I think a better way to put it would be "keep on dry firing, even the rimfires unless they're of poor or antiquated design"
 
Have to say ... rimfire dryfiring makes me cringe every time. Centerfire? I don't like the ones I can't dryfire. A lot.
 
I use Snap-Caps or spent casings when dry firing my rimfires...
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This, I do the same thing and even purchased .22lr dummy rounds.

Center fire guns I don't care with the exception of my over/under shotgun. I'll load azzume snap caps to dry fire the shotgun.
 
ive dry fired my .22s literally hundreds of times...without snap caps.....ive never experienced any ill effects.

ide say its more a case of know your weapon, and Read The Manual more than anything else.
 
used to pickup 22s cheap for the same reason. i would get the small round fishhook sharpener from walmart and smooth the face of the chamber. i used them because they were diamond grit and wouldn't scar like a rattail.
 
The manual for my 10/22 tells me specifically to dry fire it so I can learn the feel of the trigger.
 
As others have said, it depends on the gun - Ruger Mk2, no problem, as long as you haven't removed the stop pin from the bolt. For guns that aren't designed for dryfire I use these: http://www.larrysguns.com/Products/Chamber-Plugs__LGI.aspx (actually, mine are the Hammerli brand these are apparently a replacement for).

If the chamber is dinged, FWIW Brownells sells a 'chamber ironing tool' that is supposed to displace the ding back where it came from, instead of removing metal. I haven't tried one personally.
 
I'm confused by the topic of the thread, "Stop yer dryfirin, specially dem rimfires!" It seems to imply that we shouldn't be dry firing any gun, with an special emphasis on rimfires. Is that really what you are trying to say?
 
Dry firing a centerfire is a heck of a lot easier on the gun than actually shooting it. As for rimfires, I've always used #4 wall anchors. They even cycle like .22s.
 
From a mechanical standpoint it's poor to dry fire any weapon or let any other spring loaded mechanisms slam onto themselves.

With the rimfire in the photo of course the alignment is such that a hardened firing pin hits the back of breech, dents it, and wears on the pin.

In general weapons are designed for usage with resistance in all the parts. The bolt/slide (depending on weapon) is supposed to have a round to push into the chamber, the pin is supposed to be piercing the back of a primer, and so on. When you just drop the parts freely something ends up hitting something else harder than it should. That causes excessive fatigue and results in premature failure.
 
We dry fire to become more proficient with our firearms.

I have dry-fired extensively for about 22 years. No issues yet....
 
When you just drop the parts freely something ends up hitting something else harder than it should. That causes excessive fatigue and results in premature failure.
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Certainly. But you can dryfire, say, a glock, about a billion times before anything will break. Military rifles? Quite a few thousand times, likely. And what breaks in that case is the firing pin, which is cheap and easily replaceable. Use a snap cap, and the wear almost disappears. And the benefits, IMO, outweigh the very small amount of wear.

In many cases, dryfiring improves the smoothness of the trigger/action. And the benefits of regular, safe, dryfiring practice definitely show up on the range.
 
I've used the plastic .22 dummies and they're OK but get dinged up too bad after a while.

I take a pair of flush cutters and trim a segment out of the rim of a real empty .22 case,then place the empty in the chamber with the cut out part where the extractor is. That way you can hand-cycle the action to cock it for the next "shot" without the case extracting.

Good for 20 or so "shots" before I get concerned about the smooshed-down brass under the firing pin getting too thin. Not scientific, just judgement.

And they're free. (Make sure they're not full of dirt and sand and whatnot. Coming off a range floor, they should be fine.)

I haven't used this method for some guns with dual extractors (like the old Remingtons), so can't testify to that, but it ought to work.

Only disadvantage is you need to push out the used-up case with a rod.

Terry, 230RN
 
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To me, dry firing is just not a good idea. Not an absolutely never kind of thing; dryfiring is typically not done at the range, or somewhere where your okay to shoot...not dry firing seriously reduces the chances for a negligent discharge and there's no damage to the gun.
 
Probably true that manipulation is a major cause of AD/NDs, but you make triple-sure all live ammo is in another room, and triple check that the gun is not loaded when you transfer the ammo.

One of the times when paranoia is a healthy thing.

I find it useful, when I am done with dry-firing, to say out loud to myself, "OK I'm finished with dry-firing and the gun is now dangerous again."

Sounds stupid, but I ike to remind myself out loud that the gun is now "live."

Terry, 230RN
 
having been a LE firearms instructor for several years, I know that SOP id dry fire practice and lots of it. any high-quality firearm in good operating condition should be good for thousands of dry fires. most modern firearms including rimfires have firing pin stops to keep the firing pif from "bottoming-out", and in most firearms, both the firing pin and stop are easily and inexpensively replacable. firearms require regular maintenance and so do our skills. some wear and tear is to be expected, and new pins and stops are cheap, so wear them out.
 
I genuinely hate dry firing, even though I know it doesn't usually hurt. Check chamber before each dry fire even if you just dry fired. You'll thank me someday for this habit.
 
"S&W 22A after being dry fired less times than I have fingers"

I've been shooting rimfires for nearly 60 years and I am very surprised that's all it took. That must be some seriously soft metal.
 
With the exception the guns that the owners manual states not to dryfire... like some older rimfire designs, dry firing is an important part of learning to shoot a weapon. I just about won't own a weapon that can't be dry fired.
 
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