Best Snap Caps?

All I am wanting to practice reloads with my Beretta 92A1 and other handguns and possibly rifles.

Well I have always been taught you aren't supposed to drop the slide on a handgun without a round ready to be chambered, especially on something like a 1911 which can be quite bad for the extractor.

So I am looking for some durable snap caps or dummy rounds that would allow me to safely drop the slide to simulate a reload.

So far I have used Tipton and A-Zoom aluminum snap caps and they shed fragments of material after a few chamberings. Does anyone make a more durable snap cap?

I am thinking a proper brass cased dummy round would work well but would imagine bullet setback would become a big problem after a few chamberings.

Does anyone have a remedy for this? Can you recommend a snap cap or dummy round that will be best for use in semi-automatic pistols for closing on an open slide for the purpose of practicing reloads?

Thanks!

 

I use A-Zoom now and haven't had any issues with fragments and I've had more than a few chamberings. Might be I'm not using 1911. B's Dry Fire Snap Caps caught my eye on Amazon but the A-Zoom was available locally so I went with those.

 

I don’t know if they’re the best but I use A-Zoom also for the same reason, got them locally. I’ve had mine for years and they seem ok

 

Dropping the slide is fine, but is going to be difficult to do with an empty magazine anyway.

A-zoom do wear out quickly.
Dummy rounds with a real bullet but no primer/powder will do what you ask, but like you said, bullet will setback eventually. However... the round will still feed even with the bullet way into the case, so these should last a long time. Find a friend who reloads, and get him to load up 100 or so for you and they will last you for a very long time.

 

I prefer Azooms, but yes the false "case mouth" will roll back from repeated usage in a gun head spaced that way. Such as a 9x19 pistol. Plus, the rim wears from the extractor claw.

In comparsion, revolver cartridge Azooms seem to last forever.

I've also used several brands of the plastic snap caps that have a spring loaded brass "primer". Those work pretty good, but the plastic "cartridge" will develop cracks in time.

 

The Azooms when chambered a lot, the rim will quickly separate and lead to extraction issues. Dummy rounds with real brass cases are not only tremendously cheaper, they also are overall more durable, by far actually.

 

I prefer tiptons. I like the idea of being able to see the spring inside and the azooms always leave paint and shavings behind after some use.

Azooms also seem to appear to wear out but I can’t confirm if they are really wearing out or just look the part.

 

I consider them a consumable item. Slow, but certain to wear out.
Either way, I try to keep a handful and don't much mind brand. Have 9mm A-zooms that work well (but look awful, now) and bought some of the spring-loaded Triple K (not a brand I'm a fan of) for dad's 16gauge. They work about as well as everything else, but the firing pin in that shotgun strikes at an angle and has already cratered the 'primer' pretty well.

 

I've made my own, and bullet setback was indeed a problem. A little experimentation with short pieces of appropriate sizes of wood dowels dropped into the cases resulted in bullets backed up by wood, preventing setback. A little dollop of RTV in the primer pocket may or may not help prevent firing pin damage.
Since they look just like my training ammo (except for the red or blue RTV) I can load a few mags with random dummies mixed in with the real deal. It certainly keeps me honest in the flinch department...

 

I like the A-Zoom. I have used them in .40 S&W for years for dry fire and FTF practice at the range. They are showing wear but have lasted.

I tried some cheaper clear plastic type, the ones where you can see the spring, for a shotgun and they cracked after just a couple firing pin strikes.

 

If your gun has a properly fitted extractor it wouldn't matter if it chambers a round, or not. 1911, or whatever gun you have, you can drop the slide on an empty chamber all day long and the extractor will be fine - it does not suppose to contact the barrel at all. But if you have a very light, like a real match grade trigger, that's a different story - you should avoid that exercise, but for different reasons. The heavy slap could jerk the hammer off the sear to fall to half cock and that will ruin the sear's fine primary angle.

I have made a bunch of dummy 9 mm Luger rounds about 10 years ago. Just pulled the bullet, shot the primer, and put 4 heavy dimples on the case when assembled back - no crimp, just 4 dimples with a center punch. And you can tell from the pic that they were used, and used hard. Bullet wobbles slightly in the case from so much use, but no setback. They are not good at all as a snap cap, but for dummy rounds they are perfect!