I have recently bought a glock 22 and I have tampered with it such as removing the slide, barrel and spring. Occasionally, I have dry-fired it approximately 20 times. Is this bad for the gun? Would anything be damaged such as the firing pin? Thanks in advance.
Dry-fire, bad?
- Thread starter gsrimport
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Taurus 66
Member
My quick reply is "No". If I was to sit here, take the long-winded time and explain it in full, the answer would still be "No". Dry firing will not damage anything in your pistol. Fire all the blanks you want at will.
Perhaps you're confusing this technique with archery equipment, where dry firing (shooting without an arrow or bolt onboard) could be bad for the string.
Perhaps you're confusing this technique with archery equipment, where dry firing (shooting without an arrow or bolt onboard) could be bad for the string.
chris in va
Member
And as I understand things, the Glock doesn't have a firing pin, but a striker like my XD had. Different setup.
Contact Glock and they will send you a manual.
The manual will contain the proper procedure for disassembling your firearm so you no longer have to "tamper" with it to take it apart. It will also contain other valuable information regarding your firearm which you may find useful.
The manual will contain the proper procedure for disassembling your firearm so you no longer have to "tamper" with it to take it apart. It will also contain other valuable information regarding your firearm which you may find useful.
waterhouse
Member
In general, as far as I understand, it is fine to dry fire a centerfire gun (like your glock, or the HK you mentioned). I do it all the time with mine.
Don't do it with a rimfire. If you ever get a rimfire and want to practice your trigger pull just take a spent peice of brass and let the firing pin hit that (please triple check that the piece of brass you are using is spent, contains no bullet, has already been fired, is not capable of firing, looks like a hollow tube from one end, looks like a piece of brass with a noticable dent on the rim of the other end, etc.)
Don't do it with a rimfire. If you ever get a rimfire and want to practice your trigger pull just take a spent peice of brass and let the firing pin hit that (please triple check that the piece of brass you are using is spent, contains no bullet, has already been fired, is not capable of firing, looks like a hollow tube from one end, looks like a piece of brass with a noticable dent on the rim of the other end, etc.)
Chipperman
Member
You can dry fire your Glock until your arm falls off. It's fine.
The HK USP "should" be fine as well. However.... there were some early USP's that had brittle firing pins that would break with excessive dry firing. I have not heard any reports of newer (ie year 2000+) breakages.
Safest is to use a snap cap when dry firing.
The HK USP "should" be fine as well. However.... there were some early USP's that had brittle firing pins that would break with excessive dry firing. I have not heard any reports of newer (ie year 2000+) breakages.
Safest is to use a snap cap when dry firing.
Walt Sherrill
Member
You can dry fire MOST centerfire guns, and some rimfire guns. Depends on the gun, and the owner's manual generally explains whether its safe or not.
A Glock is ok. CZs with firing pin blocks are iffy -- the firing pin retention roll pin in the older models could break -- but its easily replaced; newer models have a "doubled" roll pin, and I've not heard of one of them breaking, yet. A Beretta Tomcat shouldn't be dry-fired. All Ruger .22s can be safely dry-fired, as can a few other .22s. Those "safe" .22s have firing pin stops, so the chamber won't be dinged. It really varies by gun.
If you can't find a manual, and don't get an answer for a specific gun, use snap caps, to be safe.
A Glock is ok. CZs with firing pin blocks are iffy -- the firing pin retention roll pin in the older models could break -- but its easily replaced; newer models have a "doubled" roll pin, and I've not heard of one of them breaking, yet. A Beretta Tomcat shouldn't be dry-fired. All Ruger .22s can be safely dry-fired, as can a few other .22s. Those "safe" .22s have firing pin stops, so the chamber won't be dinged. It really varies by gun.
If you can't find a manual, and don't get an answer for a specific gun, use snap caps, to be safe.
Contact the manufacturer of your rimfire firearm and they will send you a manual.
The manual will contain valuable information regarding your firearm which you may find useful such as whether or not dryfiring is safe. I own several rimfire firearms which are specifically designed to be safe to dryfire.
Black Majik
Member
gsrimport,
dont worry about dry-firing your Glock 22. You're suppose to in order to field strip your pistol. Oh, and dont worry about field stripping your pistol, cuz you're suppose to clean it.
Always make sure your firearm is UNLOADED before pulling the trigger.
Good luck and safe shootin'!
dont worry about dry-firing your Glock 22. You're suppose to in order to field strip your pistol. Oh, and dont worry about field stripping your pistol, cuz you're suppose to clean it.
Always make sure your firearm is UNLOADED before pulling the trigger.
Good luck and safe shootin'!
horge
Member
BluesBear
member
It actually does have a firing pin. However the stiker/firing pin is a single unit instead of being two separate pieces as it is in hammer fired semi-auto pistols.
horge
Member
From what I understand... dry fired to death.
Striker shoulders hammered the breechface into submission.
I particularly enjoyed the documented story of a G17 suffering the same
fractured breechface... at the hands of an inveterate dry-firer going by
the online handle "homogenizer".
rockstar.esq
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With all due respect, it seems to me that since the firing pin was designed to get stopped by hitting a primer, the rest of it would be designed as such. The firing pin shoulder is the point where the firing pin gets thicker to allow a place for the return spring to press against and to prevent the pin from flying through the breechface altogether. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say that centerfires will be fine since the pin doesn't hit anything. Well Newtons third law still applies and an object in motion does tend to stay in motion unless acted upon by some outside agency. What precisely did you think was going to stop the pin? Now I'm not trying to ignore the simple fact that the gun manufacturers are aware that thier product might get mishandled. John Browning was known to have said that he wanted a gun to work even when it was severely abused, fed the wrong ammo,or full of dirt. I'm sure that some manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to make the firing pin shoulders tougher or put stouter return springs in. All so that we can avoid using snap caps. I have a revolver and a semiauto that were both extensively dry fired. I had to replace most of the firing unit on the semiauto and the return spring on the revolver is broken. I have to ask myself why people continue to do things that don't make much sense explaining it away as "I didn't have a problem." I knew a ton of guys that swore that using automatic transmission fluid in a Diesel was just as effective as using dedicated fuel injector cleaner. I also know a few who took that advise and had to overhaul their fuel system. Not two months ago there was a poster on this forum who said that he used brake cleaner instead of bore solvents. He claimed it was "cheaper" and "the same thing as bore cleaner" in the same thread that some guy started telling us all that he had removed a substantial amount of his bluing by using that "cheaper" product. How many good guns need to get ruined by cheapskates? Why would you spend hundreds of dollars for a gun to purposely abuse it? Espescially if you intend to carry it as your primary self defense gun. Most of us would agree that anyone carrying concealed should practice with, maintain, and clean their gun as though their life depended on it. I am saddend to read nearly a dozen replys wherein the only consistent voices of reason suggest asking the manufacturer. For some, I'm sure this is falling on deaf ears. For others, I hope that you will consider what I'm saying and buy some snap caps.
Zach S
Member
Dryfire away. IME it wont hurt it, and I've dryfired my G17 a lot. Going from a Kimber trigger to a Glock trigger isnt easy.
BluesBear
member
Some guns tolerate dryfiring better than others.
The most expensive handgun I ever bought was a brand new Colt SAA Sheriff's Model Convertable .44-40/.44 Special. I bought it brand new in 1981 and dealer cost (I was an FFL then) was $640.14. That was quite a chunk of change in those days.
The manual advised against dryfiring. Technically I wasn't dry firing, I was only loading five. The THIRD time I dropped the hammer on the empty chamber the firing pin broke. It appeard that the shoulder of the hammer mounted firing pin was far enough out that it was hitting the frame when there was no primer to cushion it. Sooner or later it would have probably broken under normal use anyway. The replacement hammer Colt sent to me had the shoulder farther back so the hammer face hit the frame before the firing pin shoulder did. I dry fired the hell out of it after that with no ill effects.
I once figured that I have dryfired each and every double action Colt and S&W revolver I have ever owned at least 10,000 times each.
The Model 65 I recently worked on for a fellow THR member was dryfired about 2000 times just to ensure that the new hammer wasn't rubbing anywhere and was going to be compatable with the original trigger.
Of course I am referring to S&W revolvers with hammer mounted firing pins. The newer designs may or may not be as robust.
I have dryfired my Taurus revolvers at least 5,000 times each. So far no problems but I must admit I do worry a little because they have frame mounted firing pins.
But then I think of my old Charter Arms Undercover and Target Bulldog. They were produced with beryllium firing pins that Charter Arms declared were unbreakable. I have seen several destroyed and otherwise worn out Charter Arms guns but I must confess that I have never seen one with a broken firing pin.
I have no idea how many times I have dryfired any 1911 type pistol I have ever owned. But you can be assures it was one helluva lot. The inertia firing pin design relys on the firing pin spring to absorb the impact when a chambered round is not present. Perhaps the spring would last 47 minutes longer if I used snap caps but so far I have never worn one out.
I have one of the old Gardner Mass H&R 999 revolvers. The cylinder face is recessed far enough that the firing pin doesn't hit it. The transfer bar feels the brunt of the hammer force anyway so I'm not worried about the firing pin.
I've replaced several cylinder retainers in it over the past 20 years but she still goes bang every time the hammer drops on a live round. And as anothe THR member can attest, in single action, standing, using two hands, she'll put all nine shots into an inch at 25 feet using cheap bulk packed ammo.
I'd estimate this gun has been dryfired about 50,000 times. Hell's Bells™ I've already dry fired it about 150 times this evening.
Now regarding the pictures shown above...
The force exerted by the primer pushing against the breechface during firing is greater than the force applied by the firing pin from dryfiring even though the firing pin impact will be of much shorter duration.
A breechface that weak scares me.
Sooner or later it was bound to give way in one direction or the other.
I never did cotton to semi-auto guns whose firing pins remained protruded after firing. Dragging the firing pin nose across the primer during ejection just doesn't seem right to me.
There's no need for it. The firing pin's job is to jump out, sting the cartridge on the ass and then get the hell out of the way.
The most expensive handgun I ever bought was a brand new Colt SAA Sheriff's Model Convertable .44-40/.44 Special. I bought it brand new in 1981 and dealer cost (I was an FFL then) was $640.14. That was quite a chunk of change in those days.
The manual advised against dryfiring. Technically I wasn't dry firing, I was only loading five. The THIRD time I dropped the hammer on the empty chamber the firing pin broke. It appeard that the shoulder of the hammer mounted firing pin was far enough out that it was hitting the frame when there was no primer to cushion it. Sooner or later it would have probably broken under normal use anyway. The replacement hammer Colt sent to me had the shoulder farther back so the hammer face hit the frame before the firing pin shoulder did. I dry fired the hell out of it after that with no ill effects.
I once figured that I have dryfired each and every double action Colt and S&W revolver I have ever owned at least 10,000 times each.
The Model 65 I recently worked on for a fellow THR member was dryfired about 2000 times just to ensure that the new hammer wasn't rubbing anywhere and was going to be compatable with the original trigger.
Of course I am referring to S&W revolvers with hammer mounted firing pins. The newer designs may or may not be as robust.
I have dryfired my Taurus revolvers at least 5,000 times each. So far no problems but I must admit I do worry a little because they have frame mounted firing pins.
But then I think of my old Charter Arms Undercover and Target Bulldog. They were produced with beryllium firing pins that Charter Arms declared were unbreakable. I have seen several destroyed and otherwise worn out Charter Arms guns but I must confess that I have never seen one with a broken firing pin.
I have no idea how many times I have dryfired any 1911 type pistol I have ever owned. But you can be assures it was one helluva lot. The inertia firing pin design relys on the firing pin spring to absorb the impact when a chambered round is not present. Perhaps the spring would last 47 minutes longer if I used snap caps but so far I have never worn one out.
I have one of the old Gardner Mass H&R 999 revolvers. The cylinder face is recessed far enough that the firing pin doesn't hit it. The transfer bar feels the brunt of the hammer force anyway so I'm not worried about the firing pin.
I've replaced several cylinder retainers in it over the past 20 years but she still goes bang every time the hammer drops on a live round. And as anothe THR member can attest, in single action, standing, using two hands, she'll put all nine shots into an inch at 25 feet using cheap bulk packed ammo.
I'd estimate this gun has been dryfired about 50,000 times. Hell's Bells™ I've already dry fired it about 150 times this evening.
Now regarding the pictures shown above...
The force exerted by the primer pushing against the breechface during firing is greater than the force applied by the firing pin from dryfiring even though the firing pin impact will be of much shorter duration.
A breechface that weak scares me.
Sooner or later it was bound to give way in one direction or the other.I never did cotton to semi-auto guns whose firing pins remained protruded after firing. Dragging the firing pin nose across the primer during ejection just doesn't seem right to me.
There's no need for it. The firing pin's job is to jump out, sting the cartridge on the ass and then get the hell out of the way.
1911 guy
Member
Old Myth
We've all heard not to dry fire, at one time or another, for one reason or another. While most rimfires have not taken kindly to it, a modern centerfire will have no problem, if manufactured correctly. The reason I have heard from several places about the origin of this is metal quality of older guns. Waaay back when Moses was a boyscout, everybody knew not to dryfire a percussion lock because you'd crush the nipple (Ouch). When the self contained cartridge came along, firing pins were made mostly of El Cheapo metal but it didn't matter, nobody ever dryfired. Dryfiring was the equivalent of cold working the metal, making it brittle. I'm still not entirely sure this even is accurate, as striking a primer involves a bit of cold working, too. Oh well, another opinion for the rumor mill.
We've all heard not to dry fire, at one time or another, for one reason or another. While most rimfires have not taken kindly to it, a modern centerfire will have no problem, if manufactured correctly. The reason I have heard from several places about the origin of this is metal quality of older guns. Waaay back when Moses was a boyscout, everybody knew not to dryfire a percussion lock because you'd crush the nipple (Ouch). When the self contained cartridge came along, firing pins were made mostly of El Cheapo metal but it didn't matter, nobody ever dryfired. Dryfiring was the equivalent of cold working the metal, making it brittle. I'm still not entirely sure this even is accurate, as striking a primer involves a bit of cold working, too. Oh well, another opinion for the rumor mill.
rockstar.esq
Member
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- Dec 9, 2004
- Messages
- 1,475
While most rimfires have not taken kindly to it, a modern centerfire will have no problem, if manufactured correctly.
Guess thats why many "Quality" manufacturers recommend against it. Do what you want it's your gun, But I fail to see what is so otherworldy painful about using snap caps when there is a chance (however remote) that you are harming your gun. I'm sure an M16 makes a great crutch and the frame window of a revolver makes a good wrench. I'm also sure you could limp out of combat or rebuild a sink in either case. Still doesn't make it senisble or right when you've got the right tool for the job. Ignorance in front of the facts equates to stubborn. I hope your guns work when you want them to, I'm sure that many of you won't have a single problem as the mindset of the military illustrates via it's "torture tests" wherein they abuse a given firearm to see to it that no matter how clumsy, careless, or ignorant a given serviceman is, his gun will work anyhow. My advise, abuse the guns that have passed these tests as they and perhaps they alone are built for those who won't care for them.
Guess thats why many "Quality" manufacturers recommend against it. Do what you want it's your gun, But I fail to see what is so otherworldy painful about using snap caps when there is a chance (however remote) that you are harming your gun. I'm sure an M16 makes a great crutch and the frame window of a revolver makes a good wrench. I'm also sure you could limp out of combat or rebuild a sink in either case. Still doesn't make it senisble or right when you've got the right tool for the job. Ignorance in front of the facts equates to stubborn. I hope your guns work when you want them to, I'm sure that many of you won't have a single problem as the mindset of the military illustrates via it's "torture tests" wherein they abuse a given firearm to see to it that no matter how clumsy, careless, or ignorant a given serviceman is, his gun will work anyhow. My advise, abuse the guns that have passed these tests as they and perhaps they alone are built for those who won't care for them.
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