Dry Firing .22 Semi-Auto Rifle

[fadetoblack73]

I own a Browning .22 Semi-Auto Rifle. I understand that you are not ever supposed to dry fire rim-fire firearms. However I don't understand how to prevent from dry firing in several circumstances. For instance, after firing all of the cartridges loaded in the rifle, the next trigger pull will result in a "dry fire". The breech block on the Browning does not lock open on the last shot fired. Another situation results when you safety check the chamber before storing the rifle. You obviously have to pull back the breech block to open the action of the rifle when you safety check it. This results in a "cocked" action. There is no de-cocking mechanism on the Browning. Unless you want to store the rifle cocked it is necessary to dry fire it, once again. The last scenario also happens anytime you clean the rifle. All of this causes a lot of dry firing for something that it not supposed to be dry fired. Please give me some advice.

 

[Max C.]

You may want to contact Browning and see what they say. They may have designed i to withstand dry firing.

 

[nwilliams]

I've often wondered about this myself.

There are many rimfire handguns and rifles where the bolt or slide doesn't lock back after the last round, so unless you are counting you're more than likely going to dry fire unintentionally and then realize that you had already fired your last round.

 

[Jubjub]

I don't know about the Browning specifically, but for example the 10/22 firing pin has a stop built into it so that it will not contact the chamber rim if dry fired.

 

[sourdough44]

You can insert a SPENT casing if desired, or the snap cap. It should only be a problem with a rimfire if the firing pin is out of proper tolerances & hits the edge of the chamber. My belief is that would be uncommon in most modern guns. That said I try not to dry fire a rimfire any more than seldom without a snap cap or spent case in the chamber.

 

[MichaelK]

With my rimfires, I pull the bolts back 1/32" and pull the trigger so the pin doesn't hit the back of the barrel.

 

[highorder]

With my rimfires, I pull the bolts back 1/32" and pull the trigger so the pin doesn't hit the back of the barrel.

Bingo. I do this with my M1 Garand, Winchester Model 12, and all my rimfires. In most cases, it prevents the hammer from contacting the firing pin at all; if it does make contact with the pin, it does it with less than full force, and makes me feel better.

BUT WAIT; if you call now, you can hold the trigger back when you cam the bolt into battery on most Mauser 98 variants to acomplish the same thing!

People question the value, but it doesn't hurt.

 

[rcmodel]

It won't hurt the Browning .22 Auto to dry-fire it when the mag runs dry or for storage.

By design, the firing pin cannot hit the barrel or chamber edge.

John Browning weren't no fool.
If it needed a slide hold-open to prevent dry-firing every time the mag tube runs dry, he would have put one on it.

That's not to say you should spends hours on end dry-firing for practice, but it probably still wouldn't hurt it.
The striker on those rifles is about as strong as a truck axle.

rc

 

[chevyforlife21]

well it dont hurt to store the gun cocked, 90 percent of guns are stored cocked. if you count your rounds you wont have to dry fire at that last shot, as said before if you dry fire it once every few months that should be fine but dont practice it in your house.

 

[SwampWolf]

well it dont hurt to store the gun cocked, 90 percent of guns are stored cocked.

Maybe so (and maybe not). Who knows for sure? I like to be on the safe side and try to keep most of my firearms uncocked while being stored for any length of time. And I agree with those who argue that the occasional dry-firing of a .22 rimfire should cause no harm (or maybe not ).

 

[Uncle Mike]

well it dont hurt to store the gun cocked, 90 percent of guns are stored cocked.

WHAT!?!?!

Man! How many firing pin springs we replace every year because of just that... Billy Bob's favorite deer rifle let him down...can't understand it, he pulls the trigger and a wimpy little click is all he hears, and no bang....

"Billy Bob, did you leave this thing cocked all summer, since last deer season...?"

"Yup...won't hurt it....." OK Billy, here's your gun back, we put in a new firing pin spring...now pay up, and we'll see you next year...!"

Don't store your firearms cocked....

 

[stchman]

The Ruger 10/22 was made to dry fire, I cannot speak of any other .22LR rifle.

 

[CZguy]

Don't store your firearms cocked....

Even though I don't store any of mine cocked.

The physics of springs is that they wear out from cycles (being compressed and un-compressed) not from being stored compressed. Oh, and being over-compressed.

 

[highorder]

90 percent of guns are stored cocked.

Don't know about guns at home, but that is very true of all the long guns at the Gander Mountain I used to work for. I suspect that translates to most guns at most box stores. Anytime you can cycle the action with a triggerlock in place, thats the storage condition you end up with.

 

[benzy2]

I dry fire the sin out of the rimfires I have that are designed to keep the firing pin from making contact with the chamber. I measure them to double check that the pins won't hit. After that I get as much trigger time with them as possible. I find it makes a big difference to really get to know a trigger and dry firing allows this when range time isn't possible.

 

[ArmedBear]

the 10/22 firing pin has a stop built into it so that it will not contact the chamber rim if dry fired.

Ruger's manual tells you which pin is the stop. Make sure it's properly inserted, or you WILL trash it by dry-firing it, intentionally or not.

This goes for all rimfires: even if they're designed to be dry-fired, make sure they're properly assembled and all parts are intact before doing it.