Dry firing a Glock

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Tinker

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Prior to becoming a new Glock owner, I did a lot of research online. In a lot of Youtube videos I see experienced owners checking a Glock to clear it (eject magazine.....rack the slide.....then after assuring the chamber is clear....pull the trigger)

One Youtube Glock shooter, Hickok45, does this a lot. He'll double rack the slide, then pop the trigger. This fellow professes to have had a Glock since way back when the Glock was first invented back in the 1840's. :)


I have always heard it is bad to dry fire any firearm like that. Is something different about Glocks that makes this OK to do? Thanks.
 
It doesn't hurt it. In fact, it's required for field strip. I generally don't dry fire 1911s and never DF a .22 rimfire. Won't hurt the rest.
 
Most centerfire handguns are fine to dry fire. Rimfire guns are a nono since the hammer/firing pin can be damaged and wont allow for striking the rim like it should.

Glocks are supposed to be dry fired as part of the disassembly process and overall, isnt going to hurt the gun at all.

I like to have snap caps for dry firing.

For what its worth, i think Hickok45 is one of the best gun reviewers on Youtube. He tends to ramble a bit from time to time, but honestly i enjoy that. Hes also an excellent shooter and loves to give some history to a gun he might own or test. Personally, i like his reviews and always find time to watch them.
 
Dry firing (safely) is considered by many pistol shooters to be one of the best ways to develop proper sight picture and trigger squeeze techniques. Dry firing definitely does not hurt Glocks, or, I believe, any other modern pistol design. In fact, only type of firearm that dry firing is inherently damaging to is rim-fires. This is because the firing pin is situated at the edge of the chamber, and when there is no relatively soft brass rim to crush, the firing pin can be damaged on impact with the steel barrel face.
 
Thanks for the replies. Now I know.

Steampunkqueen,

I like Hickok45. Matter of fact, his videos are the main reason I chose a Glock. I just watched one though that disturbed me. In this one on Glock cleaning he said "I used to believe that if a little oil was good......a lot was better." Me too..... I Remoiled the crap out of mine when I got it the other day. :) Guess I gotta "unclean" it now.

Looks like I still have a lot to learn about this gun.
 
Rem-oil will definitely work, but if you want to try something different you can put a few dabs of a good grease like rig or tetra gun lube on the rail contact points and the steel frame inserts. I personally prefer grease for anything that involves sliding metal contact during firing, it stays in place better than oil.
 
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I dry fired my Glock once and KABOOM! :eek:

Don't worry, it's okay for the Glock. Dry firing is bad for old guns but not modern guns.
 
I wouldn't dare run any kind of grease on my guns up here!!! At -30 it turns to stone, LOL. Glock actually shows in their manuals where to put one drop of oil I think a total of 6 drops.

Hoky shmokes Fivetwoseven!!
 
Centerfire guns almost always ok to dry-fire. The firing pin isn't striking anything, so the only contact is coming at what holds the firing pin. In a 1911, this can mushroom the firing pin head after very repeated dry-firing, but is still unlikely to affect the function of the gun.

SOME rimfires are ok to dry-fire, but make sure you know first if they are. Otherwise use a drywall anchor.

Dry-firing a rimfire has the firing pin impacting into the chamber face. This can eventually peen the chamber and cause all sorts of nasty issues like doubling or difficulty feeding. It can also wear down the firing pin. Some rimfires have mechanisms to prevent the firing pin from striking the chamber face; the Ruger MK-series is an example of this; they have a pin that prevents the firing pin from contacting the chamber face. HOWEVER, enough dry-firing of a MK-series pistol and you may eventually deform this pin.
 
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For centerfires its okay. If you dry fire rimfires you're likely to bend, dull, or malform the firing pin.
 
No grease on a Glock.!...6 drops of oil only.
Click to expand...

Why? I use grease on the rails of all of my semi-autos (actually on the moving parts of all of my guns) with nary a problem.... Of course Where I live, 30 above is pretty cold (judging by his location, I'd imagine Tinker is dealing with temperatures very similar to mine).

FIVETWOSEVEN,

A pic like that really requires more explanation, what happened? Did you have a double charged round in the chamber?
 
Rimfire guns are a nono since the hammer/firing pin can be damaged and wont allow for striking the rim like it should.
Click to expand...

Ruger Mark I/II/III rimfire pistols have to be dry-fired for dissassembly.
 
I've come round to using a thin coating of white lithium grease on all the sliding parts of my semi-autos. My guns don't get shot a lot (they have to wait their turn in the rotation) and I don't like finding them dry when I finally get around to shooting them.

So far, no problems. The stuff stays put, doesn't dry out and doesn't seem to slow things down in the cold. Plus the slides feel really smooth. You do have to resist the temptation to use too much, however. I think it would collect dirt and could be a problem in low temperatures if applied too liberally.

A tub of the stuff costs $5 or so at NAPA. Enough to last several lifetimes.
 
The stuff stays put, doesn't dry out and doesn't seem to slow things down in the cold.
Click to expand...

Bingo, grease is just an oil mixed with a thickening agent to ensure that it remains where it is applied and doesnt run or drip away from the application area. Some greases are worse about thickening in cold than others, select a proper grease for your given climate and you will be better off than with an oil that leaves the application area, taking its lubricating properties with it.
 
Hickok45 used to shoot IPSC a lot. Part of that (and most other sports - IDPA, SCSA, etc) is that after you finish a course of fire in order to show that the weapon is REALLY clear, after unloading you point it uprange and go "Hammer down" (or striker in this case). The visual empty plus the dry fire on the empty chamber removes all doubt that the weapon is clear.

He kept that practice after he left as its just a good idea.

Not just Glocks, but virtually any and every modern centerfire handgun can be dry fired as much as you want with no real damage.
 
When people give the panicked "No grease on a Glock" cry, I believe they are quoting the manual. I don't have mine anymore, but I distinctly remember the manual telling me the six drops of oil.
I believe that's where the idea comes from. The good ol' RTFM.
 
This Glock 23 was brand new in the box. The first time I took it apart I noticed some light streaks of brownish/orange (grease/oil???) in the slide rail grooves and the stainless parts (lower) that mate with those slide grooves. Any ideas what Glock used there?

As to my future useage.... This is probably the first and only large bore pistol I will ever own. If I own it another 30 years, it may never see 1000 rounds. I will shoot it enough to be familiar with it's use. May even carry it for CCW if the need arises. Don't get me wrong....if I had a nearby shooting range and unlimited ammo, I'd be shooting this thing once a week, just for fun. :D
 
Guns are shipped from the factory with a heavier oil/grease to keep it from corroding or rusting while its sitting. Usually if ive bought a NIB gun ill field strip it, wipe it down and reoil it lightly for use.
 
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