Dry-firing damage
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Dmitri Popov
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Hi-Points are notorious for having brittle firing pins. Dry firing will break them. I've know smiths who have bought these for almost nothing, replace the firing pin, then resale at a good profit.
Also muzzleloaders. Not a good idea to snap on a bare nipple. Or a bear nipple for that matter!
Also muzzleloaders. Not a good idea to snap on a bare nipple. Or a bear nipple for that matter!
bluekouki86
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Dry firing any rimfire will damage it. The firing pin strikes the end of the barrel at the chamber.
Sooner or later you will break the tip of the firing pin or with rimfires put dents in the wrong places it is just a matter of time. Others will chime in......it hasnt happened to me and I do it all the time. With some firearms it may take many thousands of dry fires lothers only one Best to just not do it.
Sav .250
Member
When in doubt..............use a snap cap.
Dry firing .22 rimfires can also cause the chamber to develop a "lip" that causes a live rimfire round to get stuck in the chamber when the extractor pulls off of the rim of the stuck round. The person thinks the rifle is empty because no round was ejected. Then later either he/she or some other person "dry fires" the .22 with the potentially tragic result.
Always visually check the chamber on any firearm. Always.
Always visually check the chamber on any firearm. Always.
Yep.
ClarkEMyers
Member
Lots of Star pistols will break the firing pin when dry fired. Many shotguns.
Jon_Snow
Member
bluekouki86 said:
Not always true. 10/22s for example have a firing pin stop that keeps the firing pin from extending past the bolt face farther than the rim thickness of a 22, so the firing pin never hits the barrel/chamber. If you want to know if you can dry-fire a 22, disassemble it and push the firing pin as far forward as possible. If it sticks out past the part that contacts the back of the barrel, it's not safe to dry-fire.
243winxb
Member
All. Metal to metal contact.
Dframe
Member
None of the Colt MK III actioned revolvers should be dry fired without snap caps. It can damage the firing pin, and thats a "factory only" repair. When in doubt, always use snap caps. It's really, very cheap insurance. Nowadays you can get a set for about $20
herrwalther
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Many firearms are stress tested at the factories for durability. Unless you are sitting around dry firing all day from morning to night, you won't see any ill effects from dry firing on most quality centerfire weapons.
Sun Tzu warrior
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On all firearms, check the manufacturers recommendations in the owners manual.
AS Bexar has stated; ALWAYS check the magazine and a visual check of the chamber, before dry firing any firearm.
Ruger MK pistols must be dry fired to disassemble. For .22 caliber rim fire you can use #4 (yellow) dry wall screw anchors as snap caps, they will even feed from most magazines.
STW
AS Bexar has stated; ALWAYS check the magazine and a visual check of the chamber, before dry firing any firearm.
Ruger MK pistols must be dry fired to disassemble. For .22 caliber rim fire you can use #4 (yellow) dry wall screw anchors as snap caps, they will even feed from most magazines.
STW
Kp321
Member
As stated previously, dry firing CAN damage any firearm but some are much riskier than others. Rimfires, double barrels, and CZ-52 pistols come to mind. CZ-52's are the worst offenders and firing pins are not common.
Onward Allusion
Member
Never ever dry fire any type of rim-fire. Sure, you can get away with it on most modern guns, but don't chance it because the firing pin could very well be hitting the cylinder or chamber. Much safer with centerfire 'cause the pin hits air. However, older guns may have softer metal and the pin can break after lots of dry firing.
Spend $20 and get a good set of snap caps.
Spend $20 and get a good set of snap caps.
LAGS
Member
Dry firing does not always cause Instant Damage.
But the metal to metal contact of all the parts in the firing system, with out the proper resistance , Will eventually cause some form of damage.
To see the point;
Take a Quarter, and hold it between your thumb, and finger.
Now take a metal teaspoon and tap on the edge of the Quarter.
Just sit there and tap , tap tap away.
Now see how long it takes to flatten out all the ridges on the edge of the quarter, or eventually Peen over the edge of the quarter.
Yes, Your trigger and sear as well as your firing pin are hardened.
But the part that is hitting them is hardened too.
A round in the chamber, or a snap cap lessens the impact, and allows the parts to function in the mannor they were designd to work.
And Dry firing repeatedly will not wear in your trigger and give you a smoother trigger pull or sear trip. even eith a snap cap.
Best advise, Do not Dry fire Any gun, and if you have to check function, use a Snap Cap.
But the metal to metal contact of all the parts in the firing system, with out the proper resistance , Will eventually cause some form of damage.
To see the point;
Take a Quarter, and hold it between your thumb, and finger.
Now take a metal teaspoon and tap on the edge of the Quarter.
Just sit there and tap , tap tap away.
Now see how long it takes to flatten out all the ridges on the edge of the quarter, or eventually Peen over the edge of the quarter.
Yes, Your trigger and sear as well as your firing pin are hardened.
But the part that is hitting them is hardened too.
A round in the chamber, or a snap cap lessens the impact, and allows the parts to function in the mannor they were designd to work.
And Dry firing repeatedly will not wear in your trigger and give you a smoother trigger pull or sear trip. even eith a snap cap.
Best advise, Do not Dry fire Any gun, and if you have to check function, use a Snap Cap.
GarySTL
Member
Been using these for a while and they work well.
Dry firing is also a function of energy transfer. The energy transferred to the firing pin travels to the end of the pin and if it does not have any where to go it tries to return to its source and runs back into the energy still latent in the firing pin "shaft". When these two meet it sets up vibration which can simply pop at some weak spot in the entire length of the pin. When the firing pin strikes a primer...the energy is transferred and this usually is a harmless result. Think of hitting a cue ball into the eight ball. Upon impact the cue ball stops as all of its energy is transferred to the eight ball as the eight ball scoots. Now this is not a perfect example...imagine that eight ball hits the side rail and then rebounds to strike the cue ball. A somewhat similar event happens in the molecules and crystalline structure of the firing pin. Modern firing pins are designed to withstand this rebound effect but that's theory fixing theory and therefore subjective. The other issue is older guns sometimes were fired with corrosive primers which minutely pitted the old pins and weakened them. Take this for the spirit it's presented with.
Very, very few modern guns will be hurt in the least by dry firing, even most modern 22's. Check the owners manual to be sure. I've been dry firing my guns for close to 50 years, never owned a snap cap, never had any issues with a gun designed to be dry fired. I'm absolutely convinced that any gun designed to be dry fired will break at exactly the same round count regardless of whether they were all dry fires, all live fires, or a combination of both. I have one gun owned since 1974 that has to have been dry fired over 100,000 times. If it makes you feel better, buy some snap caps. The only advantage they offer is to help ensure you don't have a live round in the chamber, and that may be enough.
Only issue I ever had was with an early Ruger P345 that did not include instructions about dry firing without the magazine in place. Once corrected and a revised owners manual was sent back with the gun Ruger even advised dry fire all I wanted, just do it with the magazine in the gun to prevent damage. Even Ruger didn't know the problem was there until guns started coming back for repair.
Even if you do wear out a gun by dry firing it, you would have done the same damage live firing, and few of us can afford that much ammo. I'd have spent $50,000-$70,000 on ammo to get in the 100,000 dry fires on my 1974 gun. And that does not include the tens or thousands from other guns I own. I would not be nearly as good a shot today without that trigger time. It not only does help break in and smooth out a gun, it makes you very familiar with working the action fast. I often spend an hour or so several days a week dry firing at squirrels, birds etc., out of the window in my office just to keep in practice.
Only issue I ever had was with an early Ruger P345 that did not include instructions about dry firing without the magazine in place. Once corrected and a revised owners manual was sent back with the gun Ruger even advised dry fire all I wanted, just do it with the magazine in the gun to prevent damage. Even Ruger didn't know the problem was there until guns started coming back for repair.
Even if you do wear out a gun by dry firing it, you would have done the same damage live firing, and few of us can afford that much ammo. I'd have spent $50,000-$70,000 on ammo to get in the 100,000 dry fires on my 1974 gun. And that does not include the tens or thousands from other guns I own. I would not be nearly as good a shot today without that trigger time. It not only does help break in and smooth out a gun, it makes you very familiar with working the action fast. I often spend an hour or so several days a week dry firing at squirrels, birds etc., out of the window in my office just to keep in practice.
LAGS
Member
The question is,
Why are you Dry Firing a gun.
Is it just an incedental or accidental dry firing.
Or do you sit around the house going "Click Click Click" to your hearts content.
Some believe they can be a better shooter if they practice dry firing all day at a target.
If the gun is not firing, at best it is just working your trigger finger, and does not replicate a live fire.
There is no recoil, no bang , nor any proof if you actually did hit the target.
It is like swinging a baseball bat in the air, and not hitting a ball.
Was that really a home run or just a double ?
I also have heard some say it is cheaper to practice by dry firing sence ammo is so expensive and hard to get right now.
But what is the eventual cost of repairing your gun ?
Dry firing may not damage a gun right away, but if you like your gun, why take the chance.
There will be plenty of times when you do dry fire a gun just that once or twice, either by accident or just a quick action check.
So why compound the situation.
And Safety wise.
It is a BAD Practice to dry fire any gun, because eventually you will end up picking up one that is loaded, and you could accidently fire it just by habit.
Why are you Dry Firing a gun.
Is it just an incedental or accidental dry firing.
Or do you sit around the house going "Click Click Click" to your hearts content.
Some believe they can be a better shooter if they practice dry firing all day at a target.
If the gun is not firing, at best it is just working your trigger finger, and does not replicate a live fire.
There is no recoil, no bang , nor any proof if you actually did hit the target.
It is like swinging a baseball bat in the air, and not hitting a ball.
Was that really a home run or just a double ?
I also have heard some say it is cheaper to practice by dry firing sence ammo is so expensive and hard to get right now.
But what is the eventual cost of repairing your gun ?
Dry firing may not damage a gun right away, but if you like your gun, why take the chance.
There will be plenty of times when you do dry fire a gun just that once or twice, either by accident or just a quick action check.
So why compound the situation.
And Safety wise.
It is a BAD Practice to dry fire any gun, because eventually you will end up picking up one that is loaded, and you could accidently fire it just by habit.
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My brother broke his Colt Python by dry firing it. On his first range trip, click. Every time he dropped the hammer, click. Took it back to the shop and they had to replace the firing pin.
Do not dry fire a 22 LR. You will peen the metal over if you do.
Do not dry fire a 22 LR. You will peen the metal over if you do.
45_auto
Member
hartcreek said:
What I find odd is that so many here incorrectly BELIEVE that they understand the "basic physics" involved despite statements from the manufacturer's themselves contradicting "basic physics".
I would think that since the engineers at major manufacturers such as Ruger and S&W obviously don't understand "basic physics", talents such as yours should be in high demand!
From the Ruger FAQ:
http://www.ruger.com/service/FAQs.html#Q114
From the S&W FAQ:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...4_750001_750051_757815_-1_757814_757812_image
Short answer to the OP's question:
If you don't understand how your gun works, check with the manufacturer to verify if dry firing it will cause damage.
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