DRY FIRING

[md7]

I have owned guns for a long time, and have always been told to never dry fire one. i never questioned or asked why, i just accepted it and never dry fired my guns. i am curious though. how does dry firing cause damage to a firearm?

 

[loki.fish]

The only thing I've ever been told not to dryfire are rimfire guns. Since the firing pin hits the edge of the casing, if you dryfire it can hit the side of the chamber and damage the pin? As far as centerfire, I don't think it'll damage anything, but I may be wrong.

 

[atlctyslkr]

If you're really worried you can always buy some snap caps.

 

[Manedwolf]

Just order azoom snap caps.

 

[pax]

Never dryfire a rimfire gun, unless the owner's manual says it is okay.

Centerfire guns: if the gun cost less than $200 new, don't dryfire it. Otherwise consult your owner's manual and go with what it says. With a few notable exceptions, modern centerfires can't really be damaged by dryfire.

Dryfire is incredibly dangerous. It's also very beneficial when done safely. If you don't know how to do it safely, don't do it.

http://www.corneredcat.com/Safety/dryfire.htm

pax

 

[Q-Lock]

Consult your owner's manuals for your answer. If you don't have an owner's manual, you can surely find one online to buy or just download.

I dryfire my Ruger mk2 all the time...it's great practice for Bullseye shooting.

Regards,

 

[OH25shooter]

I dryfire any and all center fire handguns. I do not my rimfire 22. Only because the manual tells you to not dryfire the gun. However, I don't go overboard dryfiring hundreds of times while practicing for a competition.

 

[eng23ine]

I know its probably a dumb question, but could spent cases(painted red maybe) be used in place of snap caps?

 

[Manedwolf]

I know its probably a dumb question, but could spent cases(painted red maybe) be used in place of snap caps?

That way lies ND. Plus an empty shell likely won't feed, or the edge will scratch your feedramp or something. You'd have to manually chamber it. The azooms act like a full round and can be used to test feeding.

Why not just get a snapcap? They're like, what, $9 a pack for the azooms?

Costs almost as much for paint and your time.

 

[shermacman]

Manedwolf is right, furthermore, the primer from a spent case will be dented. Which will eliminate the protection you get from the azoom.
http://www.pistoleer.com/azoom/

 

[ShackleMeNot]

Get yourself some dummy rounds:

http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=123_157

 

[Skywarp]

I've dryfired my Sigs(3), Walther P99, Glock, and SA 1911 thousands of times. No problems to report so far.

 

[Duneblade]

I have a bolt action .223 1500 Howa, and want to dry fire it, as it is starting to get cooler outside in Arizona. Which would be better for me? Also on the website http://www.pistoleer.com/azoom/rifle/ They list 3 diffrent kinds of .233, I use rem when I shoot. . . is there a diffrence in the 3 they list?

Thx,

Dune

 

[Biker]

I dry fired my centerfires many 1000s of times over the years with no damage and no snap caps.

Good training...

Biker

 

[possum]

I have dry fired my xd many many times and could never try to count the times, but many on a daily basis. with glocks you have to dry fire it anyway to dissassemble it, there is no harm in dry firing a gun of the glock, or xd type, my kahr i have also dry fired many times. the only weapons i would advise about dry firing would have to be mil-surp rifles. my buddy had a czech vz24 like mine, dry fired it and it broke the firing pin.

 

[Zach S]

I treat dry-firing rimfires like letting the slide slam shut on my semi-autos. It happens, but I dont do it on purpose. Since 2000 rounds of .22lr is cheaper than a tank of gas, I'd rather just shoot it than dry fire it anyway.

As for modern centerfire handguns and rifles, I dont worry about it. All of mine have been dry-fired a lot more than they've actually been fired (especially my Taurus .38, its hard to go to it from a 1911). Same with my shotgun. I do it mainly for cycle practice though.

 

[dleong]

On hammer-fired pistols, a rubber O-ring placed in the hammer well at the rear of the slide serves to prevent the hammer from contacting the firing pin when dry firing:

 

[possum]

dleong,
that is a really good idea! I never would have though of something like that, tha sure is nifty!

 

[10-Ring]

I dry fire all my guns using snap caps. I think most of the more modern firearms are okay to dry fire...except maybe rimfires.

 

[rockstar.esq]

Having broken a firing pin return spring from dry firing I now completely disagree with the mentality that just because they can't see any damage it isn't occuring. Simple physics apply here and it stands to reason that the firing pin isn't designed to slam itself against the back of the firing pin hole in the slide. After all why should it be? More to the point it seems to me that IF a manufacturer DID accomodate these forces in their design, they would most likely advertise it as such! Check owners manuals all around and I'd be surprised if you find anything approaching any advertising of the pistols ability to withstand this practice. Considering that +P ammo capacity is a commonly referenced issue in owners manuals, it seems obvious to me that since dry firing isn't mentioned or isn't recommended that it is generally a bad practice. I'll admit I have an axe to grind because of my experience but if you do a search on this forum, you'll encounter more than just a few examples where damage DID occur. Another similar topic is the widespread misinformation that Brake Cleaner is the "same thing as gun solvent". Frequently you'll read of a member who admits that although fouling was removed, so too was the very expensive blueing! There are good reasons that we have snap caps and gun solvents. They exist to solve problems serious enough to merit their existence. One truly awesome aspect of the snap cap is that you can practice clearance drills which will not only reinforce critical skills but also develop dexterity which helps with marksmanship.