Snap Caps Or Not For Dry Fire?

[captainmorgan]

I have heard conflicting answers about whether or not you need to use snap caps when dry firing a center fire gun.

What are your views on the subject?

 

[Sean Dempsey]

Snap caps can't hurt. You might not NEED them, but I use them.

Plus, you can use them for flinch training.

 

[kungfuhippie]

most guns are ok, but some will break. My star pistol needs snapcaps due to the firing pin retention pin stoping the firing pin and causing it to break. $$ of prevention is better than $$$ of repair.

 

[Handgun Midas]

Your polls needs a "depends" option. As in, "It depends on the gun."

I don't normally use snap caps in my Kimber, because I know dry-firing won't hurt it
and I usually can't be bothered to load a cap up when the gun is stored empty.

However, a certain flaw of a P345 is well known and dry firing is advised against in the manual.
So I always use snap caps when dry-firing my P345.


On a related note, the P345 put a hurtin' on my snap caps.
I forget the brand, they say "Silver Star" on 'em,
but every one of them has had the plastic body shattered
and said casing has come apart from the brass rim
and become lodged in the barrel more than once.
Probably not too much more than 100 hammer drops
per cap too.

 

[rockstar.esq]

You could just put some RTV in a decapped piece of fired brass. If you wanted more excitement, you could load a bullet in that same piece of brass so modified and you'd have the most durable snap cap on the market for less than a dollar. Simply put I think the practice of dry firing without snap caps is just plain stupid. You'll read of people who damaged thier gun by doing so, you'll read of others who've read this as well yet figure their expensive gun should do something it's not intended to do and will there for not spend that insignificant amount to protect their investment. A similar act of stupidity is the use of brake cleaner on guns. It friggin removes the finish on many guns, yet a loud group of folks claim that the pittance they save justifies the risk. The most annoying aspect of both practices are that both entail positive elements of gun ownership. Training at home and frequently will truly improve marksmanship. Cleaning you gun will protect your investment and maintain it properly. Half a$$ing it with idiotic equivocations and anecdotal rebuttals in the face of owners manuals dictating that it SHOULD NOT BE DONE. My favorite idiocy on the topic is when Glocks get mentioned. So many times I've encountered people that say that the Glock should be able to dry fire because it's required to take the pistol down. When I mention that you could put a snap cap in the chamber before you take the pistol down they just look at me with a blank expression. However you can only lead a horse to water, but you can't prevent them from pi$$ing in it.

 

[daysleeprx]

Simply put I think the practice of dry firing without snap caps is just plain stupid.

I'm gonna have to go with "it depends on the gun". If Nighthawk Tactical says it's okay for 1911s, I'll believe them. I don't think they'd recommend doing something that could potentially damage a very expensive gun.

 

[Sean Dempsey]

does this include revolvers?

I know this is the auto forum... but fwiw, I dryfire revolvers without snapcaps or anything.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I look at it this way: It may or may not be good to dry-fire without snap caps. I'm not going to argue. I feel that the price of the snap cap is cheap insurance just in case. Is it possible that snap caps will harm the gun? Well, then, why not use them is my next question.

 

[alamo]

does this include revolvers?

I know this is the auto forum... but fwiw, I dryfire revolvers without snapcaps or anything.

Recently discussed on the Revolver Forum:

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=239524

 

[MMMike]

Better to be safe than sorry. Why take the chance? I use them all the time.

 

[Seven High]

I use snap caps all the time as well. A-Zoom brand. They give me peace of mind. I do not relish the aggravation of having to box up and send back to the mfg a weapon with a broken firing pin, etc.

 

[captainmorgan]

I use snap caps all the time as well. A-Zoom brand.

A-Zoom is the brand I use also. Do snap caps wear out? If so how do you tell when it's time to use a new one?

 

[10-Ring]

Cheap insurance. Better to have it & not need it vs. being told you shoulda had one to prevent breakage

 

[Wordsmith]

I agree with most of the responses here. It isn't required that you use them, but it sure can't hurt.

I've seen photographs of a Glock where the breechface gave out, ostensibly due to thousands of dry firings without snap caps.

I always use snap caps in my guns.