Why does Taurus say don't dry fire?

[H. Faversham]

This week I called Taurus to speak to a techie. I wanted to ask about types of factory grips for my DA revolver, and also if it were true that Taurus revolvers should not be dry fired. The only person I could talk to was a nice young lady who didn't know much about my DA revolver except that it had a grip frame "more like a Gaucho". I'm not making this up. ( A Taurus Gaucho is a SA with a traditional SA type grip frame). She also did not know what "smooth" meant when I asked if dry firing would smooth up the new action, but she finally did look up something that said dry firing was not recommended.

I am learning why Taurus has low costs, but I still don't know why a Taurus should not be dry fired.

 

[aaronrkelly]

I also see no reason why you couldnt dry fire the Taurus revolvers.....

 

[Jkwas]

I believe it's the frame mounted firing pin. Prolonged dry-firing can drive it beyond it's intended range of motion and deform or break it. Use A-Zoom snapcaps and dry-fire to your hearts content That's why I like hammer mounted pins. The stress is on the hammer and frame, not on the pin.

 

[nonquixote]

My Taurus 608 has an inertial firing pin, and dry firing can (and has in mine) cause the firing pin spring to fail. The 608 was my first hand gun and my only one for several years so it got dry fired alot. It was probably dry fired 3000 times before the spring failed.

 

[Old Fuff]

The problem with extensive dry-firing of any revolver is that if there is no primer to cushion the blow, and/or limit firing pin travel, you may in time break the firing pin and/or mash the firing pin spring. All of this can be prevented by buying and using a set of inexpensive snap-caps (available for most popular handgun calibers from: www.brownells.com).

From a manufacture's point of view it is easier to "just say no," rather then go to the trouble of explaining everything as I just have done.

And yes, dry-firing a new revolver about 1000 times or so will smooth the action by burnishing the internal parts where they are pressed together under spring pressure - and unlike polishing this won't possibly void your warrantee.

 

[Texshooter]

Hopefully no too stupid a question, but is it ok to take spent cases and use them somewhat like snap caps?

Thanks

 

[Old Fuff]

A spent case is far better then nothing... But most snap-caps have a spring loaded plunder that absorbs the blow from the firing pin, and then snaps back to be ready for the next impact. If you do very much dry firing they are the better option.

 

[RON in PA]

So howcome S&W say it's OK to dry fire center fire revolvers?

 

[barnett]

Ruger says it's OK in my SP101 manual.

 

[Jkwas]

If you beat on anything long enough it will fail. I'd rather have the snap cap fail than the firing pin. JMO.
Ps: I have blown apart cheap snap caps (tiptons). Hence I recomend the A-Zooms. Cheap insurance.

 

[Old Fuff]

barnett:

I know, but it is no fun replacing the firing pin or spring in some Ruger revolvers. The firing pin bushing pin is driven into place and then polished flush with the frame. If you have a blued gun it is next to impossible to put this pin back and not mar the finish. I really don't want to go to the trouble and expense of rebluing the frame/barrel assembly after replacing a broken firing pin. Stainless guns are easier of course, but it is still hard to match the finish.

Contrary to what Ruger says, their firing pins do break sometimes...

Your choice - Do what ever you want.

 

[mainmech48]

Ditto the recs to use snap caps when dry firing, whether it's a revolver, semi-auto, or what have you. Fired cases won't cut it past the first go-round, as the primer cup's metal will have been peened down to the point that there's no 'cushion' effect left. The whole idea is to reduce the effects of metal-to-metal impact and limit FP travel to within normal firing parameters to keep the stress levels on all of the parts well into their design envelope.

Thirty-odd years in machine maintenance has taught me, if nothing else, that preventive measures are always cheaper, and usually less difficult, than repairs. That holds true whether the machine in question is a firearm, an automobile, or a high six-figures packaging station.

 

[Outlaw Man]

Ruger says it's OK in my SP101 manual.

If it's like mine it acutally says you SHOULD dry fire it. I always thought that was cool.


Not trying to correct you. Just pointing out how confident Ruger is.

 

[ktd]

In my experience, cautions like that are the result of someone overdoing it, then yelling at the company and causing severe annoyance, hence things like big print on the side of the revolver saying "firearms are inherently dangerous and should be used in a responsible manner and should not be pointed at yourself or your pets or at law enforcement or your tv set and please write to new haven conneticutt to get a manual". Frame mounted firing pins I think are a little more likely to break from dry firing, (I broke one once), but I also broke a Smith, and they said excessive dry firing (in combination with an out of tolerance part) contributed to it.

I think Rugers, having the benefit of being designed in a time when such things were engineered rather than "design as an art form" or based on legacy designs, can withstand such abuse a bit better.

 

[Confederate]

I've dry fired my Rugers thousands of times, as many others have done with their Rugers. In guns like the Taurus, parts failures are much more likely with repeated dry firing. (I had the hammer of a big stainless Virginia Dragoon shatter like ice when I was snapping it. It was just a bad batch of steel. They sent me another hammer and I put it in.)

I have Rossis I wouldn't dry fire and I don't dry fire my Smith & Wessons a great deal, especially with a hammer-mounted firing pin.