.22 cal. snap caps

Doug Ridley

New member
My wife is having problems with her sight picture and I think she needs a lot of dry fire to help her out. I have some questions. Are snap caps able to be used over and over? If so, how long do they last? How about snap caps vs. empty shell casings? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Probably sounds like trivial questions but I have never used them or actually even seen any.
 
I have not seen any commercially available 22 snap caps, and I think they are something best home made. Empty cases can be used but they won't l ast long. The quickest solution I know of is to filll fired cases with putty or grout,something to fill the rim to cushion the blow of the firing pin.
 
Many ways to skin this cat

I have not seen any commercially available 22 snap caps,
They are all over the place and for one, take a look at Lyman Product. I'm sure that Midway has these as well and if you go to Bing and search for them, you will find more ....;)
http://www.azoomsnapcaps.com/home/training-rounds.php

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=snap+caps+22+long+rifle

You can also use plastic wall anchors.
I too have used spent cases but their life span is limited and you always have to rotate around the rim.



Be Safe !!!
 
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I have used the aluminum and the plastic snap caps they both wear out quickly. Technically the aluminum are action checkers not snap caps. The plastic ones will last longer if you rotate them. The empty case works well also have not tried filling with putty.
 
I don't like to use empty cases because you're training yourself it's alright to see brass in the chamber and still close the cylinder and pull the trigger.

Besides dryfiring on empty brass dislodges grit from the case and spews it into the cylinder and barrel.
 
Plastic archors in a #4 size like you would use in sheet rock to hang something with will work as a snap cap.
 
Is this a revolver that can be dry fired with the cylinder removed? or a modern transfer bar action where a small piece of pencil eraser can block hammer/transfer bar/firing pin contact?
 
I use the plastic anchors mentioned above. Real commercially sold snap caps for 22's don't last long at all and aren't worth the price relative to the number of hits they can take.

Empty 22 cases work also but I don't like to use them. I'm not particually afraid of any "dirt" that might be dislodged by the impact.
 
I don't like to use empty cases because you're training yourself it's alright to see brass in the chamber and still close the cylinder and pull the trigger.
This is an excellent point. I think it's extremely important that this gets noticed.
Besides dryfiring on empty brass dislodges grit from the case and spews it into the cylinder and barrel.
Ha ha, on the flip side, I think this is silly. I don't believe this happens, I've never witnessed any such thing when using a piece of spent brass (not for dry fire practice, but for confirming a proper hit after reassembly) and even if some such thing were to happen, it would sit somewhere around "0.5" on a scale of 10 of things that matter.

To the topic:
While dry fire practice is excellent practice, I use live fire practice to get better with my rimfire handguns. Obviously -- this was easier before this most recent Barackolypse.
 
Think about this:
Plastic is much softer than brass. How can a plastic anchor cushion the firing pin blow, when the firing pin imbeds itself in the plastic? It can't.
Use fired cases, and rotate them to a fresh spot. If you use clean cases, no dirt will dislodge.
 
First off check out your handgun as many designs of .22lr will not strike the metal of the chamber . All you may need is something to softin the impact of the fireing pin in the receiver.

Learn about the firearm you have.
 
As Gus indicated eariler .22 dummies are for action proving and training, they are not snap caps, do not have a cushioned surface for the FP to strike and will wear quickly if used incorrectly. But I guess they are better than an empty hole if dry fire is a must. :-)
 
I actually do not normally dry fire a 22 revolver in the classic sense. I have been shooting and shot the cylinder empty and ran it around another time checking for flinches and other inconsistancies. I have used the anchors, but not often. I don't even believe I have any. Dry firing 22 revolvers is just not something I do.

I have dry fired a GP-100 357 mag a lot of times trying to smooth the action out and that worked.
 
Bill - I've used plastic wall anchors (the ones that fit are almost always yellow in color). You're right in saying that plastic is softer than brass, but the brass rim on a .22 is actually made up of two layers of very thin brass. While a wall anchor is much thicker and a solid piece of plastic. I've used them hundreds of times with no signs of them hurting the gun. The firing pin simple bounces off of it, and doesn't get stuck. With repeated strikes (six to eight), the wall anchor deforms enough that I don't want to use it anymore.

If I were using a semi-auto, I might be more concerned with repeated strikes and ejections. If the anchor gets jammed in there good and then you really torque on the charging handle, I suppose you could mess your extractor up. I'm using a revolver though, so it's easy to see what's going on.
 
This is from someone who hasn't used them. . . .

The plastic simply doesn't have the hardness or resiliency of brass.
I doubt it protects at all.

They work and work well, and as stated above usually yellow in color. A 40 pack of #4 - #6 wall anchors with screws at Lowes less than $3.00.
I've used them in Ruger Mark III, single six, Marlin 60 and Smith Combat Masterpiece.
 
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