.22lr firearms, any possibility to safely dry fire?

K

Kimio

New member
So I'm curious. Most of the snap caps I see for .22lr firearms, it states on the package that they are not designed to be dry fired.

I have several rim fire fireaems, ranging from a bolt action to several handguns.

But I've always been told yoy should never dry fire a rim fire due to potentially damaging the firing pin among other things.

Do they design snap caps or something that can reliably be dry fired in a rim fire gun? If so, anyone have some suggestions?
 
Potentially damaging the gun. If the firing pin is fitted correctly, it won't. I dry fire mine all the time. I own 3 rim fire rifles. I check the fitment myself, and they are all safe for dry firing. I won't do it before I was sure about the fitment though.

-TL
 
Can't dry fire a "Snap-Cap" ?????

it states on the package that they are not designed to be dry fired.
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Then how can they be a "Snap-Cap"?? ... :confused:
Most of what I see and use, are designed to be dry fired. Currently I have a set of Tiptons and even though I don't like to dry-fire anything, I do with these. Now, there are also rounds that are designated as Dummy rounds and some of them may not designated to be dry fired. ... :rolleyes:


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

Be Safe !!!
 
I've always used empty cases and rotated them in the chamber periodically so the repeated primers strikes won't rupture the case.

I've also heard of people using drywall anchors.
 
carguychris said:
I've always used empty cases and rotated them in the chamber periodically so the repeated primers strikes won't rupture the case.
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That's what I do. I periodically save some of the brass, even though it [practically) can't be reloaded, just for this purpose. I have a yogurt cup full sitting on my workbench. When it gets down to half empty, I'l sweep up some more .22 brass.
 
You need to check with the manufacture of the Firearm . I do know ALL Ruger 22lr guns both rifle and hand gun CAN be dry fired . It states this on Rugers website under FAQ . All there firing pins have blocks on them but they do state that the block can be over used to the point that it no longer will stop the firing pin from striking the side/back chamber/barrel . They do not state how many dry fires you can get befor this will happen .
 
I wouldn't. If I had a real desire to dry fire (and I have) my rimfire guns I place an empty shell in the chamber and practice my trigger work. Even then, I don't do it that much due to the concern that I might somehow do some damage.
 
I would hate to guess how many thousands of times I have dry fired rimfire and centerfires. Way back in college part of our rifle team training was dry firing our anschutz rifles over and over and over. I still dry fire a lot more than live firing today. The next firing pin I break will be the first I have broken. If you are not comfortable doing it then don't do it, but don't be worried about damaging anything.
 
...dry firing our anschutz rifles over and over and over.
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To my knowledge all match rimfires are designed to tolerate dryfiring. No serious competitor would buy a match rimfire that couldn't be dryfired.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that all rimfires are designed to tolerate dryfiring. The manual/manufacturer can provide information on which are and which aren't.
...snap caps I see for .22lr firearms...
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If the company is scrupulous, they will refer to these items as action proving dummies, not snap caps for the reasons provided by others on this thread.

The bottom line is that if a rimfire is safe to be dryfired then snap caps are not required. If it isn't, you shouldn't fire it even if you can find "snap caps" for it.
 
A Browning 22 Medalist pistol can be dry-fired. You move the safety to a third position, push down, dry-fire and the lever pops up. Push it down again and it resets.
 
I suspect you could dry fire a revolver like my Rough Rider. It has a block you can set so the hammer is cannot hit the firing pin. A block is common on modern revolvers.
 
Any time you start whacking on metal, eventually something will give. Metal work-hardens when struck. Whether this happens sooner or later depends on many factors, but it WILL happen. Some guns can be dry fired many thousands of times with no ill effect. For rimfires, using a fired case-turned to expose a fresh strike spot, is as close to actually shooting the gun as you will get and should do as little damage as is physically possible.
As I have said before many times- drywall anchors will do nothong to protect your firing pin. Use empty cases.
 
Kimio, I have wondered about this too. My S&W 22A manual states dry firing will maim the gun, but I have done it once or twice, and no failure has occurred. But I don't want to push my luck, so when I know the gun will be stored for awhile, I prefer not to leave it cocked and do what most other folks here do. take a spent case, put it in the chamber, dinged part of the rim away from the firing pin, pull the trigger and let the pin rest on the un-dented part of the spent shell rim.
 
One of the things you look for when checking out a rimfire rifle or handgun are for marks around the chamber from dry firing. With rimfire revolvers, you check the cylinder for marks. Would that cause me not to buy a used gun? Maybe, but it is a matter of degree. If the firing pin is hitting the chamber or the cylinder, it is just a matter of time before it breaks. I have replaced firing pins in 22 rifles from breakage.
 
For my .22 revolver, I use yellow #4 wall anchors and rotate them after a few firings then toss and replace. A box of 100 is about $4.
 
22-rimfire said:
One of the things you look for when checking out a rimfire rifle or handgun are for marks around the chamber from dry firing. With rimfire revolvers, you check the cylinder for marks. Would that cause me not to buy a used gun? Maybe, but it is a matter of degree. If the firing pin is hitting the chamber or the cylinder, it is just a matter of time before it breaks. I have replaced firing pins in 22 rifles from breakage.
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The problem is not only firing pin breakage, but also the metal damage on the breech. Perhaps it is more serious than a broken firing pin. The peening on the breech can raise a burr obstructing the chamber mouth, causing feeding problems. It may also reduce support to the rim, causing ignition problem. The firing pin should be fitted so that it will never strike the breech face, then the gun is safe to dry fire.

Certainly things will break given enough time. But same is center fire guns. Then the argument will be whether any gun is safe to dry fire at all.

Snap cap may help, but it is not the major factor. If the firing pin is fitted correctly, the difference a snap cap makes is insignificant.

-TL
 
Chambers that have been peened by the firing pin and now have feeding or extraction issues are easily fixed with a chamber iron (as long as there is no rim recess - but that's rare on .22 Short and .22 Long/Long Rifle firearms).

The most widely available version is the Menck, which I own. It's a great tool. Even a blind, deaf, 3-legged, inbred puppy could use it.

If the rim recess is peened, an iron can be easily made from a piece of J- or K-sized drill rod.
 
Kimber says my Yonkers Kimber Classic 22 rifle can be dry fired, but even a snap cap should be removed prior to going to a gun range.
 
Blacktimberwolf said:
All Walther pistols ca[n] be dry fired.
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I'm not certain this is true of the older .22LR PP, PPK, and PP Sport models (as opposed to the redesigned modern Umarex .22LR PPK/S knockoff :rolleyes:).

The vintage manuals I've seen are silent on the matter. That said, I don't believe these pistols have any mechanism to impede the forward motion of the firing pin before it strikes the breech face. Given these pistols' value and the known difficulty of finding parts specific to the rimfire models, I personally wouldn't try it, unless you can find something from an authoritative source saying that it's harmless.
 
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