Dry firing Ruger 3 screw old models

If they are not retrofitted with the transfer bar 'safety', I would most assuredly use snap caps...

Heck...Even if it is converted, I'd use em...
 
The ol' Blackhawk looks AK-47 tough, like it would consider a severe pistol whipping to just be a higher form of affection. I wasn't sure if it needed them.

Ordered some .41 snap caps yesterday as well as .44-40 (for a Colt SAA) from optics planet. I've never seen either at any LGS.
 
A rimfire is a different animal. Don't dry fire those.

But a Ruger revolver in a centerfire caliber? "If I had a dollar for every time I've done that, etc." I've never used snap caps for revolvers like .357, .41, and .44. I guess using such things isn't going to hurt anything... but I just don't think it is necessary.

Gregg
 
Back in the 60's Ruger had a demo that they took to large shows. it was a Single Six in a display case that was dry fired electrically over and over for the course of the show. I really doubt a Blackhawk of any vintage would have a problem with dry firing.
 
I just picked up my new Ruger Bearcat Shopkeeper .22 that I had dry fired and damaged the face of the cylinder so I couldn't even get a round into one of them.

Some guns it can hurt, some it won't.
 
The Ruger and S&W rimfires should take dry snapping with no problem, but an individual gun can be out of adjustment and allow damage. Snap caps are one solution, but also can be a bit of a pain, so those who dry fire their guns might want to simply check the chamber edge from time to time to make sure the firing pin is not striking it. One problem with just relying on snap caps is that by preventing one problem, the firing pin striking the chamber edge, they may disguise another, a firing pin or firing pin stop that is out of spec and may be dangerous.

FWIW, the use of the transfer bar in the new Rugers has no effect on the issue of the firing pin hitting the chamber edge. If, for example, the firing pin is too long, whether it is struck directly by the hammer or by the transfer bar makes no difference; it will still strike the chamber edge.

Jim
 
The Ruger and S&W rimfires should take dry snapping with no problem
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I personally would believe the manufacturer before I would trust ANYTHING on an internet forum.

From S&W FAQ:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...750001_750051_757815_-1_757814_757812_image#2

Can I dry fire my S&W handgun?
Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.
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I wouldn't dryfire ANY rimfire revolver. I too have had to send a Bearcat back to Ruger because the firing pin peened all the chambers. This on a brand new gun received as a gift. No doubt dry fired in the shop by countless people with the "Rugers are built like tanks" nonsense running through their heads.
 
Ruger semi auto rimfires have a cross pin that prevents the firing pin from hitting the barrel.
So, it's safe to dry fire those - if the pin is in place.
It's real easy to lose it and not notice, during assembly after cleaning.
 
Note that S&W says "damage to the firing pin", not to the chamber edge. I am not sure what they have in mind. I have a K-22 I have dry fired thousands of times with no problem, and a Model 41 which has also been "snapped" thousands of times. Same for a Ruger Mk I. No problems with any of them; no broken firing pins, no broken firing pin stop, no battered chamber edges.

IMHO, it is very fine to advocate the use of snap caps to avoid potential trouble. But it is simply not true that dry firing will result in problems with any modern rimfire IF the gun is set up properly.

NOTE that I am not talking about some old .22 rifle your uncle Hezekiah made a firing pin for out of a horseshoe nail. I am talking about new guns, in factory spec condition.

Jim
 
IMHO, it is very fine to advocate the use of snap caps to avoid potential trouble. But it is simply not true that dry firing will result in problems with any modern rimfire IF the gun is set up properly.
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All I can say is that a lot of us have seen it. The rimfire firing pin hitting the edge of the chamber and making little dished holes all along it. When I was a teenager back in the 70's, there were two rimfire revolvers down in my part of the house. I used to pull them out and dry fire them all the time. Years later I actually examined those two guns and felt like a real idiot. Both of them had cylinder damage. Both were bought by my Dad in the 60's. One was a Colt Buntline Scout in .22 WMRF. The other was a High Standard Double Nine.

I own them both now. And I look at those cylinders and wish I had done my dry firing with a centerfire revolver!

Gregg
 
It all depends on the design, as to whether or not dry firing is damaging.
If there's something that prevents the firing pin hitting an empty chamber, then all is well.
But not all .22s have that feature.
If they don't, pulling the trigger on an empty gun is hard to avoid.
Especially auto loaders.
Who can round count that well.
Every once in awhile, they need the chamber entrance dressed with a round file.
 
It gets old hearing that dry firing center fire guns, such as a S&W 357, can damage them. Its just another internet myth which no one can support. I personally don't dry fire my rimfires, regardless of anything.
 
"All I can say is that a lot of us have seen it." Sure, and I have seen plenty of older guns damaged exactly that way, often because of home made or replaced firing pins. Guns like the old Stevens falling block single shot RF's are notorious for broken/bent/replaced firing pins and damaged breech faces.

I have no idea how many customers told me something like, "The pointed thingy thar broke and I put in a nail and it shoots OK but the shells won't go in so good."

But gun makers do learn, though some are pretty slow about it, and MOST modern RF guns are designed to prevent that kind of damage. There are a few exceptions and I still caution that it is a good idea to check once in a while. I am not against use of snap caps; I am saying that with most modern guns they are not needed.

Jim
 
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