Dry-firing...safe or not?

J

Jaydeman

Inactive
I read in various places that dry-firing a gun is a [BAD THING], as it can muck up the firing pin or break it? But then I've also read that it's okay for some guns. And a police officer friend of mine told me it doesn't make a difference.
Can anyone give me some information on how to determine which guns are "safe" to dry-fire without damaging the firing pin? And are those practice rounds any good? Those are the little plastic (red) rounds with a spring inside, connected to a little round plate where the primer usually goes.

Thanks in advance!
 
i have wondered about this as well. maybe to clarify your question a little more, is it okay to dry fire revolvers? I have a S&W model 66 & 686. the firing pin is attached to the hammer. i don't see how it would hurt to dry fire these. on the other hand, i also have a S&W model 60 (j frame). the firing pin is "built in" (for my lack of knowing the proper terminology), i.e. not attached to the hammer. what about these?
How about semi-autos? i am under the impression this is a no-no for most of these. the "unofficial glock home page" FAQS
says it is o.k. to dry fire glocks. any others o.k. to dry fire?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by alamo:
i have wondered about this as well. maybe to clarify your question a little more, is it okay to dry fire revolvers?[/quote]

A recent magazine article ("Guns and Ammo" or "Handguns")dicussed this. According to the article, most problems with dry firing are the rimfired guns (.22's). The article stated a "moderate" amount of dry firing wasn't harmful. In fact, the article was discussing dry fire practise.
Well, I use snap caps OR expended cases. I reckon as long as there is something to buffer the pin, it won't cause any damage.


How about semi-autos? i am under the impression this is a no-no for most of these. the "unofficial glock home page" FAQS
says it is o.k. to dry fire glocks. any others o.k. to dry fire?[/QUOTE]

There are instances when you must dry fire a Glock (to get in in it's box is one).
Again, I prefer snap caps, or empty assembled rounds (dud primer, no powder).
Another thing, letting the slide slam home when the pistol is unloaded is bad (so I have heard).

I reckon there's no problem with moderate dry firing. But snap caps aren't expensive.
Go buy a pack.
 
Back when I shot IPSC, a lot of my at-home practice was dry-fire. Hour after hour, sometimes. Over a couple of years, nothing bad happened. I never saw any indications of any battering.

Nothing bad has ever happened with any of my centerfire rifles, but I don't dryfire as much as with pistols.

I guess some rimfire rifles' firing pins could hit the edge of the chamber. Maybe. This would lead to battering of the edge and of the pin, maybe.

For sure, don't dry fire a cap-and-ball revolver. And I've heard--but never seen--that the old Colt six-guns could have the hammer break. Dunno.

The use of dummy cartridges or snap-caps sure can't hurt anything.

FWIW, Art
 
Snap-caps are REAL cheap. If you have any doubt get a box. I use them, why worry?

------------------
John
(formerly johnboy)
 
You're good for thousands and thousands of dry-snaps in most centerfires. If it bugs you, swap firing pins after a couple of years. I have heard of precisely one firing pin failure caused by shearing off the shoulder from dry-firing, and no, I don't recall the model or make of pistol. (As I understand it, the pistol was being aimed at a lightbulb, and the pin came out the barrel and put out the light!) I know it happens more, but not much.

With centerfire revolvers, I'm especially not worried about it.

Realize: dry-firing is the only way to get good. Live fire excercises are only useful after extensive dry-firing, and are actually detrimental to your technique without adequate dry-firing.

Get the snap-caps if you're worried about it-- it's certainly true that they're not too expensive. But don't be scared of snapping.
 
Get the snap caps. I broke the firing pin (frame mounted) in my recent production S&W J-frame by dry firing.
 
ezeckial, It is perfectly fine to let a slide slam home on an UNLOADED pistol. The pistol slide is designed to function this way when fired anyway. It is not reccommended that you use a slide release to slam home on a loaded pistol (espcially glocks) as the extractor then has to "jump over" the rim of the bullet casing and causes damage to the extractor.
 
Jaydeman,
Whether it's live-fire or dry-fire, there is probably a part of the gun thats getting some wear, or even breaking. However I, like Art, have spent many hours dry-firing my pistols and have never experienced a problem. I also work with several people who dry-fire regularly (no snap-caps) and have never seen a problem occur because of it.
For me and other shooters that "lack on funds", dry-fire to maintain or improve shooting skills is a must.
You have to ask your self what kind of shooter do you want to be? I've talked to some pro shooters who say they dry-fire up to three times more than they live-fire.
Personaly, I think it's worth the risk of wear and tear to be a better shooter.
And until someone can prove through facts, not rumor, that it realy hurts my guns, i'm going to continue.
ek
 
As I recall - and I don't have the documents with me -- my Sig P-220 and P-226 manuals specifically and repeatedly recommended the use of the decocker lever, thus no dry firing.
 
Don't dry fire handguns with fixed firing
pins such as a Colt Peacemaker or an older
S&W. You can break the pin, especially in
the Colt.

Floating pins can usually be dry fired with
no problem unless the piece is very old.
Some older designs have fragile firing pins.
When in doubt, don't.

------------------
Never do an enemy a minor
injury. Machiavelli
 
rwk,
The reason sig repeatedly tells you to use the decocker is to avoid "riding" the hammer forward with your thumb, thus avoiding an "AD" It has nothing to do with dry-firing.
ek
 
Ezeckial......The main damage from letting the slide go is with the 1911 type autos. Strange and wrong as it seems, the slide should be released with the trigger held back. This is how it operates when functioning and the interrupter is the part that takes the beating when you let it go with finger off the trigger.
But it still FEELS wrong. Keep it downrange but keep the trigger pulled.
 
Dry fire is well worth the effort. Broke a firing pin in a SIG P226 after multiple years of dry fire. Now I use snap caps. Dry Fire teach the infamous "muscle memory" Have a friend load your magazines and you will see how bad your flinch is and also how you react to a misfire. Guns never fail. Yea, Right. Remember Morphy's law, If it can go wrong it will. One time and you will not have to remember how to clear a dud when the "defication" hits the whirling bladed device. They work great when the all knowing husband/wife shows the unknowing wife/husband how to handle the gun without bagging a 27 inch Sony (or some one) by mistake. My real job as patrol officer in Dallas, Texas can support that. Also good in reload or magazine drills as loading a loaded magazine has a different feel then loading an unloaded magazine.

Snap caps are worth the money. The ones advertised in the Dillon magazine. Metal made by A-Zoom at 1 800 61READY are worth the expense.

Terry Peters

You always get what you pay for front end or back end.
http://www.pt-partners.com
 
sounds good enough for me! I have a 9 mil snapcap that I recently purchased that I've been using, will likely need to buy a set for the .44 raging bull I'm getting.

Thanks alot, all!

Jaydeman
 
The deal about leting the slide go foward on a 1911 is for highly tuned target guns with light match triggers. Susposedly you pull the trigger to the rear and hold it while you trip the slide stop and allow the slide to go foward under spring pressure. This is to keep from the sear geting battered. Maybe so but I think its a bad habit to stick your finger in the trigger guard when you don't have your front sight in focus. Thats the only time we tell basic students to put their fingers on the trigger, it sure cuts down on A/Ds. The only time the finger should go in the trigger guard is when your eye is focused on the front sight. Its one of the three basic safety rules and some rules you don't make exceptions for. Keep that finger out of that trigger guard.

------------------
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE, KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT.
 
Anyone have any recommedations on how to get the most out of dry firing dry firing a rifle and pistol? Some books recommend setting up a small target 15-20 feet away. I wonder if dry firing at a distant target out your window (not hanging out the window or doing it if you can be seen) would be more realistic for a rifle. Any comments?
 
Mr. Pub: I like to use the TV set as my dry-fire target. When some talking head "pops up", Click! You get a little bit of time-prssure on you. I have a loaded magazine in the pistol when I do this, so I double-check myself a lot. Indoor Kabooms hurt! Ears, TVs, billfolds...

For rifle, I practice dry-firing off-hand, at some target outside. Helps if you keep your windows clean. Cheaper if you check your rifle regularly. I don't ever have any rounds in the magazine.

And by the way: For scoped rifles, sticking a little finger into the chamber to check that it's empty is a lot better than a quick peek with a Mark 1 eyeball. Yeah I know; you put five in, you took five out. All safe. Hummpphhh. Checkin's cheap. Double-checkin's better.

FWIW, Art
 
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