snap caps?

do to the fact that I have zero knowledge of snap caps I was just wondering if the spring was strong enough to produce any recoil, and do they eject? sometimes I like to know what's going to happen before it happens.
 
No, they just cushion the impact of dry firing. They don't recoil, or eject, or go bang. They do let you practice cycling rounds manually(they do eject when you do that) through a pistol without the danger of using real ammo.
 
I dry fire pretty much daily, and use the A Zoom's. They seem to have the best life.

I used the Tipton type when they were all there were, but they dont last real long if youre using the all the time. The spring loaded primer always seems to get hung up inside pretty quick. I also had the .30 versions of them get stuck in the chamber on a couple of guns, so watch if youre using them.

As far as function, snap caps are basically functioning dummies. They dont do anything other than cushion the firing pin impact, allow for malfunction drills with some guns, and also provide an additional layer of safety, as you cant have a loded round in the chamber, if you put the snap cap there.
 
Some guns cannot be dry fired ("snapped") without possible damage to the gun; the primary use of snap caps is to cushion the blow of the firing pin to prevent any such damage.

The "cap" in "snap cap" refers to the dummy primer placed in a simulated cartridge. It may be cushioned by a spring or simply made out of some cushioning material, like Nylon. The full term "snap cap", though, refers to the whole dummy cartridge.

In a revolver, snap caps resemble normal ammunition except of course there is no live primer and no powder. They can be loaded and "fired" like any other ammunition. In an auto pistol, cycling the slide manually will eject the snap cap. If the "shooter" does not want to do that, part of the snap cap rim can be ground away; when the practice session is over, the snap cap is pushed out from the muzzle with a cleaning rod.

Jim
 
I don't get dry firing. Is it supposed to be for trigger control only? It's like sitting in a car without gas pretending that you are driving.
 
Dry firing is good practice if you can't make it to the range often, or can't afford going to the range often, or just want to help the good guys out while your watching netflix.
 
"or just want to help the good guys out while watching netflix"

Okay, I laughed. To be honest I didn't even realize that dry firing was a thing but I didn't have internet for a very long time.

I was just in the boonies, not in jail chuckleheads :)
 
While its focus can be on the trigger, its really more of a package thing as you get past the basics. The "snap" is just the end result.

I work on presentations from the holster and a couple of different ready positions. Getting the gun quickly into play, aligning the sights and dropping the trigger help you ingrain the things many cant practice at the range, and are also important for those who can.

The big, flat screen TV are also a big help, and often quite humbling.
 
AK103K:

I guess that makes sense. Thank you.

Without the recoil how much help is that? I was raised with guns and to me it just sounds like something hokie someone would do to pretend like they are learning how to shoot.

I honestly mean no offense so please take none but I have a problem of speaking directly.
 
Snap caps are useful for assorted function checks
Click to expand...

This is usually true, but not true 100% of the time. Unless made from one, snap caps are NOT dummy ammunition. The majority are either aluminum, or plastic (some are plastic with brass heads...)

I ran across a pistol where the snap cap would "function" and a live round would not! It was a high grade 1911, and the owner had owned it for about a year, and had made several range trips with it.

He routinely used snap caps for his non-shooting practice. While I was visiting him, he showed me the gun, and I noticed something looked "odd" to me, about the ejector. So we began some tests.

Snap cap, fed from the magazine, ejected flawlessly. But a dummy round of ball ammo would NOT eject!!! On his range trips, he had fired a couple of magazines, running the gun empty each time. He had never tried to eject a live round before.

Gun went back to the maker, who agreed, it had the wrong ejector in it, and "that should NOT have happened..." gun came back in about a week, all on their dime, works fine now.

It was an interesting experience, learning that while the plastic snap cap was the same SIZE as loaded ammo, the difference in its WEIGHT meant a difference in the ejection function in this case.

Something that would never have been noticed in a properly working pistol, but which proved to me that a "properly working" snap cap is NOT proof of a properly working pistol.
 
Without the recoil how much help is that? I was raised with guns and to me it just sounds like something hokie someone would do to pretend like they are learning how to shoot.
Click to expand...
Youre basically training your brain and body to present the gun, align the sights/index the gun, etc, through repitition. Think of it as a "gun kata" of sorts. Its not pretending either, you are learning.

Now if you want to POW, POW, POW as the trigger breaks or you move to the next target, knock yourself out. :D
 
AK103K:

How do you quote people on this forum? :D I may be slow.

That makes sense too. Muscle memory and practice. I'm open to all training philosophies and practices. I'll pick up some caps and see how I feel about them.
 
YungGunz,

When you click the "reply" button to post, theres a row of options just above the box you type in. Click the 4th one from the right that looks like a cartoon "cloud", and cut and past what you want to quote between the two "quotes".

ie [QU*OTE]--here--[/QU*OTE] (ignore the *, it wont let me do it if its not there).
 
When you click the "reply" button to post, theres a row of options just above the box you type in. Click the 4th one from the right that looks like a cartoon "cloud", and cut and past what you want to quote between the two "quotes".
Click to expand...

By golly, I think I get it. Thank you sir or maam.
 
The main component of accuracy is keeping the sights aligned on the target during and after the trigger pull. That is the area where dry firing (and snap caps if appropriate) really will be important. Note, though, that not all guns need or require snap caps. The GI Model 1911/A1 was made to be dry fired and I have never seen one harmed by doing so. And I have dry fired S&W revolvers many thousands of times with no ill effects on the guns. But some guns, auto pistols and revolvers, mainly rimfire, will be damaged by dry firing without snap caps.

Jim
 
Without the recoil how much help is that? I was raised with guns and to me it just sounds like something hokie someone would do to pretend like they are learning how to shoot.

I honestly mean no offense so please take none but I have a problem of speaking directly.
Click to expand...

Dry firing is practiced by even the best of the best on a regular basis. When an individual fires a weapon, there's a very natural anticipation of the recoil. The reaction can be very short or of long duration. It can happen from the time touches the trigger up to and through the break of the trigger (firearm discharge. The physical result of this anticipation is a jerking of the firearm. This movement can be very subtle or it can be very obvious by another person viewing the shooter. Dry firing will help you get this natural response under control in a less expensive way (live fire training costs money) and you will be better focused when you don't have the explosion of the rounds. In a nutshell, it helps the shooter with trigger control. Sure, it can be boring but that's just too bad. It doesn't take much motion for a shooter greatly miss their aim point. If you want to be the very best you can, I suggest incorporating dry firing sessions into your daily routines. Then combine that training (when feasible) with your live fire training and the recoil you speak of will be dealt with in an entirely different and positive manner as opposed to no dry firing practice. Of course you'll still have the recoil to experience and react to, but you'll be ahead of the game because you will have minimized your anticipation of the "explosion" which can be a big hurdle for people to overcome if they don't train often and properly.
 
Thanks Jim and I do have a few .22s. I mostly shoot my BHP and P938 because they are the pistols that I carry. No harm from dry firing there but you guys have piqued my interest in these caps.
 
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