snap caps?

I like the Tipton snap caps a bit better than the A-zoom. The rims of the aluminum A-zoom cases kept breaking on me long before the polymer plug ever wore out. The Tipton snap caps have brass rims that seem to hold up better. I haven't had the springs get stuck on the Tiptons, but I do find that the brass primer eventually gets so indented that it really isn't cushioning the blow of the firing pin, though that happens to all snap caps eventually. I also like the Tipton because they're easier for me to find (bright red) when I am doing malfunction drills and they get ejected into the lost corner of my basement that never appears at any other time. :rolleyes:
 
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imashooter: Thank you for your response. I appreciate the feedback because hell, if we don't ask questions how are we going to learn? I am new here but the wealth of knowledge that I see on these boards is nice.

I am going to purchase my first rifle soon ( I have 9 handguns and two shotguns) so I hope the folks on those forums are as kind :)
 
Some say to avoid the A-Zooms, because the red paint flakes off with use, and the flakes can gum up a handgun's innards. Yes, friction does cause paint wear, but it's not coming off in big chunks. Using this logic one should never shoot a handgun, because powder combustion residue can gum up the innards.

If the paint (or whatever the red finish is) bothers you, you can try to remove it with paint or fingernail polish remover.
 
The Azoom, paint and all is about the best available and as stated previously last the longest. I use snap caps in my .32 and .380 autos for action cycling and dry firing, sometimes the paint will wear but never, contrary to the previous post, has a bit of insignificant paint caused a malfunction in my pistols ( I routinely replace the snap caps because of cycling wear Snd can say a lot of firing both wet and dry occurs). Most revolvers and autos do not need the caps but I do know of several brands that will break pins without them. I would like to have a nickel for every time a 1911 was dry fired without any resulting damage.
Oh forgot, I let the slide run home using the slide stop/release or in some cases popping the slide and letting it slam home with no damage to fingers or pistol. That was just to add to controversy.
 
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Recently be wondering why I don't have snap-caps for 25ACP. It's because A-zoom is the only maker. Don't like the nylon primer and the aluminum body tends to cycle rough especially rifles. Need it for my 25ACP Raven. :(
 
I always thought the A Zooms were anodized, not painted. Ive had the aluminum show though over time, here and there, and usually on the rims, but Ive never had it flake or peel off, nor have they ever caused a failure problem, or locked up the gun.

The rims do get a bit chewed up over time, but Im talking a bazillion cycles too. The brass on the others gets just as chewed up.
 
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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If you only want snap caps to work on trigger control or to protect the firing pin when you have to pull the trigger on an empty chamber in a .22 (such as prior to cleaning) you can use a yellow drywall anchor as a snap cap. They don't function in magazines, but if you place one directly in the chamber they work great. Also, much cheaper than real snap caps.
 
AK103K said:
I always thought the A Zooms were anodized, not painted. Ive had the aluminum show though over time, here and there, and usually on the rims, but Ive never had it flake or peel off, nor have they ever caused a failure problem, or locked up the gun.



The rims do get a bit chewed up over time, but Im talking a bazillion cycles too. The brass on the others gets just as chewed up.
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Chewed up is one thing, breaking is something else. Maybe I had a bad bunch of A-zooms because the rims on my 9mm snap caps kept breaking off in little chunks and when the extractor couldn't grab them they lost their use to me. The Tipton visually are holding up a lot better so far. In the end they're cheap either way. The only other issue I had with A-zooms was sometimes the top of the case where the fake bullet seats would get bent back a little and not like to feed. But as you said, I beat the heck out of these things.
 
AK103K,

I always thought the A Zooms were anodized, not painted.
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I hesitated before typing "paint," and thought about using "anodized" instead. I should have said "finish," because I do not know what it is. If it's anodized solvents should not remove the finish.

Regardless of what the finish is, I've never seen evidence of it gumming up the innards as it comes off with use.
 
Dry fire is a very useful way to get daily practice with the fundamentals.
Every serious shootist uses it and recommends it.
I used to dry fire a lot, but have switched to airguns instead.
Real results on real targets seems to work even better.
And is definitely more fun.
 
I just wanted to through in my 2 cents and say that dry firing has helped my greatly improve. You do it to practice the fundamentals. We dry fire practiced in basic training in the army so it's not something just us gun Internet forum nerds do.
 
Well I stand corrected from my original post then. Clearly a lot of folks find dry firing very useful. I can admit when I am wrong :o
 
Italian brand, new, got a finger nail in the spring area. A-zoom taughts CNC, apparent no QC. 7.62xd39 royally jams. Much head scratching, incorrect shoulder angle.
 
A few notes about SAFELY practicing dry fires:

1. Always, always, always safety check your weapon before each session. Obvious, I know, but it bears repeating.
2. Block off time in the day to practice your dry fire. You're trying to establish a routine with all your safety checks in place as part of it. If you start randomly plugging away at the TV during commercials, distracting yourself in 12 minute blocks, then you're reinforcing bad habits instead of good ones.
3. You're obviously not treating the gun as if it's loaded when dry firing, but you should still obey the other three rules. That means making sure nobody's within a 180 degree arc in front of you when dry firing, and that either there is nobody on the other side of the wall you're aiming at, or it's backed by brick/stone, or both.
4. You should not have ammo anywhere in the room with you when you practice. Yes, maybe you'll get jumped by ninjas in those exact 15 minutes you're dry firing, but it's worth the risk.
 
Yes, maybe you'll get jumped by ninjas in those exact 15 minutes you're dry firing
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Maybe? That's when ninjas are trained to attack!

Trust me, I have been attacked by ninjas before.

*None of the above statements are true. At all.
 
All the safety rules concerning dry firing at TV images can be condensed into one warning: 50" HD TV sets cost like heck and a 9mm through the middle does one no good.

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.
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Think of it this way, when you buy a new deep conceal holster,
how often do you wish to shoot yourself in the leg? ;)

It is far safer to practice with snap caps until you get the muscle memory locked in...
especially when wearing Thunderwear or Smart-Carry...
your wife will thank you ;)
 
"...like sitting in a car without gas pretending that you are driving."

As one who spent a lot of time driving a variety of rental cars, some with the steering wheel on the wrong side, I have sat in many a car pretending to be driving (though the car did have gas in it), figuring out where all the controls were and getting the feel of shifting gears with the left hand. I strongly recommend it.

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.
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When I was a young boy, I would sit in my fathers truck and pretend I was driving by operating the clutch, shifter, brake and gas pedal. I would try to emulate what my father told me about driving a stick shift.

When I first drove a manual shift, I had little difficulty with it and it felt pretty natural to me.

This is what they call "muscle memory". A misnomer that describes building and reinforcing nerve pathways in the brain.

Dry firing does the same thing.

Just make sure you practice correctly. Repeating the wrong things will train you to do wrong things, a condition known as a "training scar".

(For example, don't eject your snap cap and then immediately pick it up. Leave it lay just like you would a spent shell casing. You don't want to train for picking up spent brass in a gun fight)
 
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I get it. Do you not read the thread? I have retracted my original opinion at least three times. What is the deal here? Everyone has to take a shot at me to feel good about themselves?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot


"Well I stand corrected from my original post then. Clearly a lot of folks find dry firing very useful. I can admit when I am wrong"

Enjoy your forums. I think I will move on.
 
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