Should I "dry fire" my S&W 642?

[vmaam]

Yes, I did buy a new S&W revolver. I compared and took the boycott into consideration but ultimately decided to get one. It was what was best for me.

Since it's new, will dry firing do it any damage? The trigger pull is so stiff.

[frontlander]

Get yourself some snap caps. Most of the major shooting supply companies (Midway, Dillon, etc.)carry them. Then you can snap away to your hearts delight without worry.

[mikey357]

Dryfiring your new 642 won't hurt it a bit...in fact, it'll have TWO definite pluses...first, it'll help "smooth up" the action of your new revo...second, it'll help strengthen the muscles used for DA firing and reinforce your "muscle memory"...very cheap but EFFECTIVE practice!!!....mikey357

[Adventurer_96]

Could used shells take the place of snap caps?

[EnochGale]

You don't need snap caps for this gun. Fire away.

[frontlander]

Snapcaps/dummy rounds/training ammo help make practice safer. The reason I suggested snapcaps is because they can be used as dummy rounds during practice sessions. Just snapping away on an empty cylinder is fine if you are practicing sight picture and trigger pull. Using the snapcaps in mock reloading drills (important practice when armed with a snub) is much safer than using live ammo. I like the ones that are colored and don't look like live ammo. One warning: Don't reload your gun with live ammo for at least a half an hour after your practice session. There is a phenomenon called "The One Last Shot Syndrome". Believe me, you don't want to experience it.

[grapeshad]

The rep likend it to idling a car..do it in moderation but don't sit at your TV all night shooting the bad guys, snap caps or not. Suggested doing it before warming up before a match(a 642? Don't think so :) )

Anyways I agree with the trigger being stiff...the display model felt lighter but I'm sure its been dry fired a whole bunch of times to loosen it up.

You guys agree with only dry firing sporadically as the Smith rep suggested or is it not facory rep would ever suggest dry firing....he said every trigger pull puts wear on the gun.(Obviously, I just want to make sure that I don't break the firing pin)

[JNewell]

Well, yeah, duh, it puts wear on the gun! Would he suggest that you not drive your new car for the first 1,000 miles so you don't put wear on it? (Figger that one out! :-) )

The firing pin is a short little thing that is less likely to break than a lot of other parts in the J frame.

Most Smiths I've seen come through too dry. It may be some of the friction you feel would be reduced with good lube, which would also reduce the wear factor.

Realistically, you are really not going to _wear out_ one of the Al or Ti J frames -- it will wear you out first. I think what the CS rep is cautioning you about is sitting down to watch Lawrence of Arabia or something (what was that, about 15 hours long? :-) ) and snapping the revolver 30x/minute for the entire movie. But even dry firing it, _you_ will wear out at some point! Be happy, don't worry -- it's a tool, not a keepsake. Oh, and by the way -- their CS is very good. If you do break it, they will fix it.

[Badger Arms]

It's a good idea with most .22's not to dry fire the gun. The majority of centerfire guns, however, are safe. Some notable exceptions I can think of are the CZ 52 which is prone to breaking firing pins and any antique gun.

I dryfire my 642 all the time. The only thing annoying with that praticular gun is the line on the cylinder that develops quite quickly.