Dry firing a Ruger Mark III 22/45

SerenityNetworks · July 19, 2012, 10:17 PM

I would like to solicit some input on this topic.

I've seen threads (such as this one) that state you don't dry fire a .22 rimfire handgun. On the other hand, the Ruger manual says on page 20, "5. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, push the safety to the “off” (F) position and pull the trigger to decock the pistol. The pistol can be dry fired as long as the firing pin stop is in place (see NOTE in step 5 on page 25)." Which is it.

I have a LaserLyte that I intend to use regularly and I need to dry fire to activate the laser. Is it harmful to repeatedly dry fire the pistol? If so, are there any .22 snap caps available that will magazine feed? (I purchased some dummy rounds only to find afterwards they are not snap caps and will be ruined after half a dozen dry fires.)

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

**JohnKSa** · July 19, 2012, 10:33 PM

Generally speaking, rimfires should not be dryfired unless the manufacturer specifically states that it is acceptable.

Generally speaking, modern centerfires can safely be dryfired unless the manufacturer specifically states otherwise.

The Ruger MkII, and MkIII series handguns, including the 22/45 pistols, have a firing pin stop (a heavy steel pin) that blocks the firing pin from moving forward enough to peen the chamber. That allows them to be dryfired without fear of damaging the firearm. I believe the same is true of the MkI handguns but I don't have information readily available for them.

I've owned several MkII pistols and have dryfired all of them without any ill effect.

Dragline45 · July 19, 2012, 10:36 PM

try this

http://casualshooter.blogspot.com/20...most-free.html

Slopemeno · July 19, 2012, 10:47 PM

All Ruger Mk-I, II, and III's have a firing pin stop- they are completely safe to dry fire as-is.

aarondhgraham · July 20, 2012, 08:18 AM

Quote:

With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, push the safety to the “off” (F) position and pull the trigger to decock the pistol. The pistol can be dry fired as long as the firing pin stop is in place (see NOTE in step 5 on page 25).

Click here please,,,
Page 20, 2nd paragraph.

Aarond

.

SerenityNetworks · July 20, 2012, 12:13 PM

Thanks guys.

Aarond, what am I missing with your post - page 20 paragraph 2 is what I referenced in my original post.

Dragline45, thanks. That (using wall anchors) is exactly what I'm doing now. (I found the suggestion in a similar thread.) But that's also why I started this thread - I'm looking for something that will magazine feed. Otherwise I need to remove the magazine safety or thumb the bolt release every shot (which is a huge PITA).

JohnKSa, this kind of brings me full circle. I see what you have experienced and what Ruger has said and then I see other posts that say dry firing will 'eventually' cause problems. But then those posts also say the damage will be pitting of the chamber, which shouldn't be able to happen with the pin stop.

I guess I'm still left with the question if FREQUENT (say 20 or 30 dry fires a day for a prolonged period) will eventually cause a problem. I'm not talking about the occasional dry fire when I go to clear the pistol. The issue is that I plan to do it A LOT.

Thanks again,
Andrew

------------------------
"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

Merad · July 20, 2012, 12:37 PM

Per Ruger the MkIII's are totally safe to dry fire. However, you should check the firing pin stop at least once or twice a year, because if it is worn out the gun can be damaged by dry fire.

Edit- Missed the last post. If you really plan to dry fire several dozen times a day or more and do this every day for long periods I would go ahead and replace your firing pin stop once a year or so. It's probably only a dollar or two and very easy to remove. IIRC ruger doesn't give a number and just says it can be worn by "excessive" dry firing. 30x365 = 10950 dry fires per year, which I say is pretty close to excessive.

SerenityNetworks · July 20, 2012, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merad

Per Ruger the MkIII's are totally safe to dry fire. However, you should check the firing pin stop at least once or twice a year, because if it is worn out the gun can be damaged by dry fire.

Edit- Missed the last post. If you really plan to dry fire several dozen times a day or more and do this every day for long periods I would go ahead and replace your firing pin stop once a year or so. It's probably only a dollar or two and very easy to remove. IIRC ruger doesn't give a numberand just says it can be worn by "excessive" dry firing. 30x365 = 10950 dry fires per year, which I say is pretty close to excessive.

:-) It is that "number" that concerned me. But it's good to know they qualify it by saying "excessive". For the few dollars it will cost, I can order a few and replace it regularly.

Now it looks like I just need to remove the magazine safety for my practice sessions at home, so I can just quickly cycle the bolt between dry fires and not need to push down the bolt release every time.

Thanks again,
Andrew

NRA Life Member
------------------------
"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

pat701 · July 20, 2012, 05:41 PM

No dry firing a rimfire.

**JohnKSa** · July 20, 2012, 10:25 PM

Merad's post is good. I would add to check the firing pin as well as the firing pin stop. If there's enough hammering to damage/wear the stop, the firing pin could be affected too.

aarondhgraham · July 23, 2012, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Aarond, what am I missing with your post - page 20 paragraph 2 is what I referenced in my original post.

I was simply reiterating what you had posted,,,
The owners manual says it is okay,,,
So, it's okay to dry fire the gun.

Aarond

.

g.willikers · July 23, 2012, 01:48 PM

The cross pin, that prevents the firing pin from being damaged from dry firing, can get loose and fall out when the gun is stripped for cleaning.
Make sure it's in place when the gun is reassembled.

SerenityNetworks · July 23, 2012, 04:55 PM

Thanks guys. All going smoothly. I've practiced dis-assembly/reassembly about 8 or 10 times now and can do it in less than a minute. I'm making a conscious effort to look at both the pin and the stop, so hopefully it will become habit.

Thanks again,
Andrew

NRA Life Member
------------------------
"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

Johnnymurad · July 26, 2012, 10:31 PM

Ruger says your ok and it is a great way to practice. I have probably dry fired mine 15,000 times and I don't have a problem, if you do Ruger will fix it.

SerenityNetworks · July 26, 2012, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnnymurad

Ruger says your ok and it is a great way to practice. I have probably dry fired mine 15,000 times and I don't have a problem, if you do Ruger will fix it.

That is really good to hear. Thank you. I've been dry firing mine and no problems so far - but I'm probably only close to 100 times :-)

Thanks again,
Andrew

NRA Life Member
------------------------
"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

July 19, 2012, 10:17 PM	#1
SerenityNetworks Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2012 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 416	Dry firing a Ruger Mark III 22/45 I would like to solicit some input on this topic. I've seen threads (such as this one) that state you don't dry fire a .22 rimfire handgun. On the other hand, the Ruger manual says on page 20, "5. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, push the safety to the “off” (F) position and pull the trigger to decock the pistol. The pistol can be dry fired as long as the firing pin stop is in place (see NOTE in step 5 on page 25)." Which is it. I have a LaserLyte that I intend to use regularly and I need to dry fire to activate the laser. Is it harmful to repeatedly dry fire the pistol? If so, are there any .22 snap caps available that will magazine feed? (I purchased some dummy rounds only to find afterwards they are not snap caps and will be ruined after half a dozen dry fires.) Thanks in advance, Andrew __________________ NRA Life Member There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them. - Malcolm Muggeridge

July 19, 2012, 10:33 PM	#2
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,994	Generally speaking, rimfires should not be dryfired unless the manufacturer specifically states that it is acceptable. Generally speaking, modern centerfires can safely be dryfired unless the manufacturer specifically states otherwise. The Ruger MkII, and MkIII series handguns, including the 22/45 pistols, have a firing pin stop (a heavy steel pin) that blocks the firing pin from moving forward enough to peen the chamber. That allows them to be dryfired without fear of damaging the firearm. I believe the same is true of the MkI handguns but I don't have information readily available for them. I've owned several MkII pistols and have dryfired all of them without any ill effect. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

July 20, 2012, 12:37 PM	#7
Merad Senior Member Join Date: October 5, 2011 Posts: 350	Per Ruger the MkIII's are totally safe to dry fire. However, you should check the firing pin stop at least once or twice a year, because if it is worn out the gun can be damaged by dry fire. Edit- Missed the last post. If you really plan to dry fire several dozen times a day or more and do this every day for long periods I would go ahead and replace your firing pin stop once a year or so. It's probably only a dollar or two and very easy to remove. IIRC ruger doesn't give a number and just says it can be worn by "excessive" dry firing. 30x365 = 10950 dry fires per year, which I say is pretty close to excessive. Last edited by Merad; July 20, 2012 at 12:44 PM.

July 20, 2012, 10:25 PM	#10
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,994	Merad's post is good. I would add to check the firing pin as well as the firing pin stop. If there's enough hammering to damage/wear the stop, the firing pin could be affected too. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

July 23, 2012, 01:48 PM	#12
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	The cross pin, that prevents the firing pin from being damaged from dry firing, can get loose and fall out when the gun is stripped for cleaning. Make sure it's in place when the gun is reassembled. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

July 19, 2012, 10:36 PM	#3
Dragline45 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Posts: 3,513	try this http://casualshooter.blogspot.com/20...most-free.html

July 19, 2012, 10:47 PM	#4
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	All Ruger Mk-I, II, and III's have a firing pin stop- they are completely safe to dry fire as-is.

July 20, 2012, 12:13 PM	#6
SerenityNetworks Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2012 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 416	Thanks guys. Aarond, what am I missing with your post - page 20 paragraph 2 is what I referenced in my original post. Dragline45, thanks. That (using wall anchors) is exactly what I'm doing now. (I found the suggestion in a similar thread.) But that's also why I started this thread - I'm looking for something that will magazine feed. Otherwise I need to remove the magazine safety or thumb the bolt release every shot (which is a huge PITA). JohnKSa, this kind of brings me full circle. I see what you have experienced and what Ruger has said and then I see other posts that say dry firing will 'eventually' cause problems. But then those posts also say the damage will be pitting of the chamber, which shouldn't be able to happen with the pin stop. I guess I'm still left with the question if FREQUENT (say 20 or 30 dry fires a day for a prolonged period) will eventually cause a problem. I'm not talking about the occasional dry fire when I go to clear the pistol. The issue is that I plan to do it A LOT. Thanks again, Andrew ------------------------ "There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

July 20, 2012, 05:41 PM	#9
pat701 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: South west Missouri Posts: 315	No dry firing a rimfire.

July 23, 2012, 04:55 PM	#13
SerenityNetworks Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2012 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 416	Thanks guys. All going smoothly. I've practiced dis-assembly/reassembly about 8 or 10 times now and can do it in less than a minute. I'm making a conscious effort to look at both the pin and the stop, so hopefully it will become habit. Thanks again, Andrew NRA Life Member ------------------------ "There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

July 26, 2012, 10:31 PM	#14
Johnnymurad Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 135	Ruger says your ok and it is a great way to practice. I have probably dry fired mine 15,000 times and I don't have a problem, if you do Ruger will fix it. __________________ www.youtube.com/johnnymurad www.rev-tac.com