remington rifle dry firing

ruger357w · March 14, 2013, 09:09 AM

I picked up a remington varmint SF 220 swift with an adjustable trigger. will it hurt the rifle to dry fire it to test the trigger pull weight or do I need to get some snap caps?

PVL · March 14, 2013, 10:12 AM

It never hurts to get a few snap caps.

Liambobbi · March 14, 2013, 01:25 PM

It won't hurt but snap caps are better to train with and there cheap

RC20 · March 14, 2013, 06:51 PM

If you look at most firing pins, they have a taper to them. Each non stopped cycle drives it deeper into the taper.

Certainly a few dry fires does not hurt it, but if you do it much over time, then yes (if it has a square shoulder that is different).

So, it you want to do it fairly often then a snap cap is cheap avoidance.

note: pistols are a different story and dry firing is ok for most of them (probably some exceptions like a Lugger that has all matching numbered parts)

Mezzanine · March 15, 2013, 01:25 AM

Its externally adjustable so why not wait until the range trip to adjust it when you can see the differences in groups?

ruger357w · March 15, 2013, 05:17 AM

I live in the country so a range trip for me is stepping out side. I ended up useing a once fire case to adjust the trigger. set it to about 3.5 pounds. I like a light trigger but I going to use this rifle for coyote hunting so I didn't want to go to light.

Art Eatman · March 15, 2013, 11:21 AM

J-random-occasional dry-firing won't hurt anything. Guys have been unloading rifles, closing bolts and pulling triggers for year after year after year with nothing bad happening.

It's possible, I guess, that steady dry-firing while practicing could cause some problem if snap caps aren't used. I've never heard of a problem which resulted from dry-firing, but I'd have to ask a gunsmith to say anything definitive.

Certainly, using a once-fired case when adjusting a trigger is as good as anything.

jmr40 · March 15, 2013, 07:51 PM

Virtually all modern centerfire rifles are not hurt anymore by dryfiring than live firing. I've done it hundreds of thousands of times over the years with numerous centerfire rifles with zero problems. Including a Remington 700 made in 1974. A conservative estimate is that rifle has been dry fired at least 100,000 times. I've never owned a snap cap, but if it makes someone feel better that is what they sell them for.

March 14, 2013, 09:09 AM	#1
ruger357w Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2012 Location: Maine Posts: 158	remington rifle dry firing I picked up a remington varmint SF 220 swift with an adjustable trigger. will it hurt the rifle to dry fire it to test the trigger pull weight or do I need to get some snap caps?

March 14, 2013, 10:12 AM	#2
PVL Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2013 Posts: 169	It never hurts to get a few snap caps.

March 14, 2013, 01:25 PM	#3
Liambobbi Member Join Date: January 24, 2013 Posts: 51	It won't hurt but snap caps are better to train with and there cheap

March 14, 2013, 06:51 PM	#4
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	If you look at most firing pins, they have a taper to them. Each non stopped cycle drives it deeper into the taper. Certainly a few dry fires does not hurt it, but if you do it much over time, then yes (if it has a square shoulder that is different). So, it you want to do it fairly often then a snap cap is cheap avoidance. note: pistols are a different story and dry firing is ok for most of them (probably some exceptions like a Lugger that has all matching numbered parts)

March 15, 2013, 01:25 AM	#5
Mezzanine Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 103	Its externally adjustable so why not wait until the range trip to adjust it when you can see the differences in groups?

March 15, 2013, 05:17 AM	#6
ruger357w Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2012 Location: Maine Posts: 158	I live in the country so a range trip for me is stepping out side. I ended up useing a once fire case to adjust the trigger. set it to about 3.5 pounds. I like a light trigger but I going to use this rifle for coyote hunting so I didn't want to go to light.

March 15, 2013, 11:21 AM	#7
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	J-random-occasional dry-firing won't hurt anything. Guys have been unloading rifles, closing bolts and pulling triggers for year after year after year with nothing bad happening. It's possible, I guess, that steady dry-firing while practicing could cause some problem if snap caps aren't used. I've never heard of a problem which resulted from dry-firing, but I'd have to ask a gunsmith to say anything definitive. Certainly, using a once-fired case when adjusting a trigger is as good as anything.

March 15, 2013, 07:51 PM	#8
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	Virtually all modern centerfire rifles are not hurt anymore by dryfiring than live firing. I've done it hundreds of thousands of times over the years with numerous centerfire rifles with zero problems. Including a Remington 700 made in 1974. A conservative estimate is that rifle has been dry fired at least 100,000 times. I've never owned a snap cap, but if it makes someone feel better that is what they sell them for.