Dry Firing?

[isnipe]

I recently read a article in gun world(old from 2004)about how good dry firing is for practice,but I have heard this ruins your fire arm.Is this true?

[James R. Burke]

I always wondered myself, maybe we can get some input. The only time I do it is when I am done hunting for the day or its going to be stored for awhile, then I dry fire it to uncock it. Or would that even matter? Thanks to anyone with some input.

[EstillEngineer#59]

i have always heard that dry fireing is hard on a gun

[banditt007]

as a side note, with most bolt action guns you can pull the trigger while lowering the bolt to the locked position and it will uncock w/o slamming the firing pin forward. you can check if it does by the resistance of lifting up the handle (fighting you a bit if its cocking, or easy since its already cocked...)

[Uncle Ben]

What I have generally heard is that dry-firing with center fire guns is not really an issue (rifles or handguns), but for any rimfire guns it can cause damage.

I don't have proof one way or the other...just what I have heard a few times over.

[isnipe]

I cant hold it and un-cock it on my remington 700 it has an internal cocking knob.

[bangbangshootshoot]

From S&W's recommendation on their products, it is fine to dry fire centerfire pistols but not rimfires.
I don't know about older Rugers, but the newer MKIII's have a stop pin which allows for dry firing.

[rr2241tx]

In general, dry firing a centerfire rifle or an inertia fired pistol will not hurt it. SOME rimfire arms have floating firing pins and can be dry fired without damage, others will hit the firing pin against the breech and damage both the pin and the breech. Best bet is to check with the manufacturer.

[isnipe]

Thanks for the info. I think i will buy dummy rounds for my firearms just to be safe.

[moddek]

i think what the article was trying to say was that the practice of drying firing can be good for practicing several things... but it really depends on the firearm to determine if it will cause damage... plus with snapcaps and such there are ways to do it without damage

[BuddhaSnipe]

It causes damage to most rimfire guns but if prefectly fine for centerfire guns with floating firing pins.

[riggins_83]

There are a few reasons I avoid dry firing even centerfire guns.

First the firing pin spring will be compressed more than it would be when striking a primer. With some guns the firing pin may travel much further forward and "bottom out" within its own range of travel. Some guns such as Glocks have to be dry fired to be disassembled.. in these cases I still use a snap cap.

I'd rather purchase some cheap snap caps then cause any extra wear.

[Catfish25p2000]

I dry fire all my guns. The only thing that I know is bad to dry fire is an AR lower that has be taken off the upper. That is really bad for the lower, so I don't do that.

[James R. Burke]

I was just wondering. I have a Ruger No 1. I dry fire it when I am unloaded and done hunting for the day, and when I store it. Would that hurt it?

[Jimro]

If your rifle was designed for military service, dry firing is probably not going to be an issue....

Same goes for your pistols.

Jimro

[James R. Burke]

I dont think we are talking military service but thanks anyways.

[4EVERM-14]

Dry firing is excellent training for most competitive disciplines. The purpose is a holding exercise plus the practicing of smooth trigger release. For those wanting to become good shots Dry fire practice is highly recommended .
As for the guns, unless discouraged by the manufacturer, centerfires can be dry fired without worry. Rimfire guns are suspect. The firing pin can potentially impact the edge of the chamber causing dents and burrs. Most higher quality rimfires are made so that the firing pin cannot reach the chamber. When in doubt using snap caps eliminate any worry.

[uncyboo]

I was just wondering. I have a Ruger No 1. I dry fire it when I am unloaded and done hunting for the day, and when I store it. Would that hurt it?

I don't know if dry firing will hurt it or not, but when I unload my #1s I just hold the trigger back while closing the lever. Uncocks that way.

[James R. Burke]

Thanks for that info. I always done that with bolts, but never thought of it with the No 1. Again thanks a bunch!

[Jimro]

James R. Burke,

Lots of civilian sporting arms started out as military arms. AR's, Mausers, etc. Didn't mean to make it sound like anything but me just chiming in with my two cents (although there is the firing pin support differences between different bolt carrier groups in AR's that could make an interesting thread) over which firearms you know would be fine for dry fire practice.

riggins_83

When you say

First the firing pin spring will be compressed more than it would be when striking a primer. With some guns the firing pin may travel much further forward and "bottom out" within its own range of travel.

I think maybe you are confused. The firing pin should have a minimum and maxiumum protrusion, no matter if it's dry fired or not.

Jimro

[jdscholer]

I've been shooting for over 40 years , and have dry fired my guns ---a kazillion times.

In all that time, I've had one firing pin break (Rem 870), and no other issues that I can detect; although I believe that my DA handguns have smoother actions than they would have otherwise.

It all started for me at about the age of 12 when I read a book by an old trick shooter who basically said that a person would get better practice for aerial shooting without ammo than with. I found this to be true, and never looked back. All of my practice today includes a lot of dry fire, whether at the range or in my living room. If my shooting starts going to hell at the range, a couple of cylinders of snapping usually trims it up again.

The most dramatic example I can offer is when I have my grandson out shooting clay birds. When his shooting starts to slip, I'll make him shoot empty at thrown birds, snapping - pumping - and snapping repeatedly at the bird as many times as he can as it flies and falls. Put the shells back in and viola! He's smokin them. jd

[Forty.Five]

I like to stay on the safe side and dry fire on my guns as least as possible.

[jmr40]

I'm convinced that with most guns dry firing will wear it out at about the same rate as live fire. And if I do break something, so what. I have a 1974 Remington 700 that has been dry fired at least 100,000 times in the last 36 years. Not the 1st problem. To have gotten that much trigger time I would have had to buy 5,000 boxes of ammo and at todays prices it would cost me about $125,000.

I buy my guns to use them. Nothing will make you a better shot than dry firing. I could buy 1000 really nice rifles with the money saved on ammo.

[James R. Burke]

Jimro everything is fine here. Your one of the guys who knows what they are talking about, and I condsider you a "Pro". I learned alot just reading your posts. Many times you answered questions I had before I even asked them.
Jim B.

[igor]

Dry fire practice is essential for developing proper marksmanship. Sure, some may have gotten their basics down without it too, but it's a lot more effectively done by dry fire practice. For several years, I would dry fire 2-3 times the amount of rounds I spent at in range practice.

As stated above, centerfire with floating firing pins, no problem. Rimfires, often a problem. That said, I use a Kadet .22LR adapter on my CZ pistols and I do lower the hammer as is proper, by dry firing into the back stop. No problem with the Kadet at least with that much. Same with a V22 AR adapter.