What are Snap Caps?

[Patton21]

Hey guys,
What are snap caps and what do they do?

[AndrewTB]

Well in theory they are good for pracitcing dry firing. Usually a piece of rubber or plastic shaped like a regular round etc...

There also metal ones that ive seen around.

Some say it helps protect the firing pin. Others say its good to practice racking slides and dealing with jams etc..

[JohnKSa]

A dummy round intended and designed to cushion the firing pin blow to prevent damage from dry-firing.

[Patton21]

Is there risk of damage to the gun by dry firing?

[gb_in_ga]

"Is there risk of damage to the gun by dry firing?"

Yes. Some guns are more prone to dry firing damage than others. Some are just about immune from dry firing damage, but some (like, say, a CZ 52) are very prone to dry firing damage.

Your safest bet is to not assume anything and either not dry fire, or use snap caps or spent cases when you do dry fire.

[carguyjohn350]

Is there any advantage to using a snap cap over just using a spent cartidge?

[JohnKSa]

The primer in a fired case will deform and dent out of the way of the firing pin after one or two hits. A snap cap has some provision for cushioning the firing pin strike for many repeated hits.

Check your manual or contact the manufacturer of your firearm to determine if a snap cap is recommended.

[H&K4Life]

If you are not into practicing the mechanics of racking/malfunction drills and just want to practice on you trigger squeeze, then check this out:

http://www.dry-fire.com

(a much needed training tool for you kit bag)

[DocFox]

Snap Caps are excellent tools for training, and greatly reduce the risk of damage to your firearm. I HIGHLY recommend their use.

If you do not intend to use them for clearance drills etc, but only for trigger excersizes, snap caps can be made at almost 0 cost. If anyone is interested in how, just let me know.

[iluvlabs1]

This may be a stupid question...

I purchased some snap caps for my Taurus revolver, and have used them for about a week. The primer is indented from the Taurus' firing pin. If I use the same snap caps in another revolver, will the existing indent harm the second revolver's firing pin?

[hIPSHOT33]

should not hurt to use snap caps in another gun ,but good snap caps won't dent . they usually have hard rubber inserts . they are semple to make . Just remove the spent primer from a fired round and replace it with a pincil eraser ,cut down to fit.

[iluvlabs1]

Thank you, Hipshot...I purchased these from a local gun shop. They consist of a plastic, clear bullet with a spring inside. The "primer" appears to be made of brass, but am uncertain. In any event, firing the gun impacts the "primer" which depresses the spring. The spring thus absorbs the energy transferred. I'll use your idea to make caps of my own. Thanks again.

[choochboost]

I highly recommend the A-Zoom brand of snap caps. A-Zoom snap caps are the dark brown/bronze colored ones. I have always used them by randomly loading them into my magazines to make sure my trigger pull is smooth, etc. The other day I decided to try another brand and purchased Traditions snap caps. Traditions snap caps are the red clear plastic ones. Bad move. Every one would not extract and got stuck in the bore on my HK USP. I tossed them in the garbage (once I banged them out) and will use only A-Zoom from now on. I don't know if it was just a fluke thing or not but that was my experience.

[iluvlabs1]

Traditions are the ones I purchased, but have used them in my Taurus revolver with no problems. I was wondering if the indent in the "primer", resulting from use in the Taurus, would have an ill-effect on the firing pin if they now used in my S&W revolver. I've not yet seen any response indicating any issues. Thanks for your responses, though.

[gdeal]

the owners manual states to use

Snap Cap cartridges with spring loaded primers.

Where do I get these and how many will I need?

Just one or ten to fill a magazine?

This is to protect the firing pin when dry firing but I don't know what actually happens to the snap cap when doing this. Does it eject like a real round or does it just stay there?

and i do NOT want to hear anything about this being an old post!
what was I suppose to do? Flood the forum by starting a new one?

By the way, I found this link when I google'd snap cap trying to find out where I can buy a 9mm spring loaded primer.

[lefteye]

There are a few brands of snap caps. Traditions and Tipton are the brand names of two red plastic versions with dummy primers on springs. A-Zoom are metal and the dummy primers remain indented by firing pin strikes. Snap caps can be purchased at many places that sell ammo, usually in packages of 5 for semi-autos and 6 for revolvers. They load in a magazine just like real cartridges. They will extract and eject when you pull the slide back (and scatter aroung the room.) Tipton is made (I believe) by MidwayUSA and handgun calibers are on sale right now for $8.49.

[Creature]

[oneounceload]

I also prefer the AZOOM type - I have had the Armsport, which is the red/clear brass/spring-loaded ones, and they ALWAYS break around the rims after a short time of use.

[inSight-NEO]

Where do I get these and how many will I need?

Just one or ten to fill a magazine?

Most anywhere that sells firearms supplies will sell such an item. How many you need or use can vary. For function testing, I prefer at least 4 for a shotgun and 5 for the semi-auto. In terms of "preserving" the firing pin, only one is needed (after all, just because you cycle ammo does not necessarily mean you need to drop the hammer, for instance).

This is to protect the firing pin when dry firing but I don't know what actually happens to the snap cap when doing this. Does it eject like a real round or does it just stay there?

It just stays there. Ejecting the round is up to you.


A-Zoom is nice, lasts a long time (well, maybe not the aluminum casing, at least when cycling through a shotgun).
I use these for my shotgun and all handguns. They seem better suited to extended "firing"/cycling vs. lets say, the Pachmayr brand (which I also use). Ive noticed with the Pachmayr caps, that the (Im assuming brass) primer gets concave real fast. Now, maybe the spring held within the unit counteracts this...I dunno.

Good thing about A-Zoom caps is that they simulate the actual weight of a particular round. Some others out there may not.

[B.N.Real]

Ain't you ever opened a can of beer?

glug-glug-glug......

[Elvishead]

op 2005

[Cliff47]

I've been using the A-Zoom models almost exclusively since I had a Traditions part company on me one evening. Most unsettling to see something go zipping across the living room(gave the Pom a moment).

A while back, I picked up a tray of .22lr at a gun show, only to find that the ammunition was dummy rounds. Works well in my .22lr rifles and pistols. If anybody would like some, drop me a line and I'll send some out.

[phantom1984]

I do have a question about snap caps is there a number of times they are good for? Or after a number of times using one is it wise to throw it away and put in another one?

[Tatsumi67]

They work well, but I recently had a 12 gauge snap cap crack in half inside the barrel, I'm out $5...lame..

[Creature]

Was it an A-Zoom snap cap?