Nice article about dry firing practice

PT111 · October 1, 2007, 10:20 AM

I ran across this and thought it was worth posting here for everyone who practices a lot and follow all the safety rules. The part about BEWARE is shown below.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/pistolwork.htm

BEWARE

The single largest problem of dry-firing is what is known as the "One-More-Shot Syndrome". This affliction usually befalls the dry-firer at least once in his life. Basically it is caused by the repetition of the same action over and over during an extended period of time. The synapses in the brain get "locked" into doing something the same way and if a completely different action is not undertaken, the person will perform that same action unconsciously, even if consciously not intending to. While most times it results in no harm, it is potentially deadly.

I remember a cop who was dry-firing and practicing his draw before he went on duty. He had spent over an hour practicing while waiting to head for the station. When it came time to leave he loaded his gun, walked to the door, spun around, jerked the revolver and fired, centering a vase at the end of a 20 foot hallway. While the shot was clean and accurate it did cause some consternation on the part of his wife. Fortunately no one was in the line of the bullet which stopped several rooms later in a wall. This type of "accident" is more common than most people like to let on. And like the weird uncle in the family, no one wants to talk about it. But for those who undertake dry-firing on a regular basis, you do need to be aware of it. For if you do not handle it right you WILL fire the gun later even though you do not want to.

I had a close friend who started dry-firing on a regular basis every other evening. I warned him that at the end of his dry-firing sessions to put the gun away - out of sight - and not to touch it for at least an hour. He said, "Sure, fine, OK." One day I went to visit him and he was in a strange mood. Finally his wife said, "Are you going to tell him?" and he related how he had been dry-firing. He put the gun away, but picked up his Colt Detective's Special and fired a shot through the wall. No one was hurt. But they could have been. I had hard time not saying, "I told you...!"

If you spend time dry-firing, when you are done PUT THE GUN AWAY. DO NOT TOUCH IT OR ANOTHER GUN FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. GO DO SOMETHING TOTALLY UNRELATED - SOMETHING DIFFERENT. If you don't you will fire it one of these days, unintentionally. No matter how much you do not want to.

I was a kid living at home and one day spent several hours in front of a mirror, drawing and snapping, trying to beat the ugly guy in the mirror. I decided to go out on the range and shoot some live ammo, so I put that gun away, strapped on a 7 1/2" single action, loaded it and walked past the mirror on the way out of the room. As I walked past the mirror I made one of the fastest, smoothest draws of my life and centered the ugly guy in the mirror. The shot was extremely loud in the house. The mirror happened to be an antique vanity of my mothers. The shot ruined it as you might imagine. I checked the hole in the wall, and in the living room, left a note for the folks saying I had to be elsewhere, that I had a slight accident but was unhurt, and departed until things cooled down a bit.

I was present once when an individual shot himself with a gun he did not remember loading just a minute before. The bullet went down his leg, alongside the knee, crossed over the shin and exited just above his ankle. A mid-range .44 Magnum load, this wound laid him up for a year. He swore he had not loaded the gun, yet he was the only one who had been handling it. When I picked it up I found 4 unfired rounds in it.

Dry-firing is a fun way to improve your skill or maintain your skill level. And it is effective. Like all gun handling, it must be done in the proper manner. Be aware of the dangers and act accordingly. You do not have to be one of the "accidents". While some of them are slightly humorous, they can be deadly. We do not want or need those. I already have plenty of stories already of holes shot in walls, ceilings, furnaces, and of thermostats shot off the wall and holes blown in mattresses. I would rather not have any more

ZeSpectre · October 1, 2007, 10:41 AM

I wish I could remember who said the following (inexact quote because I can't find the original)

"I practice CCW draw and dry firing a lot, but I don't pull the trigger every time. I want to train myself to do a smooth draw and present but I do NOT want to become a programmed robot that automatically pulls the trigger every time."

October 1, 2007, 10:20 AM	#1
PT111 Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2007 Posts: 1,041	Nice article about dry firing practice I ran across this and thought it was worth posting here for everyone who practices a lot and follow all the safety rules. The part about BEWARE is shown below. http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/pistolwork.htm BEWARE The single largest problem of dry-firing is what is known as the "One-More-Shot Syndrome". This affliction usually befalls the dry-firer at least once in his life. Basically it is caused by the repetition of the same action over and over during an extended period of time. The synapses in the brain get "locked" into doing something the same way and if a completely different action is not undertaken, the person will perform that same action unconsciously, even if consciously not intending to. While most times it results in no harm, it is potentially deadly. I remember a cop who was dry-firing and practicing his draw before he went on duty. He had spent over an hour practicing while waiting to head for the station. When it came time to leave he loaded his gun, walked to the door, spun around, jerked the revolver and fired, centering a vase at the end of a 20 foot hallway. While the shot was clean and accurate it did cause some consternation on the part of his wife. Fortunately no one was in the line of the bullet which stopped several rooms later in a wall. This type of "accident" is more common than most people like to let on. And like the weird uncle in the family, no one wants to talk about it. But for those who undertake dry-firing on a regular basis, you do need to be aware of it. For if you do not handle it right you WILL fire the gun later even though you do not want to. I had a close friend who started dry-firing on a regular basis every other evening. I warned him that at the end of his dry-firing sessions to put the gun away - out of sight - and not to touch it for at least an hour. He said, "Sure, fine, OK." One day I went to visit him and he was in a strange mood. Finally his wife said, "Are you going to tell him?" and he related how he had been dry-firing. He put the gun away, but picked up his Colt Detective's Special and fired a shot through the wall. No one was hurt. But they could have been. I had hard time not saying, "I told you...!" If you spend time dry-firing, when you are done PUT THE GUN AWAY. DO NOT TOUCH IT OR ANOTHER GUN FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. GO DO SOMETHING TOTALLY UNRELATED - SOMETHING DIFFERENT. If you don't you will fire it one of these days, unintentionally. No matter how much you do not want to. I was a kid living at home and one day spent several hours in front of a mirror, drawing and snapping, trying to beat the ugly guy in the mirror. I decided to go out on the range and shoot some live ammo, so I put that gun away, strapped on a 7 1/2" single action, loaded it and walked past the mirror on the way out of the room. As I walked past the mirror I made one of the fastest, smoothest draws of my life and centered the ugly guy in the mirror. The shot was extremely loud in the house. The mirror happened to be an antique vanity of my mothers. The shot ruined it as you might imagine. I checked the hole in the wall, and in the living room, left a note for the folks saying I had to be elsewhere, that I had a slight accident but was unhurt, and departed until things cooled down a bit. I was present once when an individual shot himself with a gun he did not remember loading just a minute before. The bullet went down his leg, alongside the knee, crossed over the shin and exited just above his ankle. A mid-range .44 Magnum load, this wound laid him up for a year. He swore he had not loaded the gun, yet he was the only one who had been handling it. When I picked it up I found 4 unfired rounds in it. Dry-firing is a fun way to improve your skill or maintain your skill level. And it is effective. Like all gun handling, it must be done in the proper manner. Be aware of the dangers and act accordingly. You do not have to be one of the "accidents". While some of them are slightly humorous, they can be deadly. We do not want or need those. I already have plenty of stories already of holes shot in walls, ceilings, furnaces, and of thermostats shot off the wall and holes blown in mattresses. I would rather not have any more

October 1, 2007, 10:41 AM	#2
ZeSpectre Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2007 Location: Shenandoah Valley Posts: 3,276	I wish I could remember who said the following (inexact quote because I can't find the original) "I practice CCW draw and dry firing a lot, but I don't pull the trigger every time. I want to train myself to do a smooth draw and present but I do NOT want to become a programmed robot that automatically pulls the trigger every time."