Dry shooting: wear and tear?

samoand · November 25, 2005, 06:50 PM

Gentle folks,
Is there any reason to use less expensive guns for dry shooting practice? i.e. does it contribute at all to any aspect of wear and tear? Apparently there is no wear to barrel; but what about pin, spring, or any other components - considering that during such practice a firearms can be "dry fired" hundreds (or even close to thousand) times per session.

On a slightly different note: do you have a strong opinion about dry shooting practice in general?

Best regards to all !

Cross posting to "Tactics and Training"...

AZta2guy · November 25, 2005, 07:34 PM

For what it is worth... I yse snap caps for my dry fire practice. For both my revolver and my simi auto pistols. Helps with the fast draw, aquire and squeeze practice. Stand in front of mirror and practice.

samoand · November 26, 2005, 06:21 PM

Thanks for your response.

Best regards, and safe shooting.

hIPSHOT33 · November 27, 2005, 09:33 PM

I did 16 years on the Army rifle team ,and we dry fired every day . I don't remember any problems caused by it . But like Azta2guy I would use snap caps . You can make one to fit your rifle or pistol by takeing the eraser off of a pincel and fiting it into the primer pocket of an empty round then seating a bullet on it .

scottys1 · November 27, 2005, 11:05 PM

I agree with the use of snap caps. Dry firing is very good practice for shooting skills. I can't imagine any modern firearm being harmed by dry firing when snap caps are used. It's also a good way to smooth trigger action particularly with a double action.

I will on occasion develop a flinch when firing my .44 or anything else with stout recoil. I've found the best solution is to load it with snap caps and dry fire until the flinch goes away before resuming live fire. This will draw some grins at the range from the testosterone crowd. My take is that while putting lead downrange is fun, doing so while not being able to call your shots is a waste of perfectly good lead.

All that being said, you don't have to have a firearm with heavy recoil or a flinch to benefit from dry firing and you can do it at home.

Dave Haven · November 28, 2005, 01:28 AM

Having worked as a gunsmith, I have seen a number of broken firing pins caused by dry-firing 1894 Winchesters and Marlin 336's. Considering the sheer quantities of those rifles in existence, it's probably not much of an issue, even with those particular models.
Most guns can be dry-fired without damaging anything. Even the Ruger "Old Army" cap-and-ball revolver can be dry-fired without damaging anything. (The hammer doesn't contact the nipples). In fact, Ruger recommends dry-firing to familiarize oneself with the firearm.
Dry-firing is a common practice among competitive shooters. It helps with trigger control.

November 25, 2005, 06:50 PM	#1
samoand Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2005 Posts: 211	Dry shooting: wear and tear? Gentle folks, Is there any reason to use less expensive guns for dry shooting practice? i.e. does it contribute at all to any aspect of wear and tear? Apparently there is no wear to barrel; but what about pin, spring, or any other components - considering that during such practice a firearms can be "dry fired" hundreds (or even close to thousand) times per session. On a slightly different note: do you have a strong opinion about dry shooting practice in general? Best regards to all ! Cross posting to "Tactics and Training"...

November 25, 2005, 07:34 PM	#2
AZta2guy Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 2004 Location: Behind the Lines in Cali Posts: 114	For what it is worth... I yse snap caps for my dry fire practice. For both my revolver and my simi auto pistols. Helps with the fast draw, aquire and squeeze practice. Stand in front of mirror and practice. __________________ Aim Straight and Have Fun Jon

November 26, 2005, 06:21 PM	#3
samoand Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2005 Posts: 211	Thanks! Thanks for your response. Best regards, and safe shooting.

November 28, 2005, 01:28 AM	#6
Dave Haven Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2000 Location: near Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 790	Having worked as a gunsmith, I have seen a number of broken firing pins caused by dry-firing 1894 Winchesters and Marlin 336's. Considering the sheer quantities of those rifles in existence, it's probably not much of an issue, even with those particular models. Most guns can be dry-fired without damaging anything. Even the Ruger "Old Army" cap-and-ball revolver can be dry-fired without damaging anything. (The hammer doesn't contact the nipples). In fact, Ruger recommends dry-firing to familiarize oneself with the firearm. Dry-firing is a common practice among competitive shooters. It helps with trigger control. __________________ NRA Endowment Member FCSA Life Member Subs are cool, but belt-feds RULE!

November 27, 2005, 09:33 PM	#4
hIPSHOT33 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2005 Location: ETNA CA. IN THE REAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Posts: 120	I did 16 years on the Army rifle team ,and we dry fired every day . I don't remember any problems caused by it . But like Azta2guy I would use snap caps . You can make one to fit your rifle or pistol by takeing the eraser off of a pincel and fiting it into the primer pocket of an empty round then seating a bullet on it .

November 27, 2005, 11:05 PM	#5
scottys1 Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2004 Posts: 316	I agree with the use of snap caps. Dry firing is very good practice for shooting skills. I can't imagine any modern firearm being harmed by dry firing when snap caps are used. It's also a good way to smooth trigger action particularly with a double action. I will on occasion develop a flinch when firing my .44 or anything else with stout recoil. I've found the best solution is to load it with snap caps and dry fire until the flinch goes away before resuming live fire. This will draw some grins at the range from the testosterone crowd. My take is that while putting lead downrange is fun, doing so while not being able to call your shots is a waste of perfectly good lead. All that being said, you don't have to have a firearm with heavy recoil or a flinch to benefit from dry firing and you can do it at home.