Simulating Failures with snap caps

[atlctyslkr]

Sometimes when I practice I get one of my buddies to load up a snap cap in a random spot so I don't know on which trigger pull it will happen. Anyone else do this? It's great practice for the unexpected.

[geetarman]

I shoot with an LEO friend and sometimes he asks me to load a couple of magazines with a dummy round or two so he can practice clearing and reloading.

I do not do that myself.

Geetarman

[Jo6pak]

We do similar things on occassion at the range.

Loading a .22 short into a pistol or rifle. The gun will shoot the round, but often will not cycle the bolt to chamber the next round.

It's a great way to simulate clearing a misfeed on the go.

[Deputy Dog]

Most of your instructors will teach you to practice this, if they dont then they are doing you an injustice. A gun is a mechanical devise which can and do fail, knowing how to correct the issue and pressing forward could mean the difference between life and death....

DD

[GUNSITE]

great tool for watching trigger pull, anticipation, pushing, pulling, and overall shooting mechanics.

[Capt. Charlie]

great tool for watching trigger pull, anticipation, pushing, pulling, and overall shooting mechanics.

Yep on all of the above. In fact, my dept. does this on a regular basis during training.

For wheelguns, X number of empty casings are randomly inserted. I "reload" a handful of dummy rounds (bullet only seated & crimped) for semi-autos. Those are carefully and boldly marked with a Sharpie.

The tap-rack-bang drill is great, but I primarily do it to check myself for flinch. I'll run a handful of bigger bore stuff through, just to wake up my "ouch" factor , and then do the dummy round thing.

No matter how much or how long I shoot, I find that I have to constantly be on guard against flinch.

[raimius]

Yes, snap caps are great for malfunction training!

I will often load a few mags with a mix of snap caps and live ammo. Then, I mix the mags without looking at them and load them into my mag-pouches. It is good practice.

[sdj]

I try to practice it at least once every range session. I take a bunch of mags and load 'em up putting empty brass into the mix (sometimes even putting in several empty casings in a row). I then mix up the mags so I don't know what has what, and off I go. Allows me to practice clearing failure to fire, mis-feeds and the like. One thing I have found: the .357 sig will feed and extract empty casings one after the other; rarely will I get a jam that requires having to drop the mag. 9mm does not perform as smoothly: 2 or 3 empty cases in a row and usually a nasty jam is produced and I'm obliged to drop the mag and clear the jam. It's good practice and really drives home the fact that a jam is very costly in terms of time.

[demigod]

great tool for watching trigger pull, anticipation, pushing, pulling, and overall shooting mechanics.

No doubt. I'm a pretty good and confident pistol shooter, but I have a little flinch... a functional flinch if you will.

I had my wife loading mags for me this weekend and I was humbled. Even on rounds I was expecting a dumby, I still had a little flinch.

I'm dedicating my next few weekends to more of this practice.

[bottom rung]

I don't have any snap caps or any reloaded dummy rounds, but I do use my spent casings. I have six range magazines with me when I shoot. I normally take between one and four of them and load them with some spent casings. Then I mix them up on the bench. At that point I really have no clue which mag is good and which is bad. The jams usually come as a surprise, which is a good thing. I am going to purchase some snap caps so my Glocks will chamber the round instead of jamming open on the spent shell. Sometimes, I will have a friend "load" my gun and hand it to me, if it is loaded I fire it. If it is empty, well then, I get to see if I am flinching or pulling just as GUNSITE and Capt. Charlie said. This type of training is invaluable.

[booker_t]

Take it to the next level (if your range allows it) and find/use cover while clearing that malfunction.

Even if that just means a couple steps to the right the first time, and a couple steps to the left the second, and a crouch the third. Your brain will at first try to process one thing (clear the jam) or another (move the feet) and not both at the same time.

[ethan95]

I use snap caps. Sometimes even a shell casing to simulate a jam.

[hasbro_fan]

We discussed this during a training class I went to. They thought empty cases would not cycle in most handguns, so suggested snap caps.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I've taken classes where they load your gun for you before the drill and with revolvers and semis, they do this.

No, you can't check the gun for they holster it. Or you can shoot a 1911 in matches, if you want to practice tap, rack, bang. Haha - just kidding. At the last match, the RO when his turn to shoot was heard saying: Darn, 1911. Rack, rack.

I shoot mine and it usually runs. Usually.

[ethan95]

One thing I have found: the .357 sig will feed and extract empty casings one after the other

My 9mm p226 feeds empty cases without a hiccup, i guess its a good thing.