dry-firing Beretta Tomcat when gun goes empty?

Skarekrow88 · October 21, 2019, 09:00 PM

I recently picked up a Tomcat from my LGS and I couldn't be more pleased with the pistol (except for the price it costs to feed it) and I was surprised how pleasant and fun it is to shoot.

I know I'm not supposed to feed the little guy with anything over 130ft/lbs of muzzle energy per the warning/notice that comes in the box (which I plan to abide by) and that you are also not supposed to dry-fire it without snapcaps/spent casings per the manual which leads me to why I am making this post.

When I shoot handguns (per how I was taught and what works for me) I focus on two things and two things only: Front sight and trigger manipulation. Therefore I do not count my rounds and unless the pistol I am shooting locks back/open on the last round then I don't know that its empty until I pull the trigger and get a "click" instead of a "bang". So since the Tomcat doesn't have that last round hold open feature I am dry-firing it at the end of every magazine.

My question/s: Does doing this have me on a crash course with a prematurely broken firing pin? I've read instances where some claimed it did for them but they never disclosed exactly how much dry-firing was done. Should I just go ahead and get myself a spare firing pin and/or start making it a point to count my rounds when shooting my Tomcat or is this a negligible amount of dry-firing? I really love shooting the thing and plan to take it to the range a decent amount so any advice will be appreciated.

JERRYS. · October 21, 2019, 09:08 PM

an occasional click on an empty chamber should not damage a quality built modern centerfire handgun.

hammie · October 22, 2019, 10:06 AM

I totally agree with "JERRYS.". However, it sounds like you will be firing on an empty chamber more than occasionally. I have a similar beretta 21A (.25 ACP) with the same dry firing warning. Even though the magazine holds more, at the range I load 5 in the magazine and one in the tip up barrel. I find that I can keep track of six shots fired pretty easily. Of course in a self defense situation, it's a full magazine and no one is counting.

If I were you, at the range I would count my shots, and then tip up the barrel.

Kilibreaux · October 22, 2019, 08:48 PM

Another thought would be to just buy a spare firing pin now and dry fire to your heart's content. Then report how many thousand times you dry fired it before the pin broke!

I doubt you have much to worry about considering the thousands of Tomcats and it's virtual "twin" little brother which uses the same style of slide and probably the same firing pin and I don't remember ever having read about a broken firing pin. A lot of people are shooting these guns and you have to figure most of them drop the hammer on an empty chamber at least once at the end of every magazine.

JERRYS. · October 22, 2019, 10:12 PM

load a dummy round in the magazine first, then load the rest. this will ensure your last trigger pull will be on a dummy round instead of a "dry fire".

Carmady · October 23, 2019, 12:47 AM

"load a dummy round in the magazine first, then load the rest. this will ensure your last trigger pull will be on a dummy round instead of a "dry fire"."

That's a real good idea. It'll also keep the slide from slamming shut on an empty chamber, which at least one person believes is the cause of the Tomcat's cracked frame issue.

A couple pics borrowed from the www:

Skarekrow88 · October 23, 2019, 01:23 AM

Quote:

load a dummy round in the magazine first, then load the rest. this will ensure your last trigger pull will be on a dummy round instead of a "dry fire"

I ordered some .32 Auto A-Zooms on Amazon earlier today for this very reason along with a 2 pack of the Pearce grip extensions. Why I didn't think of this earlier is beyond me

Quote:

It'll also keep the slide from slamming shut on an empty chamber, which at least one person believes is the cause of the Tomcat's cracked frame issue.

I never even considered that but makes sense now that you mentioned it. Definitely thinking the last round snap cap is the way to go.

JERRYS. · October 23, 2019, 01:44 AM

actually the frame cracking is from the slide going backwards after firing. they increased the size/weight of the slide to slow it down to help prevent the problem but it still occurs. this is because of the frame design is just that way. if they made it with a polymer frame the cracking problem would cease and they could go back to the smaller slide.

GarrettJ · October 24, 2019, 09:27 PM

They will break if dry fired too much. I found that out the hard way. I don’t have a problem counting rounds, but the dummy round is a good idea too. And buying a spare firing pin now is cheap insurance.

Ibmikey · October 25, 2019, 11:28 PM

Buy the pin....dry fire until your heart’s content as stated above untold thousands of dry fires will happen before you ever break the pin....if you ever do. I dry fire everything I have (over 200 pistols alone) except rim fires and Star pistols which I use snap caps in....thousands upon thousands of dry fires and pins do not break (at least for me) but I do keep an extra firing pin for many of my pistols “ just in case”. Placing a dummy in the mag is not my idea of a solution to a non existent problem because eventually the dummy and a live round will become mixed...I supplied officers with the same ammo for training and duty use as no matter how many times it was brought up when training ammo was different it always ended up In mags designated for duty.

GarrettJ · October 26, 2019, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibmikey

....dry fire until your heart’s content as stated above untold thousands of dry fires will happen before you ever break the pin....if you ever do. I dry fire everything I have...

Please try that with the gun in question and let us know if you change your opinion.

Ben Dover · October 26, 2019, 09:47 AM

Dry firing does not harm modern centerfire weapons.

Ancient weapons with fixed firing pins should not be dry-fired. Modern centerfires can be dry fired until the cows come home.

GarrettJ · October 26, 2019, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Dover

Dry firing does not harm modern centerfire weapons.

Ancient weapons with fixed firing pins should not be dry-fired. Modern centerfires can be dry fired until the cows come home.

Again, please try it with the gun in question and report back.

Ben Dover · October 26, 2019, 01:39 PM

I've never owned a Tomcat, but I've done it with at least a dozen other centerfire weapons, including a Beretta 950 Jetfire in .25 ACP.

Grand-daddy's old admonition to never "snap" a real gun was fine for many pre-WW2 weapons, but technology has advanced since 1940.

Ibmikey · October 26, 2019, 10:45 PM

There are some who will adhere to the “never dry fire” and “never let the slide go forward on an empty chamber” No matter what is said. As I indicated before after sixty years of military, police and retired life all of which heavily includes shooting causes me to smile and remember the 1911 slides that have slammed and the hammers falling on empty chambers and yet the pistols keep soldiering on.

October 21, 2019, 09:00 PM	#1
Skarekrow88 Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 332	dry-firing Beretta Tomcat when gun goes empty? I recently picked up a Tomcat from my LGS and I couldn't be more pleased with the pistol (except for the price it costs to feed it) and I was surprised how pleasant and fun it is to shoot. I know I'm not supposed to feed the little guy with anything over 130ft/lbs of muzzle energy per the warning/notice that comes in the box (which I plan to abide by) and that you are also not supposed to dry-fire it without snapcaps/spent casings per the manual which leads me to why I am making this post. When I shoot handguns (per how I was taught and what works for me) I focus on two things and two things only: Front sight and trigger manipulation. Therefore I do not count my rounds and unless the pistol I am shooting locks back/open on the last round then I don't know that its empty until I pull the trigger and get a "click" instead of a "bang". So since the Tomcat doesn't have that last round hold open feature I am dry-firing it at the end of every magazine. My question/s: Does doing this have me on a crash course with a prematurely broken firing pin? I've read instances where some claimed it did for them but they never disclosed exactly how much dry-firing was done. Should I just go ahead and get myself a spare firing pin and/or start making it a point to count my rounds when shooting my Tomcat or is this a negligible amount of dry-firing? I really love shooting the thing and plan to take it to the range a decent amount so any advice will be appreciated. __________________ "A life fought for others is a life worth living"

October 26, 2019, 09:47 AM	#12
Ben Dover Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2013 Location: High up in the Rocky Moun Posts: 665	Dry firing does not harm modern centerfire weapons. Ancient weapons with fixed firing pins should not be dry-fired. Modern centerfires can be dry fired until the cows come home. __________________ The soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as the prisoner's chains. Dwight Eisenhower It is very important what a man stands for. But it is far more important what a man refuses to stand for.

October 26, 2019, 01:39 PM	#14
Ben Dover Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2013 Location: High up in the Rocky Moun Posts: 665	I've never owned a Tomcat, but I've done it with at least a dozen other centerfire weapons, including a Beretta 950 Jetfire in .25 ACP. Grand-daddy's old admonition to never "snap" a real gun was fine for many pre-WW2 weapons, but technology has advanced since 1940. __________________ The soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as the prisoner's chains. Dwight Eisenhower It is very important what a man stands for. But it is far more important what a man refuses to stand for.

October 21, 2019, 09:08 PM	#2
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,968	an occasional click on an empty chamber should not damage a quality built modern centerfire handgun.

October 22, 2019, 10:06 AM	#3
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	I totally agree with "JERRYS.". However, it sounds like you will be firing on an empty chamber more than occasionally. I have a similar beretta 21A (.25 ACP) with the same dry firing warning. Even though the magazine holds more, at the range I load 5 in the magazine and one in the tip up barrel. I find that I can keep track of six shots fired pretty easily. Of course in a self defense situation, it's a full magazine and no one is counting. If I were you, at the range I would count my shots, and then tip up the barrel.

October 22, 2019, 08:48 PM	#4
Kilibreaux Member Join Date: October 4, 2012 Posts: 57	Another thought would be to just buy a spare firing pin now and dry fire to your heart's content. Then report how many thousand times you dry fired it before the pin broke! I doubt you have much to worry about considering the thousands of Tomcats and it's virtual "twin" little brother which uses the same style of slide and probably the same firing pin and I don't remember ever having read about a broken firing pin. A lot of people are shooting these guns and you have to figure most of them drop the hammer on an empty chamber at least once at the end of every magazine.

October 22, 2019, 10:12 PM	#5
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,968	load a dummy round in the magazine first, then load the rest. this will ensure your last trigger pull will be on a dummy round instead of a "dry fire".

October 23, 2019, 01:44 AM	#8
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,968	actually the frame cracking is from the slide going backwards after firing. they increased the size/weight of the slide to slow it down to help prevent the problem but it still occurs. this is because of the frame design is just that way. if they made it with a polymer frame the cracking problem would cease and they could go back to the smaller slide.

October 24, 2019, 09:27 PM	#9
GarrettJ Member Join Date: April 13, 2008 Posts: 94	They will break if dry fired too much. I found that out the hard way. I don’t have a problem counting rounds, but the dummy round is a good idea too. And buying a spare firing pin now is cheap insurance.

October 25, 2019, 11:28 PM	#10
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	Buy the pin....dry fire until your heart’s content as stated above untold thousands of dry fires will happen before you ever break the pin....if you ever do. I dry fire everything I have (over 200 pistols alone) except rim fires and Star pistols which I use snap caps in....thousands upon thousands of dry fires and pins do not break (at least for me) but I do keep an extra firing pin for many of my pistols “ just in case”. Placing a dummy in the mag is not my idea of a solution to a non existent problem because eventually the dummy and a live round will become mixed...I supplied officers with the same ammo for training and duty use as no matter how many times it was brought up when training ammo was different it always ended up In mags designated for duty.

October 26, 2019, 10:45 PM	#15
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	There are some who will adhere to the “never dry fire” and “never let the slide go forward on an empty chamber” No matter what is said. As I indicated before after sixty years of military, police and retired life all of which heavily includes shooting causes me to smile and remember the 1911 slides that have slammed and the hammers falling on empty chambers and yet the pistols keep soldiering on.