If you're going to dry fire, get some snap caps first.

[Bill DeShivs]

Damn! The plastic ones don't work the first time.

[kraigwy]

Excluding Rim Fires I wont have a (serious use) pistol/revolver I cant dry fire. Without having to use snap caps.

I have a Series 70 Cold Gold Cup got in the middle 70s that I had dry fires for hours upon hours when I was heavy into Bulls eyes. Same with my Model 52 Smith.

Same with my Smith Revolvers. I cant imagine counting the hours I spent dry firing a Smith Revolver, to smooth out the action. In training I would dry fire them until couldn't pull the trigger, the switch hands and start again.

[K_Mac]

I am with kraigwy. All of my center fired handguns get dry fired regularly without snap caps. While I haven't spent as many hours dry firing as he has, I have spent many hours doing it without any negative consequences. I do not see the need but will support your right to use them if you choose.

[arquebus357]

If I knew someone dry fired a firearm for hours on end, I wouldn't buy it. Would you ?

[K_Mac]

If I knew someone dry fired a firearm for hours on end, I wouldn't buy it. Would you ?

I would not buy a center fire firearm that excluded dry firing. The implication is that dry firing would damage the gun. Since it doesn't, it would not effect my decision. It probably would have a smoother trigger as a result...

[arquebus357]

I see.....a firearm is like a racehorse, it needs to be exercised.

[Bill DeShivs]

Take a small hammer and a small anvil-or anything similar, and hit the anvil with the hammer enough times and you will see that banging two pieces of metal together eventually causes damage to one or both pieces. It can't be avoided. When shooting live ammunition or using snap caps, the hammer fall is cushioned by the primer.
Slam two pieces of metal together long enough, and one (or both) will distort. The pieces will also work-harden and become brittle. This is inescapable fact.
Gunmakers can design to minimize these effects, but they can not be eliminated.
Dry firing most guns a few times will not harm them, but excessive dry firing of ANY gun causes the above to happen.

[SIGSHR]

I bought some Italian made snap caps with a spring under the "primer", found they really didn't hold up that well.
I find there is a safety advantage to using snap caps. Like using blaze orange training rounds in a speedloader.

[arquebus357]

Yes, everything is much safer if you don't use live ammunition.

[dgludwig]

I have a Series 70 Cold Gold Cup got in the middle 70s that I had dry fires for hours upon hours when I was heavy into Bulls eyes. Same with my Model 52 Smith.

Of course, the Model 52 does have a dry fire feature not found in any other centerfire pistols that I'm aware of.

[K_Mac]

Bill your example of "inescapable fact" is not inescapable or necessarily factual. Metal composition, hardness, tempering, and force applied are all part of the equation. I do not know or care enough about this equation to do the math. I do know that after thousands of dry fires on multiple handguns I have not had a failure to fire or any other failure, or observed any damage as a result. My data is empirical in the handguns I have owned. Your rationale based on hammers and anvils or metals in general does not seem to apply.

[Bill DeShivs]

Sorry if that's over your head.
Metal hitting metal eventually causes displacement or breakage. Many guns can be dry fired quite a bit before this happens, but it will eventually happen-especially with alloy frames.

[K_Mac]

Bill you can repeat your assertion till Hades freezes over but it won't make it so. Unless enough force is used for the given metals to change at the molecular level the displacement or breakage you insist will happen simlpy will not. You can smugly claim to be smarter than the rest of us if you choose, but unless you can prove your claims that dry firing causes damage it is just one more "fact" from an internet "genius."

[adamBomb]

I use the tiptons. I think they are great when doing any dry firing and practicing drills. I mean maybe it doesnt matter but considering I buy one set for $10 and they last for multiple guns of the same caliber it seems pretty cheap.

[Longhorn1986]

The guys on the latest GunsoverTexas podcast were talking about breaking a firing pin on a Beretta Pico and how the manufacturer would not warranty the pin due to it being dry fired without a snapcap.

[Bill DeShivs]

It's your gun. Dry fire it if you want. I really don't care.
I come here to learn and give advice from my considerable experience, not argue.

[johnwilliamson062]

If I knew someone dry fired a firearm for hours on end, I wouldn't buy it. Would you ?

It take 5-10k trigger pulls before things smooth out on a production gun. I don't mind if someone did them for me. If it has been dry fired 200k there will be some obvious wear.

[arquebus357]

^^^^^

The real key here is "If I knew". Obviously you would never know when buying a used firearm. Maybe a good idea would be to only buy single action used firearms because it's doubtful that anyone is going to dry fire a gun for hours if they first must cock it.

Wow...another good reason to buy a used 1911.

I guess that you could call me a "Dry Fire Denier".

[JohnKSa]

Maybe a good idea would be to only buy single action used firearms because it's doubtful that anyone is going to dry fire a gun for hours if they first must cock it.

I don't think that will be a good guarantee. In order to dryfire a Glock, you have to rack the slide, at least slightly, between trigger pulls to reset the striker. And yet people have dryfired them to the point of breakage.

[arquebus357]

^^^^^^
Yes, My Ruger American Compact only needs like 1/2" of slide rack to set the striker. You say people have dry fired Glocks till breakage ? Is this documented someplace ? That would be interesting to find out that the indestructible Glock can be dry fired to breakage. They must not have been using snapcaps.

[Spats McGee]

Originally Posted by arquebus357

. . . . You say people have dry fired Glocks till breakage ? Is this documented someplace ? That would be interesting to find out that the indestructible Glock can be dry fired to breakage. They must not have been using snapcaps.

Please see the link in Post #1.

[AK103K]

As I said earlier- rubber, hot melt glue, silicone, nylon, inner tubes, etc. WILL NOT cushion a firing pin. The tip of the firing pin simply pierces the material. Being soft, the material simply closes up around the hole.

I just double checked a couple of my AZooms, and the "primer" is intact, or hasnt been pierced and sealed up (been poking at it with a small, flat-bladed screwdriver and there is no damage), and both have had a bazillion strikes on them.

The AZooms use some sort of polymer, or what appears to be polymer, and its very hard and firm. There is very little "give" to it.

All I can recommend is to get caps with a metal primer with a spring underneath.

As I said before, unless you know of some that are different than the Tipton type, these are about worthless.

If I knew someone dry fired a firearm for hours on end, I wouldn't buy it. Would you ?

Guess you wont be buying any of mine.

I see.....a firearm is like a racehorse, it needs to be exercised.

Yes it does.

Maybe a good idea would be to only buy single action used firearms because it's doubtful that anyone is going to dry fire a gun for hours if they first must cock it.

Wow...another good reason to buy a used 1911.

I do, or have, dry fired them all, and heavily. How else are you going to get the practice in?


Dry firing is an important part of maintaining and improving your shooting skills. If youre the least bit serious about them, then youre likely doing it on a regular basis.

[Bill DeShivs]

If the plastic on the A Zooms is hard enough to not be pierced, that's great.
I don't do enough dry firing to need snap caps.

[Mike38]

I would bet the farm that I have dry fired my 1911 more than I have live fired it. Nothing wrong with it as far as I can tell. My other pistols get dry fired, but not at the frequency as the 1911. Now 22lr pistols, I use snap caps.

[Bill DeShivs]

Mike- there won't be anything wrong with it until something breaks.