Dry firing a revolver

[Judan_454]

Is it safe to dry fire a SW 629 and a Ruger GP 100 without snap caps? I what to do some dry firing pratice with them.
Thanks Dan

[EMC45]

Yup. Safe.

[subsonic]

Yes.

The only real advantage to the snap caps is that if those are in the gun, real ammo is not!

You can also get some speed reload practice in if you want.

[EMC45]

Yes.

The only real advantage to the snap caps is that if those are in the gun, real ammo is not!

You can also get some speed reload practice in if you want.

You said it even better.

[sqlbullet]

I am not going to disagree per se with subsonic, but I am going to offer a different point of view.

When I dry fire I like to verify the chamber is completely empty, not be in the habit of putting something in the chamber.

Clint Smith made a similar point in the most recent copy of American Handgunner, citing an AD at one of his classes by someone who was sure they had put in a snap cap, but had actually put in a real round.

Both points of view are completely valid, and if followed will result in safety. None-the-less, as Clint says, the two loudest sounds in the world for a shooter are a click when there should be a bang, and a bang when there should be a click.

Your guns are not in danger of mechanical harm from dry firing. Whether the practice is safe is a matter of your personal habits.

Good luck.

[MtGun44]

Only safe for 100,000,000 dry fires. . . . . . . :kidding:

The biggest danger is having a live round wind up in the mix
somehow.

Bill

[stubshaft]

I agree with the empty chamber POV. I want to be sure there is nothing in there before I dry fire, unless it will harm the gun which it won't in your case.

[rintinglen]

Having replaced 4 firing pins and a hammer over the years, my response to dry-firing questions is "Yes, it's safe. Done properly you won't hurt yourself. You may break your gun, however." I most strongly oppose dry-firing Colt v-spring revolvers. If you are going to dry fire, use snap caps.

In my PPC days, I used to dry-fire 60-100 times a day. The first thing to break was the target hammer on my S&W M-17. It was replaced under warranty. The next thing things to break were "unbreakable" Colt Python firing pins, the first cost me my match fees when I stepped up to the 7 yard line and nothing happened but click when I pulled the trigger. Of course that day I only brought the one gun. I broke another a few months later but caught that one before it could make me look foolish. After that my dry firing was done with spent casings in the chambers. I have also had the hammer nose break off on a S&W 1917 while dry firing and had the firing pin snap on a Star Model B. That latter one really vexed me, as I had merely dropped the hammer to decock the gun before putting it away after cleaning.

In any event, I am opposed to dry-snapping unless something is used to cushion the hammer fall. You gunsmiths may disagree.

[uscra112]

IMHO dry firing revolvers with firing pin integral to the hammer is OK, but those with a firing pin in the frame without snap caps is not. The frame-mount pin gets slammed forward in its' bore each time, and this batters whatever shoulder there is that stops it, both on the pin and in the frame. If there is a cartridge or a snap-cap there to take the impact, the shoulder will be preserved. I base this on the conventional wisdom of generations of double-barrel shotgunners, for I have seen shotguns damaged in this way.

[44man]

Go by what the gun maker says, some say NO in uncertain terms.

[MtGun44]

IMO, using snap caps is an invitation to someday put a live round rather than
a snap cap into the chamber. The only gun I own that I don't dry fire is the CZ52.

Bill

[white eagle]

IMO, using snap caps is an invitation to someday put a live round rather than
a snap cap into the chamber. The only gun I own that I don't dry fire is the CZ52.

Bill
__________________
Agreed

[uscra112]

You mentioned the CZ-52. The Walther P-38 is another semi-auto that notoriously breaks if dry fired.

[tudor8055]

A CZ 75B cracks the firing pin stop when dry firing. The stop is a roll pin.
After it breaks completely the firing pin exits the slide upon firing live ammo.

[GP100man]

I don`t dry fire my firearms to smooth the pull ,I smooth the surfaces as required .

Used to but don`t now , but jus enuff to test function & a bit of practice.

[MtGun44]

Thanks for the info on the P-38. I recently acquired a P-1, so I will stop dry firing it,
although I probably only have done it a few times to try the trigger. I was unaware
of the recommendation for the P-38.

Bill

[429421Cowboy]

Ruger says it's ok with their revolvers, and i do it with mine all the time under no snap cap. I would never dryfire a rimfire because the firing pin will burr the edge of the chamber and eventually make chambering a round impossible if done long enough. I saw an old Colt SA .22 revolver buggerd up like this but couldn't convince the guy to sell it to me anyways after i told him what was wrong with it:-|

[pistolman44]

I read an article on this over 10 years ago. And it stated that if your revolver had the transfer bar safety system it is safe to dry fire. I dry fire all my 45 ACP's all the time and have never hurt them.

[MtGun44]

Most modern rimfires have the firing pin system designed to not damage the chamber
in dry firing. This was an issue, and with older designs could still be an issue.

Bill

[runfiverun]

for guns with the hammer that does the actual firing [like a colt saa]
a piece of leather wedged into the frame above the firing pin hole will cushion/carch the hammer drop.
and stop it from damaging the little hole the pin protrudes through.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

The solid firing pin on the early Colt SAA’s designed for copper primers are not recommended for dry firing. The Colt SAA’s with the free floating firing pin are safe for dry firing, I have been doing so for years. Generally the silver sided polished hammer is free floating; the color case hardened hammers have the solid firing pin riveted into place.

[DrCaveman]

I have read the stuff about how one dry fire is similar to 1,000 live shots in terms of gun wear. I dont believe it.

I have convinced myself (I think due in part to mfgr recc's) that dry firing my Heritage arms 22 LR revolver is a bad thing. I cant prove this, because I dont dry fire it and it shoots reliably. On the other hand, my Ruger MKIII 22/45 explicitly states that dry firing is fine, and I have done it a bunch, and I notice no difference in reliability.

For my centerfires, I like to dry fire them A LOT. How else can I get familiarity with gun ergonomics and trigger feel at 9 PM at home on the couch? This should be obvious, but I shoot waaaaaaay better with the centerfires than either 22. I account for this partly, at least, in my muscle memory from aligning the sights upon said TV personality and pulling through DA or cocking and dropping.

Snap caps seem like a marketing ploy to me. I will always open the cylinder and make sure she's empty, then go about my informal hand gun training. I guess in a bunch of years, if my cartridges dont go bang, then I know I did something wrong, but for the time being, I will dry fire any gun that I intend to target shoot or use for SD. More practice is almost always a good thing, and gun control & target acquisition do NOT require a live round.

Question to snap cappers: how do you simulate DA shots in a revolver? Open the cylinder, position cylinder appropriately, dry fire, then re-open cylinder, re-position it, close it, and fire again? This seems quite contrary to any actual handgun use that I have experienced. Buying 6 snap caps to fill up the whole cylinder means you got taken in very effectively by the marketing ploy. I would hope that we could avoid this NY Madmen s*&t on a site like this.

Hopefully I am just being ignorant and there are lots of guns out there who DO suffer serious pains from dry firing, and that you guys are right, about your own situations. If this is the case, then no offense intended. But I think the "dry firing myth" is old old hogwash.