Do you regularly dry fire your rifles?

[Canuck Bob]

Reading reports from accomplished riflemen they drill with constant dry fire training. My little stable includes a Win 92, Win 94, 444, 9422, 10-22, Handi hornet, and a couple of those obsolete and clumsy side levers, a Lee Enfield and CZ 527. Does anyone here practice regularly dry firing a lever?

[gamekeeper]

I never, if I can help it, dry fire a rimfire and rarely dry fire a centre fire, I guess I'm lucky as I can shoot every day out back, should I require to test my guns.

[PriseDeFer]

Not since I broke the firing pin on my Winchester 94 dutifully following Finn Aargaard's advice about smoothing a new action. 200 snaps on an empty chamber did it.

[claybob86]

I don't doubt the training benefits of dry firing, but I won't do it with MY guns.

[Buck Elliott]

I "dry fire" several times per week, using snap caps the will cycle thru my leverguns, integrating the mechanics of the whole routine.. Same for my double shotgun and SA revolvers. A ZOOM snap caps are perfect for my use..

[Jayhawker]

I've broken a firing pin in my Rossi by dry firing so I don't do that any more.

[Canuck Bob]

Wow, lots of early damage reports!

[AJMD429]

Like Buck said, use the A-Zoom 'snap-caps' and you aren't likely to have trouble.

The other brands I've tried are not nearly as good (they get permanent dents in the brass or plastic after just a few firings, then hardly can 'cushion' the blow since the pin won't hit them until at full travel).

Unfortunately, nobody I know of makes a decent rimfire snap-cap that is reusable. There are some you can use for a few shots though, or a re-oriented empty can work.

[jazman]

I like the A-Zoom snap caps also, they are metal, heavy duty. First time I used them in my Spanish SXS 12 Gauge I cocked it open sharply, and the ejectors flew those babies over my head and hit my wife who was about 4 feet behind me in the family room. Thus ended family room dry firing.

[Chuck 100 yd]

NO !

[Griff]

Rarely... usually only when my thumb slips off the hammer.

[GonnePhishin]

Only with snap caps (Zoom) upon occasion.

[J Miller]

Dry firing as a method of practice, no. Dry firing to test function, yes but only very few times.


Joe

[Scrateshooter]

I dry fire modern military pattern weapons (mil-spec requirement), but don't dry fire my levers or pistols with frame mounted firing pins.

[Nath]

No sir. A pin is for primers only! Dropping a hammer on a safety device is fine but other than that no sir.

N.

[Shasta]

Here is a link to an old thread in reference to dry firing:

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=49653

I don't dry fire ANY rimfire firearm, and very rarely will I dry fire a centerfire.


SHASTA

[1894]

Very rarely will I dry fire any of my center fires , the rim fires I try to never dry fire.
Was surprised to read in the manual for my wifes new Ruger SR-22 that dry firing it was perfectly OK . Not sure what is different about it but it does help a beginner practice more effectively Being a Ruger I'm sure they will repair if there is ever a problem with it.

[Canuck Bob]

I dry fired my little 22 Kit gun years ago a couple times and burred the cylinder. Afte a quickrepair I used empty cases aligned for each cylinder full. I do remember that dry fire really improved my accuracy. I was new to handguns.

[Canuck Bob]

Rarely... usually only when my thumb slips off the hammer.

Happen often Griff

[6pt-sika]

When I shot trap and skeet all the time I dry fired my old Krieghoff 32 ALOT . The now deceased shooting coach at George Mason University told me every night to shoot a round or two of mental imagery skeet and or trap . Meaning mount the gun ,close your eyes picture the station bird etc and go thru the motions including snapping the trigger . I took some empties and glued pencil erasers in the primer pockets and never had a problem . This cheap fix might be a good bit more difficult for a rifle primer .

I do however shoot a good many of my centerfire rifles on empty chambers from time to time .

Knock on wood the only firing pins that ever broke in my guns were a homemade one in my old LC Smith Quality 2 10 gauge right after I got it , and the lower pin on the Krieghoff not to long after I got it and it was in the middle of a trap shoot .

[jeepnik]

Centerfire with snap caps yes. Without no. Rimfire, no. Although at one time I recall seeing some rubbery .22 rimfire snap caps.

[Rusty]

Only with snap caps and only centerfires.

You can also make your own snap caps by punching out a used primer and putting a glob of silicone in the primer hole. After it dries trim it off with a razor blade.

[mikld]

I try not to, but after cleaning I relieve the spring tension in my bolt rifles and semi-autos. Exposed hammer firearms, very rarely.

To hitchhike a question on the subject; how would I "de-cock" my semi-auto rimfires? (10-22, Rem. Viper, Ruger auto pistols) or striker fired handguns?

[Nath]

Most 22 auto's you can lift the breech bolt a fraction and pull out he trigger. The hammer hits the bolt block mostly then.
N.

[2X22]

I used to on everything but my rimfires. Then in a single week I broke the firing pin in two separate Marlin Cowboys in .44 and that was it. I don't do it anymore.