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To dryfire or not to dryfire???? That is the question!!!!!

Rem7targetactical

Rem7targetactical

KP Duty
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 29, 2011
167
1
Southeast, Florida
#1
Okay I've heard its NEVER a good idea to dryfire your rifle and that's what snap caps are for, and I've also heard it's no big deal and that you should do so in the dark practicing your trigger pull. Well which is it????? Does it matter or not if you have an aluminum firing pin? What is everyones take on this controversial topic?
 

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#2
unless it's a rimfire, dry fire the ever-lovin'-shit out of the rifle/pistol. Dry fire is one of the most overlooked practices in firearms training disciplines. I think snap caps are a gimmick...I've never used them once, I dry fire my rifles like crazy, and have no issues as a result.
 
#4
The firing pin bottoms out on the back of the bolt face whether there's a round chambered or not, so how would it do any more damage than regular shooting? The rimfire is different in that the rimfire bottoms out on the rim of a case, which is soft brass, and absorbs the impact, when you are empty chambered, it then bottoms out on steel, and can therefore ruin it.
 
#6
Dry firing is typically bad on rimfires and guns you forgot were loaded.

All others should be dry fired. If you are worried about damaging your firing pin, buy a spare. A very nice $40-50 firing pin is still less than 50 rounds of ammo for most people. I know my old savage 308 was dry fired over 100,000 times in a 2 year span, not counting the 5,000+ live rounds...Never had firing pin issues. There's one perspective.
 
#7
I've wondered about this with bolt guns as well. I'm glad it's okay because I've been doing A LOT of dry firing with the bolt rifle over the last 9 months.

I found a little problem when dry firing my 1911 type of pistol. I've dry fired that puppy A LOT over the years and one time when I had it all taken apart I noticed a burr building up on the Firing Pin. I'm not sure it would actually cause a problem but It figured it wasn't right. Now I use a snap cap like cartridge in the chamber of the 1911 when I dry fire.
 
#9
Yep, i dry-fire about 4-5x as much as I actually fire my bolt gun.

Also, the cz455 rimfire is supposedly safe to dry-fire, and haven't had issues with it yet.
But my understanding is that most others don't like dry-fire as much.
You could use spend cartridges to stop the firing hammer on though. Much cheaper that .22 caps (which also only last a few shots).
 
#10
Marines dry fire the M series hundreds, if not thousands of times during "snapping in." Dry firing, really practicing on follow through and keeping your body position and eyes where they are supposed do be, develops proper muscle memory. Back in the day when the Border Patrol issued revolvers and shot them to 50 yards for qualifying with .357 mags - we dry fired for days before putting a live round down range. With a revolver you are building muscle & memory. For people lucky enough to have a couple pound to a few ounce trigger pull - you are building memory.
 
#11
ShtrRdy said:
I've wondered about this with bolt guns as well. I'm glad it's okay because I've been doing A LOT of dry firing with the bolt rifle over the last 9 months.

I found a little problem when dry firing my 1911 type of pistol. I've dry fired that puppy A LOT over the years and one time when I had it all taken apart I noticed a burr building up on the Firing Pin. I'm not sure it would actually cause a problem but It figured it wasn't right. Now I use a snap cap like cartridge in the chamber of the 1911 when I dry fire.
Click to expand...

1911 is the safest firearms to dry fire..if dry firing is matter..i dry fire all my firearms specialy my sti for limited and open competition..i think i dry fire my 1911 more than live firing them and never seen any damage..sometimes i like to see damage so i got excuse to buy titanium firing pin:)
 
#16
19Scout77 said:
I assume the ptg like most of the others has a steel tip...hence multi piece. I would advise against repeated dryfiring on an empty chamber.
Click to expand...

I'm not positive but I thought they were one piece aluminum, I'm gonna check with them tomorrow. So I guess one piece would be ok? I have one of their steel versions too but thought the aluminum would be "better" maybe not huh?
 
#20
I literately get asked all the time what the hell I am doing when I'm bored at home. I will take out my rifle and just practice dry firing and positional shooting from anything I can think of in my house - chairs, couches, kitchen counters, dinning room table, floor, against doorways, you name it.
 
#21
Shanerbanner10 said:
I literately get asked all the time what the hell I am doing when I'm bored at home. I will take out my rifle and just practice dry firing and positional shooting from anything I can think of in my house - chairs, couches, kitchen counters, dinning room table, floor, against doorways, you name it.
Click to expand...
I like doing them places too.. but with my wife:)
 
#22
Dry fire all you can. I second the suggestion above on dry firing at the range a few times before sending live rounds. It can give you feedback you might miss under recoil. Maybe a temperature change has caused a minuscule change in the trigger pull, or something isn't right about your position... whatever. The reason I use dummy rounds is to have the feel of a cartridge coming up out of the magazine and into the chamber, then changing magazines without coming off the gun. Of course this should only increase your attention to safety for obvious reasons.
 
#24
I've always dry fired for practice. I've heard it both ways though. Do it....don't do it or the world ends.... However, a few weeks ago I was dry firing my GAP .338 LM built on a Rem 700 action, and the firing pin actually flew out on one of the fires. I was planning on sending it to GAP for something else, but that sealed the deal and I sent it the next day. Once they take care of it, I'll report back with what they tell me. I'm the 3rd owner, so I don't know what else may have happened to cause that issue so I can't say for certain it was dry firing.
 
#25
I dry fire at the range before shooting. I focus on the cross hairs on the target and if they are moving off when dry firing then I am not ready to load live ammo. When I can dry fire and not have that cross hair move then I am ready. Ammo has gotten way to expensive to just send down range without purpose or progress.
 
#26
Name Enough said:
I dry fire at the range before shooting. I focus on the cross hairs on the target and if they are moving off when dry firing then I am not ready to load live ammo. When I can dry fire and not have that cross hair move then I am ready. Ammo has gotten way to expensive to just send down range without purpose or progress.
Click to expand...

Very articulate. I concur.
 
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