Does it do it any harm?

Yes! Never dry fire any rimfire gun. As for center fire there will allways be a difference of opinion
shermbob

As a rule I never dry fire either my semi autos or revolvers both RF and CF. If I desire some trigger time without recoil I switch to an airgun.

Yes, the firing pin will damage the edge of any rimfire chamber. I load empty casings into the chamber such that the pin contacts an unused portion of the rim. You can easily get 6-8 strikes out of each used round.

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I agree that dry firing an empty rimfire pistol or rifle is bad policy.
Plastic dummies are available, while they are called “snap-caps” they are really just dummy 22lr rounds and do wear out. Some people use a fired case, that works ok for a few cycles, the plastic seems to last longer and makes for an easy chamber check since they are bright yellow.

__________________
Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

A #4 dry wall anchor works fine as a temporary snap cap. Dispose of it after 8-10 dry fires. Will even cycle through the magazine if necessary.

The ones I use are gray in color. Hardware store had shorter blue ones that would not work.

__________________
Ralph T
NRA Benefactor Member

Since I watched the firing pin of a Colt .32 ACP go flying out the barrel and down range during a dry firing attempt, I have discontinued the practice. Luckily it happened in my "yute" and I have not had to replace any firing pins since.

__________________
James Redfield
LM #497

IIRC the owner's manual for the 41 states "no dry firing." I always use snap caps.

I read on Smth & Wesson site you can safely dry fire any S&W handgun except some 22 cal.

Mel

Mostly an "Old Wives Tale." No modern .22 rimfire is designed so that the firing pin hits the chamber edge on an empty chamber. Were it not so, every rimfire that does not lock open on the last round (such as the Pre-War Colt Woodsman, Post-War Colt Challenger and Huntsman, etc.) would have a damaged chamber edge from being fired after the last round has been ejected and the shooter does not realize the chamber is empty. I have been dropping the hammer on an empty chamber on my 1959 vintage Model 41 for decades with no damage to the chamber or firing pin.

Rimfire revolvers also are designed so that the firing pin will not hit the chamber edge. Practing "fast draw," I dry-fired my Ruger Single Six that I bought new just after they came out in the 1950s so much that the hammer spur eventually fell off, but the chamber remains undamaged to this day. (Ruger sent me a new hammer and I installed it myself! That would never happen today.)

The main risk is firing pin breakage, not chamber damage, and that does not happen very often. Don't worry about it.

I did not recall such a prohibition so I went down to the vault room and dug out the box for my old Model 41 to reveiw the instruction sheet. It makes NO mention of dry firing. While there, I looked at the instruction sheets for a variety of rimfire Smiths and not one of them mentions or prohibits dry firing.

All of this hysteria about dry firing rimfires probably originated because very early rimfires were not designed so as to prevent chamber damage if dry-fired.

Don't do it if it bothers you, but it will not hurt anything if you do. Just don't scare people with warnings of dire consequences from dry firing modern rimfires.

Drop down to the local hardware store and get some of those plastic #4 dry wall anchors. They make excellent snap caps and hardly cost anything. They will also feed through the magazine so if you want to "skip load" your magazine for practice sessions they will work.

makes sense that you would dryfire right before storing the 22 so the spring is relax. I wouldn't pull it a dozen times just for fun though

Larry's Guns offers 22 cal chamber plugs by LGI that a reviewer said he has had good experience using same for dry-fire practice. Any downside here for use in my SN 42xxx M41?

Just to fix the misinformation in this necropost:


Can I dry fire my S&W handgun?
Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.

Source

FAQs - Smith & Wesson

I have a Old Berreta pistol model 948 which was made in 1955 and it does not open up after the last shot in the magazine. Its a semi-auto model. My M41 and m46 never get dry fired wether its permmisable or not. Why take the chance in doing damage either way. I just won't take the chance ever.

I have seen both revolver and pistol chambers peened where the firing pin has hit the edge.

The rimfire requires a hard primer strike for consistent ignition and given the tolerances required, it would be remarkable if some firing pins did not contact metal when dry fired.
So if the pin hits hard enough and often enough it can peen the chamber in the area which serves as an anvil for the firing pin.

Can you get away with it---sure, how long? Any one’s guess.

I always put a snap cap in and dry fire my 41s when putting them away. It is easy enough just load a plastic snap cap into the magazine and chamber it.

Anschutz makes short firing pins for rifle dry fire practice.

It would be a damn shame to have to replace a barrel or cylinder because of dryfire damage which can be easily prevented.

__________________
Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

I have been using properly sized wall anchors as a snap cap for my .22's.
Sides need to have no "barbs". 5 bucks for a box of 100. Seems to work fine.