You've gotten some answers to this question, but I would also point you to the manual for your pistol which says you can dry fire it safely. You do not need snap caps to do this.

As for pre-range dry-firing being a waste of time . . .

Frankly, you can take your new S&W directly to the range and the odds heavily favor it will work just fine.

Cleaning and the limited lubing outlined in your manual simply minimizes the chances that your particular weapon was gunked up by protective oils applied at the factory. It minimizes the chance you will have early failures (eg, failure to feed, load, fire, or eject).

Similarly, pre-range dry-firing will familiarize you with your weapon and will (from personal experience with my own MM&P9 FS) begin to loosen up the slide, work in your lube job, and polish the internal parts. You *will* notice a difference between your first dry-fire and (eg) your 50th.

I'd rate the pre-range clean-and-lube as a very important best practice, and the dry firing as an optional aid to enjoying your first range visit.