In 50 years or so of looking at and shooting S&W revolvers, I remember for sure seeing exactly one centerfire that showed serious negative effects from repeated dry firing. The firing pin hole through the recoil shield was elongated downward. I speculated at the time that this was caused by over-travel by the hammer nose as it passed through the hole and wasn't arrested by striking a primer or a snap cap. One would think that the movement built into the hammer nose by making it a separate part pinned to the hammer would have prevented this, but in this case it seems it did not. Now, I suppose some other cause could have caused this deformity, but I still think the reason I speculated on is the most likely culprit.

I suspect damage from dry firing S&W centerfire revolvers is a relatively rare occurrence. But that doesn't obviate my decision to be cautious about it.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318