What kind of problems would one expect to have from excess dry firing a Model 29-2?
Too Much Dry Firing?
- Thread starter Vettepartz
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
tlay
US Veteran
As long as you are using snap caps you can fire as much as you want. In fact the more times you fire the more worn in your parts are and the trigger feel will be smoother. Just make sure the parts inside the side plate are properly lubed.
Without snap caps I have heard of parts prematurely wearing out but I have never seen it.
Without snap caps I have heard of parts prematurely wearing out but I have never seen it.
Keith44
Member
This has become a controversial topic in recent years. Here's my personal opinion about dry firing all revolvers.
For all center fire revolvers: There is a significant amount of energy stored in the main spring, that is transferred to the hammer when the sear is released. The hammer has a lot of inertia as it swings through it's arc of travel to the firing pin, or with hammer mounted firing pins to the hammer stop of the frame. This inertia is transferred to what if the chamber is empty? It has to be absorbed by the firing pin, the firing pin spring for frame mounted firing pins, the roll pin for hammer mounted firing pins, even the main spring (especially flat springs) can be damaged.
For rimfire revolvers, it also can damage the rim recess and the tip of the firing pin.
So just don't do it. Empty cases, dummy rounds, and snap caps are too readily available to risk damaging a revolver. Even the highest quality revolvers can be damaged over time from dry firing.
For all center fire revolvers: There is a significant amount of energy stored in the main spring, that is transferred to the hammer when the sear is released. The hammer has a lot of inertia as it swings through it's arc of travel to the firing pin, or with hammer mounted firing pins to the hammer stop of the frame. This inertia is transferred to what if the chamber is empty? It has to be absorbed by the firing pin, the firing pin spring for frame mounted firing pins, the roll pin for hammer mounted firing pins, even the main spring (especially flat springs) can be damaged.
For rimfire revolvers, it also can damage the rim recess and the tip of the firing pin.
So just don't do it. Empty cases, dummy rounds, and snap caps are too readily available to risk damaging a revolver. Even the highest quality revolvers can be damaged over time from dry firing.
Last edited:
tomcatt51
Member
I have a 629-2 I bought new in the early 90's. It gets dry fired in groups of 100. Has since I bought it. It's the gun that sits out to be dry fired. Do the math, assume it only gets two groups of 100 per week and has over 20 yrs. That's probably a considerable understatement as for quite a few yrs it was my "plinker" (with reduced loads, I'm not a masochist) and shot 10,000+ live rds per yr thru it and it's frequently a couple 100's (dry fire) a couple times per day. Easy to do while you're mindlessly watching the tube.
It still has the original firing pin and rivet and hammer. No issues. I don't and never have used snap caps in it. I think it still has the same Wolff reduced main spring I installed when I first got it. It has sacked "several" Wolff rebound springs.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 19,796
- Reaction score
- 31,639
As long as you are using either snap-caps or frequently changed out empties, the primary side affect would be a great smooth action and familiarity with your gun. Of course like any mechanical devise eventually parts would wear and need replacement, but that is also true and even more so with live fire.
I dry fire my centerfire revolvers, but not rim fires. I did have a firing pin break on a M-65, while dry firing. That doesn't mean that dry firing made it break. It means that it broke at the house, instead of at the range or in a defensive scenario.
Big Cholla
Member
IMHO, one can not dry fire a centerfire handgun too much IF one uses a good quality snap cap that has a spring mounted primer substitute. One must be careful using fired ammo cases because after about the 3rd or 4th time of being used, the primer is beat in to the point it no longer gives the firing pin any resistance and thereby becomes useless.
On a revolver with the firing pin mounted on the nose of the hammer the dry fire hammer energy is transferred to the frame in a large flat area. I have never seen any damage to that area. BUT, in a revolver with a firing pin mounted in the frame the hammer energy is transferred to the firing pin, its return spring and the area around the frame mounted firing pin. This becomes more problematic to me. I will dry fire the heck out of the original design while working on or breaking in a handgun. I will dry fire the frame mounted firing pin version very sparingly while tuning the handgun and after that only with the very expensive snap caps mentioned above. YMMV ............. Big Cholla
On a revolver with the firing pin mounted on the nose of the hammer the dry fire hammer energy is transferred to the frame in a large flat area. I have never seen any damage to that area. BUT, in a revolver with a firing pin mounted in the frame the hammer energy is transferred to the firing pin, its return spring and the area around the frame mounted firing pin. This becomes more problematic to me. I will dry fire the heck out of the original design while working on or breaking in a handgun. I will dry fire the frame mounted firing pin version very sparingly while tuning the handgun and after that only with the very expensive snap caps mentioned above. YMMV ............. Big Cholla
I peened the firing pin recess on a Colt Python from mindlessly dry firing, as recommended by the arm chair experts. Since then, I dry fire very little without spring loaded snap caps.
Dry firing without snaps may or may not cause a noticeable issue in time,but common sense says that a steel part hitting brass or spring plunger has to be better for the parts involved.I'd rather use snaps-not a big expenditure,or needful of a lot of discussion......actually I had snaps for my centerfires,never used them-I just went shooting instead.
Oldherkpilot
Member
I have nearly always wound up with a tired trigger finger. (A little humor for this much-discussed topic!)
The question I have, is why dry fire in the first place? Why not just shoot real ammo? Dry firing does not teach you better control or help you get used to trigger break or creep as when you shoot live ammo; for one thing, no one flinches or holds their breath till they turn blue when dry firing.
Any black smith can verify that repeated hammering on metal will give you a result of some sort eventually, whether you want one or not.
Any black smith can verify that repeated hammering on metal will give you a result of some sort eventually, whether you want one or not.
cmj8591
Member
You will wear out your shooting hand before the gun dry firing a modern S&W. There is no need for snap caps unless it makes you feel better. If you do use the caps, the bright orange ones are best as they are the safest. If you go to the plant you will see the fitters and the gunsmiths in the Performance Center happily snapping away without any snap caps. Every one I've ever talked to says it will not harm the gun. Excluding rim fires of course.
BigBill
Absent Comrade
Once my gun has the moly treatment in it I run the action with snap caps but I hold the hammer on the fall down with my thumb. I don't let it just drop or slam down.
BlueOvalBandit
Member
I dry fire the bejeezus out of my gaming 625 and 627 without snap caps and you know what the biggest issue is (assuming stock FP and such)? Cylinder stop notch peening, especially with SS cylinders. If you have a Ti cylinder it isn't a problem but with a SS cylinder there is a lot of inertia that slams to a stop, especially if you're really aggressive. Can't stop that even with snap caps and if you think about it if you are aggressive snap caps will make it worse due to the extra mass now in the cylinder.
Granted it doesn't happen over night but over the course of many thousands of trigger pulls.
Granted it doesn't happen over night but over the course of many thousands of trigger pulls.
Last edited:
dynamike
Member
A sore and much stronger trigger finger!
dry firing answer from S&W
Here's your answer from the S&W web site......in the FAQ section:
QUOTE:
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.
Here's your answer from the S&W web site......in the FAQ section:
QUOTE:
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.
I've written about my S&W 14-3 in similar dry-firing threads. The gun came to me in APPARENTLY very good shooter condition. It would not, however, cycle with ammunition loaded. Cartridge rims would catch on the protruding lips around firing pin hole in the firing pin bushing. With cartridges in place, the cylinder absolutely would not rotate.
There is no way that condition could have happened with firing ammunition. The gun would have shown a "difficult to cock or cycle" problem long before it got to the "impossible to cycle" state. It was not me who did the dry firing and it is only a good guess that such a practice caused it. After the protruding metal was stoned off, the gun was once again serviceable.
When I was young, few gun shop salesmen or sellers at gun shows would allow their guns for sale to be dry fired. Today, there are lots of people behind the counter who claim, "go ahead, it won't hurt it." What happened over the years?
Dan
There is no way that condition could have happened with firing ammunition. The gun would have shown a "difficult to cock or cycle" problem long before it got to the "impossible to cycle" state. It was not me who did the dry firing and it is only a good guess that such a practice caused it. After the protruding metal was stoned off, the gun was once again serviceable.
When I was young, few gun shop salesmen or sellers at gun shows would allow their guns for sale to be dry fired. Today, there are lots of people behind the counter who claim, "go ahead, it won't hurt it." What happened over the years?
Dan
Occasionally dry firing or "excessively" dry firing. There is a difference. If you are cleaning, working on, etc and do a little dry firing there is no problem. But to sit in front of the TV and run the trigger thousands of times can damage your revolver.
