I would like to "Dry Fire" my Mod. 51 & Mod. 317 revolvers, using spent casings as snap caps. Would this do any damge to my guns?

I am aware of the possible danger in getting live ammo mixed up in the cylinder when doing this, and plan on blacking the base of spent casings, with a Sharpie, for recongnition purposes, and always treat a gun as a loaded weapon.

Would this be a safe practice?

Shotgun-2

You need to use snapcaps of some kind with rimfire, and in my experience they don't last long. Maybe somebody is aware of some new product?

Snap caps don't last long, and I don't know of any new product that does. Spent brass is cheap, but lasts even shorter than the snapcaps. I just don't dryfire my rimfires. I practice trigger control with my centerfires. If you don't have one, then you will have to decide what to do. I know practicing with one gun isn't the same as snapping the gun you want to shoot, but it's better than no practice.

Following is from the Q&A on the S&W website:

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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.
*******************************************************************

Here is the link if your interested:

FAQs - Smith & Wesson

I would get some snap caps or dry fire a center fire
revolver. For dry fire pratice it would about the same. Don

__________________
"Don't worry be happy"

I use the plastic snap caps (actually dummy rounds), while they do not last long, they are cheap.
I don't have anything remotely similar to a M41 for practice.

I always like to put the hammer down on my M41s. So I load a plastic dummy into the mag and into the pistol to drop the hammer. I know that the tension probably makes no diff. but it bothers me. I do the same with 10/22s.

__________________
Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

Ever think of buying a air pistol? You can safely
shoot these at home. The best part you can see the
results. I did this when I shot Bulls Eye competition,
and it helped . Don

__________________
"Don't worry be happy"

why would anyone want to dry fire,,,,go to the range

Cheaper, regular practice rain or shine, get used to the trigger pull of any particular gun, practice trigger management..........

While I believe everyone would agree a day at the range beats the heck out of dry firing at home, dry firing at a mock target or other 'safe' object is by far the best procedure to improve trigger control. And, as most would agree, trigger control in a handgun is essential for accuracy. I dry fire my centerfire shooters regularly and it seems to equate to better range days.

Rim fire revolvers, and autos for that matter, should dry fired as little as possible for all the reasons described in this thread.

Won't hurt the gun at all. Probably get about a half dozen virgin snaps out of a fired case by rotating the case a bit each time after you dry fire a cylinder full of empty cases. The practice would be as safe as your gun handling habits are.

I tried using spent .22 cases in my 617. It did not work out so well when I rotated them. Some cases would be deformed and the brass protruded radially so they would not seat in the cylinder recess.
Then I took a look at the firing pin. I found a 5/16" o-ring (.070" thick) would seat around the pin and cushion the hammer as it falls. The firing pin does not protrude at all.
On my model 63 it cushions somewhat but the firing pin does protrude a little when struck. The 63 has less clearance around the firing pin for the o-ring to seat sothe o-ring actually pushes on the firing pin.
Just remember to remove it after practice.
I picked this idea up off the Hi Power forum.