Snap Caps for .22 LR

mgriffin · Nov 30, 2015

I just purchased a NIB S&W Model 63, 8 shot .22lr revolver for my Granddaughter. I would like to dry fire it to smooth out the action ( which is pretty smooth already) but have always heard not to dry fire a .22 revolver. So, my question is should I buy snap caps for dry firing or just use spent .22 casings? Thanks in advance!

jughed440 · Nov 30, 2015

Spent shells are fine, but plastic screw anchors work well too

Double-O-Dave · Nov 30, 2015

Mgriffin:

Dry firing any .22 caliber revolver that is not specifically designed to be dry fired can ruin it in very short order. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot that you can do to improve the trigger pull on a J-frame. If you have the narrow, serrated trigger, you can swap it out for a smooth faced, combat trigger, or you could add a trigger shoe - but you need to be careful doing this as it could contact the surface of a holster, gun rug, etc. and accidentally fire. Jughed440 offers great advice regarding the screw anchors. I have used real .22LR dummy rounds, and they work great, but they don't last very long and actually shatter after a few uses.

I have a Model 34-1, the blued steel version of your Model 63, and I cleaned and lubricated the interior, swapped out the serrated trigger for the "combat trigger", and put aftermarket grips (Herret Shooting Masters) on mine and it helped considerably.

Best of luck,

Dave

ralph7 · Nov 30, 2015

You can dry fire your model 63 to smooth out that action.
Pop the cylinder out and hold the cylinder latch all the way to the back. You can pull that trigger all you want with no fear of cylinder damage.

moosedog · Nov 30, 2015

Been dry firing J frame, K frame and N frame for over 30 years and never seen a gun ruined by it.
Not sure where this stuff comes from.

steelslaver · Nov 30, 2015

With rim fires it comes from the fact that the firing pin usually strikes the edge of the chamber and dings up both the chamber and the firing pin, unlike a center fire where the firing pin strikes an open hole. I was givinng a Rossi that is a copy of a S&W J frame and needed to replace the firing pin and clean up the cylinder. I would never do it myself.

Double-O-Dave · Nov 30, 2015

moosedog said:
Been dry firing J frame, K frame and N frame for over 30 years and never seen a gun ruined by it.
Not sure where this stuff comes from.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but this is directly from the S&W website's FAQ section:

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.

Regards,

Dave

Double-O-Dave · Nov 30, 2015

steelslaver said:
With rim fires it comes from the fact that the firing pin usually strikes the edge of the chamber and dings up both the chamber and the firing pin, unlike a center fire where the firing pin strikes an open hole. I was givinng a Rossi that is a copy of a S&W J frame and needed to replace the firing pin and clean up the cylinder. I would never do it myself.

Steelslaver: I have a Rossi Model 720, which is a 5-shot, DA revolver chambered in .44 Special. The butt of the piece will take J-frame sized grips, and the main spring is a coil spring like a J-frame, rather than a flat mainspring as found in the K, L, N frames. I have been warned by a number of people not to dry fire the piece as the hammer has a bad habit of breaking when dry fired.

Regards,

Dave

Pef · Nov 30, 2015

mgriffin said:
I just purchased a NIB S&W Model 63, 8 shot .22lr revolver for my Granddaughter. I would like to dry fire it to smooth out the action ( which is pretty smooth already) but have always heard not to dry fire a .22 revolver. So, my question is should I buy snap caps for dry firing or just use spent .22 casings? Thanks in advance!

You can use the anchors but they will have to be rotated after a few dry fires. The pin will cause an indent that goes deeper with every firing.

But it won't smooth out the trigger much. It's the action is already smooth it won't get much smoother.

If you are handy, you can replace the rebound spring with a 13, 14 or 15 pound rebound spring. That will help reduce the trigger pull.

Snap Caps for .22 LR

mgriffin

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ralph7

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Pef

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