Red plastic ring??

deluxe686

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Hello! New to the forum. I recently invested in my first revolver, a 686+ talo. Really been happy with it. I'm trying to get used to the fairly heavy trigger pull compared to my other handguns. To me, on a low budget, this means dryfiring. I was thinking of ordering some of those dummy rounds just for dryfiring but then got to thinking about the little red plastic ring that comes in Smith & Wesson's. If I were to dryfire against that soft plastic, would it not be the same as against the ones you pay for? Thanks, I don't know a thing about revolvers. :o
 
No, not the same. In fact, that spacer will more than likely crack and break after your firing pin strikes it a few times. Dry firing shouldn't harm your 686 but, if you are concerned, buy the snap caps.
 
Thanks for the quick answers! If I may ask, what is the ring for then?
 
I do not have any factory insider knowledge about plastic cylinder rings, but my guess is it is there so the cylinder cannot be loaded, or (from the other viewpoint) seeing the ring verifies it is unloaded. Choose either :).
 
Recommend you get the Aluminum snap caps, not the plastic which don't have a good reputation for longevity. Beware they come in six packs and you've got seven charge holes.

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Magnum-Precision-Snap-Caps/dp/B0014VRO4E[/ame]
 
You can safely dry fire on an empty chamber. The only no-no for that is on a rimfire caliber.
 
Not sure what the S&W manual states, but the Ruger manuals says "not to dry fire with plastic ring in place". So im guessing not a good idea. Ron
 
I do not have any factory insider knowledge about plastic cylinder rings, but my guess is it is there so the cylinder cannot be loaded, or (from the other viewpoint) seeing the ring verifies it is unloaded. Choose either :).

I would go with this. It's a visual that verifies the gun is unloaded. It doesn't stop me from my old practice of opening and verifying, but the factory has to do everything they can to 'dummy proof' their product to escape the litigation monkeys.
 
You can make your own caps if you want. Take a punch or a nail and push out the primers from a fired cases then put some hot glue in the primer pockets, let them harden and cut them off flush.

I also color the case with a sharpie so they can be identified real easy just as added safety.
 
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