How many of you dry-fire your 15-22?

Do you dry-fire?
Do you use a spend round or snap cap?
Ive been brought up to not dry fire but anyone who competes says they dry fire all the time.
So does the 15-22 have a pin stop?
Thanks for your comments!

I dry fire 2-3 times after every cleaning or any time I remove the bolt as a function check. Never had a problem.

According to the numerous threads already covering this subject, the firing pin does not come into contact with the breech face, so dry firing shouldn't cause a problem? If what I have read is true.

I was told that it is not good practice to leave springs compressed as they will suffer over time? once again not 100% sure on that.

Personally when at the range and the range officer checks 'clear', mag released, I hit that BAD lever, pull back slightly on the charging handle and pull the trigger then let the bolt go back...not exactly dry fired but that's what I do.
Probably gonna get flak for that???

Contrary to the CYA insurance nonsense in the manual. it's virtually impossible to damage either the firing pin or the breech face by dry firing the 15-22. The firing pin is too short to ever hit the breech face.

My 15-22 has been dry-fired I don't know how many thousand times over the last 4+ years. No snap-cap, no fired case , no nothing. Just cycle the charging handle and pull the trigger.

GhostMutt said:

According to the numerous threads already covering this subject, the firing pin does not come into contact with the breech face, so dry firing shouldn't cause a problem? If what I have read is true.

I was told that it is not good practice to leave springs compressed as they will suffer over time? once again not 100% sure on that.

Personally when at the range and the range officer checks 'clear', mag released, I hit that BAD lever, pull back slightly on the charging handle and pull the trigger then let the bolt go back...not exactly dry fired but that's what I do.
Probably gonna get flak for that???

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Internet old wive's tale left over from 75 years ago. Modern springs neither take a set nor lose tension from being compressed. It doesn't matter whether you are talking about action springs or magazine springs. I have magazines that have never been left unloaded any longer than it takes to reload them - some of them have ben thusly loaded for over 30 years and they all function very nicely.

It's the repeated compression and decompression that can weaken springs.

Majorlk said:

Contrary to the CYA insurance nonsense in the manual. it's virtually impossible to damage either the firing pin or the breech face by dry firing the 15-22. The firing pin is too short to ever hit the breech face.

My 15-22 has been dry-fired I don't know how many thousand times over the last 4+ years. No snap-cap, no fired case , no nothing. Just cycle the charging handle and pull the trigger.

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Well im not gonna bother pulling back slightly on the charging handle then from now on then. Thanks Major I'm probably causing more damage by slightly pulling back the charging handle and then pulling the trigger.

Nope- not this rifle.

I vigorously and enthusiastically dry fire others, and absolutely recognize the value of doing so.

But S&W specifically states not to do it with this one. I care not a bit if the firing pin can contact the chamber face- it doesn't matter. What I do care about is-

A- There is a lot of polymer in this rifle, and the extractor is known to be fragile. Conventional wisdom is that peening the chamber/firing pin is the danger to dryfiring. Whatever. That may or may not be the concern on this rifle. But there might also be something else that could shorten the longevity of this rifle that we haven't guessed about. In that I don't know, there are other rifles I can dry fire.

B- S&W is notoriously tight fisted with replacement parts. It's not like a 10/22, where I can easily get new barrels, firing pins, and every other part I could possibly want with very little effort. This rifle is on my short list of guns that I really don't want to have to source parts for- or explain to the S&W service rep just how it is that the rifle broke in this way, while I'm begging them for help.

If you know better than me and S&W (and maybe you do), have at. But there's nothing more useless than someone on the internet saying "yeah, I do it all the time, and I haven't had trouble...."

I would think it would be ok. Just don't fire when the upper receiver is not in place.

MostlyHarmless said:

But there's nothing more useless than someone on the internet saying "yeah, I do it all the time, and I haven't had trouble...."

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Dude, you sure come across as rude saying our opinions are worthless.

I find the experiences of others, especially on a forum such as this, more valuable than anything I could get from a manufacturer. Why are you even on a forum if you think so little of our personal actions & experiences? Why not just read your manuals?

THERE SEEMS TO BE VARYING OPINIONS ABOUT ALL OF THIS DRY FIRING BUSINESS. I WAS AT A LOCAL'SMITHS SHOP--WHO IS HIGHLY RESPECTED IN MY AREA. ANOTHER CUSTOMER WAS PICKING UP A CURRENTLY MANUFACTURED 617 (HAD THE HOLE IN THE SIDE) THAT THE SMITH HAD DONE TRIGGER WORK TO. THE SMITH WENT INTO THE BACK ROOM AND CAME OUT, RAPIDLY DRY FIRING THE REVOLVER IN DA, ALL THE WAY TO THE COUNTER. THIS WAS A DISTANCE OF 30' OR SO. I WAS HORRIFIED ! ! ! I KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT---NOT MY GUN, NOT MY BUSINESS. THIS IS CONTRARY TO ALL THAT I LEARNED ABOUT .22RIMFIRE WEAPONS IN OVER 50 YEARS OF SHOOTING. IS THERE SOME DESIGN FEATURE THAT ALLOWS THE 15-22 OR THE 617 TO BE DRY FIRED LIKE THAT W/O CAUSING DAMAGE ? ?

GhostMutt:" Pulling Charging Handle" Are you doing that similar to ( pressing the trigger while closing bolt-> on a bolt gun) so as to rest the spring? I do not know if that is wrong,right or left, just curious? Gunner or Spur Be Safe,

RedNeck Jim said:

Dude, you sure come across as rude saying our opinions are worthless.

I find the experiences of others, especially on a forum such as this, more valuable than anything I could get from a manufacturer. Why are you even on a forum if you think so little of our personal actions & experiences? Why not just read your manuals?

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I don't mean to come across as rude or offensive, and I am sorry if I have.

What I mean to say is that a couple of people who have not yet broken a couple of rifles is not a meaningful test.

If the manufacturer says "do this, and the gun may break", that is in no way countered by an individual who says "well I do this, and my gun hasn't broken." We cannot infer by this that "dry firing will not break a 15-22". Just that one guy's rifle hasn't broken yet. Maybe it is a safe practice. Maybe your rifle is special. Or maybe your rifle is just about to break. We can't know from this test.

Opinions and experiences are great, and they can be very useful. And obviously we are all here on an internet forum because we agree on this, and value other people's opinions and experiences. But this is an instance where they are of very limited use. Nobody (except maybe S&W) has more than five years of experience with this design.

It's great that your rifle hasn't broken. Hopefully it never will. But with the information available, I wouldn't yet bet by own rifle. Maybe in a few decades.

FWIW, I've been dry firing my firearms for something like 45 years and have yet to break a firing pin or anything else by doing so. That involves something like 40 firearms over the years, so maybe I do have a smattering of experience on the subject.

Each person is free do do whatever they want ...

vipermd said:

GhostMutt:" Pulling Charging Handle" Are you doing that similar to ( pressing the trigger while closing bolt-> on a bolt gun) so as to rest the spring? I do not know if that is wrong,right or left, just curious? Gunner or Spur Be Safe,

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Vipermd, I was always a little concerned about 'dryfiring' because it seemed to me that the pin striking the breech face would be what caused damage, so I ever so slightly pull the handle back just to clear the bolt from the breech then letting the trigger off...im not sure that is right, wrong or left either. I just don't like leaving my trigger 'alive' so to speak (forgive that terminology) Arggghh im all confused now...lol

Dry firing a 22 might damage the firing pin and it might create a burr in the edge of the chamber.Most (all?) 22s in the last 40 years were designed with a stop that prevents the firing pin from reaching the breach.It can fail (been there,done that),but in the end it doesn't destroy the gun.The pin can be replaced and the burr can be ironed out.So if you want to dry fire,go for it.If it breaks,it can be fixed...

GhostMutt said:

Vipermd, I was always a little concerned about 'dryfiring' because it seemed to me that the pin striking the breech face would be what caused damage, so I ever so slightly pull the handle back just to clear the bolt from the breech then letting the trigger off...im not sure that is right, wrong or left either. I just don't like leaving my trigger 'alive' so to speak (forgive that terminology) Arggghh im all confused now...lol

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I will start pressure on the trigger as I am closing the bolt on Win 70, that way it will decrease spring pressure on it while it is being stored, and as you stated the trigger will not be "alive", I always do it on bolt gun never tried on an AR. Be Safe,

MostlyHarmless said:

What I mean to say is that a couple of people who have not yet broken a couple of rifles is not a meaningful test.

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Keep in mind, neither I nor the Major came on here & started a thread telling people what they should do. The OP asked if anyone did... and we answered. As with any info on a forum, folks are welcome to make up their own mind what to do.

From what I understand, S&W addressed this issue a few years back. I know they shortened the firing pin & think they went with an inertial type.

Majorlk said:

FWIW, I've been dry firing my firearms for something like 45 years and have yet to break a firing pin or anything else by doing so. That involves something like 40 firearms over the years, so maybe I do have a smattering of experience on the subject.

Each person is free do do whatever they want ...

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LMAO, Majorik. I'M 73 YEARS OLD. I PURCHASED A NEW MARLIN LEVERMATIC IN .22LR, WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER. IT WAS MY FIRST RIMFIRE FIREARM. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS, THE GUN FTF. UPON INSPECTION, I FOUND THAT THE FIRING PIN WAS BROKEN. I TOOK THE GUN TO A LOCAL 'SMITH, WHO REPLACED THE BROKEN PART. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO NEVER--EVER--PULL THE TRIGGER ON THE EMPTY CHAMBER OF A RIMFIRE WEAPON. IN ALL OF THE ENSUING YEARS, I NEVER DELIBERATELY HAVE. OBVIOUSLY, MY SMATTERING OF EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS HAS LED ME TO A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION THAN YOURS…....

one eye joe said:

LMAO, Majorik. I'M 73 YEARS OLD. I PURCHASED A NEW MARLIN LEVERMATIC IN .22LR, WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER. IT WAS MY FIRST RIMFIRE FIREARM. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS, THE GUN FTF. UPON INSPECTION, I FOUND THAT THE FIRING PIN WAS BROKEN. I TOOK THE GUN TO A LOCAL 'SMITH, WHO REPLACED THE BROKEN PART. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO NEVER--EVER--PULL THE TRIGGER ON THE EMPTY CHAMBER OF A RIMFIRE WEAPON. IN ALL OF THE ENSUING YEARS, I NEVER DELIBERATELY HAVE. OBVIOUSLY, MY SMATTERING OF EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS HAS LED ME TO A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION THAN YOURS…....

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You are talking about one firearm made decades ago. Virtually all modern firearms are manufactured with inertia firing pins too short to actually touch the breech face.

That said, we each do what we are comfortable with.

BTW, please don't type in all caps. Not only is it hard to read, it's considered rude - the online equivalent of shouting at the top of your lungs . Of course, if that was the impression you intended to give ...

Easy test. Pull the bolt carrier group and use something to push the firing pin fully forward. If the firing pin sticks out past the face, it will hit the rear of the chamber and cause a groove in the edge of the chamber, and also wear down the firing pin where it is hitting the chamber. If your firing pin extends beyond the carrier/bolt face, do not dry fire. If your 15-22 is like mine, the firing pin does not extend past the face. Mine is close but it does not extend past the front of the carrier/bolt face. If your firing pin doesn't extend past, then it will not hit the rear of the chamber and you can dry fire all you want. This will not cause any damage to your 15-22.

This is a simple check for your 15-22 to see if you can dry fire. It takes one minute and you will know for sure. It is possible that through manufacturing variances, that not all 15-22s can be dry fired. This test will let you know the status of dry firing your 15-22.

If you are still uncertain, cut a piece of masking tape about 1/2 by 1/2 inch square. Remove the bolt carrier group (BCG) to make it easier to clean the rear of the breech around the chamber opening. Placed the tape over the chamber opening, making sure at least the top half of the chamber opening is covered. Make sure the tape is flat and sticking to the breech. Reinstall the BCG and dry fire 3 to 4 times. Remove the BCG and using a light, check the tape. The firing pin strikes the cartridge at the top of the chamber. See if the firing pin contacted the tape. Pull the tape and check for a cut in the tape, where the firing pin would have cut through the tape and contacted the top of the chamber. If you see no marks or a cut, you now know for certain the firing pin is not contacting the rear of the chamber. You can dry fire all you want. However if the firing pin left a mark and especially if it cut through the tape, then you also know for certain that you should not dry fire, as it will cause damage to the firing pin and the top edge of the chamber opening.

I have other 22 pistols and rifles. They are all different. Some can be dry fired and others can't. You need to test them to know, don't guess.

Bob