Interesting that S&W calls it out in that manual that most of us never read...I assume because it's hammer fired, not striker fired it ca cause damage.

This is from p.21 of the manual:

WARNING: NEVER DRY-FIRE YOUR M&P22 COMPACT PISTOL, DAMAGE WILL RESULT.

Just might be because .22 is a rimfired cartridge, which should never be dryfired, since the firing pin strikes the breech face, damaging both.

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Halfway and one more step

yup... Dry Firing any of the S&W .22s will damage the firing pins.
From the S&W FAQ page:
FAQs - Smith & Wesson

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.

not just for S&W. . .no .22 rimfire pistol should be dry fired

No dry fire with ANY 22 rimfire....never, not ever; except with snap caps or a fired shell in the chamber...ever...

The Preacher

Apparently you don't own any Ruger .22s. I know this is a S&W forum, but you said "ANY 22 rimfire".

I have read that you can dry fire any 22 pistol without damage by pulling the slide back even 1/4 inch and holding it while pulling the trigger as the hammer can't strike the breech face.

Any thoughts?
Norm

Several years back I ruined a Ruger 10-22 by dry-firing.. First it peened the edge of the chamber and caused FTE and FTL problems.. Then it broke the tip off the firing pin... Ruger can say it is safe to dry-fire, But I will always stick a used case or snap cap in the chamber...

JMHO

A plastic wall anchor works great as a snap cap also

But why would you want to . . . ?

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Never? I dry fire pistols to decock them. Never had a problem. I know you can peen the firing pin by doing it repeatedly. But not occasionally.

I'd almost bet that there has been and will be the occasional dry fire on a Compact .22; by those who may be using that as a training "twin" to a Shield they may also own. If one gets in a habit of dry firing their Shield and grabs their Compact for add'l practice.... well i can see it happening. And no i didn't write this post because i did it myself lol, as i prefer to run ammo at the range instead of sitting home dry firing for practice. But will it happen to someone out there? Oh I'm sure....

the reminder is appreciated.
I get used to cleaning my full size and compact MP 9's and dry firing them a couple times after re-assembly and the .22 Compact is kinda similar in its cleaning methods so I have to think about it as it is a new firearm to me.

you spent all that money to buy the gun, Why not spent a few more $ and get some snap caps or as mentioned, some wall anchors and not worry about it?

If your using wall anchors you use #4-6 X 7/8". You can actually load one or two in the magazine.

No dry fire with ANY rimfire....fixed that for you.I don't know about the older, larger rimfires like the .32 and the like, but for 22wrm,17hmr, or any 22 ( short, long,long rifle ) I don't dry fire. I generally don't dry fire much anyway, and if I do snap caps are cheap. Far cheaper than the time and money spent to replace parts.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

Regarding the wall anchors, remember after a couple of dry fires to rotate it just a hair so the firing pin is not striking
on a compressed portion. Otherwise, you may as well be dry firing without them.

I was just passing on info that I thought was interesting. I learn something every day. Thought it was interesting because the M&Ps are all clones of each other mechanically except for the .22s.

If you disassemble a Ruger semi-auto rimfire pistol or rifle, you see a crossbolt pin that goes through the firing pin, to prevent it from hitting the breechface. This allows you to dry fire, to take the tension off the hammer spring. If you read the pistol instruction book, they tell you to cock and pull the trigger (after clearing the chamber), before disassembly.

As for the M&P22 full size, I can dry fire mine, by holding the slide back an eighth inch and pulling the trigger.

The Pachmayr snap caps - 24 of them - are $10 thereabouts off of that favorite "Flea" auction site. 24 of them should last half a lifetime of dropping the hammer on a .22. I use them for both my 622 and Browning. I really like the fact that they are orange but they do take a beating - thus the package contains 24.

I dry fire my Ruger SR22 all the time. It has a firing pin block that keeps it from striking the breach. So you can dry fire some .22 firearms, just not most of them!

I actually sold my M&P full sized .22 in order to buy the compact. I wanted the adjustable sights and the less picky ammo tolerances. The compact was great with all brands of ammo but the adjustment screw on the rear sight kept backing out when I'd fire it. I ended up selling the compact to get the Ruger SR22 and I've been much happier with it. The M&P compact .22 felt too small to me, but with the grip extensions on the SR22, the grip feels normal for such a small gun and the adjustment screws actually work properly!

I still love my M&P 9 Pro, but when it comes to rimfires, I think Ruger gets the nod.