Do I need to use snap caps??

[firearmsunlimited]

Snap caps are cheap. They are added protection that certainly can't hurt anything. No one seems to balk at buying a case to protect the exterior of a gun so snap caps seem like good insurance to protect your investment.

 

[Pilgrim]

from the S&W website FAQ page:

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.

FAQs - Smith & Wesson


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[kscardsfan]

I do a *lot* of dry firing, and I always use snap-caps. Why? Because it is cheap insurance and, like I said, I do it a lot.

FYI - I started out using the plastic and spring type caps, then I tried A-zoom aluminum caps. Here is what I have discovered:

1) The A-zoom will last longer....BUT
2) The A-zoom will leave marks on titanium cylinders AND on feed
ramps of certain auto-pistols (my Sigs come to mind).

I no longer use A-zoom snap caps on a titanium-cylinder revolver or on my auto pistols. I will only use them on steel cylinder revolvers.

Eventually the plastic and spring snap caps will fail (as they absorb all that repeated firing pin energy. Did I mention I dry-fire a lot?) but the softer plastic creates no potential damage to the clear-coated titanium cylinders or my feed ramps. Aluminum may be soft, but it is not soft enough for those applications.

If anyone out there has been using the A-zoom caps a lot on guns that are not steel, take a close look and you will see what I am talking about.

Cheers,

i8mtm

How are you feeding them into your sigs? I have been using mine in my 220 and haven't noticed any adverse effects, but I usually load it from the mag and leave it there until I put it back in the safe.

 

[Camster]

I would use snap caps.Do you want the cushioning effect of a steel fp hitting a brass shell or spring loaded snap cap before being stopped by the frame or just steel hitting steel?
No doubt many get away with it,but I would imagine that if the parts of an extensively dry fired gun were magnafluxed,they would look different than a protected gun.

 

[i8mtm]

I loaded the A-Zooms into my Sig's from the magazine, just like a regular round. The one I noticed the problem with was the .45 ACP. Unless A-Zoom has re-designed there snap-caps, the .45 has a slight "step" machined into the cap to simulate the bullet into the case. I found this was hitting the feed ramp on my Sig and made noticeable marks.

Running my finger-tips over this "step" it felt very rough, and you could see where the anodizing had been worn off.

I feel much better using the more fragile plastic and brass snap-caps.

I even take it one step further with the Sigs. According to some on the Sig Forum, Sig decided to change the slide pin on current models from the solid steel one to the new coiled steel one as there had been some reports of breakage due to EXCESSIVE DRY-FIRING. Apparently the solid pin in the stainless steel slides is very difficult to remove. The new design is more flexible and easier to replace should it need it.

So in addition to snap-caps in the chamber, I also put 3/4 of a foam earplug in front of the hammer, smushed into the back of the slide. Now there is almost NO impact on the firing pin or the slide, and yet the foam earplug does not impede double-action or single-action dry-fire practice. It doesn't hurt, and it can only help. That is my .02

 

[kscardsfan]

I loaded the A-Zooms into my Sig's from the magazine, just like a regular round. The one I noticed the problem with was the .45 ACP. Unless A-Zoom has re-designed there snap-caps, the .45 has a slight "step" machined into the cap to simulate the bullet into the case. I found this was hitting the feed ramp on my Sig and made noticeable marks.

Running my finger-tips over this "step" it felt very rough, and you could see where the anodizing had been worn off.

I feel much better using the more fragile plastic and brass snap-caps.

I even take it one step further with the Sigs. According to some on the Sig Forum, Sig decided to change the slide pin on current models from the solid steel one to the new coiled steel one as there had been some reports of breakage due to EXCESSIVE DRY-FIRING. Apparently the solid pin in the stainless steel slides is very difficult to remove. The new design is more flexible and easier to replace should it need it.

So in addition to snap-caps in the chamber, I also put 3/4 of a foam earplug in front of the hammer, smushed into the back of the slide. Now there is almost NO impact on the firing pin or the slide, and yet the foam earplug does not impede double-action or single-action dry-fire practice. It doesn't hurt, and it can only help. That is my .02

Tried your ear plug trick last night watching my My Name is Earl reruns. I loved it, made the hammer falling much less painful and annoying sounding, both to the gun and my ears. I'm going to start doing that with more of my guns. Makes it much more pleasant to do for a half hour or so.

 

[i8mtm]

Glad you liked it.

It really does help make dry-firing as "stress-free" to the gun as possible....and being quieter is nice too!

Cheers,

i8mtm

 

[Kanewpadle]

My two cents?

There's no reason why you shouldn't.

They don't cost an arm and a leg. It's cheap insurance should you have a problem.

Snap caps cost a fraction of what a decent gun cost.

I use them all the time and feel good about it.

Kind of like not being lazy and doing the right thing.

 

[kscardsfan]

Yeah I felt like that when I called in a fender bender I had on a parked car, until the drug test and insurance co. started being real pains in my rear. I now hate insurance and lawyers even more than I did before, and I question why I do the right thing when all it does is screw me lol, but I know deep down I would feel even worse if I didn't do the right thing so I keep doing it lol j/k

 

[Armyphotog]

I don't understand dry firing? Don't understand what purpose it serves. Kinda like sitting behind the wheel of a car, but not driving it. The results are totally different when you pop a cap, just like cranking the darn car.

 

[i8mtm]

I don't understand dry firing? Don't understand what purpose it serves. Kinda like sitting behind the wheel of a car, but not driving it. The results are totally different when you pop a cap, just like cranking the darn car.

Don't understand dry firing?

Dry firing allows you to "practice" anytime, anywhere at zero cost.

Dry firing allows you to learn the "feel" of your gun right as the hammer trips or the sear breaks. This helps to improve accuracy when shooting for real.

Dry firing with laser grips will allow you to see and learn to control your wobble.

Dry firing will improve your shooting skills.

Finally, I have noticed on some of my guns that dry firing has produced a defacto "trigger job" and the actions have smoothed nicely compared to when they were brand-new.

I believe dry firing is an essential part of any training regimen.

Cheers,

i8mtm

 

[ms]

I don't understand dry firing? Don't understand what purpose it serves. Kinda like sitting behind the wheel of a car, but not driving it. The results are totally different when you pop a cap, just like cranking the darn car.

Once you've learned how to manage recoil, most of your practice should be dry firing. It lets you practice trigger technique without recoil to mask your faults. When I used to practice seriously about 90% of my trigger pulls were with an empty gun.

 

[Doug DeGraves]

My concerns are preventing dry fire impacts while shooting 22LR. I have a SIG with 22LR caliber excahnge kit but the slide does not lock back after the last shot. I'm counting my shots but but I'd liek to have some additional insurance. I got it used and it was dry fired eough so that it would not eject/cycle reliabley. Now it's fixed and don't want to do any new damage. So my 10 round mags beome 9, oh well. I hope the #4 drywall anchors will feed. What a great idea!

 

[Retired W4]

When using Apex or C&S firing pins in a frame mounted set up they (manufacturer) say to use snap caps when dry firing. The groove for the retaining pin is extended on those firing pins.

 

[old bear]

Are snap caps necessary, I don't know. I do know they are cheap and easy to get, so why not use them. Before someone asks, I've also been known to use a belt and suspenders.

 

[snubbyfan]

Don't understand dry firing?

Dry firing allows you to "practice" anytime, anywhere at zero cost.

Dry firing allows you to learn the "feel" of your gun right as the hammer trips or the sear breaks. This helps to improve accuracy when shooting for real.

Dry firing with laser grips will allow you to see and learn to control your wobble.

Dry firing will improve your shooting skills.

Finally, I have noticed on some of my guns that dry firing has produced a defacto "trigger job" and the actions have smoothed nicely compared to when they were brand-new.

I believe dry firing is an essential part of any training regimen.

Cheers,

i8mtm

Well put. I practice most every day. Putting a red laser dot on my wife's favorite stuffed Pooh Bears tummy and dry firing my snubby. It's great for trigger control practice and has served to improve my accuracy.

 

[M3Stuart]

I don't think it will do any real damage. But a set of snap caps or a few cases with RTV in the primer pocket don't cost much of anything either. /QUOTE]

Question; what is this 'RTV' of which you speak?

 

[Imaposer]

I don't think it will do any real damage. But a set of snap caps or a few cases with RTV in the primer pocket don't cost much of anything either. /QUOTE]

Question; what is this 'RTV' of which you speak?

Room Temperature Vulcanization. Basically a silicone rubber sealant commonly used in automotive applications. There are a few different types for specific uses but you can pick up a tube anywhere auto parts are sold.

 

[FRAN357]

I would not dry fire any s&W revolvers with a counterbore cyl or22.Some times you can get a throw- by and you end up with a ding on your cyl .And you will have a hard time to ext. your cases

 

[AveragEd]

I'm not sure I would trust RTV to provide much cushioning action for the firing pin. Every RTV I have ever used, except some anaerobic types, is "rubbery" when cured but still easily punctured with something like a firing pin. Once it is punctured, it doesn't "heal" shut and the pin would just continue to enter that hole.

Likewise, fired casings with a dented primer in place are a popular substitute for snap caps but the dent doesn't get any deeper with dry-firing, so using them is just kidding yourself. Spring a few bucks for a set of snap caps.

Ed