poll: to dry fire or not to dry fire

Do you dry fire your handguns?

  • Yes, I dry fire when I feel like it.

    Votes: 210 86.4%
  • No, I never dry fire.

    Votes: 33 13.6%

  • Total voters
    243
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It's the only way to learn trigger control and sight picture control without burning tens of thousands of rounds of ammo. When I was first on a military pistol team, I inquired at the armory about the regs concerning dry firing my issued 1911.:confused: The response was that they had plenty of firing pins and how many extra ones did I need.:cool: I learned to shoot very well by dry firing at the knob on the TV set in my BOQ room and I've been dry firing ever since.:D Rimfires excepted, though many rimfires have firing pins that will not reach the chamber. I still don't dry fire rimfires.
 
DO NOT dry fire New Departure (Safety Hammerless) Top Breaks. The 32' Safety's in particular are notorious for breaking firing pins.

Any S&W with a hammer mounted FP - Snap, snap, snap (clear it FIRST)
I still don't recommend much of it for top breaks. Parts will be tough to get.

I am very reluctant to DF rimfires, but I have not seen a ding on a kit gun or K-22 WHEN THE GUN IS TIMED PROPERLY. The pins don't reach the bottom of the rim recesses, but I still can't enjoy it and use snap caps.
 
I do dry fire my M&P9C and my Ruger SP101 when I am working on my trigger control. I do not do this to my rimfires. Now the big question "why is everyone so opposed to doing it to the rimfires"? I don't because I have always been told that you should not, I have never been told why you should not...... Thanks for the replys......
 
I dry fire occasionally, although not 22s for fear of putting a burr on the back face of the chamber. I don't do it so much now that I have a Feinwerkbau 300S rifle, which I shoot for offhand practice in the garage. Somethimes dry firing has problems: I broke the tip of the firing pin on a CZ 52 and a Savage 32. Replacing the CZ firing pin was no problem, but the Savage was another matter. I had to get the part and its 3" long powerful spring into a slot about 1 1/2 inches long. I don't want to have to do it again.
 
I dry fire occasionally, although not 22s for fear of putting a burr on the back face of the chamber.

Even it this does happen, it's easily taken care of with a little gentle reaming with a pocket knife. :D

I NEVER turn on the news without something to dry fire.

Can you say 'target-rich' fields?

No more details since I don't want no black choppers or Secret Service guys coming around here.
 
I don't dry fire anything. Snap caps are cheap insurance against damage. I've tested S&W Centennial style lightweights in the past by dryfiring in a dark room. Without snap caps about half of the 442, 642, 432's I've tried will produce sparks at the FP bushing area. I dry fired a new model 60 exactly 4 times once and the hammer broke off. Dryfire just about any Colt revolver with a FP in frame and you're looking at an eventual expensive repair. Dryfiring all the autos I know of involves the FP bottoming out in it's channel. Can't be good. The poll asked if I dryfired, and I answered. Please don't criticize me if you practice a different approach.
 
I dry fire everything I own. I do use snap-caps for all dry firing though.

Dry firing is great practice.
 
I don't dry fire. Not for any particular reason other than if I'm gonna squeeze a trigger a few hundred times in a day I'd prefer to be shooting.
 

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