Racking slide and dry firing new gun prior to actual firing

[smithra_66]

It isn't strength so much but repeated hammer or striker drops without a primer to cushion the fall. You can crack the breech face on a Glock with an extreme amount of dry fire. That's the purpose of a snap cap. User needs to monitor the condition of the cap and replace/repair when it no longer functions.

The strip of leather or neoprene in the slide hammer slot on hammered semi-autos will last near indefinitely.

Sorry but I don't buy it. I think this is an old wive's tale. If the breech face can handle 35,000 psi, it can handle the striker hitting.

With the Glock, you have to dry fire it to field strip it. Surely they didn't design a gun that the field strip procedure causes damage. Imagine how many thousands upon thousands of Glocks have been dry fired thousands upon thousands of times and how few pictures you see of damaged breech faces.

 

[smithra_66]

out of curiosity.

When you buy a new shotgun, do you dry fire multiple times? Run around the house running the action and dry firing? Or sit watching TV running the action and dry firing?

How about a Deer Rifle?

a 3-gun shotgun, definitely.

A clay target / bird shotgun, no, but it wouldn't hurt it.

A deer rifle: maybe if you want to get practice with the trigger pull. Precision Rifle competitors definitely dry fire their bolt guns all the time....and they are many times just Savage, Remington, or Winchester actions.

 

[smithra_66]

I posted the above because I watched a gun review the other day.

The reviewer had probably been running around with his new gun and doing the exact thing as proposed in the original post.

During his review of the pistol, he couldn't even pick up the gun without running the action and then not de-cocking he proceeded to wave the firearm around with the hammer cocked and the firearm in single action mode. {did this with multiple pistols , all were DA/SA} And then kept putting his finger on the trigger.

The barrel was pointing in an unsafe direction several times during the video and he had his finger on the trigger.

I attribute this to the handling around the house of a hopefully unloaded gun. It seemed just like we did with our made by Mattel guns in the past and it brought back many memories. When mentioned in this thread that this is the best way to become familiar with your new gun, I shuddered at what I had watched and the way the familiarity has evolved. Good gun handling is not learned firing your new gun at the bad guy on tv. {nor is marksmanship} Empty one time , for awhile and then loaded for awhile.

I prefer treating a fire arm as if it is always loaded I don't condone dry firing and fiddling with it all day long. Nobody would want to do a Baldwin. OOPs has a hollow ring after bang.

If you treated it as if it was loaded all the time, how would you ever field strip it or stick a rod down the barrel to clean it?

Champion shooters dry fire. That's just a fact. You get better at handling a firearm by.....handling a firearm.

 

[smithra_66]

Rimfire calibers = no.
Centerfire calibers = yes.

No problem with rimfires either.

 

[okiegtrider]

Not only OK but recommended. Get after it!

 

[cracker57]

Dry firing is not running around the house pointing it at people and pulling the trigger. Dry fire is a discipline that requires its own set of safety rules.
Id be in the poor house for sure if all my trigger pulls were live rounds.
Train safe and carry on..

 

[375hh1973]

out of curiosity.

When you buy a new shotgun, do you dry fire multiple times? Run around the house running the action and dry firing? Or sit watching TV running the action and dry firing?

How about a Deer Rifle?

My most recent deer rifle purchase was a Weatherby in .257wby mag. Put a Zeiss scope on it.

I have "killed" many squirrels, birds, etc in the back yard while dry firing

 

[CajunBass]

I use an ELMS laser "cartridge" for my dry fire practice now instead of a snap cap. Serves the same purpose, but you can actually score your shots if you want to. Fits right into the chamber and fires a laser burst when struck by the firing pin. Stays in place when you cycle the slide. Mine is for 9mm, but you can get them for other cartridges.

 

[jschmidt]

When you dry fire a center fire gun the firing pin doesn't hit anything. Don't dry fire a rimfire gun. I also wouldn't dry fire a really old gun.

 

[Ruger Nut]

Hello all, New shield plus PC 4" on its way. I usually manually rack the slide on a new gun several hundred times and cleaning it a few days before actually getting to the range. But am always reluctant to dry fire much being old school and dry fire was always a no no. Is dry firing on an empty chamber ok with the new guns of today?

Thanks and stay safe,
Rich

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FAQs | Smith & Wesson

 

[Ranger17]

It depends upon the rimfire. It will damage most older rimfires for sure, but several companies say it does no damage to their modern guns. I believe Henry and Browning (the modern ones), and several other companies say it causes no harm. I believe S&W says it's a no-no with their guns.

Just a quick note that the Buckmark manual (I own one of these) states not to dry fire it due to possible damage.
But I don’t know if one can dry fire their 1911 style 22’s or not.
Just an fyi.

 

[Eric300]

The problem with dry firing rimfires on MOST makes/models, is without a round (or some type of dummy round), in the chamber, the firing pin will strike the breech face causing 'ding/peen' marks in the breech face as well as damaging the firing pin.

Due to those reasons, the rule of thumb is to NOT dry fire rimfires just to be on the safe side.

 

[Fynn]

Dry firing cf pistols should always be part of the routine.

 

[stansdds]

The problem with dry firing rimfires on MOST makes/models, is without a round (or some type of dummy round), in the chamber, the firing pin will strike the breech face causing 'ding/peen' marks in the breech face as well as damaging the firing pin.

Due to those reasons, the rule of thumb is to NOT dry fire rimfires just to be on the safe side.

My general rule as well. I know there are some designs that do not allow the firing pin to hit the edge of the chamber, but most will allow contact.

 

[marvin02]

RTFM, follow the recommendations there.

I know that certain Ruger semi-autos (SR9c) are recommended to not dry fire without an empty magazine inserted. This is because of the mechanism used to implement the mag safety. It stops the firing pin short and repeatedly dry firing without a mag inserted can damage the gun.

I know that this does not apply to the opening posters gun, but it's an example of a center fire pistol that has restrictions on dry fire. I know that there are others.

So - read the manual or other manufacturer instructions pertaining to the firearm in question, blanket statements may or may not be accurate for a specific firearm.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I never do that. I just shoot "em". See no point in wearing one in or out just playing with it.

 

[Ranger17]

I don’t bother dry-firing, never really have. But I will add that in addition to any “practice”, this is a hobby for me. Pre covid/supply issues, ammo was available and affordable to go enjoy the range. Once covid hit, ranges were limited or closed and we all know what happened to ammo.
So for downtimes the past couple years I picked up a laser cartridge/target system that uses an app. So at least I see instant shot placement which again can make indoor dry practice a little fun. And as I am home I can also get holster work in as well as “shooting” in different positions. None of which I can do at area ranges. But I still prefer to run ammo, just wont use as much each time.