Does dry firing a rifle do any damage?

flyingfisherman

Well-Known Member
As a kid i was always brought up to put snap caps in my shotgun and release the pressure on the springs, my old man told me never to do this without snap caps as it can damage the firing pins?

Dry firing a rifle seems common place but i cringe when i see people doing it as im not sure if it does any damage? If i want to try trigger pull then i use an empty case to do so..

SO does dry firing damage a rifle?
 
ive heard people say it's more damging on a rimfire then centrefire. i dont now true that is but i dotn dry fire my rifles.
 
Dry firing generally does no harm to a rifle. i have dry fired all mine 22lr as well.

When you read some of the yankee literature they recommend dry firing practice as one of the modes of good shooting practice.

Cheers
 
Dry firing generally does no harm to a rifle. i have dry fired all mine 22lr as well.

When you read some of the yankee literature they recommend dry firing practice as one of the modes of good shooting practice.

Cheers
I've heard of people breaking rim fire firing pins wby dry firing. Also, the firing pin (slowly) peens the edge of the breach and so can affect feeding/extraction.

But I dry fire the $hit out of my mauser, and have not read (much) against dry firing centre fires
 
I've heard of people breaking rim fire firing pins wby dry firing. Also, the firing pin (slowly) peens the edge of the breach and so can affect feeding/extraction.

But I dry fire the $hit out of my mauser, and have not read (much) against dry firing centre fires

On a properly set up rimfire, CZ or Anschutz are two, you can dry fire as much as like as the pin cannot make contact with the breach face.

Neil.
 
It's standard practice in the military as part of the process to show your rifle is clear - rimfire and centrefire
 
My Tikka has been dry fired 100s of times, I always get guests to feel the weight of the trigger before doing it for real at the target.

Should you wish to have your rifle in the "fired" position you can just squeeze the trigger whilst dropping the bolt.

No real need to dry fire a rifle, the exception being the above.
 
Last edited:
It's weapon specific and with most centerfires it's ok. "The firing pin setups on side by side shotguns are quite a bit different from those in a centerfire rifle and in a double you can easily damage pins, pin bushings, and pin holes in the breechface, depending on design, heat treatment, steel quality, and so on.
Not sure if the same applies to a double rifle??
 
There are risks to dry firing and these are related to firing pin, and cocking spring. Both can sustain fatigue and even fracture as a result of dry firing - but this is highly rifle dependant and quite rare. A snap cap reduces, even eliminates the chance, of damage so using one seems to be an excellent alternative to not dry firing at all. As many others have said understanding, feeling and practising trigger release is a positive training activity.
 
I would offer that snap caps should be of a completely different material of construction & appearance to the live round that would normally occupy the chamber / s.
 
Exactly what "the old hunter" said - it is firearm specific.

Shotguns - generally "bad", but the most modern ones can handle it.
Rimfires - generally "bad" but lot's of exceptions.
Modern centerfire rifles - If you can't dry-fire it without hurting it, you need to buy a different brand.
Pre-WWII HUNTING rifles of all ilks - best not to.

ATB
Paul
 
"Modern centerfire rifles - If you can't dry-fire it without hurting it, you need to buy a different brand."

hear hear
 
Back
Top