Dry firing

Deerstalkermark

Well-Known Member
I've been told in the distant past that it's not damaging to dry fire a rifle but that you shouldn't with a shotgun. Is this fact or fable? Does anyone have a definitive answer on that.

Thanks

Mark

Just spotted earlier threads on this but still no absolute answer and it seems a bit of a grey area.
 
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It's bad practice to dry fire anything without snap caps because of the inertia of the spring against the stop. Rimfires are especially notorious for getting damaged firing pins from dry firing as they strike on the metal of the receiver.
 
It's bad practice to dry fire anything without snap caps because of the inertia of the spring against the stop. Rimfires are especially notorious for getting damaged firing pins from dry firing as they strike on the metal of the receiver.

Only if the firing pin isn't fit correctly.
The occasional snap of a CF rifle won't hurt it but it you are going to make a daily practice of it, make a snap cap by fitting a plug of rubber into the primer pocket of an old case.
Not that it applies here, but I remember well that Smith and Wesson used to ship "Dry Fire Practice" targets with their revolvers. ~Muir
 
I know my anshutz 1813 alu precise match rifle has damaged the pin where everyone who picked it up would have to see how amazingly light the trigger pull is. :(
 
It is harmful to most EJECTOR shot guns as the kickers are worked without the weight of a fired case AND, more importantly, as there is no case the tips of the firing pins usually project that little bit much further out such that the ejector will contact them as the gun is opened. Not good!
 
Most rim fires are different in that the firing pic with out a case in the chamber contacts the end of the breech and so peens it.

Centre fires are different. I have no qualms about dry firing any of my rifles but then they are of old designs and so made proeprly. sadly a lot of today's modern production are made to some strange designs and dry firing could damage them however as I don't know enough about these modern designs that about all I can say ......................................... could or may.

The Mauser 98 or 96 are no problem to dry fire likewise the Lee Enfield and the Pattern 14 or No3 rifle. Of course all were designed with the average squaddy in mind .

Likewise I have no qualms about my BSA's in dry firing them and used to do so as a fairly regular practice.
 
It is harmful to most EJECTOR shot guns as the kickers are worked without the weight of a fired case AND, more importantly, as there is no case the tips of the firing pins usually project that little bit much further out such that the ejector will contact them as the gun is opened. Not good!

Any shotgun I have used has kept the ejector kickers in the un-fired position until the action is fully open so I can't see how that would damage the firing pins. I was told by a gunsmith that dry firing a sidelock is a big mistake but a boxlock or semi is fine. I always use sanp caps just incase!
 
I've been told in the distant past that it's not damaging to dry fire a rifle but that you shouldn't with a shotgun. Is this fact or fable? Does anyone have a definitive answer on that.

Thanks

Mark

Just spotted earlier threads on this but still no absolute answer and it seems a bit of a grey area.


​Its absolutely fine to dry fire a centrefire rifle.
 
For snap caps in a 22 you can use a fired case, just make sure it really has been fired already, I would always rotate the case in the breech so the pin hits a different bit of the rim then discard once the whole rim has been struck
 
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