Rem. 870 Dry Fire Damage Question

jtatarin · 11-20-2005, 11:54 AM

Hey guys hows it going. Im totally new to guns and I just purchased a rem 870 12g pump shotgun. The other day I removed the barrel and pumped the gun and dry fired it. The bolt wasnt properly seated in the back and the hammer hit the bolt in an awkward position. Could this be damaging to the hammer/trigger assembly? I figured because it is ah ammer designed to hit metal its not a big deal-jeff

Roskoe · 11-20-2005, 03:49 PM

I wouldn't do this routinely. In fact, if you are going to dry fire any amount at all it is a good idea to get some "snap caps" to reduce to impact of the hammer against the firing pin.

Vapodog · 11-20-2005, 03:55 PM

there was a time when dry firing was responsible for a lot of broken firing pins....and I agree it's to be avoided....however it's not as bad as it once was and one should be able to do it without damage.....

In any case I agree...get some snap caps just for insurance.

jtatarin · 11-20-2005, 10:17 PM

How is it even bad for the gun? The hammer hits the pen the same with with the same force with or without the shell in there right. Thats my login. My question is.. How strong is the actual hammer/trigger assembly. If the hammer slams in to something other than the fireing pin could it damage the HAMMER/trigger assembly? Seems to be that it being a hammer is designed to wistand such impact. But i dono.

bigbulls · 11-20-2005, 11:02 PM

You did not your gun one bit.

You can dry fire modern guns all day long and not hurt them at all.

zekeskar · 11-20-2005, 11:58 PM

I agree with Bigbulls,e tc. I've always been told the "danger" of dry firing is just an urban legend. It is frequently recommended to dry fire to treat a flinch.

I'd be curious to hear from experts who disagree with this and why.

flcracker · 11-21-2005, 10:49 AM

DO IT ENOUGH AND YOU CAN PEEN THE FACE OF THE PIN WITH SOME DESIGNS

IrishLad32 · 11-23-2005, 08:07 PM

The alternative with guns like the 870 express (I have a New England Firearms pardner pump, which is pretty much the same as the 870), is to leave it cocked all the time, which will wear out the spring. The snap caps are a good idea though.

Brandan