Dryfiring????

Snipe4Food · 11-10-2009, 06:10 AM

I heard dryfiring is bad for your rimfire, but i also heard it wont hurt your centerfire....what about your shotgun? Can somone clarify this for me. Thanks

skb2706 · 11-10-2009, 06:22 AM

Depends on the gun. Popular line of thought is that it does not harm a Ruger 10/22 but will peen the end of the chamber area on some others. When in doubt don't do it.
I do it on my CF and occasionally on my shotguns...never had a problem. If you plan on doing it all the time then buy a snap cap for each.

Sheridan · 11-10-2009, 09:07 AM

Snap caps are recommended on all breaking shotguns (O/U & SXS).

Not a concern on centerfire rifles, but not sure about rimfires.

Mark whiz · 11-10-2009, 01:00 PM

You can always make your own cheap snapcaps for use in your shotgun. Just punch out the primer from a spent shell and cut a pencil eraser to size and shape and stick it in the primer hole - trim off the opened end of the shell so it doesn't foul in your chamber and VOILA - you have a snapcap.

Repeat as necessary if you want more of them.

This will work on any centerfire firearm btw.

BarnesX.308 · 11-10-2009, 05:04 PM

On my bolt guns, I hold the trigger down while slowly letting the bolt handle down. This will relax the tension on the spring without having to dry fire.

Howler · 11-10-2009, 05:23 PM

Yes, but some people dry fire on purpose as a training technique.

8mm/06 · 11-11-2009, 11:25 AM

There was a dry Firing thread a while back ...I'm posting the link so you can go over it. It contained some useful information on the topic

http://huntingnet.com/forum/guns/305631-dry-firing.html

elgallo114 · 11-13-2009, 12:03 AM

I dry fire just to **** off gun store employees.

Nomercy448 · 11-17-2009, 02:43 PM

Depending on the firing pin assembly design, dry firing centerfire guns (rifles or shotguns) MAY damage the mechanism. It's rare in modern firearms, but it's possible. Dry firing over snap caps is always an option. Cheap snap caps can be made by pressing the primer out of a spent case and replacing it with a rubber eraser.

Rimfires, on the other hand, should NEVER be dry fired. Dry firing rimfire firearms can cause damage to the chamber mouth (peening of the rim) OR, more severe of the two, it can cause damage to the firing pin, either peening or dulling of the pin tip, or even cracking or breaking the pin tip (or more rarely, the shaft). At any rate, don't dry fire rimfires.