Dry Firing
 

Does it hurt the rifle? Like I said, I've never had a center fire.

RE: Dry Firing
 

i have heard that it does and can cause stress fractures to the pin. don't hold me to that, as i am not a gunsmith. just what i have been told. there are such products as zoom caps, and snapp caps to name a few. these are inert cartriges that you can get in any caliberand can use when practiceing trigger control/squeeze and breathing techniques. www.cheaperthandirt.com and www.sportsmansguide.com sells them. kyle

RE: Dry Firing
 

No, dry firing a modern rifle will, in no way, damage anything inside the gun. That little thin piece of brass we call a primer does nothing to slow down the firing pin or protect it in any way. The only time the firing pin stops is when the shoulder of the firing pin makes contact with the shoulder inside the bolt body.

RE: Dry Firing
 

Thanky sir

RE: Dry Firing
 

Snap Caps are mainly used so that you can exercise the bolt without having to pay the high price for real ammo to "break in" the bolt.

Of course, some guns that at older, or of certain actions, might run the risk of being harmed by dry firing.

RE: Dry Firing
 

\Generally, dry firing will NOT hurt most centerfire rifles. Don't dry-fire rimfires-that can bugger up the edge of the chamber ahead of the firing pin. Don't dry-fire doubles, either shoguns or rifles! That's where the snap-caps come into play!

RE: Dry Firing
 

Curious what the reasoning for not dry-firing the doubles is...

RE: Dry Firing
 

Me too. What's the difference between them and other centerfires?

RE: Dry Firing
 

I think double rifles are set up just like double shotguns, ... that is, their firing pins can be damaged by dry firing......it is different than a bolt action set up firing pin wise. Double rifles and double shotguns, don't dry fire.

RE: Dry Firing
 

Ok, why? Not trying to be a smart... just curious.

RE: Dry Firing
 

The Remington 3200 O/U shotgun was designed so that it could be safely dry fired. The firing pins ride forward when the action is closed and places them out of reach of the hammers. When a shell is in the chamber, firing pins are pushed back within striking distance of the hammers, which each have their own stops to limit forward travel. It's a neat setup, but then again, I am a big 3200 fan, so I think most things about 3200 are just plain neat. :)

The way I understand it, dry firing older production guns was harmful because of the metals used in their firing pins. When you dry fired these guns, the persistant hammering of the firing pins work-harden the steel, making them brittle. I have been told by several gunsmiths that today's metallurgy is much better, and dry firing recent production guns poses little harm to their firing pins. Rimfires are an exception, of-course, because you run the risk of peening the edge of the chamber. I don't dry fire my firearms very often, anyway, so it's not something I ever worry about.

RE: Dry Firing
 

Dry firing was only bad on older guns where the firing pins were not made of the super hard steel that they are today. All modern center fire rifles you are safe to dry fire. This comes straight from the mouth of my gunsmith.