Dangers of dry firing a gun?

[DocGlock86]

Just curious....

I recently got a Taurus 709 and like most of them they have that safety screw that locks the slide down. In order to engage the lock you have to pull the trigger, I guess to de-cock (might not be the proper term) the gun.

I cringe every time I have to dry fire it because I have always been under the impression that it's not really healthy for the gun. Could do damage to the firing pin. Am I correct on my thinking? Should I just go and get a trigger lock or something else to avoid having to dry fire it?

 

[esrice]

I cringe every time I have to dry fire it because I have always been under the impression that it's not really healthy for the gun.

Perhaps on some rimfire guns, but you're A-OK with centerfire dryfiring.

 

[dt420]

I am interested in this as well. I dry fire my guns all the time though. I like to get myself used to the weight of the trigger pull, so I practice by dry firing it over and over. I havent had any issues yet, but I have always been told not to do it.

 

[ultra...good]

Perhaps on some rimfire guns, but you're A-OK with centerfire dryfiring.

Not all center fire. KelTec recommends not to dry fire the P3AT.
For what snap caps cost in the overall scheme of owning a quality firearm, it is a wise investment.

 

[chezuki]

Not all center fire. KelTec recommends not to dry fire the P3AT.

I recommend not firing a Kel-Tec period.

 

[Mosinguy]

The Beretta 92FS isn't supposed to because the firing pin is a two piece part but I do with no ill effects.

 

[DocGlock86]

Perhaps on some rimfire guns, but you're A-OK with centerfire dryfiring.

Just what I needed to know!

 

[Aaron1776]

The vast majority of centerfire guns can be dry fired. The ones that claim they can't be are probably just covering their butts, but regardless snap caps are a good investment because 1, they are a nice purple or blue color that indicates you have fake rounds in the mag. 2- They're great for malfunction clearance practice/ emergency or tactical reload practice, 3- Re-read number two.

If you want to master your weapon you should be dry practicing a lot more than you shoot. I would say at least 70-30. (I'm probably more like 90-10, and it's helped tighten my groups more than anything else.)

You're going to have to dry practice for the rest of your life so you might as well learn the rules of how to do it safely.

1:Unload gun and place magazine with ammo in separate room
2:Load an empty mag with snap caps (bought at any gun store)
3:Tape up a human target onto a handgun proof background. (Basements are great for this, brick walls, fireplaces, etc...if no such place exists in your house hang it on a wall with nothing behind that wall)
4: Practice for 15-30 minutes. 20 mins is probably optimal. Set a timer.
5: Make sure there are no distractions. If you have to stop for some reason. Start from step one and do it all again.
6: Six once your timer goes off, immediately stop what you're doing and say out loud "dry practice is over, I am done". This will feel silly. It's supposed to, but it will cause a mental block from you pointing your gun up again and shooting. I've experienced this myself.
7: Take your target down. Never leave it hanging. You don't want to be tempted to take a shot at it when you walk past it tomorrow with a loaded gun.
8: Return your weapon to ready status, put it in its holster, and don't take it out unless you mean to use it or practice again later.

 

[Manatee]

Mechanically, striker-fired pistols are normally safe to dry fire. Firing pin assemblies can...and do...break. If your firing pin has a return spring, it's normally safe to dry fire. That covers most modern pistols.

Revolvers are a different story. Generally, if they don't have a transfer bar, it's not a good idea to dry fire without snapcaps.

 

[pudly]

Perhaps on some rimfire guns, but you're A-OK with centerfire dryfiring.

That rule is far from absolute. In fact, Taurus recommends against dry firing the 709.

Dry firing is bad for this firearm, whether the hammer block is engaged or not.

I think a better rule is: generally not on rimfires, usually okay for centerfires. Check your manual either way to verify.

Taurus 709 manual.

 

[imp22b]

I'm still a new shooter but I always thought dry firing was bad for pistols. After shooting IDPA and watching some other pistol competition I'm thinking its not that bad for pistols since dry firing is part of the safety check after shooting a stage in competition.

 

[esrice]

That rule is far from absolute. In fact, Taurus recommends against dry firing the 709.

Yeah I probably was a bit broad. My world tends to revolve around modern polymer striker-fired guns so I think in those terms first.

 

[dhw9am]

Manual

I am one of those freaks, who reads the instuction manual on every new fire arm I buy. Some will say OK to dry firing, some say do not do it. I have yet to buy a firearm, where the maker does not tell you whether it is OK to dryfire or not.

 

[ultra...good]

I have to mention the one thing that people missed in my previous post. For as much as you have invested into your firearms, and as much as a new firing pin could cost, why not buy a few snap caps?

 

[pudly]

Although I'm happy to recommend snap caps for certain exercise like malfunction drills, or in cases where the manufacturer says do not dry fire, if you can get by without them, you are far better off. Why? Because you can get far more repetitions in if you aren't constantly ejecting snap caps, collecting snap caps, reloading your mags and repeating. It is much easier and faster to simply rack the slide, perform your exercise and dry fire. Many guns are fine with this routine, but you just need to make sure yours will be okay before doing it.

 

[seldon14]

I've not been able to find the article, but National Rifleman did one where they dry fired some rimfires 1000s of times. As I recall, one showed some minor issues, the other was completely fine. Firing pins are usually cheap, but so are snap caps.

Main thing I was going to post about though, sounds like you are doing this to use the internal lock? Why are you using the internal lock? If you need to disable access you should find a better way.

 

[ziggy]

The instruction manual of my Beretta says, "Long term dry firing you Beretta pistol may result in damage to the striker. 'Snap Caps' ... allow a firearm to be dry-fired without damage to the action..."
Considering the cost/hassle of repairs, snap caps are a good investment. Tipton is probably a good brand for you to try.

I'd say Aaron1776 has some good advice on how to make use of them.

 

[SW.Ecks]

Only firearm I ever had problems with dry firing was a JCPenny pump action 12GA. Pulled trigger to drop the hammer on an empty chamber, and down the barrel slid the firing pin haha.

 

[junior438]

weather they say its safe or not, ill never dry fire. ill always use snap caps.

 

[kyotekilr]

I would say that if you have to dry fire it to take it apart or engage a safety then it is ok to dry fire. Otherwise it is a pretty big flaw in their design