Dry firing a 1911. YES or NO

[jwardrip]

Is it ok to dry fire your 1911? I've read NO, I've read YES, I've read snap caps. So, what so you guys say?

 

[Coach]

Yes

Yes do it. Not going to hurt a thing and snap caps are not necessary. I spent an hour doing it today.

 

[HandK]

Yep! Go for it!! Dry Firing is one of the best things you can do to improve accuracy! It wont hurt the gun at all!!

 

[IndyGunworks]

not going to hurt a thing.

 

[jwardrip]

Great!!! Thanks guys. Guess what I'm going to go do? Hahaha

 

[Cemetery-man]

I hear time after time that it's OK to do it, and I'm 99% sure it is but that 1% still prevents me from dry firing any of my guns.

 

[Jmtbug21]

Yes, I do it all the time. Never a problem

 

[dom1104]

Why is this even still a question? Who is out there, poisoning everyones minds?!

 

[bman1962]

We dry fire ours. I have heard it's bad to dry fire a rim fire gun but I have a buddy that has dry fired his for a long time without any problems.

 

[Captain Bligh]

Dry firing is how my owners' manuals tell you to lower the hammer after emptying the gun. Hurts nothing.

The no-no's are letting the slide slam home on an empty chamber and loading a round by dropping it in the chamber as opposed to loading from a magazine.

 

[trigger643]

Dry firing is how my owners' manuals tell you to lower the hammer after emptying the gun. Hurts nothing.

The no-no's are letting the slide slam home on an empty chamber and loading a round by dropping it in the chamber as opposed to loading from a magazine.

For some guns dry firing is an issue, but not 1911s. releasing the slide on an empty chamber is tough, not only on 1911s, but on many guns.

 

[GlockRyan]

It wouldn't be bad for it at all.

 

[JetGirl]

Yes...and beneficial for practice at home, too. TRIPLE CHECK that it's cleared.

 

[DMarines007]

Are there really any guns that are 'damaged' through dry firing. I have heard of this being the case, but have not actually seen anything like this. Seems that would be a 'brittle' gun that I would be reluctant owning in the first place.

 

[DMarines007]

Too mirror the earlier comments, make sure to truly make sure it is "dry" before squeezing the trigger.

 

[LEGENw84itDARY]

Dry firing is how my owners' manuals tell you to lower the hammer after emptying the gun. Hurts nothing.

The no-no's are letting the slide slam home on an empty chamber and loading a round by dropping it in the chamber as opposed to loading from a magazine.

this is what my manual on my browning says, and it says not to lock slide back, place clip in to chamber a round

 

[gunman41mag]

I dry fire my 1911

 

[trigger643]

Are there really any guns that are 'damaged' through dry firing. I have heard of this being the case, but have not actually seen anything like this. Seems that would be a 'brittle' gun that I would be reluctant owning in the first place.

Yes. I've seen several S&W 41 pistols and other semi-auto .22s with damaged firing pins and chamber areas due to excessive dry firing, galled and/or broken firing pins/breach faces on Lugers, Winchester Model 21 and Beretta 682, damaged hammers and deformed pins on Colt's SAA and New Service revolvers and crushed nipples and deformed hammers on black powder cap & ball guns.

Steel on Steel contact can be pretty tough on guns that were designed only for the pins to strike softer metals, absorbing some of the energy of the blow.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

If anyone shoots IDPA you will hear "Hammer down on an empty weapon" (pull the trigger to show its clear and safe) after every stage of fire. I don't see it hurting any well designed firearm. Even Ruger 10/22s seem to have a unique firing pin that prevents damage since they don't have a bolt lockback.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Late to the party, but yes I dry fire my 1911. Just finished a little dry fire work, in fact.