Guys,

I have heard from some that it will harm a gun to dry fire it, mess up the firing pin or something.

And then I have heard that it does not hurt the gun to dry fire it.

So experts what is it? To dry fire or not to dry fire THAT IS THE QUESTION! The reason is to practice trigger my pull.

Centerfire's are no problem. Dry fire one of my .22's or .22WMR and I'm apt to slap you upside the head.

Really depends on the firearm. My S&W .357 should not be dry fired. Most of my other centerfires are ok to dry fire. I have some rimfires that can be, and some that should not be.

Most modern centerfires are ok to dry fire.

I had a H&H in the shop a while ago that had a crack in the sideplate where the hammer comes to a stop on if a primer isnt present to soften the blow. Most likely dry-firing caused it. This was also a gun 100+yrs old, the steel just doesnt compare to todays guns.

if you are concerned snap caps are cheep enough for some peace of mind

All bolts are specifically manufactured for the firing pin to strike a primer. Meaning, failing to do so (dry-firing), is doing something the mechanism was not designed to do, which could pose a problem. I keep empty shells to put into the rifle, if someone wants to test the trigger pull. But, I also refuse to dry fire anything myself.

Anything with an exposed hammer probably won't hurt anything.

Dry firing is a preference thing. There are a few guns you cannot though. I.E. MOST 22LR/Mag weapons. The Ruger 10/22 supposedly isn't effected by it though (read it in an old book somewhere). The post about bolts being designed to hit a primer to stop it is BS. The primer is there and cushions it but it stops steel to steel no matter what...

Think about that one. If you have too much firing pin protrusion does the primer stop it or does it pierce the primer?

1911's are an odd one on this list. I have literally had a Para Ordnance Hammer shatter when dry firing it. I feel it would have shattered dry fired or live fired though. If you read a few Mfg's manuals on their 1911's there is a warning about riding the hammer down as it may erode the sear surfaces.

Didn't say the bolt was designed to be stopped by a primer, it was designed to "strike the primer". My store has sold over 3000 guns in the past 2.5 years, and we've had to send a couple back because of this issue and Savage and Tikka sent a repair report back using the exact language I used early. That's why Savage sends Savage dealers, like us, a prototype of their AccuTrigger, so that people can feel and adjust the pull, without potentially injuring a new weapon. But, what does Savage & Tikka know? lol

IMO it depends on the gun. Most modern firearms it is ok to dry fire them. I have a Ruger Blackhawk in .41mag that no one shoots until they dry fire it first, it has an 14oz trigger pull and goes off very easly. As for my center fire rifles I dry fire them too. I am with Janie on my .22's though, no dry firing thoses.

That's sh*t logic. Yes it is so you can feel an accutrigger but its to make it easier on the sales people and customers.

Please provide more detail on these "returns" due to dry firing. Feel free to show a picture of a firing pin that has shattered in half in the bolt.

Only rifles or shotguns adversely affected in my experience were cheap SS or dbl bbl old guns with softer materials ect. I've never had a pin break on a major mfgs weapon in 50 yrs. I do not recommend sitting and snapping one without plastic dummy's in it.

as t4 said, snap caps are cheap
enough. why take a chance ?
to each his own. . . . .

This for me also, they're cheap.

I've dry fired my guns more than any amount of bullets that have been sent down them. It is done all the time to learn how to properly pull the trigger the same every time

So which is it guys? So far all I'm seeing is hear say.


Chupa

It depends on the gun. RTFM

But what determines whether you can or you can't?


Chupa

My rule of thumb has always been if the firing pin is spring loaded then it is OK to dry fire. If the firing pin is free floating then don't dry fire it. Free floating firing pins can be found on .22's, shotguns and some military rifles (AR 15). I also would never dry fire a weapon that is over 50 years old. But in any case snap caps are good insurance against damage.

You can dry fire an AR 15. Our troops do quite a bit of dry firing with them during training.

Yes they do but with training rifles during basic training etc. And according to a Marine friend they break a lot of firing pins. I do agree that with new metallurgy firing pins can be made tougher and not break as easily but what is dry firing doing to the inside of the bolt where the floating firing pin hits it. The inside back of the bolt face is receiving the full brunt of the impact of the firing pin. Just wondering.

I will do my best to answer this question truthfully. Everyone has their "theories" (most of which derive from what someone else tells them) but most people are going to be wrong in some way. First of all, some .22's can be damaged by dry firing, some can not. Some shotguns can be dry fires, some cannot. Some rifles can be dry fired, some cannot. And lastly, most Modern handguns can be dry fire, however some may not. I know this isn't the answer you are looking for but this is the truth. If you are curious about an individual firearm go to the manufacture's website and generally speaking they will have the manuals online. (ruger is an example http://www.ruger.com/service/productHistory.html ). Oh and just because I can't believe someone thought this, Yes you CAN dry fire the AR-15. <--- This is a prime example of someone who most likely heard information from someone else and took it as fact. Sorry for all of the confusion, To answer your question, just check your manual, and never believe anything that someone tells you if A. you can easily look it up by going to the manufactures website or B. The person is sounding really bias or doesn't back up there statements with any form of fact. Anyway, there is your answer, good luck, and have fun shooting!

Contact the manufacturer, but if you want to be safe, either use snap-caps, or, if you reload, punch out the primer of a fired cartridge and either fill the cavity with good silicon like Right Stuff, or replace the primer with a piece of rubber pencil eraser. Alternatively, you can just use a fired case with the old primer in it, but you may eventually punch through the primer cup.

Rimfire. NO. - everyone agrees (with some caveats)

Centerfire - Yes. When I dry-fire my weapons, and I do it allot, it's with an empty chamber. To me using anything (snap cap, old casing, etc..) creates bad behavior. You learn that you can go click with no bang and it's only a matter of time before there is an accidental firing because you are a) conditioned that something in the chamber is OK or b) you put the wrong case in on accident.

Dry firing any of the modern center fire rifles will not damage the firing pin or bolt face. Also remember pins are cheap, and replaceable - they WILL BREAK eventually - there are allot of forces at play in the firing mechanism of a rifle. Dry firing does put stress on components, but so does shooting. Like toolman and others said check with the mfgr on their specific recommendation however I can tell you I've sat up at the Stiller factory and dry fired for hours with the good folks there. My Remington has probably more dry-fire cycles thru it than rounds, and I'm on my 5th barrel..... My glock gets dry fired over and over and over and over again. Same with every other center fire I own.

Dry firing will not damage anything, but like anything else it will introduce wear. That's the biggest different - it's just more wear. It is not bad for the firearm.

Everyone of my centerfire rifles, AR's, and pistols have thousands of dry fires on them. I highly recommend dry firing for practice, especially for pistol. Rimfire is a no no, but centerfire is fine.