Can The Single 10 be Dry Fired?

[Gene]

I just took delivery of a Single 10. I was reading on Gunblast.com where Jeff Quinn did a "Poor Boy's Trigger Job" on it.

Part of the procedure was to push upward on the cocked hammer as you release the trigger and do it several times to mate the trigger and sear.

Now I've owned .22 revolvers for many years and it's almost a steadfast rule to never dry fire a .22 revolver and I never have.

What's the deal? Is the Single 10 safe to dry fire?

 

[DeletedMember58]

Single Six resolvers have been safe to dry-fire from the first day of production 60 years ago.

 

[Gene]

I never knew that as having owned Single-Sixes in the past. Maybe we should let thousands of folks, (among them many gun writers), that to this day still say not to do it that they can.

 

[CajunBass]

I never knew that as having owned Single-Sixes in the past. Maybe we should let thousands of folks, (among them many gun writers), that to this day still say not to do it that they can.

I don't know what more "we" can do. Ruger has been putting it in the owners manual probably since day one, at least as long as I've known anything about it. As well as on their website.

From the Ruger website, in their "FAQ" section for revolvers.

Can I dry fire my Ruger revolver?
Yes. All Ruger revolvers can be dry fired without damage, and dry firing can be useful to familiarize the owner with the firearm.

Note the use of the word "all."

And just in case you've wondered. Also from "FAQ"'s. This tells you why it's ok.

Can I dry fire my Mark III pistol? 
Yes. The Mark III has a firing pin stop that prevents the firing pin from contacting the rear of the barrel and damaging the edge of the chamber. If you are going to dry fire the pistol extensively, the stop pin and firing pin will eventually wear and contact could occur, and we recommend replacing both the firing pin and the firing pin stop from time to time. You should also monitor the contact of the firing pin with the rear of the barrel.

I'm too lazy to download the owners manual, but it's in there too.

 

[Gene]

Thanks for the info CajunBass.

 

[CraigC]

I won't dryfire any rimfire revolver without snap caps or empty hulls. Rugers aren't exactly precision instruments and it sucks to have send your sixgun back to Ruger because you peened the chambers dryfiring it. I had to send a brand new Bearcat back because its chambers were peened over.

 

[Gene]

I won't dryfire any rimfire revolver without snap caps or empty hulls. Rugers aren't exactly precision instruments and it sucks to have send your sixgun back to Ruger because you peened the chambers dryfiring it. I had to send a brand new Bearcat back because its chambers were peened over.

Well, there you go and I agree with you CraigC.

Look, I'm not trying to start anything here with this thread but like CraigC stated I was always taught to at least use snap caps or spent shells and better yet, not do it at all.

I'm sure CajunBass and Otony know more about Rugers than I do but no dry firing with .22 revolvers was what I was always taught and I bought my first Ruger revolver in 1966.

I did the first half of the "Poor Boy's Trigger Job", (I don't want to disengage one half of the trigger return spring), and I winced every time I pulled the trigger as I didn't have any spent .22 shells or snap caps around. I will admit, it did smooth up the trigger a tiny bit.

I'm sure there will be folks that will say do it or not to do it but it all boils down to it's your gun and do with it as you please. From now on, I choose not to do it. Thanks for your understanding!

 

[CajunBass]

I don't dry mine often either. I just don't worry about it if I do. I can't imagine listening to the CLACK or click of a hammer falling on an empty chamber over and over again. I've also found that after the "new" wears off, and as I've gotten older, I've lost intererst in dry firing a gun. Sort of like test driving a car. Does it really tell you anything? Will you wear out some parts faster? Probably...So will shooting it.

Ruger says it won't hurt anything. That's good enough for me. They designed it, built it, literally wrote the book on it, and more importantly, since they said it was OK, they're the ones who'll have to fix it if they're wrong.

I will admit, it did smooth up the trigger a tiny bit.

I've found it works just as well to simply work the action. Pull the hammer back, hold it, pull trigger, let hammer down...repeat.

 

[CraigC]

I've found it works just as well to simply work the action. Pull the hammer back, hold it, pull trigger, let hammer down...repeat.

That's what I do, I just handle them a lot. Working the action but not dry firing. Helps me become familiar with them without the potential wear of dry firing.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

I abhor the idea of dry-firing any of my .22 rifles or pistols as many of you folks do. So, here's what I use to prevent chamber mouth dings and cylinder dings. Dry-wall screw anchors, in size 4 to 6. These are ribbed plastic wall anchors that cost around $5.00 for a box of 100. Each wall anchor will take around 10 hits if rotated, so you can do the math to see how cheap these are. Kinda fun to watch "Gangland" on TV with your Single-10 and then bust a few "wall anchors" on those backward hat wearing DUDES. :mrgreen:

 

[CraigC]

That's a nice trick!

 

[Gene]

I abhor the idea of dry-firing any of my .22 rifles or pistols as many of you folks do. So, here's what I use to prevent chamber mouth dings and cylinder dings. Dry-wall screw anchors, in size 4 to 6. These are ribbed plastic wall anchors that cost around $5.00 for a box of 100. Each wall anchor will take around 10 hits if rotated, so you can do the math to see how cheap these are. Kinda fun to watch "Gangland" on TV with your Single-10 and then bust a few "wall anchors" on those backward hat wearing DUDES. :mrgreen:

You know D A Wood, I forgot all about those! I have a box of them around here somewhere that I bought a long time ago just for that. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Fox Mike]

From the Single 10 instruction manual, page 19.
"DRY-FIRING:
Going through the actions of cocking, aiming, and pulling the trigger of an unloaded gun is known as “Dry Firing.” It can be useful to learn the “feel” of your revolver.
Be certain the revolver is unloaded and that the gun is pointing in a safe direction even when practicing by dry-firing.
The Ruger New Model revolvers can be dry-fired without damage to the firing pin or other components."

 

[CraigC]

Ruger also says that the large frame .45Colt's are only safe for standard pressure loads. So I don't really think the manual is the last word, for anything. I prefer to think for myself and I'd rather play it safe than have to return my favorite sixgun to Ruger.