I often read that dry firing a gun is a great way to improve accuracy by helping master trigger pull issues, but wondered if dry firing thousands of time eventually damages the gun mechanism itself. I know that you should not be dry firing a rim firing gun but what about center fire firearms?
Does dry fire damage a gun over time?
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Pat-inCO
Hawkeye
No problem . . . . . . at all.
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Can be a problem with some rimfires, Should be safe in any modern center fire. I use snap caps when I can. Better safe than sorry. Ed.
Ray Newman
Blackhawk
Eveled said it all....
Yeah, a snap cap is good. I think its a good idea to dry fire a firearm just before you put it away so that the spring for the firing pin isn't compressed for long periods of time.
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
At one early display, at the introduction of the Single Six, Ruger had a Single Six set up that automatically cocked and "fired" a Single Six. At the end of the exhibit, the counter exceeded 100,000 times the gun had been "dry fired."
I have one Ruger Blackhawk that I had both shot and dry-fired regurlarly with no apparnet damage. The gun was bought in 1958.
Bob Wright
I have one Ruger Blackhawk that I had both shot and dry-fired regurlarly with no apparnet damage. The gun was bought in 1958.
Bob Wright
Pal Val
Buckeye
My caveat about dry firing: Make sure it's going to really be a "dry fire". Check the gun three times before pulling that trigger. I have a friend who once "dry fired" a hole in his wall and missed his TV by a couple of inches.
FastEd
Hunter
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Pal Val said:
I love that!
FastEd
Hunter
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No way to predict how many times you can dry fire a gun before something breaks.
It does happen.
It does happen.
DGW1949
Hawkeye
Depends on the gun design and/or how well any certain example may have been fitted.
Some Ruger revolvers will be able to tolerate it while the next one may break it's transfer bar or the tip of the firing pin. I also suspect that dry firing leads to premature firing pin spring failure, but I can't prove that.
Dern-near all .22's will suffer some sort of damage sooner or later to either the chamber or firing pin.
I saw a Colt SAA in which the shoulder of it's firing-pin had knocked the recoil shield (AKA cup) forward far enough to break the cross pin. On a similar note; I once examined a Peitta SAA which had knocked it's recoil sheild/cup so far forward that it jammed into the cylinder's chamber and locked the gun up.
Some Colt clones don't use a replaceable firing pin cup, but those are known for battering their recoil shields to the point that the protruding metal has to be filed down to prevent it from interfering with cylinder function.
Leverguns, as well as old style shotguns, are well known for breaking their firing pins when dry fired. Winchesters and Rossi 94's are especialy prone to that but Marlins will do it too. And there's a reason that high-end SXS shotguns come with snap caps from the factory....just sayin'.
That's just a short list off the top of my head, and I'm still on my first cup of coffee this morning. What I'm getting at though, is that it's your gun, so treat it as you will.....but...me personaly, I follow the same rule with dry firing as I follow with many things;
namely....when in doubt, don't.
DGW
Some Ruger revolvers will be able to tolerate it while the next one may break it's transfer bar or the tip of the firing pin. I also suspect that dry firing leads to premature firing pin spring failure, but I can't prove that.
Dern-near all .22's will suffer some sort of damage sooner or later to either the chamber or firing pin.
I saw a Colt SAA in which the shoulder of it's firing-pin had knocked the recoil shield (AKA cup) forward far enough to break the cross pin. On a similar note; I once examined a Peitta SAA which had knocked it's recoil sheild/cup so far forward that it jammed into the cylinder's chamber and locked the gun up.
Some Colt clones don't use a replaceable firing pin cup, but those are known for battering their recoil shields to the point that the protruding metal has to be filed down to prevent it from interfering with cylinder function.
Leverguns, as well as old style shotguns, are well known for breaking their firing pins when dry fired. Winchesters and Rossi 94's are especialy prone to that but Marlins will do it too. And there's a reason that high-end SXS shotguns come with snap caps from the factory....just sayin'.
That's just a short list off the top of my head, and I'm still on my first cup of coffee this morning. What I'm getting at though, is that it's your gun, so treat it as you will.....but...me personaly, I follow the same rule with dry firing as I follow with many things;
namely....when in doubt, don't.
DGW
Jimbo357mag
Hawkeye
Dry firing can help break-in a new gun and is a good way to become familiar with the gun but dry firing can also put wear on the gun. If you are making the trigger smoother that is good. If you are wearing out other parts like the cylinder latch/bolt, cylinder notches or frame window, not so good.
All things in moderation.
All things in moderation.
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
DGW1949:
None of my Colts have the recoil plate held by a cross pin?
Bob Wright
None of my Colts have the recoil plate held by a cross pin?
Bob Wright
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Y'all are gonna love this! This is the cylinder from my antique 1st model (mfg 1932-1941) IJ Target Sealed 8. It's been dry fired a lot. But it still shoots. 
I too check each pistol prior to dry firing it. My wife asked me why since the only person that ever handles it is me? I told her that it is simply a good, safe, practice. Mistakes happen; but not if you 'follow instructions carefully'.Pal Val said:
blackhawknj
Buckeye
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In the case of 22s use fired cases, perhaps make your own snap caps by filling them with putty or grout or something to cushion the firing pin impact
welder
Buckeye
It may or may not hurt the gun but it hurts my ears, so no "dry fire" for me or any of my guns. YMMV
Some guns, due to their specific design and/or metallurgy, will tolerate dry firing better than others.
Beyond that . . . any mechanical device has within its makeup a finite number of cycles before something within it fails. Every "dry cycle" you run thru your gun is one closer to that eventual failure.
Your gun, your choice.
Beyond that . . . any mechanical device has within its makeup a finite number of cycles before something within it fails. Every "dry cycle" you run thru your gun is one closer to that eventual failure.
Your gun, your choice.
exavid
Hunter
Rimfire guns are going to damage the firing pin or chamber face with unprotected dry firing since the firing pin is being slammed directly into the steel of the chamber face. There are some guns that tend to break firing pins where the necked down end of the pin gets damaged against the hole in a bolt face. Nothing new there for anyone in that but I've never felt comfortable dry firing any firearm without a snap cap in center fires or at least a spent shell in rimfires.
DGW1949
Hawkeye
Bob Wright said:
Hello Mr Wright,
You are absolutely correct, Colt's recoil plates are pressed in and staked. The "cross pin" comment was probably due to me mostly working on Rugers for the past few years, getting older and not remembering old details correctly at times.
The good news is that your post caused me to re-read the rest of mine...and....as it turns out, I also made another mistake when I was mentioning rifles. The "Rossi '94's" which I mentioned don't even exist, meaning that I should have said "Rossi '92's" instead.
Thanks for keeping me on my toes.
DGW
wizofwas
Buckeye
Same thing everybody else has said. Always make sure the weapon is UNLOADED. Always best to use snap caps or empty shells. Other than that, it's up to you.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Besides rim and center fire, I'd advise not dry firing a percussion cap weapon either. 
wizofwas
Buckeye
Didn't even think of them. Dry firing a percussion cap weapon is a complete no, no. You'll damage the nipple so you won't be able to put the caps on them rendering the weapon useless.GunnyGene said:Besides rim and center fire, I'd advise not dry firing a percussion cap weapon either.
OP
On rimfire or centerfire handguns, is a snap cap any advantage over just using an old shell casing?
exavid
Hunter
Seems to me that a fired shell would provide pretty good padding for a rimfire gun but in the case of centerfire once the old primer has been punched it's not likely to do much of a job of absorbing the inertia of the firing pin since there's just the empty dimple to hit. In the case of rimfire while the metal may be crushed it still puts some brass between the pin and chamber face.
I have a Gov't issue dry fire device for the Springfield 03 & 03A3. It replaces the front part of the firing pin with a washer like part to retain the firing pin. No possible way it can fire a round or "pooch" the bolt face. There must have been a reason for issue of this accessory.
ArmedinAZ
Buckeye
The 10/22 manual says it's OK to dry fire. CZ rimfires are made to dry fire with no damage. The answer to the question is specific to the firearm. It certainly doesn't hurt to choose not to dry fire.
Having read that many, many times, I used to believe it.Pat-inCO said:
After breaking the firing pins of a Smith 19, a Colt Python, and a Walther P.38 (twice!) by dry-firing, I no longer do it with anything except 1911s. I've never heard of a broken 1911 firing pin, though I did dry-fire one with an improperly made or treated firing pin retainer so much that I peened the firing pin hole shut. :shock:
An empty (centerfire) case with the primer punched out and replaced with silicone caulk or gasket sealer makes a cheap and very effective snap cap. I have them for all my CF handguns now.
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I like that idea Snake, should work with shotgun shells too. For rimfire revolvers I have heard some say they use plastic dry wall screw inserts. I don't think it would work in a semi auto.
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GunnyGene said:Y'all are gonna love this! This is the cylinder from my antique 1st model (mfg 1932-1941) IJ Target Sealed 8. It's been dry fired a lot. But it still shoots.
Hard to believe it still shoots. Why are the dimples spread out so much? It looks like the firing pin hits a different spot every time.
