Dry Fire????

[crazyelk]

I have read that dry firing a rifle is a good way to practice trigger pull without going out to the range and firing live ammo. I would like to get my son some "dry fire" practice in between some live fire a the range for his upcoming NM Oryx hunt. Most recommend snap caps to prevent damage to the firing pin mech., however I am not able to find a snap cap for the .300 SAUM chambering. Does anyone know of a .300 SAUM snap cap or will the .300 WSM fit? Are snap caps really necessary for dry firing to prevent firing pin damage, or can you dry fire a firearm without causing damage? Some say you may dry fire till your hearts content.

Note: The rifle that we are planning to use is a Remington Model 700. All dry fire practice sessions will be supervised for safety. No live ammo will be present in the area.

 

[sageadvice]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-20-09 AT 10:24PM (MST)[p]CElk, i have used dry firing as a important tool to fine tune my trigger control for many years now. The best part about is that you can do it right in your home using near anything as a target. I usually pick out something small and try to get the pin to release just as the crosshairs swing thru and "on" the small target without really "pulling", just a ever more constant squeezing of the trigger. Great stuff, i highly recommend!!

Edit; Also get your son to "call" his dry firing. It really helps in the field when you can remember exactly where the cross hairs were when the gun went off. Like a picture! This can be done dry firing as well. Just have him call out whether he was left right, high, low, or dead on when the pin snapped. Great practice and will much aid in the process to becoming a better shooter.

I've never used snap cap, ever, in my model 700's and no damage has been noticed in thousands of dry snaps. Maybe i've been lucky, more here can speak on the actual need of one.

Good luck to you and you son on his hunt!!

Joey

 

[RELH]

Dry firing will not normally damage most modern centerfire rifles. the firing pin shoulder will contact the angled shoulder that is present in most bolts and if there is proper heat treating of the parts, no peening will take place.
Of course there is always exception to every rule. I have heard stories of firing pin breakage, and if true, the firing pin was heat treated wrong and was too brittle.
You should not dry fire rimfire rifles as the firing pin can hit the edge of the chamber mouth and cause peening of the metal at the edge of the chamber. this could result in cases being hard to feed due to the metal displacement.
Dry firing is a darn good way to get rid of the flinch if you have one.

RELH

 

[redrabbit]

You should not have to worry about damage with dry firing a centerfire, as RELH said. If you are still hesitant, you could take a piece of the harder ink pen eraser and put it in the primer pocket of a resized case.

If you use a 22 RF to dry fire, do use a snap cap.

 

[hossblur]

I read that the Israeli special forces do 1000's and 1000's of dry fire practice with their service arms, I think the dry fire topic is an old wives tale myth. Everything I have read repeats what has already been said, it is a great way to practice.