Dry firing

[Stewart1516]

How bad is dry firing your rifle?

[Hunting Man]

Occasionally we all have to do it, I wouldn't think it wise to simply keep doing it. They make snap caps for this.

[WisconsinDeer]

As long as it isn't a rimfire gun it isn't going to hurt anything.

[Karl.Luhr]

I agree that nothing is getting wrecked unless it is a rimfire. The hammer on a rimfire stiking repeatively will damage the chamber area. I was always told that the firing pin still is banging forward when there isn't a primer for it to hit. I like to use snap caps if I have one for the caliber I am dry firing.

Karl

[DVW]

Originally Posted by Karl.Luhr

I agree that nothing is getting wrecked unless it is a rimfire. The hammer on a rimfire stiking repeatively will damage the chamber area. I was always told that the firing pin still is banging forward when there isn't a primer for it to hit. I like to use snap caps if I have one for the caliber I am dry firing.

Karl

I'd have to agree. I'm not a metallurgist, but I do know a bit about it (knife maker for 20 years and work in a mill that casts, rolls and heat treats metal). The one reservation I would have would be if it was poor quality metal. Either a "Saturday Night Special", or a gun that was over 100 years old or so. A modern center fire weapon made from modern steel would not fatigue from dry firing. My dad still has his old police duty gun. It was a Smith and Wesson 38 special revolver. That gun has tens of thousands of rounds through it and he was taught to practice by dry firing. It's been dry fired thousands of times. It still works just as well now as when it was first issued to him 30 years ago.

[buckhunter5]

i know the click is the worst noise to hear when your hunting. i had a friend who was about to shoot the biggest buck of his life he pullled up the gun slowly pulled the trigger and "click" he forgot his shell and the clip in the car and he watched the buck at 20 yds for 2 hours. i still give him a hard time it was 5 years ago.

[rdrader2002]

BH5 - I think that we've all either done that, or left the safety on at least once - (even though we'll never admit to it in public) - in our lives.

I was fortunate enough to re-cock the .30/30, slip off the safety, and get a second chance at mine. It was a doe and not a buck, but she still ended up in my freezer instead of someone else's.

RR

[Stewart1516]

Originally Posted by buckhunter5

i know the click is the worst noise to hear when your hunting. i had a friend who was about to shoot the biggest buck of his life he pullled up the gun slowly pulled the trigger and "click" he forgot his shell and the clip in the car and he watched the buck at 20 yds for 2 hours. i still give him a hard time it was 5 years ago.

That would really suck. Im pretty repetitive and I go through everything before I step out the door! It would be painstaking watching that buck just stand there and make u have to watch him. He should have jumped out of tree stand onto the deer. Or tried to lasso him. I always carry around rope with me when I'm in the woods :p