Dry firing- does it damage anything?

[Brad Y]

Can anyone confirm if dry firing does any damage in a Barnard action? I see snap caps available but in all seriousness they can't last long as the primer areas just dent and wouldn't do much when worn.

[Tim N]

Brad,
I'm pretty sure they are spring loaded so they will last

[macguru]

i agree the snap caps i have seen dent and cant do much to protect the pin against shock. If you have a light FO trigger i would question the need to dry fire anyways.

[mike H]

I have snap caps,cannot remember the brand name,they are blue plastic in colour with a spring loaded primer,they work well,haven't dented yet,you can see a faint mark where the firing pin tip hits. I try and use them when doing the bolt cycle test,at times I will fire a number of dry shots when setting up and before my sighters.
There is another that is a bronze colour and looks like a live round,I don't like them in that careless handling could see a live round substituted.

[lonerider43]

mine is red anodized alloy,looks like a bullet with a spring loaded primer.cant remember the brand.
but has dented the primer.im also using an omark.
i believe dry firing can damage the pin spring aswel as the pin.
so im just going to keep using it.

[GrahamW]

I simply put a rubber plug in the primer pocket of an empty case to prevent the firing pin from over extending (which I think is what may cause damage to the firing pin). I've used this for several years and haven't had to replace the pin yet and the rubber plug never wears out or gets damaged.

8-)

[Barry Davies]

Unrestricted dry firing will ultimately cause the striker end of the firing pin to break off.
Continual unrestricted dry firing allows the flange of the firing pin ( dry fire stop ) to hit full force against the inside of the bolt tube, This causes the striker end ( which is less than 2mm diameter ) to work harden and eventually break off.
Snap caps are ok as they are spring loaded and do reduce the tendency of the pin to work harden thus prolonging the life of the pin.
Personally I fit an aluminium sleeve over the end of the firing pin so as to restrict pin fall to around 10 thou. This reduces the stresses on the pin to almost zero. Trigger let off pressure is unaffected.
Downside to this is you must remember to remove it prior to shooting otherwise the rifle won't fire.

[lonerider43]

not much good if your lying prone,coiled up in a sling barry....

[Barry Davies]

Like I said -- don't forget to remove it!!!

[fgregorio]

Try John Cooper at One Off Precision. His firing pins by design are meant to be dry fired without a snap cap.