[fredgart]

In the past several months I have purchases two Taurus revolvers. A model 94SS4 .22cal and a Tracker 44mag. After purchasing the 22, I spent the evening playing with it in my den. Dry fireing and so on. The next day at the range I was shooting it for the first time and it failed to shoot. Light strikes on the rimfire cartridges. So back to the factory and now back in my hands after two months and they had to replace the cylinder and fireing pin. Did I cause this by dry fireing??? This did not happen with the Tracker 44.

Fred

 

[Flyer]

I have always been told that you shouldn't dryfire a rim fire gun. This isn't as much of a problem with centerfire though.

 

[fredgart]

Now that you mention it Flyer I think I remember hearing tht too. At my age though I need constant reminders. I think that there should be some info in the manuals pertaining to dry firing.

Fred

 

[Flyer]

Thou shalt not dryfire rim cartridges!

I agree, if that causes problems, they should definantly mention so in the manual.

Thou shalt not dryfire rim cartridges!
[me=Flyer]constantly reminds fredgart[/me]

 

[fredgart]

thank you thank you-------- Did I say thank you??
Off to the range I go..

So I guess I caused the problem and now I can't blame Taurus for taking so long.. Good thing that there is a lifetime warranty

Fred

 

[fredgart]

I just made a call to customer service and inquired about dry firing Taurus and was told that it is not reccomended to dry fire ANY Taurus handgun without the use of snapcaps. So I asked if there was a difference in centerfire and rimfire since I have both and she repeated "not reccomended" However she said an occasional dry fire is ok.

Fred

 

[Flyer]

You have to realize that they have a liability against saying dry fire your weapon. Even if they were built with dry firing in mind, they still probably wouldn't admit to it.

 

[Qwiks draw]

One of my favorite subjects. Run for your lives. I might be getting the soap box out for a lecture. Always use snap caps. Yes there are some guns that do not need them. Do not use old cases for this. Real ammo has been accidently mixed in with the dud brass. Case in point. Wadcutters seat flush with the mouth of the cartridge case and do not stick out. When dry firing put all ammo in another room or lock it up. Too many Negligent discharges have happened when the gun owner could "swear" that no live ammo was present when the dud cases got mixed up with the real ammo.Snap caps are cheap. They work better with revolvers usually than with semi-autos, but there is no major handicap or problems with semi-auto use.One has to cycle the pistol for each shot after the first one anyway. Most caps will fit magazines. At lesst the first two should. More than that could be iffy. Twenty two snap caps are cheaper than dirt literally. I have them and use them in all dry firing in the with the model 94 revolver and Ruger MKIII. A- Zoom is one brand of snap caps. There are other brands as well. A-Zoom is also allied with Lyman. Lyman has a website of it's own. They also have Uni-Dot, Trius, Pachamyr, and Tac-Star brand names. www.lymanproducts.com is the web site. Thankyou and will know exit stage left.

 

[slickpartner]

I have always been told dont doit.. I may have don it once or twice...... BUT!..... I dont do it anymore..

 

[1814 rob]

One can save by using homemade snap caps. Fill the primer pocket with silicone which protects the firing pin. I cross drill the case on mine so there is a clear difference. The bullet and cases are bright silver also as an added visual. No other live cartridges in my boxes have the same color, works for me. Still I agree with the no live ammo in the same area when dry firing.

 

[Qwiks draw]

1814 is correct and welcome to the forum 1814. Didn't catch you over at the Introduction area so thought to welcome you here.The filled in primer area might have to have the gel or other substances( there are other variations of primer hole fillers) refreshed every so often. This cushions the blow to the firing pin as well stops the pin from going to far forward.

 

[worthirt_99]

Glad I've never dry fired

 

[Mr Ed]

I agree with Qwiks draw i use snap caps. The clear red color makes them easy to see that they are not live ammo and you can check that your gun is working properly.

 

[quadracin]

snap caps!

 

[BoneDigger]

OK, so lets say that dry firing is a bad thing. What exactly is it that gets damaged during dry firing? Is it the firing pin, or is it the springs?

Todd

 

[Qwiks draw]

Firing pins can be damaged is the reason for the snap caps.

When the trigger is pulled and the firng pin flies forward, there is nothing to cushion the blow when the firing pin hit the inside of the chamber. The pin will extend all the way into the chamber and hit the metal. This can cause breakage or deform the face of the firing pin to an extent that it will need replacing.

It can happen if dry firing is done only a few times.

With the snap cap in place the pin hits the cap as if it were a live cartridge and resets the way it is supposed to.

Some handguns do not need them, but it is prudent to do this with them all. Makes it easier to keep track of. One could forget which ones need it and which don't. For safety reasons as well this should be done. BANG. OOOPS. Thought it was an unloaded.

Most rimfire firearms need this done as well. Ruger MK IIIs, as an example, are the exception to this.

Some centerfire guns can be dry fired without the caps. Manuals do not always cover this, nor are Customer Service personnel always made aware of these goings on.

 

[comet66]

Daddy told me 50 years ago, "Never Dry Fire".

Old habits and all of that..