Dry fire. Is a snap cap necessary?

[KermitShooter]

I believe Sarge is referring to an instance at a local steel match when a competitor step to the table, and racked out a snap cap. Shocking to say the least. DQ in any USPSA but i believe Sarge talked him thru what he just did. As RO's work these steel matches, safety and common sense have to rule. There is no substitue for keeping yourself and everyone at the range safe no matter what the venue.

[VARifleman]

Not necessary. Also dangerous. What if that snap cap was actually a live round by mistake?

I've never considered that to be problem, but I can now appreciate the issue you suggest. Combined with the general lack of utility of the snap cap for dry fire I can see how the decision can be made to avoid them altogether.

I do appreciate the benefit of the snap cap for live fire however. I know folks have scoffed at the dummy round practice thing, but I'm going to stick to the opinion that it has its utility in live fire training. Nothing to do with dry fire, though.

Now, when it comes to reload practice, I'd tend to go with the idea that a fresh mag should be loaded with good simulation. I use nickel plated brass (which I seldom shoot as live rounds), no primer and the primer pocket filled with silcone, no powder (duh) and the regular bullet. This still requires close attention to keeping fake ammo separate from live ammo, paying attention to the dry fire practice session, and following the four rules with particular attention to what you're aiming at.

Of course, none of this makes a difference for me. I still suck.

With your first classifier as a 41 (C class), you would be off to a good start.

In smallbore rifle I learned some things about the mental game. Telling yourself something negative will assure that will happen. Telling yourself what you want to happen will guide you in the right direction.

Also, coming from smallbore, my attitude toward snap caps is that they aren't necessary. With my rimfire guns the firing pin stops, yours may be different. With the common guns we use in USPSA there is no harm to be had in dryfiring without a snapcap, and it puts you in jeopardy of getting a live round mixed up with your snap cap as you are looking for something being in the chamber.

[BigBets]

I have a glock 34 I have literally dry fired probably 1000 times since I got it. A little trick probably mentioned herein is putting a small piece of cardboard or other stiff material in the ejection port so it Almost closes all the way...is some guns this keeps the trigger actice and does not fire the firing pin each time...saving some wear

Bets

[sperman]

All of my dry-fire practice is done with mags full of dummy rounds (no primer, no powder.) I am very careful to never let live rounds into the room where I keep the safe and the dummy rounds, but just in case, I like to see the red plastic snap cap in the chamber. I know that one can't go "boom"

[strangedays]

I have done a million dry fires and never a single issue. Don't worry about it unless its a rimfire.

[Erik S.]

Does anyone else rack their slide a million times while getting your gear together at the car prior to a match? Maybe it's excessive compulsive on my part but I make more than TRIPLE sure that my gun is completely unloaded and hammer down prior to even walking up to the group of shooters at the beginning of a match. haha

[ima45dv8]

Does anyone else rack their slide a million times while getting your gear together at the car prior to a match? Maybe it's excessive compulsive on my part but I make more than TRIPLE sure that my gun is completely unloaded and hammer down prior to even walking up to the group of shooters at the beginning of a match. haha

I don't. At the matches I primarily attend (USPSA events), that would be a DQ.

[Erik S.]

Sorry, should have specified that one's car (at our matches), is the safe handling zone.

[Sarge]

Sorry, should have specified that one's car (at our matches), is the safe handling zone.

:surprise:At a sanctioned USPSA match, no matter where it's at, that is a NO GO.

[Erik S.]

I'll have to talk to the club and see if we can set up a safe zone somewhere else. I don't think I'm involved in the club enough at this point to make such suggestions.

[GLOCK PILOT]

I have a G34 and one day I was doing some dry fire and my firing pin broke in half. Is that just a freak accident or is that from dry fire? I was not using a snap cap.

Thanks,

Alex

[G-ManBart]

I have a G34 and one day I was doing some dry fire and my firing pin broke in half. Is that just a freak accident or is that from dry fire? I was not using a snap cap.

Thanks,

Alex

That's pretty unusual...it can happen, but it's not common. R,

[BritinUSA]

I had one break in an STI many years ago. I was actually getting it worked on by a gunsmith. When the trigger was pressed the firing pin broke and shot out of the barrel. I'm guessing the firing pin spring was a little weak and the firing pin was moving all the way forward and the continual impact finally broke it.

[CZinSC]

All of my dry-fire practice is done with mags full of dummy rounds (no primer, no powder.) I am very careful to never let live rounds into the room where I keep the safe and the dummy rounds, but just in case, I like to see the red plastic snap cap in the chamber. I know that one can't go "boom"

I do it very similar. I like the dummy rounds in the mags especially when you practice reloads. The weight of an empty mag cannot compare to a full one ( or with 10 for production ). You have to practice like you play. Practicing with empty mags seems pointless to me.

Like Scott, I have dummy rounds (no primer or powder), and then I used to a Sharpie to scibble green lines on them(so they stand out even better). I store them in a small tupperware container on the work/reloading bench. When I set up to dry fire, I make sure all ammo is out of the way, cases closed etc. Empty the mags, double and triple check. Then load up from the tupperware full of dummy rounds.

[Outbreak]

I only use manufactured dummy rounds, like snap caps. Different color, obviously not real ammo. No question of what it is.

The only thing I use them for is to put one in each magazine for reloading practice. I'm not worried about the weight, but the shape. When you're loading a fresh mag, it's going to have a nice round cartridge on top, not two sharp feed lips.

The only live ammo in the room when dry-firing is in my carry gun. Not the same magazines or caliber as my competition guns, so no worries about live fire in the living room.

[JKSNIPER]

I agree that the dummy rounds/snap caps have a purpose in live fire practice.

When we go to the range here for practice its in a small group of good friends.

We do something where each of us loads another guys mags for him mixing dummy rounds in with the real amo just to keep everyone sharp and ready for malfunctions as well as to illustrate the anticipation of the round going off.

And it makes the range session fun.

JK

[GLOCK PILOT]

Snap caps should be used for Glocks. I have had a firing pin and my breech face break on my Glock 34 do to dry fire without a snap cap.

It is not just me because according to Glock Inc, they said they have had a lot of people call in and have the same problem.