Snap caps and dry firing

[CarRacer]

I'm new to action pistol so 80% of my training right now is dry firing. I feel I need to get comfortable with the movements required for drawing, reloading, and transitions before I need to work on anything else.

I've been practicing magazine changes with my G34 a lot lately as I have a big fear of muffing a reload. I've been doing it without snap caps and just an empty magazine, should I be doing it with a snap cap in them?

I'm curious if a dummy round will help simulate how a magazine will actually feel and fit.

Thanks for your input.

[bigfish]

I use a snap cap in the mags so that if I'm off a little on the reload the mag feed lips don't get caught on the magwell of the gun. I figure since I have the caps all ready I might as well use one in the gun.

[lumpygravy]

A single dummy/snap cap will prevent the mag from hanging up if you're a little off on the dry reload.

You'll need a mag full of true dummies (bullet, case, no primer, no powder) to simulate the real weight and feel of a loaded magazine.

Edited April 22, 2013 by lumpygravy

[MarkInNashville]

I left fired primers in the cases and then added fine (playbox) sand, equilivent to my power weight (or sort of matter with 45, I honestly couldnt tell in 9mm but it was a MAJOR difference from an empty mag to one maxed out. I have never found snap-caps as heavey as a loaded round. YMMV

[CarRacer]

I'll go make up some dummy rounds tonight. How do you permanently color the rounds to differentiate that they're dunny rounds?

Edited April 23, 2013 by CarRacer

[WrxGuy90]

Great idea for the dummy round. Apparently a friend of mine found a company that makes dummy mags. They are supposed to have the same weight as a loaded mag. I haven't found them yet and honestly forgot to keep looking for them. Ill go back on the hint and post it if I find them.

[WrxGuy90]

http://www.doublealpha.biz/gun-accessories/various/daa-dummy-practice-magazine

Here's one.

[lumpygravy]

I'll go make up some dummy rounds tonight. How do you permanently color the rounds to differentiate that they're dunny rounds?

This is why I deprime and leave them that way. Easy to identify.

I think filling with sand to approximate the weight of the powder is a great idea. I'd plug the primer flash hole and still leave them deprimed though.

[flack jacket]

Try this:

After you finish your dummy rounds and have a missing primer, fill with hot glue.

Color with permanent marker.

Or.

If you have bad magazines, bent, crushed , what have you. Fill this bad mag with dummy round and squirt in some Hot glue so the rounds don't pop out during mag dumps. Permanent dummy mag.

[Bentsight]

Birchwood-Casey makes a product called Brass Black, works great to almost permanently color the cases black.

[GuildSF4]

Crisis Resolution makes training (blue) mags for Glocks and 1911's (they used to make them for STI/SVI).

Dillon has these - http://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/8/stype/?searchVar=crisis+resolution

I use home made dummy rounds with Brass black, (these work really good for revolver reloading practice).

[Ben Stoeger]

I think dummy rounds are very helpful.

[RaylanGivens]

http://www.dummybull...rt_bullets.html

Here's a place that sells dummy rounds... $5.95 for 5 rounds...

I haven't bought any yet... thinking about it...

[Fitzghan]

To me weighting the magazine with dummy rounds is so important. An empty magazine feels and handles so much different than a round loaded with 10 for production or 22-23 for my 3 gun setup. The difference between empty and 22 rounds is huge and practicing with an empty mag would be less than ideal.

Sounds like you are making the dummy rounds but if anybody shoots a Glock you can get weighted training magazines from Next Level Training. They are pretty neat and come with weights you can change the orientation and quantity around to match the weight and balance of you factory mags exactly. They are made for their SIRT pistol but will fit in the actual gun as well.