Dry Firing

[MotorMouth]

15 minutes a day. I use the laserlyte targets. love them.

[vetdocone]

How do u use paper? And look at sight?

[vetdocone]

How do u use paper? And look at sight?

I dry as often as I can, but it isn't always every day. I do so to reinforce something I have just learned or am trying to learn. When the learning/growing/reinforcement stops, so do I. Sometimes it's 5 or 6 minutes. Sometimes it's closer to 1/2 an hour. Quality of dry firing is much more important to me than quantity or frequency. Even more important is the recording of what I have learned from my dry firing sessions. This information is regularly reviewed and analyzed for opportunities to continuously improve my skills.

[vetdocone]

I wish that I had your discipline

[zhuk]

1/2 hr per day or sometimes twice a day. Up to 2 hrs before a major comp.

Have been told by a master grader that you should do x-times more dry fire practice that you ever shoot live rounds. And considering range access is so limited in this country (no private land plinking! or just turning up whenever you want) its not like we have a choice lol

I use small classic targets stuck randomly on my walls, good way to tell if you are looking at the front sight is that the edges of these targets will be out of focus.

The card board trick is taking a thin piece of card board or playing card. Cut a narrow strip, say 3/16 of an inch. Rack the slide back about 1/4 and insert card in gap created by moving the slide back. Close slide and pull trigger. Now you can pull the trigger countless times with full trigger movement.

Hmm unless I'm doing something wrong (completely possible lol) I don't see any difference in amount of trigger movement from when the striker has been fired minus cardboard.

Gotta say that its not really practising dry firing for me unless I get the trigger break happening (unless just practising sight-picture transitioning). How can you tell if your trigger pull is good and if you're holding the sight picture correctly if there is no trigger break? maybe I'm just missing something

Edited April 3, 2014 by zhuk

[AJE]

I use a piece of zip tie. You stick it in between the barrel hood and slide to keep the slide just out of battery. The trigger doesn't break but it does move back and forth.

[zhuk]

Cheers AJE, I get you. Maybe the M&P is different lol but the trigger does that in any case, out of battery makes no difference.

I still see the value of dry fire being feeling that break, otherwise you're just practising finger movement nothing to hold the sights "on" for if you see what I mean lol

Also use a 5c piece balanced on top of the front sight, try to hold this through 10 consecutive trigger breaks while maintaining perfect sight alignment..yeah resetting the striker in between each one is a PITA though!

[sigsauerfan]

seems like there's not many using snap caps for dry fire sessions...is it good to use them,or is there something wrong that brings bad habits??

i use snap caps , but have never questionned the pertinence about doing so

[jcarpenter82]

I do two of ben's drills 5 days a week. time frame varies, I don't count the reps that I miss. those books make it fun to train.

Edited April 4, 2014 by jcarpenter82

[BeerBaron]

1/2 hr per day or sometimes twice a day. Up to 2 hrs before a major comp.

Have been told by a master grader that you should do x-times more dry fire practice that you ever shoot live rounds. And considering range access is so limited in this country (no private land plinking! or just turning up whenever you want) its not like we have a choice lol

I use small classic targets stuck randomly on my walls, good way to tell if you are looking at the front sight is that the edges of these targets will be out of focus.

The card board trick is taking a thin piece of card board or playing card. Cut a narrow strip, say 3/16 of an inch. Rack the slide back about 1/4 and insert card in gap created by moving the slide back. Close slide and pull trigger. Now you can pull the trigger countless times with full trigger movement.

Hmm unless I'm doing something wrong (completely possible lol) I don't see any difference in amount of trigger movement from when the striker has been fired minus cardboard.

Gotta say that its not really practising dry firing for me unless I get the trigger break happening (unless just practising sight-picture transitioning). How can you tell if your trigger pull is good and if you're holding the sight picture correctly if there is no trigger break? maybe I'm just missing something

zhuk! need to find a new club. my range is available any day I want to go down there, 7 days a week. I have a key (as all members do) and the only rules are that we respect the range hours (set by local council with noise restrictions in mind - they are basically 9-6, 6 days a week and till later at night one day a week), put away what you use in terms of target stands and lock the gate on your way out.

work gets in the way for me, but there's plenty of guys who shoot a few times a week.

Dry fire is great, but for serious training you need to be sending lead down range on a regular basis.

Edited April 4, 2014 by BeerBaron

[Ben Stoeger]

Dry fire is great, but for serious training you need to be sending lead down range on a regular basis.

I hardly fired a shot all winter. I did do lots of dry-fire during the cold months.

I got a lot better.

Your dry-fire is as "serious" as you make it.

[zhuk]

1/2 hr per day or sometimes twice a day. Up to 2 hrs before a major comp.

Have been told by a master grader that you should do x-times more dry fire practice that you ever shoot live rounds. And considering range access is so limited in this country (no private land plinking! or just turning up whenever you want) its not like we have a choice lol

I use small classic targets stuck randomly on my walls, good way to tell if you are looking at the front sight is that the edges of these targets will be out of focus.

The card board trick is taking a thin piece of card board or playing card. Cut a narrow strip, say 3/16 of an inch. Rack the slide back about 1/4 and insert card in gap created by moving the slide back. Close slide and pull trigger. Now you can pull the trigger countless times with full trigger movement.

Hmm unless I'm doing something wrong (completely possible lol) I don't see any difference in amount of trigger movement from when the striker has been fired minus cardboard.

Gotta say that its not really practising dry firing for me unless I get the trigger break happening (unless just practising sight-picture transitioning). How can you tell if your trigger pull is good and if you're holding the sight picture correctly if there is no trigger break? maybe I'm just missing something

zhuk! need to find a new club. my range is available any day I want to go down there, 7 days a week. I have a key (as all members do) and the only rules are that we respect the range hours (set by local council with noise restrictions in mind - they are basically 9-6, 6 days a week and till later at night one day a week), put away what you use in terms of target stands and lock the gate on your way out.

work gets in the way for me, but there's plenty of guys who shoot a few times a week.

Dry fire is great, but for serious training you need to be sending lead down range on a regular basis.

Mate, if only that were possible! Damn a key would be great.

Only 2 (viable) clubs in Sydney, and one other one I'm not a member of isn't taking any more IPSCers...plus they don't get to set up stages for practice as we can, only DTL static.

But then they have the regular comps which we don't...lol

Your setup sounds awesome...long may it continue

[BeerBaron]

Dry fire is great, but for serious training you need to be sending lead down range on a regular basis.

I hardly fired a shot all winter. I did do lots of dry-fire during the cold months.

I got a lot better.

Your dry-fire is as "serious" as you make it.

ok, I need to work on the DF then...

I just find when I haven't done any live fire for a little while my level drops a little in that first match or practice after the break.

I guess being a shooter with still lots and lots to learn perhaps I rely a bit on things like recoil for developing parts of my game (grip and stance?).

There is no doubt DF helps and I need to do more of it, and perhaps better quality too.

[BeerBaron]

1/2 hr per day or sometimes twice a day. Up to 2 hrs before a major comp.

Have been told by a master grader that you should do x-times more dry fire practice that you ever shoot live rounds. And considering range access is so limited in this country (no private land plinking! or just turning up whenever you want) its not like we have a choice lol

I use small classic targets stuck randomly on my walls, good way to tell if you are looking at the front sight is that the edges of these targets will be out of focus.

The card board trick is taking a thin piece of card board or playing card. Cut a narrow strip, say 3/16 of an inch. Rack the slide back about 1/4 and insert card in gap created by moving the slide back. Close slide and pull trigger. Now you can pull the trigger countless times with full trigger movement.

Hmm unless I'm doing something wrong (completely possible lol) I don't see any difference in amount of trigger movement from when the striker has been fired minus cardboard.

Gotta say that its not really practising dry firing for me unless I get the trigger break happening (unless just practising sight-picture transitioning). How can you tell if your trigger pull is good and if you're holding the sight picture correctly if there is no trigger break? maybe I'm just missing something

zhuk! need to find a new club. my range is available any day I want to go down there, 7 days a week. I have a key (as all members do) and the only rules are that we respect the range hours (set by local council with noise restrictions in mind - they are basically 9-6, 6 days a week and till later at night one day a week), put away what you use in terms of target stands and lock the gate on your way out.

work gets in the way for me, but there's plenty of guys who shoot a few times a week.

Dry fire is great, but for serious training you need to be sending lead down range on a regular basis.

Mate, if only that were possible! Damn a key would be great.

Only 2 (viable) clubs in Sydney, and one other one I'm not a member of isn't taking any more IPSCers...plus they don't get to set up stages for practice as we can, only DTL static.

But then they have the regular comps which we don't...lol

Your setup sounds awesome...long may it continue

That is rough mate. I am a bit sheltered I guess. I had no idea things were that dire around here. I'm guessing blacktown is the one that is no stages only DTL? We shoot IPSC every weekend (full day, 9 to about 4). We set up a big stage that gets broken usually into something like 3 short, 2 medium and 1 long. For running drills or other specific training we usually go to a spare range with just a couple of people who want to run those drills, or even just go off with a mate and set up what you need. Wednesday arvo is also IPSC but a smaller group being a workday for most.

You have me worried now. We need strong clubs to ensure the longevity of our sport.

[zhuk]

1/2 hr per day or sometimes twice a day. Up to 2 hrs before a major comp.

Have been told by a master grader that you should do x-times more dry fire practice that you ever shoot live rounds. And considering range access is so limited in this country (no private land plinking! or just turning up whenever you want) its not like we have a choice lol

I use small classic targets stuck randomly on my walls, good way to tell if you are looking at the front sight is that the edges of these targets will be out of focus.

The card board trick is taking a thin piece of card board or playing card. Cut a narrow strip, say 3/16 of an inch. Rack the slide back about 1/4 and insert card in gap created by moving the slide back. Close slide and pull trigger. Now you can pull the trigger countless times with full trigger movement.

Hmm unless I'm doing something wrong (completely possible lol) I don't see any difference in amount of trigger movement from when the striker has been fired minus cardboard.

Gotta say that its not really practising dry firing for me unless I get the trigger break happening (unless just practising sight-picture transitioning). How can you tell if your trigger pull is good and if you're holding the sight picture correctly if there is no trigger break? maybe I'm just missing something

zhuk! need to find a new club. my range is available any day I want to go down there, 7 days a week. I have a key (as all members do) and the only rules are that we respect the range hours (set by local council with noise restrictions in mind - they are basically 9-6, 6 days a week and till later at night one day a week), put away what you use in terms of target stands and lock the gate on your way out.

work gets in the way for me, but there's plenty of guys who shoot a few times a week.

Dry fire is great, but for serious training you need to be sending lead down range on a regular basis.

Mate, if only that were possible! Damn a key would be great.

Only 2 (viable) clubs in Sydney, and one other one I'm not a member of isn't taking any more IPSCers...plus they don't get to set up stages for practice as we can, only DTL static.

But then they have the regular comps which we don't...lol

Your setup sounds awesome...long may it continue

That is rough mate. I am a bit sheltered I guess. I had no idea things were that dire around here. I'm guessing blacktown is the one that is no stages only DTL? We shoot IPSC every weekend (full day, 9 to about 4). We set up a big stage that gets broken usually into something like 3 short, 2 medium and 1 long. For running drills or other specific training we usually go to a spare range with just a couple of people who want to run those drills, or even just go off with a mate and set up what you need. Wednesday arvo is also IPSC but a smaller group being a workday for most.

You have me worried now. We need strong clubs to ensure the longevity of our sport.

Yeah you're correct on that mate, FAR did a bit of a number on the club after being in existence with no issues since 1962. New range 'guidelines' and not quite two months worth of members backbreaking work baffling the hell out of it...but we saved the range from permanent closure, which really is the main thing.

We can set up small stages just to drill and practice amongst ourselves but any real 'comps' come when we go away to shoot comps lol. Like I said the other club (St Ives) has comps which are open to all, but they can't 'practice' IPSC, only shoot static. And apparently they will also have to weather similar baffling/restrictions, Blacktown was just the initial test-case.

With other pistol/rifle ranges being closed or restricted also, I'd say the climate is getting a bit worrying all round in NSW. And its no secret that the powers that be arent particularly happy about civillians playing the particular sport we do in any case

Edited April 8, 2014 by zhuk

[robg2008]

This thread made me realize i do not dry fire near enough. Trigger squeeze is a big problem of mine as a new shooter. I am way low and left. Need for trigger time daily.

[J.P. Thomas]

I dry fire probably 3-4 days a week, 20-30 minutes per session. It's early in the AM when I do it... so have to wait until the coffee kicks in before I start..

In May, I am going to try and go to the local range at lunch and get at least 50-100 rds down range with something that I am practicing.

[DakotaGlockGuy]

I'm starting to dry fire a lot more and it really seems to be making a difference.

I used to take guitar lessons, and my music teacher said that same thing that a few others here have which is:

The QUALITY of your practice is far more important than the QUANTITY of it.

He also said that you want to push yourself a little, but don't do it till you hate it because it will:

a. Dampen your passion for what you are doing, and, even worse

b. Allow fatigue/concentration lapse to allow you to practice something wrong, and thereby negate what you have been trying to build.

I think that same line of reasoning applies here as well.

[klee]

After reading this thread makes me realize I've been slacking off. I used to dry fire in the morning for 20 min 3-4 times a week. Now I'm lucky if I do it once a week.

[Nimitz]

Dry fire frequency is just as important as quality ... If you only dry fire a few times a month you're never going to see any rapid progress. 5:1 is a typical ratio so for every live rd you send down range you should be doing 5 dry fire reps

[nitrohuck]

I dry fire at home, then dry fire some more, then run reload drills.

I do this until my roommates finally tell me to shut the hell up with it... they all love firearms (hell, one is a marine), and I still manage to wear them thin with all the dry fire practice

Edited May 6, 2014 by nitrohuck

[eric nielsen]

Maybe 10 hours a week, wish it was 20. I do most all my dry-fire now with my iron-sight 2011 because it provides a quality simulated trigger press by doing this: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=188902

Switching to the STI open gun is very easy after all the Ltd practice and the gun-handling stays more precise; with iron sights your gun needs to present up to exactly the right spot but with a dot you can get away with floating around some and still get the dot on target.

Don't dry-fire very much with the Production CZ's any more as I tend to spend nearly all my time on mag changes.

[Xander]

When I used to compete before, I would dry fire 3 x a day, everyday, spending almost 30 min each session in a day for a total of almost 1.5hrs/day. I would do transitions in the morning upon waking, reload on the move in the late afternoons and draws, transitions and reloads again before bedtime. I can only manage to do live fire 3x a month. I guess having a home based business have some advantages

[Nimitz]

Dude, 10 hrs/wk? That's 2 hrs per day, 5 days a week! Nice work, you gotta be close to being a GM by now, right? I thought I was doing good at 1/2 hr per day, 5 days a week ... No wonder I ain't a GM yet ....

[Dels]

My grip cannot last more than 20 - 30 minutes a session. Weak hand fingers start getting numb.

BTW, Ben's latest dry fire book is an absolutely stellar piece of instruction. Micro drills, explanations on WHY and WHAT you are working on, and sample dry fire schedules.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Dels