Help for Dry Fire Safety

[Smitty79]

I moved a year ago.   In my old house, my garage had a concrete wall or the side of the hill in 3 directions.   I always felt it was safe to dry fire there.   My new house, not so much.  Right and left in the garage are one layer of sheet rock and then an exterior wall.  "down range" has 9 layers of sheet rock and an exterior wall.   I am only comfortable dry firing in one direction when no one's home.   Luckily, I work from home with a flexible schedule and my son is the only other person who lives in the house.   I can dry fire most of the time when he is at work.

 

Long ago, I bought a Blade-Tech "IDPA" kit for Glock 19.    In addition to the mag pouches and holster, it had this barrel replacement part.   I'd love to find something like this for a CZ SP-01 Shadow, an M&P SP-01 Shadow and a CZ P-10C.   Anyone seen something like this for those guns?

 

[matir]

While not a replacement barrel, I use the BarrelBlok.  It's an insert that fits into the chamber and sticks out past the end of the barrel to indicate that it is clear.  It is still on you to swap them out, but I guess the same holds true of that barrel replacement.

 

I've also heard of people who would like additional safety using a 5 gallon bucket of sand as a backstop.

[Adamj]

I like having a room for dry fire that no ammo ever enters. I have dummy rounds loaded up with a snap cap as the top round in the magazine as an extra visual indicator. I think you should leave the barrel in to get the actual feel of the gun as it would be during a match. That said I respect the extra attention to safety. 

[Sarge]

10 hours ago, Smitty79 said:

I moved a year ago.   In my old house, my garage had a concrete wall or the side of the hill in 3 directions.   I always felt it was safe to dry fire there.   My new house, not so much.  Right and left in the garage are one layer of sheet rock and then an exterior wall.  "down range" has 9 layers of sheet rock and an exterior wall.   I am only comfortable dry firing in one direction when no one's home.   Luckily, I work from home with a flexible schedule and my son is the only other person who lives in the house.   I can dry fire most of the time when he is at work.

 

Long ago, I bought a Blade-Tech "IDPA" kit for Glock 19.    In addition to the mag pouches and holster, it had this barrel replacement part.   I'd love to find something like this for a CZ SP-01 Shadow, an M&P SP-01 Shadow and a CZ P-10C.   Anyone seen something like this for those guns?

 

Geez, are you using live  ammo to dry fire? It seems pretty easy to come up with a way not to shoot something during dry fire. 

[Balakay]

10 hours ago, Smitty79 said:

...  I am only comfortable dry firing in one direction when no one's home... 

LOL. Sounds reasonable

Maybe consider another dryfire tool (airsoft, one of those laser gizmos, etc). 

Or simply insert a chamber flag.

Keep live ammo out of the dry fire area. Check and double check your mags and chamber. You don't need to dryfire in a bunker

[perttime]

On 1/14/2019 at 3:51 PM, Balakay said:

...

Keep live ammo out of the dry fire area. Check and double check your mags and chamber. ...

 

That does it for me.

The apartment has VERY solid walls, so a bullet ricocheting back into the room would be the likely result of a Negligent Discharge.

[Steve RA]

Shorten a firing pin and use it when dry firing.

[motosapiens]

1 hour ago, Steve RA said:

Shorten a firing pin and use it when dry firing.

 

Yeah, if you don't trust yourself to unload a gun reliably, modifying a firing pin is a reasonable thought. I personally use a little rubber washer under the hammer, not because I don't know how to unload my gun, but because the noise of the hammer striking annoys me. (my race gun is never loaded at home, but I check every time anyway). I accidentally tested it by forgetting to remove it before a practice session, and it definitely prevents even a loaded gun from firing.

 

But step 1 is to just unload your gun, and double-check your practice mag to make sure it still has dummy rounds. I use a rackbuddy http://www.rackbuddy.biz/ in my dryfire mag which makes it obvious that no live rounds are going into my gun.

[perttime]

17 hours ago, motosapiens said:

 

... I personally use a little rubber washer under the hammer, not because I don't know how to unload my gun, but because the noise of the hammer striking annoys me. ..

 

 

I like the rubber washer idea, also just to reduce the noise. Acoustics in my home are cool for playing the guitar but the echo of the hammer strike annoys me. There's not much noise from dry firing a Glock, but a 1911 or a revolver can be pretty loud in the home environment.

[tanks]

I am puzzled on why you have to go through such worry. Empty mag (or dummy rounds), empty gun and you are ready to dry fire. 

[beta1759]

I have created dummy rounds using a different projectile than what i would normally use. So basically jacketed projectiles when i shoot coated bullets. I also ensure the brass doesnt have a primer, and lastly i put all kinds of marks on the cases with permanent marker so i can easily tell its not a real round.

 

works well for simulating the actual weight of a loaded magazine/pistol.

[M1A4ME]

With the old guns I just made sure they were empty and practiced.

 

With these new fangled modern wonders that damage roll pins I've gone ahead and bought those special dry fire rounds so I don't have to worry about damaging the firing pin/striker retaining pins.

[CHA-LEE]

To keep live ammo from ever being involved in my Dry Fire training I have 3 dedicated magazines filled with dummy rounds (Bullet + Brass with no primer or powder) and a Rack Buddy on top. The Rack Buddy is an orange spacer that fits in the top round position within the magazine. It is low enough to allow you to rack the slide with the magazine inserted and it not catch on anything. This allows you to rack the slide with the magazine still inserted and it will never chamber a round. Its also very easy to instantly know that any mag is "Safe" for Dry Fire by observing the orange Rack Buddy installed in the top position. I listed a link below to the Rack Buddy website. I know that they work in 2011 style magazines. Not sure about gun types or magazines though. 

 

http://www.rackbuddy.biz/

[tanks]

51 minutes ago, beta1759 said:

I have created dummy rounds using a different projectile than what i would normally use. So basically jacketed projectiles when i shoot coated bullets. I also ensure the brass doesnt have a primer, and lastly i put all kinds of marks on the cases with permanent marker so i can easily tell its not a real round.

 

works well for simulating the actual weight of a loaded magazine/pistol.

 

Yeah, I did the same. Bought a sampler pack of Blue Bullets and loaded them up without any powder or primers I use different brand of coated bullets that do not come in blue. Not to mention I have dedicated dry fire magazines.

[JJB05]

On 1/16/2019 at 2:50 PM, tanks said:

I am puzzled on why you have to go through such worry. Empty mag (or dummy rounds), empty gun and you are ready to dry fire. 

 

Agreed.  No live ammo anywhere near your dry fire space.  

[IVC]

Dry fire as an activity already bends the safety rules if you want to be literal about them. You are pointing the gun at things you are not willing to destroy (4 rules system) or in the not safe direction (NRA 3 rules system). You are also putting the finger into the trigger guard when you are not ready to shoot (both systems) and you don't know what's behind your target (4 rules system). 

 

So, you have to figure out how to adjust the rules to dry fire. The primary one is about removing ammunition and ensuring no live rounds are anywhere in the area. Then you have to adjust (bend) the rules about trigger and target to allow you to dry fire and to allow you to shoot targets on the wall when you don't know what's behind it. The same goes for "safe direction."

 

The safety rules still apply, they just have to be adjusted to create a protocol where it is as safe as possible...

Edited January 26, 2019 by IVC

[matir]

1 hour ago, IVC said:

Dry fire as an activity already bends the safety rules if you want to be literal about them. You are pointing the gun at things you are not willing to destroy (4 rules system) or in the not safe direction (NRA 3 rules system). You are also putting the finger into the trigger guard when you are not ready to shoot (both systems) and you don't know what's behind your target (4 rules system). 

 

So, you have to figure out how to adjust the rules to dry fire. The primary one is about removing ammunition and ensuring no live rounds are anywhere in the area. Then you have to adjust (bend) the rules about trigger and target to allow you to dry fire and to allow you to shoot targets on the wall when you don't know what's behind it. The same goes for "safe direction."

 

The safety rules still apply, they just have to be adjusted to create a protocol where it is as safe as possible...

 

To be fair, you can have a safe direction in dry fire.  If you have a basement, pointing at a wall that is below ground level is a safe direction.  You might or might not be willing to destroy the drywall, brickwork, etc., but it will be safe in the sense that nobody will be hurt in the event of an ND.

[Steve RA]

The RackBuddy seems like a good idea, pretty cheap and looks like it accomplishes the intended purpose.

[swordfish]

On 1/14/2019 at 8:38 AM, Sarge said:

Geez, are you using live  ammo to dry fire? It seems pretty easy to come up with a way not to shoot something during dry fire. 

I dunno man, I'm friends with some people that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. Still pretty amazed they've managed to stay alive for this long without accidentally stepping into traffic or driving off a cliff because they just don't pay attention. At all. To anything.

[swordfish]

On 1/16/2019 at 5:50 PM, M1A4ME said:

With the old guns I just made sure they were empty and practiced.

 

With these new fangled modern wonders that damage roll pins I've gone ahead and bought those special dry fire rounds so I don't have to worry about damaging the firing pin/striker retaining pins.

What on earth are you talking about?

[M1A4ME]

1911 don't break parts they don't have/need.  The new stuff has a reputation for damaging/breaking the firing pin retaining pins (CZ's, XD/XDM's, etc.)  My Browning BDM broke the firing pin the first weekend I had while I was dry firing.  Didn't even get it to the range first.  My 1917 made Colt 1911 has had the same firing pin in it since at least 1978 when I bought it, for all I know, it might be the original firing pin.

 

That's what I'm talking about.

[edison]

On 1/13/2019 at 9:29 PM, Smitty79 said:

I moved a year ago.   In my old house, my garage had a concrete wall or the side of the hill in 3 directions.   I always felt it was safe to dry fire there.   My new house, not so much.  Right and left in the garage are one layer of sheet rock and then an exterior wall.  "down range" has 9 layers of sheet rock and an exterior wall.   I am only comfortable dry firing in one direction when no one's home.   Luckily, I work from home with a flexible schedule and my son is the only other person who lives in the house.   I can dry fire most of the time when he is at work.

 

Long ago, I bought a Blade-Tech "IDPA" kit for Glock 19.    In addition to the mag pouches and holster, it had this barrel replacement part.   I'd love to find something like this for a CZ SP-01 Shadow, an M&P SP-01 Shadow and a CZ P-10C.   Anyone seen something like this for those guns?

 

 

 

It seems like blade-tech even stopped making them for glocks. I've been on the stock notifications email forever. I thought about getting trainer barrel from https://coolfiretrainer.com without the kit & just ignore the co2 part. But they're still expensive.

[yellowfin]

I just have separate mags for dry fire and make my dummy rounds out of CCI aluminum cases with FMJ bullets so they look absolutely nothing like my Blue Bullets in brass.  Dunno how much safer something can get than that.