chp5 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I picked up a used 10/22 yeterday and I really like it. Already been busting water bottles at 25 yard-ish in the back yard with the super quiet Aquila Calibre's I really like the stock sites BTW. I know it's a no-no to dry fire some rimfires. Is it bad to dry fire a 10/22? Thx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Cy, If it is, I'm busted as a bad guy. I dry fire the hell out of ALL my 22's. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I never dry fire any rimfire guns. very bad. It will peen the firing pin unless you use a snap cap and even then you will eventually destroy the snap cap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I'm with Warp on this one. Never dry fire a .22 unless you want to replace the firing pin or hone the chamber to get the burr out that will be caused from the dry firing. You can probably get away with it for a while but it is going to eventually catch up to use. Even using snap caps, I've torn them up with less then 20 shots. Keep replacing them or turning them so the firing pin isn't hitting the same spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chp5 Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 OK - so how do you lower the hammer on an empty chamber after checking whether its hot or clear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adweisbe Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) Don't the Rugers have a stop so the firing pin doesn't hit the edge of the breechface? I think Ruger .22s are safe to dry fire. Certainly hasn't stopped me from dry firing my MKIII and there are no visible marks after thousands of dry fires. Edited May 27, 2008 by adweisbe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kframe_mike Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Don't the Rugers have a stop so the firing pin doesn't hit the edge of the breechface? I think Ruger .22s are safe to dry fire. Certainly hasn't stopped me from dry firing my MKIII and there are no visible marks after thousands of dry fires. I've never seen damage in a Ruger either.Now on my wife's Smith 22A,I can definetely see some peening on the barrel from only a few dryfires.My Smith 422 looks like it has a little as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gundry Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Good rule of thumb is to not dryfire any rimfire gun. But, with no last shot hold open, it is bound to happen. I have never had a problem doing it with any of my Rugers. To lower the hammer on a 10/22, just hold the bolt back to the point where it is barely contacting the hammer (you can feel the slight resistance of the hammer riding on the bottom of the bolt) and pull the trigger. They are not like our pistols that disconnect as soon as they are out of battery, rather the 10/22 needs the bolt to push the hammer all the way back to disconnect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Freeman Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Don't the Rugers have a stop so the firing pin doesn't hit the edge of the breechface? I think Ruger .22s are safe to dry fire. Certainly hasn't stopped me from dry firing my MKIII and there are no visible marks after thousands of dry fires. Most all modern rimfires firing pins wont strike the breechface. On a 10/22, its no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgnoyes Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) As I recall, the firing "pin" (actually a flat piece of metal) in a 10/22 has a slot through the middle of it. When assembled into the bolt, there is a cross-bar that fits through that slot which gives enough clearance for the pin to move freely, yet prevents the firing pin from moving forward far enough to strike the breech face. Same kind thing exists in the MKII as well. Yes, there it is: Edited May 27, 2008 by wgnoyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Cy, you have gotten some conflicting advise here so it is up to you to decide. FWIW, no one has convinced me that it is OK so I will continue to refrain from dropping the "firing pin" with out a bullet or snap cap in my rimfire guns. Perhaps if Rene from Clark Custom could chime in. She would know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Cy, here's some advice in a completely different direction ........ after checking to make sure the rifle is empty / clear why do you have to lower the hammer ? Just leave it cocked ? Would that hurt anything over time ? I'm not really sure so I thought I'd throw it out there for debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I have dry fired my 10 22 a several thousand times , I have not had to replace a fireing pin in over five years. the return spring has to be checked though My barrel has 9 seasons on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpeltier Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) Direct quote from my Ruger 10/22 manual dated 9/99: page 14, line #8 8. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, push the safety to the "off" position and pull the trigger to decock it. The rifle can be "dry fired" for practice as long as it is empty and pointed in a safe direction. Edited May 28, 2008 by mpeltier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgnoyes Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Okay, schematics showing the firing pin design and direct quotes from the manual. Pretty much proof positive: dryfire your 1022 all you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chp5 Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) Direct quote from my Ruger 10/22 manual dated 9/99:page 14, line #8 8. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, push the safety to the "off" position and pull the trigger to decock it. The rifle can be "dry fired" for practice as long as it is empty and pointed in a safe direction. Aha! When in doubt, read the manual I got the 10/22 used with no manual, but just downloaded it from Ruger's web site. Thanks for all the replies! OK - SAME QUESTION - but this time for the BROWNING BUCKMARK. Yes - this time I read the manual and all it says in the safety section is (paraphrasing): "don't pull the trigger on a empty chamber because it may not be empty." It doesn't say DON'T dry fire or it's OK to dry fire. Chris - I just like to dry fire my guns - what can I say Opinions? Edited May 28, 2008 by chp5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Direct quote from my Ruger 10/22 manual dated 9/99:page 14, line #8 8. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, push the safety to the "off" position and pull the trigger to decock it. The rifle can be "dry fired" for practice as long as it is empty and pointed in a safe direction. Aha! When in doubt, read the manual I got the 10/22 used with no manual, but just downloaded it from Ruger's web site. Thanks for all the replies! OK - SAME QUESTION - but this time for the BROWNING BUCKMARK. Yes - this time I read the manual and all it says in the safety section is (paraphrasing): "don't pull the trigger on a empty chamber because it may not be empty." It doesn't say DON'T dry fire or it's OK to dry fire. Chris - I just like to dry fire my guns - what can I say Opinions? The old rim-fire guns.....as in your grandfathers 22 , the firring pin would hit the side of the breach face if a shell was not in place. All of the popular rim fire guns ..."That I know of" have a firring pin stop that keeps the FP from ever hitting the side of the Breach. To prove it to your self = take the bolt out and push the firring pin as far as it will go ....And You will find that it does not go past the bolt face top that contacts the breach head. But thin again I Don't know nothing but nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 When I met Tony Kidd (who knows more about 10/22 fire controls than just about anyone, anywhere) and he handed me one of his decked out 10/22s and said "here, pull the trigger" [insert evil grin] I asked "isn't that bad?" He replied "not on modern actions it isn't." I pull the trigger...[insert jaw dropping to floor] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chp5 Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 On the Buckmark, here's what it says in the FAQ section on Rimfirecentral: "Can I safely dry fire my Buck Mark? There have been confirmed instances on this forum of guns that absolutely can be dry fired without a problem. There are also some instances of barrels that definitely have been damaged by dry firing the gun. This contradiction is most likely caused by small differences in firing pin length. To see if your gun can be safely dry fired, you can insert a piece of paper between the slide and barrel and pull the trigger. If you see a dent in the paper, you should probably use snap caps. If not, then you are probably safe. My gun did pass this paper test, but I still use snap caps just in case." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gundry Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 One 'modern' 22lr that I have actually experienced problems with dry firing was a 22lr conversion kit for the EAA/Tanfoglio Witness. The pin did peen the breechface of the barrel a bit, causing some extraction issues. Another gun that won't, AFAIK, pass that paper test is the Walther P22. The pin is designed with a large flat surface flush with the part of the pin that causes detonation. The large flat surface has nothing to do with ignition, but if the pin contacts the barrel, there is enough bearing area that it won't cause any damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgnoyes Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 OK - SAME QUESTION - but this time for the BROWNING BUCKMARK. Depends entirely on the gun. 10/22's: fine. Others: research individually and take apart to see how it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reneet Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Cy,you have gotten some conflicting advise here so it is up to you to decide. FWIW, no one has convinced me that it is OK so I will continue to refrain from dropping the "firing pin" with out a bullet or snap cap in my rimfire guns. Perhaps if Rene from Clark Custom could chime in. She would know for sure. Hey Cy, As others have said quite correctly, absolutely OK to dry fire your Ruger 10/22 assuming that it is assembled correctly. The only times that I've seen damaged barrels on any Ruger rimfire semi auto is from failing to have the firing pin stop properly installed. I've personally dry fired my rifle thousands of times in the 15 years that I've owned it and of course dry fire every rifle before it leaves here several times to insure that it's creep free and within the appropriate weight range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 With Steel Challenge now under USPSA control and rules, this topic is timely. As ROs, how do we deal with the competitor in the .22 Division who refuses to comply with the range command "If clear, hammer down . . ." Seems many competitors on this thread would have a problem with the range commands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRUBL Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 With Steel Challenge now under USPSA control and rules, this topic is timely........................Seems many competitors on this thread would have a problem with the range commands. ya know, the only centerfire pistol that I know of that WILL break a firing pin when dry fired is a luger, and when in RO class, I asked the instructor about that....he said, maybe they shouldn't be using a gun that won't allow them to comply with the range commands...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry White Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 The fact that USPSA owns SC changes nothing. SC carries on business as always.-----------Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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