Dry firing?

bob 5150

I just bought a brand new S & W 637-2 and a Governor. I imagine both are the "same" in regards to dry firing. Is "ok" to dry fire these revolvers? I did read through the manual and did not come across anything mentioning this. Thank you.

charliemeyer007

Yea limited dry fire is fine.

bob 5150

quote:Originally posted by charliemeyer007
Yea limited dry fire is fine.


Thank you Sir, much appreciated.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by bob 5150
I just bought a brand new S & W 637-2 and a Governor. I imagine both are the "same" in regards to dry firing. Is "ok" to dry fire these revolvers? I did read through the manual and did not come across anything mentioning this. Thank you.


Smith and Wesson says this is OK. From the FAQ on Smith and Wesson's website:

quote:http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_750001_750051_757815_-1_757814_757812_image#2

Can I dry fire my S&W handgun?
Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.

That said, if you KNOW you're going to be sitting there for hours on end dry firing thousands of times in a row, I'd say a set of snap-caps is worth the piece of mind.

bob 5150

Great idea. Didn't think of that. Got em for my shot guns. Don't plan on doing it to much, ain't no sense in damaging them. Thanks!

yoshmyster

Spend the $20 on a set of A-Zooms. Also get the correct "caliber". Bought a set of 38's for my S&W 649 (357) and the difference of length broke the rim of the snap caps.

perry shooter

Dry firing is normally not good for most guns as in most guns the firing pin is cushioned by striking the primer Without a firing pin return spring like on a 1911 The firing pin will stop by contact metal to metal. on rim fire guns it can also damage the chamber at the very place that the firing pin normally pinches the rim & primer to cause the round to fire damage in this area can lead to miss fires ,

Mobuck

The only firearm I have dry fired extensively is a dedicated 03A3 spfld. I'ts set up for this purpose with a "factory" dry fire striker(can't remember the exact verbage of the package but I think this is a fairly rare part) in a different bolt and a stock similar to my target rifle. This allowed me to assume position and snap away, practicing rapid bolt manipulation and sight acquisition.

nmyers

OK, what's the best way to store .22 autos? Use a fired case for a snap cap? Or, store it cocked?

Neal

He Dog

Neal I prefer clean fired case, but have store rifles cocked for sometimes for a couple of years and it does not seem to matter. Springs are pretty resilient.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by nmyers
OK, what's the best way to store .22 autos? Use a fired case for a snap cap? Or, store it cocked?

Neal


I wish I knew what the "right" answer is here.

Personally speaking, as a general rule, I will use a fired case as a 'snap cap' to let down the pin, but "some say" you're better off leaving the gun cocked and having an empty chamber to reduce the likelihood of the brass corroding in place.

"Best" answer is probably to use an ACTUAL snap cap (which being bright red or orange also double as chamber-check indicators), but those plastic .22 ones tend to disintegrate pretty quickly with a few dozen (or less) hits, and unlike spent .22 shells, I never have one handy.

Also, FWIW, the Ruger 10-22 rifle and Mk type pistols have been specifically designed with firing pin blocks so that the firing pin does not impact the rear part of the chamber, meaning dry fire is OK. These are the only common .22 autos I know of where this is true.

Even with these the firing pin stop can eventually wear out, so you don't want to do thousands of sequential dry fires without at the very least checking this part to make sure its OK.

andrewsw16

Whether or not to store a gun cocked is similar to the old question of whether to store magazines loaded. There have been numerous examples of fully loaded magazines working fine even after decades of being stored loaded. Metallurgists have stated several times that storing a spring compressed, whether it be a magazine spring or a hammer spring, has no degrading effects on the spring. It is the repeated compressing and releasing of a spring that eventually wears it out.
So, go ahead and store your weapons in a cocked configuration if you like. It will do no damage to the gun. [:)]

dcs shooters

The newer S&W revolvers, except the 22,s have a "floating" firing pin that can be dry fired without hurting the gun. The older ones with firing pin on hammer sometimes had the pin break off [;)]

machine gun moran

It's inertia, that leads to most firing pin tip breakage. When firing ammunition, the pin is stopped by the primer, putting the pin into compression. But when dry-fired, the tip of the pin has nothing to stop it, and tends to 'stretch' forward. It will eventually stretch to the fracture point. CZ52 pistols are an example of this design. In the 1911, the forward motion of the pin is arrested not right behind the tip, but well towards the rear, by the shoulder which abuts the rear of the firing pin return spring, and where the firing pin is also very thick.

In some guns, the firing pin is retained by a pin which lies in a slot on one side of the firing pin. When the forward motion of the firing pin is arrested by the retainer pin contacting the rear shoulder of the slot (as in dry-firing) the repeated impacts at that point can break the pin at the slot.