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.22 dry fire

Platypus

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
I am looking for some feedback on utilizing .22 LR dummy rounds to cycle through the action and for dry fire. I bought a box of 50 from Brownells and curious if anyone else is using these for dry fire in their .22's. I have an old 10/22 firing pin that has been shaved down to keep it from impacting the chamber but that can be a pain in the ass to change out everytime for a dry fire session. Thanks in advance for the insight.

Danel
 
Re: .22 dry fire

I have some tippman brand. They are just clear red plastic. Each time you dryfire it crushes that part of the plastic rim. How do you like yours?
 
Re: .22 dry fire

I just use spent casings. They're good for 10 shots or so if you rotate them. If they get smashed too much they want to stick a little. But the only time I dry fire is when doing trigger work.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

The dummy rounds from Brownells ARE NOT for dry fire. Read the box they came in. They are for checking the feeding of the fire arm only. But snap caps for dry firing. They don't last very long but you won't risk breaking your firing pin on the dummy rounds. Try add a substance to the dummy rounds that make them weigh the same as a loaded round, this gets into the rim area and creates a stiff rim and not a cushion for the firing pin to hit.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

There is a small plastic drywall anchor that is about the same profile as a 22lr. I used one at an Appleseed for ball and dummy drills. It fed and extracted for about 10-15 cycles before it deformed. I imagine they are significantly less expensive than snap caps.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

I have a different approach. I simply pull the uncocked trigger until it bottoms out. I don't really need to hear the striker snap to know when I've reached my goal. It also helps keep me from 'learning' the trigger, which can defeat the purpose of a good trigger manipulation technique.

I know myself, and I know that if I get into a habit of dry firing the rimfire, the time will come when I forget my snapcap, etc., will 'take the chance', and will tempt fate by dryfiring on an empty chamber. That's just dumb, when it comes to getting dumb and tempting fate, I'm not immune, and I'm probably not the only one on the forum who at might be vulnerable to this particular little temptation.

So, I have chosen my slightly different way of 'dryfiring'. Believe me, it works every bit as well as the other method, but there's no potential for peening the firing pin and/or chamber.

Greg
 
Re: .22 dry fire

Since my .22 is my "trainer" for my .308, I don't dry fire with the .22. I do all my dry fire with the .308.

If I was shooting competition with the .22 I would make sure I purchased a .22 that was capable of dry firing. Hell, my Savage MkII .22 IS capable of dry firing and after I polished the burr off of the striker it does so without leaving a mark on the breech.

I DO NOT dry fire my Remington 518 because it will damage the chamber. There are a couple of marks from some "oopses" in my younger days.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Since my .22 is my "trainer" for my .308, I don't dry fire with the .22. I do all my dry fire with the .308.

If I was shooting competition with the .22 I would make sure I purchased a .22 that was capable of dry firing. Hell, my Savage MkII .22 IS capable of dry firing and after I polished the burr off of the striker it does so without leaving a mark on the breech.

I DO NOT dry fire my Remington 518 because it will damage the chamber. There are a couple of marks from some "oopses" in my younger days. </div></div>

just to verify, the savage mkII 22 lr is capable of being safely dty fired without the aid of snap caps?
 
Re: .22 dry fire

According to Savage...yes.

The firing pin is designed to hit the breech face before the chamber. Thus it will not damage the lip of the chamber. If your pin is like mine, the burr on it will make a mark on the breech face. If you take it out and hit it with a jewelers file or emory cloth you can polish the burr off and it won't leave as much of a mark.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

According to Ruger it's OK to dry fire the 10/22.

But, being not smart, I used Pachmayr snapcaps once just to be "safe." The extractor tore off the rims from some snapcaps. I should have stopped right there, but I kept on using them until one rim totally tore off. I had to remove that snapcap by inserting a cleaning rod from the muzzle end. Never again. Ever.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

Just put a fired case in and snap away.
Just be careful with a good rod or cut a wood dowel to poke the empty out
 
Re: .22 dry fire

Don't like the snap caps. Use a spent shell. A lot cheaper and works just as good. Be sure to spin shell after each dry firing.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Stringer</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-weight: bold">According to Ruger it's OK to dry fire the 10/22.</span>

But, being not smart, I used Pachmayr snapcaps once just to be "safe." The extractor tore off the rims from some snapcaps. I should have stopped right there, but I kept on using them until one rim totally tore off. I had to remove that snapcap by inserting a cleaning rod from the muzzle end. Never again. Ever. </div></div>

This is true. I've dry fired my 10/22 countless times with no negative effect. The firing pin doesn't strike the breech face.
 
Re: .22 dry fire

While it is true that some rifles have been designed to prevent the firing pin from striking the chamber mouth, it is never a good idea to deliberately pound away at the firng pin and/or breach face. If the pin stops short of contacting the breach, it means that it is hammering against the stop in the bolt. If it does strike the breach with an extended portion of the firing pin, then both the firing pin and the breach are getting it. Using spent shells works fine and offers enough cushion to prevent breakage of the firing pin or possible upset of the breach face. I color the bases of all my empties with a sharpie just for visual verification.

Teryx
 
Re: .22 dry fire

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Teryx</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> While it is true that some rifles have been designed to prevent the firing pin from striking the chamber mouth, it is never a good idea to deliberately pound away at the firng pin and/or breach face. If the pin stops short of contacting the breach, it means that it is hammering against the stop in the bolt. If it does strike the breach with an extended portion of the firing pin, then both the firing pin and the breach are getting it. Using spent shells works fine and offers enough cushion to prevent breakage of the firing pin or possible upset of the breach face. I color the bases of all my empties with a sharpie just for visual verification.

Teryx </div></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Teryx</span></span> - I agree with you completely, although we may be in the minority. I have a considerable amount invested in both of my 10/22s' and prefer not to tempt Fate, especially since one of them has a <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Volquartsen CNC Bolt</span></span> with a titanium firing pin. I used to use a Midway muzzle-mounted rod guide and a coated Dewey rod to knock the empties out of my 10/22s' but now I just use a 3/16" wooden dowel instead.

For anyone interested who has a .920 diameter barrel, Midway sells the <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Dewey Heavy Duty Muzzle Bore Guide Ruger 10/22 .920" Diameter Barrel</span></span> now.

Keith
 
Re: .22 dry fire

Looking at your fired cases. If there is a small bulge on the front of the rim opposite the firing pin indentation, your chamber has already been peened to the point where it's getting ready to have problems with ignition. If you can even faintly detect this bulge with a fingernail, it's time to immediately cease dry firing your rimfire rifle once and for all.

Greg
 
Re: .22 dry fire

when we shot comp in school, we dry fired all the time, it never hurt our Anchutz. Call Neal Johnson (god of 10m and smallbore) He will tell you the same thing.