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.22 Snap Caps

Poirierpro

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 24, 2020
158
44
What’s the best out there? I see some are stainless steel with a softer steel rim, some are plastic, and some in between. I want to dry fire knowing I’m not doing any damage to firing pin or chamber, on my B14r.
 
Until we got shut down I was teaching the 4h shooting sports in my area. I wanted to do dome dry fir training with the kids, but had rimfire to deal with. I found that #4 plastic drywall anchors work surprisingly well. They even fit into some of the magazines and could be struck, ejected. And cycled. Hreat for many plinkers, Not for lever action though.
 
How are those working out for you?

I've been using some orange plastic snap caps and they get the job done but they're basically a consumable, the rims get ripped off after a little while.

They work well. They are much more durable. I haven't had any break yet. The main issue is they have some heft so when you extract they go flying... and in my garage when I'm running drills kind of a pain to go pick them up.

I got sick of dry firing that I ended up just buying a Vudoo that's dry fire safe.
 
Yes they will work in a match chamber. Worked in my custom Eley EPS barrel. I haven't used them since I got my Vudoo though since I can freely dry fire it.
Thanks, just ordered some.
 
well nearly all new manufacture .22s are safe to dry fire.....so a snap cap isnt usually necessary.

however, i always use spend .22 brass, and just rotate the round every half dozen shots
 
You manually feed them into the chamber? Or you cut off where the extractor grabs?
Yeah I just manually feed it into the chamber.....snap it a few times....rotate....snap a few more times until it's all used up
 
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Wouldn't the firing pin eventually be damaged on a steel case?
I prefer the #4 drywall anchors and rotate them until they're worn out.
Fairly inexpensive and you get plenty in the box.
 
Wouldn't the firing pin eventually be damaged on a steel case?
I prefer the #4 drywall anchors and rotate them until they're worn out.
Fairly inexpensive and you get plenty in the box.

I'm do NRL22 practice drills in the garage so I have to load 10 in a magazine and cycle them under time using my Dry Fire scope cap thing. The wall anchors don't cycle well in my magazine.

It's a soft steel case that gets imprinted on, so I don't know if it's damaging the firing pin. I would assume not.
 
Home Depot Everbilt part # 1004 810 314
#4-#6 x 7/8" yellow plastic ribbed anchors.
150pk for $5-$6.

They have 2 small ribs that stick out on the outside. As long as they are loaded into the mag with those ribs in the horizontal plane, they will feed from a Begara mag.
 
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Like @mcameron I too use spent 22lr brass when I do a lot of dry fire. At the range, I always (usually) start with 5-6 dry fires to get myself right and don't use anything on the Bergara B14 R or T1X. I've had no problems at all.

The price is right on spent brass, too. ;)
 
If it’s just a function test I use the drywall anchors.
For feeding I take used case and shove a trimmed drywall anchor down in it so they feed like regular 22lr ammo. A bit more time consuming to rig up but cheap and works. After the rims get too beat up I pull the anchors and put them in more once used brass.
 
All I've been using for the last 45 years or so in all of my rimfire weapons are empty cases. I keep a handful of them soaking in a jar of Hoppes #9. I then blow them off with compressed air, (or use some of that "canned air" for computers and cameras), give them a good oiling, and in they go.

Just remember to time them, so there is fresh undented rim under the firing pin. They're free because you already paid for them. They're brass, and will never rust. And they are designed for the purpose. And if you want to get fancy, you can stick some cotton in them, (or snip off the end of a Q-Tip and shove it in), and soak it with your favorite rust inhibitor. Works like a champ. And if you end up losing them, there are plenty more where they came from.
 
I do reuse on the same position and can tell from the sound of the firing pin hitting the case that there is contact, so not real worried about repeated impacts on one case.
 
Wouldn't the firing pin eventually be damaged on a steel case?
I prefer the #4 drywall anchors and rotate them until they're worn out.
Fairly inexpensive and you get plenty in the box.

I agree, these "dummy round" are great for cycling the action and magazine. But no way in hell would I drop the firing pin on these so called "snap caps," regardless if the rims are made of soft steel. I use Tipton or the #4 drywall anchors.
 
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I’m with the others on here. Used 22 brass is the way to go, especially for bolt actions. Lift the bolt, put it back in battery and go. Cheap and effective. If you clock it the number of uses for one case is surprising.
 
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I’m with the others on here. Used 22 brass is the way to go, especially for bolt actions. Lift the bolt, put it back in battery and go. Cheap and effective. If you clock it the number of uses for one case is surprising.
Too true. Just as the best way to collimate a sighting telescope to a rifle barrel is to look through the barrel.
 
I do the same as Frankr - use spent cases and insert a drywall anchor. OR I have some of the Red Tipton snaps that have the rim broken/worn off. I cut the 'rim end' to fit into the used case. For Either style, I use LePage Gel Ultra SuperGlue to secure the tips. They load and cycle in my mags for Sav-64, B22, and Marlin-60 .
 
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