22lr dry firing

[Borngeechee]

I wanted to do some dry fire drills with my mark ll but didn't have any snap caps and I came across this cheap and plentiful alternative... #4 drywall anchors. I don't know if you knew about it so imma pass it on.

Cheap 22LR Snap Cap Alternative:

[philoshop]

Great idea my friend!

[wildcat junkie]

Awesome & cheap way to prevent damage.

[Lawdwaz]

I shouldn't say this because it'll surely jinx me but in 45 years of dry firing everything I own I've only busted one firing pin and that was on a ULA rifle.  Melvin said I'm the only one to ever break one..............figures.

[wildcat junkie]

I shouldn't say this because it'll surely jinx me but in 45 years of dry firing everything I own I've only busted one firing pin and that was on a ULA rifle.  Melvin said I'm the only one to ever break one..............figures.

Not all, but some RFs are more susceptible to firing pin breakage than CFs due to the fact that if the firing pin over-travels, it can strike the edge of the chamber.

 

My 5mm Remington CF conversion will also break firing pins due to the "nail head" design of the firing pin. The nail head hits the back of the bolt & will shear eventually if one keeps on dry firing. The dry wall anchors won't work in my case. A piece of brass rod pushed into the center of the DW anchor might work though.

 

I may have to give that a try.

[Lawdwaz]

Yes, I know that DFa RF are a no no but I've done it for years with (up to now) no problems.

 

The anchors are a great idea..............

[wildcat junkie]

Yes, I know that DFa RF are a no no but I've done it for years with (up to now) no problems.

 

The anchors are a great idea..............

A lot of it depends on the model & manufacturer. I remember my Dad & uncles saying that the old Stevens "Favorite" was bad about it.

[Pygmy]

I broke a firing pin on my Dad's ( now mine) 1899 Ithaca hammer double by dry firing it...Perhaps it was because of the metallurgy of the time.. Fortunately Dad was a machinist and he made another firing pin for the shotgun...

[Lawdwaz]

A lot of it depends on the model & manufacturer. I remember my Dad & uncles saying that the old Stevens "Favorite" was bad about it.

 

JHC you JUST reminded of another victim in my youth............a Stevens single shot youth .22 that I busted a firing pin on.  Another stiff for Firing Pin Heaven...................

 

I'll tell ya, the mind is a terrible thing to loose. 

[philoshop]

Damage on the RF's is not limited to broken firing pins. If the pin is extending enough to contact the breech face you'll end up with an indentation that can cause misfires. Replacing a barrel is a lot more expensive than replacing a firing pin.

 

It depends entirely on the gun. Ruger actually recommends dry-firing the 10/22 as a training procedure. Partly because the pin stops short of the breech face.

[wildcat junkie]

I broke a firing pin on my Dad's ( now mine) 1899 Ithaca hammer double by dry firing it...Perhaps it was because of the metallurgy of the time.. Fortunately Dad was a machinist and he made another firing pin for the shotgun...

I'm sure metallurgy had something to do with it Dan, but the design of the firing pin may also be at fault.

 

My Remington 581 RF Magnum has the Schroeder CF bolt conversion. The bolt is 2-piece W/ striker in the rear portion that hits the firing pin that protrudes to the rear of the fore portion.

 

The Schroeder firing pin is like that of most exposed hammer as well as many hammerless S/S & O/U shotguns albeit a stretched out version. It has a thick "nail head" rear portion that abuts the rebound spring yet it also is larger than the OD of the spring.

 

When the striker hits the pin that doesn't have a cartridge in the chamber, it bottoms out against the rear face of the housing. The Schroeder CF bolt conversion is of modern metallurgist technology yet it is very prone to breaking firing pins none-the-less. It breaks right at the juncture of the nail head portion.

 

When I called Steve Schroeder when I broke the pin & he sent me 2 replacements & acknowledged that it was an issue. I think that if there was a radius at that point, it might prevent the breakage. 

 

In contrast, I have dry-fired Mausers as well as M700s & my dad's Krag countless times W/O issues