How important are snap-caps?

ninepointer

ninepointer

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I don't like to leave any of my shotguns (or any guns for that matter) cocked for long periods of time. I have a way of uncocking my 870 without striking the firing pin, but what about hinged guns and others? Should I fret about whether or not to drop the firing pin when putting my shotguns away, or should I just get snap-caps?
 
dry firing in excess is not good. A couple times a year will not hurt anything. If it worries you, get snap caps
 
For ghetto snap caps you can jam pencil erasers into the primer pockets of some spent shells. Leaving them cocked doesn't hurt them, though.
 
Dry fire away to your heart's content with the 870, but some doubles should not be dry fired without a snap cap. Either way, leaving the hammer cocked won't hurt anything.
 
Snap caps are not that expensive and when you look at how much we spend on everything else, it's justified. Why are people such cheapos !!?? I know I'd rather use a nice aluminum snap cap then put a dirty old, spent shell in my gun.
 
I will dry fire at least four times before taking the first shot at the range - making sure the cross hairs do not move on the target. I will also dry fire at home when working out a flinch issue that I developed with a 338LM - have done it multiple hundreds of times.

When shooting IPSC, my pistol was dry fired thousands of times (many hours of practicing draws and engaging the first target/mag changes etc.)

I have never owned a snap cap or alternative - I don't see the need. Never had an issue with any gun.

My rifles are transported and stored without the bolt.
 
My instructor, who is a Canadian shooting champion, told us that dry firing a firearm will not harm it with the exception of a rimfire, and then only if it is done numerous times. I am not 100% sure if this is true but he did seem very knowleagable.
 
If you use a spent shotgun shell and dry fire onto it, does that act as a snap cap?
 
If you are going to use an old shell either with a pencil eraser or not cut away all the plastic and just use the case head. It's unnerving to the people around you when you dump what look like shells into a gun and pull the trigger. It also prevents you from making a mistake and inserting a live round.

With a hinge gun you don't need snap caps. What you want to do is cushion the firing pins when you drop the hammers. With the barrels off, just lightly hold a piece of wood, plastic, rubber against the breach face and pull the trigger(s.)

Here's an example for sxs guns made from buffalo horn.

http://www.csmcspecials.com/Horn_Striker_Block_p/d0300.htm
 
Snap caps are silly except for training. But, i prefer drill rounds. I dry fire every gun i have cheap or expensive(except my ball and cappers). Damm, after 30 years of shootin everything still works.
 
IPSC and snap caps don't go together. If you go to a shoot and have a snap cap in your gun when you open the case in the safety area, and someone sees you, you're done for the day.. Put your gun back in the case and watch or go home.

No ammo or pretend ammo at all. Zero. If it makes you feel better with `a fancy shotgun, then it's good for your feelings but I've had more gun people tell me it's totally ok to click a gun with the exception of rimfires and a couple of models that don't like it.

Ryan
 
unstableryan said:
IPSC and snap caps don't go together. If you go to a shoot and have a snap cap in your gun when you open the case in the safety area, and someone sees you, you're done for the day.. Put your gun back in the case and watch or go home.

No ammo or pretend ammo at all. Zero. If it makes you feel better with `a fancy shotgun, then it's good for your feelings but I've had more gun people tell me it's totally ok to click a gun with the exception of rimfires and a couple of models that don't like it.

Ryan
Click to expand...

In a hinged shotgun, you risk real damage to the firing pins by dry firing.
 
For the 870, just think of military, police and corrections that all use this shotgun. Some of these guns are dry fired probably hundreds of thousands of times, and people still trust their lives to them. Fire away!! I dry fire most of my guns all the time, the only thing that has been damaged is my relationship with my neighbours in my apartment building!
 
While I cannot answer specifically to shot guns, it should be noted that some rifles have brittle firing pins, and when dry firing it can cause them to crack and fail.
 
Funny subject for me really.

When I grew up I used to dry fire my dads 16 gauge break all the time.

A year or so ago I picked up an over under. He always said he wanted one, so I took it up to show him.

He immediately starts dry firing it. I got on his case and he reminded me of his old 16AWG... He owed me a few.

Now a days he is always saying " I can't wait until you have kids. So I can sit back and laugh!"

My day will come I guess.
 
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