10/22; last round strategies

ThisIsMyBoomstick

ThisIsMyBoomstick

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Morning,

My daughter has a 10/22, for the most part she likes it. She really disliked the bolt open latch system, so I stuck one of those aftermarket bolt release plates. That made clearing the action during ceasefire and releasing the bolt much easier.

Sometimes she forgets to count her rounds and gets a dry fire (no damage yet), so I told her to put a plastic snap cap in as the first round in the magazine. Good misfire/hangfire training.

Good strategy? (aside from her calling it a 9/22 now...)

Thanks.
 
I was going to say "switch to a bolt action" but there haven't been enough helpful/useful posts to be a smart*ss just yet. ;)

Honestly-nothing productive to add. I have a worsening case of arthritis in my right thumb so any 10 round mag I encounter only gets 8-9 anyway. I have 10 round CZ mags that only function properly with 9. Wish manufacturers would make 10 rounders 10.7 round mags to ensure 10 fit/function every time.

Not sure I've heard the question or the concern before, but I never count rounds and like you OP=don't love dry firing.
 
.22LRGUY said:
I was going to say "switch to a bolt action" but there haven't been enough helpful/useful posts to be a smart*ss just yet. ;)

Honestly-nothing productive to add. I have a worsening case of arthritis in my right thumb so any 10 round mag I encounter only gets 8-9 anyway. I have 10 round CZ mags that only function properly with 9. Wish manufacturers would make 10 rounders 10.7 round mags to ensure 10 fit/function every time.

Not sure I've heard the question or the concern before, but I never count rounds and like you OP=don't love dry firing.
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Since I was a kid I was told that dry firing was an offence punishable by an expensive repair bill and angry glares, I figure she may come across something that wasn't safe to dry fire and it seems like such a small effort. Sort of like giving your car a walk around before heading out.
 
ThisIsMyBoomstick said:
Since I was a kid I was told that dry firing was an offence punishable by an expensive repair bill and angry glares, I figure she may come across something that wasn't safe to dry fire and it seems like such a small effort. Sort of like giving your car a walk around before heading out.
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100% Boomstick. If I protect one firing pin I protect them all!

Not doubting/questioning the manual or Ruger's say-so, just better for my mind to have one rule re: firing pins. Same thing with data stamps on barrels-zero chance I'm deviating from the ammo notation on the barrel itself. On purpose.

Still expect to see a half-dozen "will 22LR work in 22WMR chambers/barrels?" threads in 2025. :)
 
ThisIsMyBoomstick said:
Since I was a kid I was told that dry firing was an offence punishable by an expensive repair bill and angry glares, I figure she may come across something that wasn't safe to dry fire and it seems like such a small effort. Sort of like giving your car a walk around before heading out.
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Giving a car a walk around before going out would be analogous to doing basic familiarization (google search, youtube vid, maybe manual perusal) on a firearm you intend to use. Blindly following a false mantra that dry fire=bad is the opposite. I believe that understanding the actual firearm you are using is important.

In terms of mechanical damage, on a rimfire firearm not designed to be dry fired, what commonly happens is a small lip is peened into the chamber mouth. It’s easy to fix with a tool called a chamber iron. Not an expensive fix or one requiring a gunsmith.

Dry firing is an excellent way to practice marksmanship fundamentals without live ammunition. Especially for a young person.

Your initial question was asking if it’s a good strategy. It’s just unnecessary.
 
I have several diff 10-round mags and I get the Pachmyer 'orange' snap caps since they can feed thru 'most mags'. Wall anchors may not, depending on the brand. I bought some anchors a few years ago and they wouldn't feed the first one thru, let alone a whole mag full. The Pachmyers do well and last for about 10 or more uses before the lips wear out from strikes. The Tipton 'Reds' are brittle plastic and have failed for me after only 3-4 strikes. I shoot enuf that 'losing count' happens a lot so I'm building up a 'negative karma balance' from dry strikes. I load a snap cap 'first in' .
 
To add on to why the 10/22 is safe to dry fire, there's a little divet/cutout for the hammer to land softly if no round is chambered. It's quite a smart design, especially considering how old the platform is.

There is also an aftermarket magwell addon for the 10/22 that adds last round bolt hold open. This may be something you want to look into in the future.
 
Buck1950 said:
I have several diff 10-round mags and I get the Pachmyer 'orange' snap caps since they can feed thru 'most mags'. Wall anchors may not, depending on the brand. I bought some anchors a few years ago and they wouldn't feed the first one thru, let alone a whole mag full. The Pachmyers do well and last for about 10 or more uses before the lips wear out from strikes. The Tipton 'Reds' are brittle plastic and have failed for me after only 3-4 strikes. I shoot enuf that 'losing count' happens a lot so I'm building up a 'negative karma balance' from dry strikes. I load a snap cap 'first in.'
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I picked up a few packages of the Pachmyer ones a while back.

The general consensus is : Don't need to but go ahead if it makes you feel better.
 
9-ball said:
its all been covered so I just have one thing to add...

Its a great method to see how she is doing when it comes to flinching, you count the rounds fired, when you know the gun is empty just watch carefully to see if she flinches and the gun moves when the trigger is pulled.
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Thanks. I think she only flinches when someone down line launches a 338 or some other bit of artillery.
 
BlackPowderBurner said:
On an action which is suitable for dry firing you're offering zero additional protection to the firing mechanism. Snap caps are useful with designs which are not otherwise able to be dry fired without damage.
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This exactly!
The OP is asking about a 10/22 which IS, by design, safe to dry fire.
This is not true for all rimfire platforms but IS true of the 10/22.

I am of the opinion that any idiosyncrasy of any particular firearm should be trained on.
I would not want to establish an unconscious habit that the last round in a mag is a dud.

The last round hold open is a good crossover mod imo. But then u learn the gun, not a loading strategy which may be inconsistent.

.02$
 
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