Cheap Rim fire snap caps (picture heavy)

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Got a package in the mail today that got me thinking about rim fire snap caps.
I usually don't dryfire my rimfire's much and when I have I've used several different techniques to buffer the blow ranging from spent brass to small pieces of plastic blocking the hammer.
I'd heard mention of drywall anchors so I looked around the shop and found some that fit with some minor modification. The ones I had have little wedges that tighten the fit of the anchor in use....these need to be trimmed away. The serrated wings that would be pushed out if a screw was inserted can be left alone.... I pushed them in a bit more with my thumbs and left them in place.

They won't last for ever but the price is right and they are handy when breaking in a new gun.







 
That's a cool idea. I have one of those revolvers on the way and was thinking about what I could use for snap caps. Thanks.
 
I've used the fired brass as well Daver, but I think these might be better. The brass gets pounded flat and distorts and needs to be rotated. I will rotate these as well but I'm hoping they won't get as mangled as the brass.
Plus they are easy to tell apart from live rounds.

The trigger on this gun breaks very clean in single action but the pull is very heavy in double action and a bit heavy in single.
I'm going to try and get some softer springs.
 
Funny enough, I have gone through life so far without owning a rimfire gun that could not be dry fired safely.

I see these as a whole lotta dickin about for no good reason. Cheap, yup. Needed, only on the very few firearms out there that do not have a mechanical limit of some sort on the firing pin travel.

YMMV. Read yer Manual or download it. More than likely that you don't need them.
I hold to the principle that using empty cases is a recipe for a hole in the wall eventually.


Cheers
Trev
 
The Ruger sp 101 is safe to dry fire. This is well known and documented.

I figured since I'd be yankin the trigger a few thousand times I'd put some buffers in to cushion the pin.

The way I look at it , it's not about protecting the cylinder it's about minimizing in ness weary shock to the pin from slamming into the end of its travel.

What seems like a hassle to some was pretty easy for me and since I already had tools and an hits on hand it was only a 10 minute investment of my time.

I've only ever broken one firing pin.
That was dry firing a Marlin 336.
 
Funny enough, I have gone through life so far without owning a rimfire gun that could not be dry fired safely.

I see these as a whole lotta dickin about for no good reason. Cheap, yup. Needed, only on the very few firearms out there that do not have a mechanical limit of some sort on the firing pin travel.

YMMV. Read yer Manual or download it. More than likely that you don't need them.
I hold to the principle that using empty cases is a recipe for a hole in the wall eventually.


Cheers
Trev

I have a few rim fires where it's not recommended.
I also don't dry fire old guns that have hard to replace parts regardless of whether they are considered safe to dry fire or not.
For the record I don't think people that dry fire their guns to prove them safe, or to disassemble or store de cocked are careless.
I also obviously don't think that putting in a shock buffer for what I've been doing to this ruger is overkill.

I dry fire guns often with nothing in the chamber but if I'm practising repetitive trigger pulls or breaking in an action I'll use them.
 
They work great in rifles without any modification. Will extract and eject fine if you limit each one to about 4 or 5 firing pin strikes. More than that and they deform to the extent that you will have to push a wooden dowel (not a cleaning rod) down the bore from the muzzle to push out.
 
I think that most of the dry fire fears are inherited from older guns such as rim fires that the firing pin travel allowed the pin to touch the chamber on the strike.That being said many gun owners believe this the case when newer guns are dry fired.I know for a fact on many of my 22's there is a space between the chamber and the pin after the strike and this is built in to prevent chamber peening on a dry fire.As a gun owner in general to just state don't dry fire is not always the case.Many manufactures state ok to dry fire.Look at some of your own guns and find out for yourself.A CZ is an easy one to confirm this on.There are also a number of gun owners that are very careful and safety concerned they have the right to treat their guns as they please,and follow their own lifestyles.

R
 
I got a box of these anchors. Even after trimming away the wedges, the shaft near the base is still too thick to chamber in my rifles and they get tightly stuck in the chamber. I have to push them out with a cleaning rod. I think if I can trim them down enough to chamber without resistance, then they can be extracted by the action as well, but it's a lot of work for each anchor.

The ridges on them are causing some problems with loading from a magazine as well.

Did I buy the wrong size? The box says #4-8 and it's the smallest I could find.
 
What works for me with no alteration required is size #4-6 x 7/8". Mine are coloured yellow, come in a box containing at least 100, more I think. I buy them at Kent Building Supplies, a Maritime based company.
 
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