Why people complain they cannot dryfire .22LR?

[turbo_bird]

How hard do you think the firing pin is hitting the rim of the case? And how much of an indent do you think its leaving? Sorry, no firing pin should be causing any damage to the chamber on a quality built firearm.

TDC

It is a Henry mini bolt, so maybe it is crap to you, but the firing pin will definately hit the edge of the chamber if you dry fire it. Maybe once or twice won't do much damage, but the firing pin is way harder than the steel the barrel is made of, and over time it will peen the edge of the chamber. You are absolutely right about the firing pin shouldn't damage the chamber, it's just that with some guns, it is up to the user to make sure that it doesn't get dry fired. I have a Smith and Wesson revolver with the firing pin on the hammer, it is not supposd to be dry fired either, and it is a center fire. Not all guns are idiot proof.
Kristian

 

[haha49]

Some 22lr rounds say don't dry fire with this round simply because it's to hard. Some can some can't read the box when you buy it. I find I just make my own practice rounds just pull the bullet use a used case already and tada a dummy round that is brass and won't damage the firearm. You can break fireing pins on some firearms or damage the barrel (pinen it) Which can cause problems that's why some aren't ment to be dry fired but some have it cut out so the pin hits nothing (10/22)

 

[TDC]

It is a Henry mini bolt, so maybe it is crap to you, but the firing pin will definately hit the edge of the chamber if you dry fire it. Maybe once or twice won't do much damage, but the firing pin is way harder than the steel the barrel is made of, and over time it will peen the edge of the chamber. You are absolutely right about the firing pin shouldn't damage the chamber, it's just that with some guns, it is up to the user to make sure that it doesn't get dry fired. I have a Smith and Wesson revolver with the firing pin on the hammer, it is not supposd to be dry fired either, and it is a center fire. Not all guns are idiot proof.
Kristian

Sorry, that's BS. There is no way the force generated by the firing pin in any rimfire is enough to damage the breach face. And if there is, your gun is a POS. Henry makes a decent gun, and I'm sure it will be just fine if you dry fire it.

TDC

 

[Saucerhead]

I found an online article from american hunter magazine where they test 2 models and talk to manufacturers.

http://www.americanhunter.org/mobile/blog.php?id=21662&cid=56

The gist was that damage was seen on one of the models tested after extensive (1000+) dryfires.
They also claim Henry Repeating Arms says its ok to dry fire their 22's.
Note: i dont follow the magazine so i have no idea of the articles reliability.

 

[Grizzlypeg]

Sorry, that's BS. There is no way the force generated by the firing pin in any rimfire is enough to damage the breach face. And if there is, your gun is a POS. Henry makes a decent gun, and I'm sure it will be just fine if you dry fire it.

TDC

You really don't know enough about this subject. Rim fire firing pins on some firearms will dent in the breech face and peen it into the chamber. Then you have to swage the chamber. Why are you continuing to post on a subject you clearly have limited knowledge on?

 

[TDC]

You really don't know enough about this subject. Rim fire firing pins on some firearms will dent in the breech face and peen it into the chamber. Then you have to swage the chamber. Why are you continuing to post on a subject you clearly have limited knowledge on?

Why are people continually posting BS information? Show me a peened chamber? I've dry fired all my rimfires and a lot, and 2 of them are over 45 years old. Not one has any sign of damage. I have never seen a rimfire damaged due to dry firing. Its an old wives tale, much like storing loaded mags weakens springs, AR's are unreliable, ammo in a fire can kill you, barrel break in is necessary and many more. Without evidence to support this claim, its just regurgitated garbage.

TDC

 

[Grizzlypeg]

Why are people continually posting BS information? Show me a peened chamber? I've dry fired all my rimfires and a lot, and 2 of them are over 45 years old. Not one has any sign of damage. I have never seen a rimfire damaged due to dry firing. Its an old wives tale, much like storing loaded mags weakens springs, AR's are unreliable, ammo in a fire can kill you, barrel break in is necessary and many more. Without evidence to support this claim, its just regurgitated garbage.

TDC

I will get you a picture of my hi standard victor tomorrow. It suffers from the problem I describe.

 

[TDC]

I will get you a picture of my hi standard victor tomorrow. It suffers from the problem I describe.

I would like to see that. Thank you.

TDC

 

[Alex_Zues]

I suppose someone could find a gunsmith book which explores this topic. Would that be evidence enough for people?
Or perhaps a gunsmith could chime in? (unless one already has and I missed it skimming through)

 

[graydog]

Why are people continually posting BS information? Show me a peened chamber? I've dry fired all my rimfires and a lot, and 2 of them are over 45 years old. Not one has any sign of damage. I have never seen a rimfire damaged due to dry firing. Its an old wives tale, much like storing loaded mags weakens springs, AR's are unreliable, ammo in a fire can kill you, barrel break in is necessary and many more. Without evidence to support this claim, its just regurgitated garbage.

TDC

TDC you are talking out of your ass here on this subject. Just because your guns are ok does not mean that others are. I have personally seen a few guns that Del Selin in Vernon has had to fix because of people dry firing them. As others have stated this is all in your opinion, unless you have worked as a gunsmith for thiry or forty years I rather suspect you are not qualified to make statements like you are making.

Sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut and ne thought a fool then to open it and remove all doubt. Just my two cents worth.

Graydog

 

[dan belisle]

I've seen and owned 22's with damaged chambers from dry firing. You can repair the chambers, usually, with a 22 reamer that cuts away the peened metal, but you must proceed very carefully. Personally I just don't do it (dry fire 22's I mean). - dan

 

[turbo_bird]

Must be a lot of "junk" guns out there. This is what I found with a quick google search. Guns pictured here include a Winchester 40x, Ruger mk ii or iii, Smith and Wesson model 41, and a bunch of others. Do what you want with your own guns, but keep your hands off mine.

Kristian

 

[Grizzlypeg]

My, High Standard "The Victor" Hamden, Conn.

Look at the damage at 1:00 o'clock position.


If I allow the firing pin to strike the breech face it pushes metal ino the chamber, and you have problems with feed and extraction. An unfired shell will no longer just drop in, but will get scored by the raised metal as it is pushed in, scraping the projectile and brass case.

 

[graydog]

Must be a lot of "junk" guns out there. This is what I found with a quick google search. Guns pictured here include a Winchester 40x, Ruger mk ii or iii, Smith and Wesson model 41, and a bunch of others. Do what you want with your own guns, but keep your hands off mine.

Kristian

Great bunch of pictures T-Bird It never fails to amaze me how many people out there think that they are experts in every and all fields but when it comes down to it they can't keep there mouth shut long enought to ever learn anything.

Graydog

 

[mbonner]

To take the pressure off the spring, I fire my empty semi-auto 22s with the slide pulled back 1/16"th or less, so the firing pin does not hit the chamber edge. Works for me.

 

[red_bailey]

Did you find any pictures of $4.000+ Olympic target rifles with damaged chambers or firing pins? No? Maybe it's because most owners live and breathe their sport, and they KNOW BETTER than to dry fire their (cheap, piece o' junk, finicky, and impractical) top-of-the-line equipment. Applies to fancy international rim-fire target pistols, too.

I'm just glad my $2.000 biathlon rifle has a dry fire mode, else I'd just go ahead and believe that there's no way the collision of the firing pin and the breech face could result in something that could affect chambering, extraction, evenness of primer ignition, or absolute reliability of firing mechanism when a competition is on the line.

 

[silverfoxdj]

Good pics thanks

 

[mbonner]

Graydog, I agree with you how many ignorant people on Gunutz there are only too willing to argue and argue they are right. Thank you for putting up the pics, pretty much proof, I'd say that I have been right all these years.

 

[Canuck44]

How hard do you think the firing pin is hitting the rim of the case? And how much of an indent do you think its leaving? Sorry, no firing pin should be causing any damage to the chamber on a quality built firearm.

TDC

A post for the ages.

 

[BCRider]

TDC, have you ever peened or riveted over any metal pins? The proper way is to use a ball peen hammer to upset the metal and deform it from a pin shape to a mushroomed dome. It works best when it's done with a few dozen light taps instead of three or four smashes.

The action of a firing pin in terms of spring power and mass also isn't much, if any, different than a spring clicker style center punch. Yet you EXPECT that to punch a divot into the metal. So all in all I'm amazed that you're finding this whole rimfire issue so hard to accept.

There's a lot of rimfire guns where the firing pin travel is limited in order to avoid this issue. But there's still LOTS of guns that did not incorporate this feature for whatever reason. A big part being that it was simply accepted that rimfire guns should not be dry fired and back then the owners just didn't do it.